What Are the Signs? - Pt. 6

 

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. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Matthew 24:3–8 ESV).

 

There have been many claims in recent years that the End of the Age has begun and the Second Coming is imminent that it has dulled the average believer into a sense of indifference. Several leading ministers have set specific dates for the return of Christ only to have the time come and go—undermining the faith of thousands. So many people have claimed to be Jesus that Wikipedia actually compiled a page on it! This applies in a broader sense as well. There have been many other religions that have begun in contention with Christianity, professing their doctrines as the path to salvation. Some sources say that there are more than 4,000 religions in existence today. Counted among those are Wicca, a type of witchcraft founded in 1954, and the New Age, a movement steeped in mysticism born in the 1970s.

 

When Jesus warned His disciples of the signs of the times, He mentioned this specific deception more than any other. He cautioned them to “take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many (vv. 4, 5). He also says that many false prophets will rise up and deceive many (v. 11). Reading further in Matthew 24 Jesus says, “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (vv. 23, 24).

 

Our Lord also knew of the ultimate false christ that is to manifest in the last days: the Antichrist. The apostle John said, “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour” (1 John 2:18). Paul added, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4). The “Day” being referred to is “the day of the Lord,” the Second Coming. The Antichrist will deceive people into believing that he is the God of the Bible, “the only true God” (John 17:3). Indeed, Scripture tells us that “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). While there are many false christs and false prophets in other religions, it is counterfeit Christianity in particular that will become the centerpiece of the end times.

 

What does this mean for us? The most important principle is that we take seriously the truth that the Second Coming could be at any moment. The imminent return of Jesus does not force us to complacency, rather it should motivate us to dig deeper into the Scripture to understand how to recognize the “wolves clothed in sheepskins.” It also should motivate us to take seriously every opportunity we have to share the truth of the Gospel. It is that truth that sets all men free!