Christ’s greatest warning to this world is found in Matthew 24. What makes it the greatest? It addresses the world’s greatest deception!
“The whole world” is deceived. God inspired the Apostle John to write this in Revelation 12:9. That is a stunning statement. How is it possible that so many people could be deceived?
“The whole world” would have to include the various competing versions of professing Christianity, or else you can’t believe your Bible.
In Matthew 24, Jesus Christ talked about the “many” being deceived (verses 4-5), not the few. Yet He also said in that chapter that it is possible for you to understand the Bible so deeply that it isimpossible to deceive you! You can become “the very elect,” and the very elect cannot be deceived (verse 24).
Yes, we can rise above deception! As incredible as it sounds, you and I can be part of Jesus Christ’s inner circle, His “little flock” (Luke 12:32)—the select, precious few who cannot be deceived.
Before a Sign of the End, a Warning
Matthew 24 is called the Olivet prophecy. The stage is set in verse 3: “And as [Jesus] sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
That is quite a subject: the sign of the end of the world, the end of this age, and the return of Jesus Christ!
Human beings will listen to almost any preacher proclaiming his version of end-time events, almost any wild-eyed fanatic, almost any Hollywood movie depicting the end of the world. Butalmost nobody will listen to Jesus Christ! What does Christ say is the sign of the end of this age and the lead-up to His return and the beginning of a new age?
Look carefully at how Christ answered the disciples’ question. He didn’t come right out and answer it immediately! Why not?
Because He had to warn them: If they didn’t beware of a powerful deception, they wouldn’t evensee the sign! He emphasized that this fog of deception was so thick, so monstrous that if they didn’t cut through it, they simply wouldn’t see what Christ was talking about. They wouldn’t recognize when the end was upon them!
And this critical warning was recorded and preserved for us—right now!
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you” (verse 4). You, He said—you disciples. When Christ says you, He is not talking to the world in general, He is talking toHis own followers.
And what is the specific deception that Christ’s followers need to heed? “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (verse 5).
Here is the single greatest warning in the Bible! The whole New Testament revolves around this pivotal chapter of Scripture, and Christ’s imperative warning here is this: Beware of people whodeceive you about me!
Christ was warning His disciples—and warning you and me— that people would try to deceive us about Him and His message. He went on to talk about how the “many”—not the few—would be deceived about war, pestilence, famine and other unconscionable cataclysms. But the confusion about all those catastrophes exists primarily because people are deceived about religion— evenChristianity!
Jesus Christ Himself founded His Church (see Matthew 16:18). Most people know very little about the Church He founded. The history of that Church is a fascinating and deeply important subject to study.
Did you realize that soon after Christ completed His ministry on Earth, a controversy arose about the gospel? Church history shows that people violently disagreed over whether the Church would proclaim the very same gospel message Christ Himself proclaimed—or whether it would proclaim a message about Jesus.
The message about Jesus won out. The message He preached was largely silenced.
About 20 years after the Church was founded, the Apostle Paul—inspired by Christ—wrote his epistle to the Galatians, and he said, I marvel that you’ve already turned to another gospel! (see Galatians 1:6-7).
Paul went on to pronounce a double curse on any man, or even angel, who preached any gospel other than the one he had given them from Christ! (verses 8-9). God canonized that in the Bible, so He inspired it.
These are the words of God: Anyone who preaches another gospel will receive a double curse! That is a serious warning that any minister should take to heart!
Are you sure you know what the true gospel is?
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