Avoiding Deception In The Last Days

I believe many people are concerned and even worried about the difficult events that have been happening in America, and around the world. People of all political perspectives are not sure what’s coming next. A majority of people wonder why certain events are occurring. People are accusing one another of being evil.

I believe that Jesus and His Apostles warned us about what we are experiencing. 2 Timothy 3:1 is where Paul was looking into the future when he made the statement, “In the last days difficult times will come.” These times have been here for some time and these times will become more difficult.

Typically, when we talk about the last days, we think about the 7-year tribulation, the battle of Armageddon, and the second coming of Christ. And while those events are important to talk about. We need to focus on the deceptions that will occur in the last days. This can help us wisely understand what we have and will be experiencing.

Let’s look at 5 truths about deception in the last days.

The first truth is that Jesus warned the disciples about deception related to His second coming in Matthew 24:4-5, He said that would occur before the 7-year tribulation,

“See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and will mislead many.” (NASB)

Jesus warned us twice to not be misled. The Greek word misled is planar, it can also mean “deceived.” Jesus is warning us not to be deceived. Jesus warned His disciples about a very large number of receivers. That warning about deception is already in progress. In Matthew 24 Jesus tells us that during the last half of the tribulation, deception will explode and be extremely convincing because they will use great signs and wonders to mislead.

“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold I have told you in advance” -Matthew 24:24 (NASB)

The deception will be so powerful that only the elect believers can escape the deception. That means unbelievers in our country and around the world will be deceived. The tribulation period will be a time of tremendous deception. That is why Jesus warned His disciples. He said, “Behold I have told you in advance.” He wants believers to not be ignorant.

The second truth is to avoid deception about truth. Paul warned us that truth and righteousness would be twisted or distorted in the last days. In 1 Timothy 4:1-4 he wrote,

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as a branding iron” (NASB)

Paul says in the later times just before the second coming of Christ, deceitful spirits will increase. The demons will use people who have a seared conscious. The demons will use men and women who are insensitive to sin and evil. What will they teach? The answer is given in Matthew 24:3-5. They will distort biblical truth. Their instruction will be deceptive. The result of their instruction is given in in part in2 Timothy 3:1-5,

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, relivers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied it’s power; Avoid such men as these” (NASB).

In 2 Timothy 3:8, we are told that such people are opposed to truth. They reject biblical truth and seek to deceive. In the last days evil will be considered good, and good will be considered evil. People will increasingly become more insensitive to sin, their consciences will be seared and their hearts hardened to others. This means in the last days evil will explode.

Interestingly there is an article called Imprimis that’s titled “Orwell’s 1984 and Today.” It is a snapshot of the future.

We have cut the links between child and parent and between man and man, and between man and woman. No one dares trust a wife or child or a friend any longer. But in the future, there will be no wives and no friends. Children will be taken from their mothers at birth, as one takes eggs from the hen. The sex instinct will be eradicated. Procreation will be an annual formality like the renewal of a ration card…There will be no loyalty, except loyalty toward the Party. There will be no love, except, the love of Big Brother. There will be no laughter, except the laugh of triumph over a defeated enemy…All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always -do not forget, Winston – always there will be intoxication of power, constantly growing subtle. Always, at every moment there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face.

O’Brien

We may not agree with every comment, but we are living in a world where biblical truth is increasingly hated and considered evil. The trend he describes is occurring.

The third truth is to avoid deception about the antichrist. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 gives us another warning. This warning is about an evil leader who will appear in the last days -at the beginning of the tribulation. Paul warns us,

“Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself about every so-called god or object of worship.” (NASB)

This verse is about the antichrist. He will be the leader of a nation. He is called the “man of lawlessness.” That describes his character. He will not be subject to God’s moral law of to any government laws. This lawless man will be a proud man who does not feat anyone! He will be the ultimate evil man. Eventually, the antichrist will seize control of the world and then rule the world. Paul warns people not to be deceived by him. That means this man will initially appear as a nice man, but through deception, he will gain control.

Thessalonians 2:8-10 gives us more information about this man. We are told,

“Then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will day with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one who is coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and will all the deception of wickedness for those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.” (NASB)

There are three things about the antichrist in these verses. First, the antichrist will come “in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all deception of wickedness.” That is, he will be very politically powerful. His primary tool will be the art of great deception. Like a magician, he will skillfully deceive people into believing one thing while actively doing something else. Second, we are told that people will be deceived. That is, the vast majority of people will think he is doing good. They will trust him. Everyone but true believers will be deceived by him. Why will they like his magic tricks? We are told that those who will be deceived are those who “did not receive the love of the truth.” That is referring to non-believers. They reject biblical truth. Third, this lawless man will be killed by Jesus at the second coming of Christ. The antichrist is the ultimate deceiver.

So far, we have been warned about false Christs, false teaching, and the antichrist. Who is responsible for all of these? The answer is Satan. Satan’s role in deception in the last days. It comes from Satan who is the architect of deception. He will aggressively work to deceive the world. He is “the deceiver.” In Revelation 12:9 we are told,

“The devil and satan, who deceives the whole world.” (NASB)

That is, Satan is the master deceiver of the world.

Revelation 13 describes the future antichrist and false prophet. In verses 3 and 4, we are once again told the antichrist will deceive the world so that the whole earth follows and worships him. The world will think this man of lawlessness is a wonderful leader. Why! Verse 2 gives us the answer. The dragon or the devil or Satan empowers him (Revelation 12:9).

Verses 11-18 introduce us to the false prophet. He will be the leader of a false religion that will span the world. Verses 13-14 says,

“He performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down from heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceived those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life” – Revelation 13:13-14 (NASB)

The false Prophet will deceive everyone on earth too. His worldwide religion is described in Revelation 19:23 as a deceptive organization. It will be a false religion that suppresses Christianity. Revelation 19:20 3;10 the devil, the antichrist and the false prophet are described as deceptive.

This helps true believers understand that in the last days, the great evil and deception will be orchestrated by satan. Those who reject divine truth are the ones who will think the antichrist is wonderful. Then evil men will become even worse. Ephesians 6:12 says we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

What’s God’s purpose in deception in the last days?

It is explained in 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12,

“For this reason, God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in wickedness.” (NASB)

We are told that God will send a deluding influence on the world or a deceiving influence so that they will believe what is false. That is, God will cause the world to be deceived. Why would God do that? God gives us the answer. He will do it, “in order that they all may be judged who did not believe in the truth but took pleasure in wickedness.” God will intentionally cause those who have already ultimately and finally rejected Jesus and are indulging in the pleasures of sin to be completely deceived. He gives them over because they have rejected Jesus. Then when God judges them, His judgments will prove He is righteous. They will prove they deserve hell.

What is to be learned from all of this? Jesus and Paul have warned us not to be deceived in the last days about the second coming of Jesus, the distortion of truth, the increase in evil, and the rise of the antichrist. They warned us that satan will be the master deceiver and will cause worldwide deception. God will cause those who have rejected the truth and enjoyed sin, to be decided and to believe lies.

I believe that the tremendous increase in evil, lies, and deception that we have been observing for decades is not just due to people being sinners. It is the handiwork of satan, which God is increasingly allowing as we more quickly move to the end. As God releases control, we will see how mankind will become when God stops restraining evil and deception.

Matthew 25:34 tells is that God the Father made plans for His kingdom from the foundation of the world. What we are seeing is the execution of His plan. We are marching faster now toward the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The Lord willing, maybe those who are living in these days might someday soon discover that Jesus told His disciples that His second coming will be obvious to everyone when it occurs. In Luke 17:23-24 Jesus said,

They will say to you, “Look there! Look here! Do not go away, and do not run after them. For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day.” (NASB)

When He returns everyone will see Him. When Jesus comes in a blaze of light and everyone around the world will see Him. We should pray, Come quickly, Lord Jesus! come.