Matthew 24:3 - Take Heed

 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Matthew 24:4

In what is known as the Olivet Discourse, the disciples ask Jesus about what signs would accompany his return and the end of the world. Jesus has just finished pronouncing woe on the Pharisees, and apparently they are shaken and curious about the things to come. This is a topic that I have followed closely throughout my life, first out of fear, and now out of a genuine desire to understand the prophecies we have been given in scripture to help us understand and navigate during what will be one of the most important times this world has ever seen.

It's interesting that Jesus doesn't immediately start describing the signs of the end as the disciples had asked. He begins with a warning. "Watch out, and do not let anyone fool you" (GNT). I always assumed this meant, "Do not let any false Messiahs deceive you," because of the next verse. However, I believe Jesus started with this because deception is going to be a critical factor in the last days. 

Looking around today, we have cries of "fake news" and "conspiracy theories" ad nauseum. Who do you actually know you can trust? Ninety-six percent of the news media is controlled by the same owners, all of whom have political interests they desire to protect. Actual "Christian" churches throughout the world are asleep at the wheel, questioning even the most critical aspects of the faith such as: was Jesus actually God in the flesh?, does it even matter if He rose again?, and is God a mass murderer? Even churches that adhere to the core of Christian belief have varying theories about how the end will play out.

When it comes to eschatology (the branch of theology that is concerned with the end of the world or of humankind), there are countless competing theories. Many are platitudes that are passed down from seminaries to pastors to church members, sometimes without any of those parties playing the part of the Berean.

In Acts 17:11 we see just what the believers in Berea were up to:

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

They were sitting under the instruction of the apostle Paul, one of the most anointed teachers that God has ever sent to us, but they still went home and searched their scriptures - the Hebrew Scriptures that had been passed down and preserved for centuries - to be certain that they were not being deceived by this new guy in town.

I believe that mentality has been lost today. Most believers blindly adhere to what they learned as a child, or in youth group, or in college simply because an authority figure that they loved and respected told them so. Not because the Bible told them so. We have the completed canon of Scripture in our hands, unlike the Bereans at that time, and yet most will just parrot what a teacher has told them without doing any due diligence to find out if that belief is even to be found in the Bible at all.

In this prophetic day and hour, we must examine our beliefs in light of the word of God. Satan has been at work, and lies have been heaped upon lies in the centuries since Jesus lived, died, and rose again. 

We do not have the luxury of living an unexamined life of faith. 

It's time to take up the sword of the Spirit and fight to prove that what we have been taught to believe is actually supported in scripture. 

I personally believe the consummation of all human history is closer than we have ever dared to believe, and I'm taking a deep dive to make sure that no one deceives me.

Psalm 3:5-6 - I Lay Down and Sleep

I lay down and slept; 

I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

I will not be afraid of many thousands of people

who have set themselves against me all around.

Psalm 3:5-6

I have always had trouble sleeping. My imagination gets away from me, forming new ideas, plotting stories, making plans, and ... worrying! It's difficult to get certain mental pictures of what could possibly happen in the future out of my head. At times, it's simply the stuff of every day life, but recently I have been thinking about bigger themes such as spiritual warfare and the end times. 

Spiritual realities such as how real and how powerful the forces of evil are really disturb me when I think about them too hard and too long. 

As believers we are called to think about whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). The difficulty for me with contemplating spiritual darkness and demonic influence is the fact that it is true. Since it does exist, in my opinion, a biblical worldview includes a belief in and awareness of these issues. 

Watching end time prophecy play out in all of my online feeds is disheartening and scary. Too much imagination applied in these areas is not constantly helpful or needed. Yes, evil is real. Yes, Satan is real. Yes, the clock is ticking.

So what to do when it's time to actually sleep? How do I feel the peace of what I believe? How do I lay down and actually sleep? I'm finding that I have to renew my mind to the truth.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39

Evil is not the only part of the story.

Evil has not won and will not win, no matter what happens.

God is the one who protects and sustains. He places a hedge of protection around those he has called by His name. Even if disaster strikes, His love is a constant reality in my life.

That is something that I can lay down into and sleep in.