Deception The Preeminent End-Time Sign
Pastor Leslie Chua
“As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” ”
Deception is the preeminent sign of the end of this present age. It is obvious to me and it has also become increasingly obvious to many Christians who believe that we are already standing at the threshold of the end of this present age.
It is not just my observation of the global events and developments in various spheres. But that is what the Lord Jesus also said in the Olivet Discourse.
Notice that when the disciples asked Jesus for the sign of His coming and the end of this present age, they were very specific with their questions. They wanted to know the exact timing and the specific sign. They wanted to know precisely that one thing that would most certainly point to the dawning of the end.
We know that Jesus did not give them only one sign. Instead, He gave them many signs because there would be many unpleasant things happening before His return. Often, we want simple answers to complex questions. But Jesus never gives simplistic answers. Life is generally complicated and the End-Time dynamics are no different.
However, observe carefully how Jesus answered their questions. He began with a warning – “See that no one leads you astray” (Matthew 24:4). This is a warning cum a sign.
Let us unpack Jesus’ loaded statement.
The phrase, ‘leads you astray’ is the Greek word, ‘planao.’ It means to lead astray, mislead, deceive, seduce, and be deluded.
The word, ‘see,’ is ‘blepo’ in the original Greek. It is better translated as ‘watch out’ or ‘beware.’ ‘See’ is too mild and it misses the point.
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Jesus warned His disciples of deception foremost and above everything else because it is most important. It is crucial for His followers living in the End Time to beware of deception as it is a matter of eternal life and death.
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Jesus was not suggesting to His disciples to merely look out for deception. He was giving them a jolt and essentially saying, “Hey guys, be alert. Be vigilant. Watch out and beware of deception!”
‘Blepo’ also carries the nuance to not merely judge based on external appearance but to consider a matter carefully. In other words, look deeper, perceive and discern the situation.
Jesus warned His disciples of deception foremost and above everything else because it is most important. It is crucial for His followers living in the End Time to beware of deception as it is a matter of eternal life and death.
After that, Jesus elaborated on this warning of deception and repeated it two more times (Matthew 24:5, 11, 23-28). Many will claim to be Christ. There will also be many false prophets and false teachers.
These deceivers will be successful in misleading God’s people – “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray” (Matthew 24:5). It is an unfortunate reality.
Deception will Increase in the Last Days
Deception has always been Satan’s strong suit. He is a liar and a father of lies (John 8:44). He is a liar from the beginning. Adam and Eve were his first victims.
But deception will be even worse in the Last Days. It will be rampant. It will be simultaneously blatant and subtle.
We are now witnessing this happening. Fascinatingly, the perpetrators are the global institutions and the national governments and the mainstream media, especially those in the West. They butcher truths and twisted facts to propagandise their agendas. People who expose their deceptions are summarily censured and censored for spreading misinformation and disinformation.
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But deception will be even worse in the Last Days. It will be rampant. It will be simultaneously blatant and subtle.
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Of course, the worst lies ahead. The apostle, Paul, said, “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).
False signs and wonders do not mean that these are not real miracles. Rather, it means that they are performed to mislead people from the truth of God and lead them astray to follow the Antichrist.
God Sends Delusions
What is most frightening is the role that God plays in deception. Instead of intervening to expose deception, God sometimes lends His hands to make people sink deeper into it.
It certainly sounds controversial that God will do such an unthinkable thing. Here is what the apostle, Paul, said – ‘God sends them a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness’ (2 Thessalonians 2:11).
The word, delusion, here is the same Greek word, ‘plane.’ ‘Plane’ is the noun while ‘planao’ is the verb.
This is an uncomfortable truth and it is difficult to explain away the plain meaning of this statement. In a sense, this is a divine judgement. It applies to those who refuse to ‘believe in the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.’ Since they are bent on rejecting the truth and they love unrighteousness, God will send a strong delusion to entrench them deeper in their wrong path. God will establish them in the way that they choose to go.
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It certainly sounds controversial that God will do such an unthinkable thing. Here is what the apostle, Paul, said – ‘God sends them a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness’
(2 Thessalonians 2:11).
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We observe this principle in God’s dealing with the Pharoah of Egypt.
Initially, Pharoah hardened his heart when Moses asked him to let the Israelites go. He refused for obvious reasons. The Israelite slave labour had immense economic value to Egypt. So, God stepped up the pressure progressively with one plague after another. Many aspects of Egyptian life were disrupted and devastated. Instead of yielding, Pharoah hardened his heart further with each successive plague.
Then, a most fascinating thing happened. God stepped in to harden Pharoah’s heart. God established Pharoah in his rebellious way such that there was no turning back. By the end of the tenth plague, Egypt was in total shambles and Pharoah lost his son.
The apostle, Paul, taught this same divine principle in his letter to the Romans. Three times, he used the phrase, ‘God gave them up,’ to describe how God dealt with people who insisted on rejecting Him and practising unrighteousness. For those who are bent on rejecting God’s revealed truths and morality, He will abandon them to their own devices so that they will suffer the serious consequence of His judgement.
This is an important biblical truth. Unfortunately, most believers have no understanding of it. The way we live our life has consequences. Our actions and the premeditation of our hearts have consequences. Above all, our attitude and response to truth have consequences.
By truth, I am referring to all kinds of truth. Truth is not just restricted to biblical truth. All truths are God’s truth. We must be mindful of that.
Responding to Truth
How do you respond to the truth – both biblical truths and truths in general?
This is my observation. A large segment of contemporary believers is ambivalent regarding truth. They have mixed feelings about truth and therefore they are uncertain and unlikely to take a strong stand on it.
We just have to observe how the church responds to certain big issues such as hyper-grace theology, LGBTQ activism, and woke culture in recent years.
The hyper-grace teaching was a phenomenon at the turn of the century. The proponents claim that it is a revolutionary and the right way to understand God’s grace and the gospel. However, anyone with a basic grasp of the Scripture will immediately see through the flaws of this revisionist interpretation of the Word of God. It clearly crosses many basic theological boundaries.
Sadly, many Christians jumped into this hyper-grace bandwagon. The reason is simple. It is attractive. In a nutshell, you can embrace God and the world simultaneously. Biblical values such as commitment, discipline, and suffering are considered works and Old Covenant concepts and hence, irrelevant. I can go on but you get the idea.
The hyper-grace craze has seemingly subsided after it came under heavy criticism and pushback from mainstream Christian leaders. But truth be told, this belief system and values have become ingrained in the minds of many Christians.
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The hyper-grace and LGBTQ phenomena are signs of the time. These are the wicked deceptions of Satan as well as delusions sent by God. How else can you explain such a dire deficit of common sense?
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Another major point of contention in both the church and culture is the LGBTQ issue. I can understand why society is divided over this issue but not when it comes to the church. The Bible is clear about this matter of homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and gender fluidity. Put it simply, it is detestable to God. Period. There should not be any argument over it at all. Yet, churches and even entire denominations have divided over it.
The hyper-grace and LGBTQ phenomena are signs of the time. These are the wicked deceptions of Satan as well as delusions sent by God. How else can you explain such a dire deficit of common sense?
God has given up on these people. God has abandoned them to their sinful desires. God is establishing them in their wicked ways. These are divine judgements.
If Christians cannot hold on to these basic truths without compromise, it will be extremely hard for them to discern worse deceptions occurring presently or in the future. I do not doubt that worse deceptions lie ahead.
Some of the deceptions occurring now are the woke movement and climate change agenda, which includes the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) standards. These deceptions are taking the financial and corporate worlds by storm. Its impact will be soon felt downstream by the nations and masses.
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Christians must be vigilant and discern the barrage of deceptions in these Last Days failing which they may suffer serious ramifications.
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The ESG standard is the globalists’ agenda to control and dominate the nations and peoples of the world. Most believers are clueless about this massive deception in plain sight. Together with the soon-to-be-implemented global CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency), it will potentially be morphed into the prophesied 666 financial and banking system.
Christians must be vigilant and discern the barrage of deceptions in these Last Days failing which they may suffer serious ramifications.
Antidote Against Deceptions & Delusions
What is the antidote against Satanic deceptions and God-sent delusions?
Reject lies.
Believe in the truth. Love the truth. Embrace the truth. Stand firmly on the truth. Finally, dare to speak the truth and live out the truth without compromise.
And the Spirit of truth will lead and guide you into all truth (John 16:13). In doing so, you will dwell safely in the shadow of His wings.