The Bible is often regarded as a source of moral guidance and divine truth, but within its pages lies accounts that delve into the complexities of human nature, including instances of exception.
From cunning trickery to strategic manipulation, the Bible is filled with examples of people resorting to deceit in pursuit of their goals.
These accounts not only serve as cautionary narratives but also offer profound insight into the intricate dynamics of trust, betrayal, and the consequences of dishonesty on both personal and collective levels.
When Jesus speaks of the primary sign of the “end of the age,” He speaks of wars and rumors of war, famine, and disease or pestilence, you’ve probably heard all of these. But, one thing He said and we all tend to shrug off that we shouldn’t is deception.
When the disciples went to Jesus in Matthew 24 and asked about the end of the age, Jesus said, “Take heed that no man deceive you.”
In recent decades we’ve seen these difficult issues face to face. Whether we want to confront them or not.
According to Bible prophecy, things are only going to get more intense as the days pass, because we are living at the end of the age when Jesus, Paul, and Peter all projected that society as a whole would be deceived on a massive scale.
Jesus’s disciples had specifically asked Him, “What shall be the sign of the coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3). In response to that question a list of exact signs that would indicate the very end of the age and His imminent return. Jesus gave many signs, but the first sign, Jesus told them about contained a clear warning of a wide-scale deception that would emerge in the last days and the need for people to prepare and guard against it. Jesus said,” …Take heed that no man deceive you.”
In Matthew 24:4, the word “deceive” is used to depict this period when it will look as if delusion is taking over the world.
It’s important to know the original Greek words “take head” were intended to jar and jolt the disciples to get their attention. So that they would really listen to what Jesus, was telling them and hear His warning as the present age came to the conclusion, that an unprecedented deception would attempt to encompass every part of society.
The original Greek word “deceive” is also used to depict this period when it will look as if delusion is taking over the world. It is the Greek word planao, which means to lead astray or to wander off course. This word receiver could dialect a single individual who has wandered far off course, or it could describe a whole nation or nations that have morally veered from the position once held to be true.
Planao a person or nation who although once established on solid ground, is now morally drifting and teetering on the edge of a crooked, dangerous path.
One who has lost its bearings, and drifted off track. One who has already departed or is in the process of departing. They have begun to cross-grain against all that was once departed from their belief system.
Just look at the world around you today. Can you see the deception at work? Watch the developments in the news. In a culture where moral standards bend so easily with the times, I believe we have reached our tipping point, not only in America but also around the globe.
In Matthew 24, Jesus accurately foretold this worldwide deception on earth in the last days and alerted His disciples that it would be a sign that His return was nigh. As we come closer and closer to the very last days of this age, we need to remember Jesus’s forewarning of a season in time in which deception would grip the entire world. From all the signs around us, it appears that we are already there.
This is why we must keep our minds soaked with the Word of God, which renews us to right thinking in a world that has morally slipped in a wrong direction. It is imperative that we put the Word of God into our hearts, and keep it before our eyes and hear it with our ears. It is equally important to verbalize the truth of God’s Word to ourselves and to other believers so that it strengthens us to the truth in us and between us in a day when the world is slipping away.
Rather than becoming victims of the age and spiritual casualties in the Body of Christ, we should hold our Bibles dearer and closer to our hearts and minds than ever before. We can reinforce ourselves against the days in which we live and the days that are forecast as yet to come.
We need to grab hold of the unalterable truth of God’s Word, dig our heels deep into it, and decide that we will stand firm on the truth that never changes, regardless of how society around us changes in the days to come.
From Pity to Praise 