Are You Being Lead Astray

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.

(Matthew 24:3-5)

Whether we want to think about it or not – we are living in the last days. Technically, we’ve been counting down since the Day of Pentecost about 33 AD. We must be cautious, because there will be those who will try to lead us astray. I’m thinking of guys like David Koresh or the Branch Davidians. He claimed to be the Messiah returned. We must be careful that fast talking charismatic individuals with false doctrines don’t deceive us with counterfeit miracles and prophecy. We must check the scriptures daily just as the Apostle John warned us to do.

There are plenty of wolves roaming around in sheep’s clothing ready to devour the unprepared. They claim to have a gospel that can be found nowhere in scripture without jumping through lots of interpretative hoops. If they mention a scripture at all, they usually take it out of context. We are living in perilous times especially if we don’t surround ourselves with and hold tightly to sound doctrine.

Someone once confessed she gave a lot of money to a TV preacher who I mentioned was spewing lies, half-truths and false doctrine. She asked me how she could know what sound doctrine was since she was a lay person. I asked her if she ever looked up what was being taught by that preacher in her Bible. She said she didn’t know enough about the Bible to be able to look up what he said. So, she, along with thousands upon thousands of other people, give money to someone who sounds good to them. They have no idea if they’re being told the truth or not.

This is the time in God’s history that’s both scary and exciting. It’s scary because we don’t know exactly how or when the Lord is going to unleash the Wrath of the Father upon this world. It’s exciting because we know how it will all end – with Satan, his Antichrist and False Prophet vanquished and spending eternity in the Lake of Fire. Maranatha; come quickly Lord Jesus! Hallelujah! 

Heavenly Father, you are in complete control of the past, present, and future. You know when the prophesied Day of the Lord will be, and you’ve warned us against trying to set a date for when it all begins. Thank you, Lord for giving us the scriptures that contain these prophesies. They are a true and honest warning to everyone to always be prepared for the end to come. However, we are a gullible bunch, Father, who are easily lead astray by fast talkers with a hopeful message. They are skilled in the art of deception. They have a gospel separate from the gospel of Christ. Be with us in our times of temptation by these false Christs. Help us to remember real doctrine is found in the pages of our Bibles, and anyone claiming to have special knowledge or enlightenment from you that goes against scripture is a liar and should be shunned. There have already been countless numbers of people who’ve been lead astray because of their weak knowledge of scripture. Help us to teach them how to find the truth they seek. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!