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.

Ephesians 6:12-13 - Not Flesh-and-Blood Enemies

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.

Ephesians 6:12-13 (NLT, BSB, respectively)

With everything going on recently, our problems seem magnified beyond belief. Everyone is politically charged. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone feels that they have the moral high ground. Everyone is focusing on his/her ideals. 

And, as in anything, no one is pleased. 

It's this thing we've fought for in this country so long - the democratic process. It's messy and annoying and frustrating as all get out. Social media further amplifies each voice, sending each message out to others who, inevitably, may not agree. As my husband puts it, what once was just shared over a bowl of cereal is out there for hundreds of people to see. Even the Presidential candidates are using this medium in a very unprofessional way. There is something about social media and something about this election; in my experience so far, no one really has wanted to engage and explore and try to come up with a solution.

Everyone has their thoughts and opinions and beliefs and whoever doesn't agree is a a villain. Attacks instead of intelligent and productive conversations are the rule of the day. 

Do we just stop the conversation and keep to the whole, "Don't talk about money, politics, or religion" rot? I'm an idealist who truly believes that it's part of our rights as citizens to debate, discuss, and grow from one another even if we have completely polar opposite ideas. Maybe I'm just a nerd because I love hearing what others think. 

But....

When did disagreeing with someone's ideas become hate?

When did Christians decide that it was an effective way to show Christ's love by publicly scathing each other in front of all their friends and relatives online? [preaching to myself here, too]

And how do we expect to solve any problems - left, right, or center - by parroting nonsense and telling others to delete their accounts?

How do we show human compassion in the wake of a tragedy by arguing about guns, terrorism, gender issues, and religion?

I'm not advocating relativism, but we have some complex problems and a complex world.

We - as Christians and as humans - do not need to be attacking each other or the people we disagree with or any person. We need to realize that we have a common Enemy. Satan is a destroyer and a deceiver, the source of all evil, and as long as we use human wisdom and point fingers at people we disagree with, we're never going to "get it."

There are politicians out there right now that make my flesh crawl to think about. But they are not my enemy. Those who are trying to equate what this terrorist did in Orlando to what Christians think are not my enemies.

According to this scripture, my only enemies are:

• evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world
  
  
• mighty powers in this dark world
  
  
• evil spirits in the heavenly places. 

Those are the entities I need to be fighting by using the one offensive weapon that consistently works - constant, constant prayer. Satan probably just laughs to himself when I get all riled up on Facebook. It's just a distraction that pulls more people in, keeping us from doing what we're called to do and not glorifying Christ in the process.

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." (2 Corinthians 10:4)

When I see things online that I disagree with I'm going to try to follow my recent rule to just stay out of it, but if I can't, I am going to remember that I'm truly wrestling with the prince of darkness - not my friends, acquaintances, etc.

John 17:14-21 - They Do Not Belong to the World

I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one--as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

John 17:14-21

When I get to thinking about things going on in the world, it gets to me. As mentioned elsewhere here in my posts, I am the type that just wants to love people, and I have a very live and let live mentality, especially when it comes to politics. But when any type of freedom of expression is threatened, that's where I dig in my heels and turn into someone totally different. This election has had me at my worst on social media and in conversations. Many people this year are likewise as outspoken and passionate because this election is causing people to examine their ideals of what we can and should be as a society.

No matter how much I truly do love people I disagree with, I am still terrified for this generation of children growing up and the kind of world they are going to have. With our freedoms as Christians being threatened by the day by an angry populace that associates belief in Jesus with the crazy actions of the radical, lunatic jerks of Westboro and that now has decided to become the thought police, I see a lot of bad things on the horizon.

Last night, some friends and I were having that discussion, and it got me in a place where I was, once again, feeling like the sky could be falling any second. Right now things in this nation are not dire. We may have some freedom of speech threatened and are being called some silly and inaccurate names by people who don't like us. That's not a big deal. But looking into the future, well, it's not going to get better politically or morally.

However, this morning I feel the need to remind myself that God is in control. Jesus foresaw many bleak, deadly situations for His followers and His prayer above illustrates the attitude He had. He prayed for the disciples with Him in that moment and all who would ever believe in Him. US! And He didn't pray for us to be taken from the world, but for us to be kept safe from the evil one (which in Greek is porneros - and you can tell what that's related to). 

One thing we discussed last night was what to tell our kids about certain things, and in my own heart I wonder how to raise a son in a world that keeps getting darker and darker, a place where a faith in Jesus is now a minor liability and could at any moment turn into a life-endangering ideology. This passage comforts me and informs how I am going to proceed. As Christians we are NOT of this world, and it's natural that we are going to be hated. Our purpose here is to represent Jesus, who Himself was hated and killed. 

Elsewhere, Jesus mentions that the servant is not greater than his/her master... So we can't expect better treatment than He received. Right now, Christians are being martyred around the world for their faith. Can we expect to be next? I believe at some point that will happen here, but that is not something that I need to be fearful of. I need to love my family, friends, and neighbors and remember where my true home is. I need to share Jesus with others, regardless of the cost.