A last day warning
A WARNING FOR THE LAST DAYS
Beware of Deception
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
— Matthew 24:24 (KJV)
Jesus gave us a warning that we cannot afford to ignore.
We are living in a time when deception is everywhere. The enemy has always been a deceiver, but Scripture warns us that as the last days approach, deception will become even more powerful and convincing. Jesus said that false Christs and false prophets would arise and perform great signs and wonders—so convincing that, if it were possible, even the very elect could be deceived.
Notice something important: Jesus didn't say deception would always look evil.
Sometimes deception looks good.
Sometimes it sounds spiritual.
Sometimes it comes wrapped in Scripture.
Sometimes it comes from someone who knows how to say the right things, use the right words, and even appear to have spiritual authority.
That is why we must be careful.
Not Everything Spiritual Is From God
We cannot judge something simply because it looks powerful, emotional, supernatural, or spiritual.
The Bible tells us:
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.”
— 1 John 4:1 (KJV)
We are commanded to try the spirits.
Test them.
Examine them.
Compare what is being taught with the Word of God.
The question should never simply be, “Did it make me feel something?”
The question is:
“Does it agree with the Word of God?”
God will never contradict His Word.
Deception Can Be Very Convincing
Jesus didn't warn us about deception because it would always be easy to recognize.
He warned us because deception can look convincing.
The enemy is not interested in making error look like error. He wants error to look like truth.
Paul warned the church:
“For Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14 (KJV)
That should make us stop and think.
If Satan can present himself as an angel of light, then we cannot depend only on appearances.
We cannot depend only on personalities.
We cannot depend only on charisma.
We cannot depend only on miracles.
We cannot depend only on what is popular.
We must know the Word of God.
Know the Word for Yourself
One of the greatest protections against deception is knowing Scripture.
Don't just know what somebody says the Bible says.
Read it for yourself.
Study it.
Pray over it.
Hide it in your heart.
The Bereans were commended because they didn't simply accept what they heard. They searched the Scriptures to see whether those things were true.
“They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
— Acts 17:11 (KJV)
That is the kind of Christian we need to be.
Don't believe something simply because someone has a title.
Don't believe something simply because someone has a platform.
Don't believe something simply because thousands of people follow it.
Search the Scriptures.
Don't Trade Truth for What You Want to Hear
There is another warning we need to take seriously.
Paul told Timothy:
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”
— 2 Timothy 4:3 (KJV)
There will be people who don't want truth.
They want something that makes them comfortable.
They want something that confirms what they already believe.
They want a message that never challenges them, never corrects them, and never calls them to repentance.
But God's Word doesn't exist to simply make us comfortable.
Sometimes truth comforts us. Sometimes truth corrects us. Sometimes truth convicts us.
And we need all of it.
Stay Close to Jesus
The answer to deception is not fear.
The answer is Jesus.
Stay close to Him.
Stay in His Word.
Stay in prayer.
Stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
Stay humble enough to receive correction.
And don't allow the noise of this world to become louder than the voice of God.
There are going to be many voices competing for our attention.
Many opinions.
Many teachings.
Many personalities.
Many movements.
Many things that will claim to have the answer.
But Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
— John 10:27 (KJV)
Know His voice.
And knowing His voice requires spending time with Him.
This Is Not a Time to Play Church
This is not a time to become careless with our faith.
This is not a time to simply follow the crowd.
This is not a time to be spiritually asleep.
This is a time to wake up.
We need men and women who know the Word.
We need Christians who can recognize truth from error.
We need believers who will stand when standing isn't popular.
We need people who will love Jesus more than they love acceptance.
And we need a church that is more concerned about being biblically right than being culturally accepted.
Let Us Be Watchful
Jesus gave us the warning because He loves us.
He told us ahead of time what was coming so we would not be caught unaware.
So don't live in fear.
Live in discernment.
Don't become suspicious of everyone.
Become grounded in truth.
Don't chase every new teaching.
Chase Jesus.
Don't be impressed by everything supernatural.
Be anchored in Scripture.
Don't allow deception to pull you away from the truth.
Know the Word.
The enemy may be a deceiver, but Jesus is the Truth.
The enemy may bring confusion, but God is not the author of confusion.
The enemy may try to imitate the things of God, but there is only one Savior, one Lord, and one truth.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
— John 14:6 (KJV)
Church, this is a warning:
Guard your heart.
Know your Bible.
Test what you hear.
Discern what you see.
Stay in prayer.
Stay close to Jesus.
Because in these last days, deception will be real—but so is the truth.
And the safest place we can be is anchored in the Word of God and walking closely with Jesus Christ.
Candy Houser
Beware of Deception
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
— Matthew 24:24 (KJV)
Jesus gave us a warning that we cannot afford to ignore.
We are living in a time when deception is everywhere. The enemy has always been a deceiver, but Scripture warns us that as the last days approach, deception will become even more powerful and convincing. Jesus said that false Christs and false prophets would arise and perform great signs and wonders—so convincing that, if it were possible, even the very elect could be deceived.
Notice something important: Jesus didn't say deception would always look evil.
Sometimes deception looks good.
Sometimes it sounds spiritual.
Sometimes it comes wrapped in Scripture.
Sometimes it comes from someone who knows how to say the right things, use the right words, and even appear to have spiritual authority.
That is why we must be careful.
Not Everything Spiritual Is From God
We cannot judge something simply because it looks powerful, emotional, supernatural, or spiritual.
The Bible tells us:
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.”
— 1 John 4:1 (KJV)
We are commanded to try the spirits.
Test them.
Examine them.
Compare what is being taught with the Word of God.
The question should never simply be, “Did it make me feel something?”
The question is:
“Does it agree with the Word of God?”
God will never contradict His Word.
Deception Can Be Very Convincing
Jesus didn't warn us about deception because it would always be easy to recognize.
He warned us because deception can look convincing.
The enemy is not interested in making error look like error. He wants error to look like truth.
Paul warned the church:
“For Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14 (KJV)
That should make us stop and think.
If Satan can present himself as an angel of light, then we cannot depend only on appearances.
We cannot depend only on personalities.
We cannot depend only on charisma.
We cannot depend only on miracles.
We cannot depend only on what is popular.
We must know the Word of God.
Know the Word for Yourself
One of the greatest protections against deception is knowing Scripture.
Don't just know what somebody says the Bible says.
Read it for yourself.
Study it.
Pray over it.
Hide it in your heart.
The Bereans were commended because they didn't simply accept what they heard. They searched the Scriptures to see whether those things were true.
“They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
— Acts 17:11 (KJV)
That is the kind of Christian we need to be.
Don't believe something simply because someone has a title.
Don't believe something simply because someone has a platform.
Don't believe something simply because thousands of people follow it.
Search the Scriptures.
Don't Trade Truth for What You Want to Hear
There is another warning we need to take seriously.
Paul told Timothy:
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”
— 2 Timothy 4:3 (KJV)
There will be people who don't want truth.
They want something that makes them comfortable.
They want something that confirms what they already believe.
They want a message that never challenges them, never corrects them, and never calls them to repentance.
But God's Word doesn't exist to simply make us comfortable.
Sometimes truth comforts us. Sometimes truth corrects us. Sometimes truth convicts us.
And we need all of it.
Stay Close to Jesus
The answer to deception is not fear.
The answer is Jesus.
Stay close to Him.
Stay in His Word.
Stay in prayer.
Stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
Stay humble enough to receive correction.
And don't allow the noise of this world to become louder than the voice of God.
There are going to be many voices competing for our attention.
Many opinions.
Many teachings.
Many personalities.
Many movements.
Many things that will claim to have the answer.
But Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
— John 10:27 (KJV)
Know His voice.
And knowing His voice requires spending time with Him.
This Is Not a Time to Play Church
This is not a time to become careless with our faith.
This is not a time to simply follow the crowd.
This is not a time to be spiritually asleep.
This is a time to wake up.
We need men and women who know the Word.
We need Christians who can recognize truth from error.
We need believers who will stand when standing isn't popular.
We need people who will love Jesus more than they love acceptance.
And we need a church that is more concerned about being biblically right than being culturally accepted.
Let Us Be Watchful
Jesus gave us the warning because He loves us.
He told us ahead of time what was coming so we would not be caught unaware.
So don't live in fear.
Live in discernment.
Don't become suspicious of everyone.
Become grounded in truth.
Don't chase every new teaching.
Chase Jesus.
Don't be impressed by everything supernatural.
Be anchored in Scripture.
Don't allow deception to pull you away from the truth.
Know the Word.
The enemy may be a deceiver, but Jesus is the Truth.
The enemy may bring confusion, but God is not the author of confusion.
The enemy may try to imitate the things of God, but there is only one Savior, one Lord, and one truth.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
— John 14:6 (KJV)
Church, this is a warning:
Guard your heart.
Know your Bible.
Test what you hear.
Discern what you see.
Stay in prayer.
Stay close to Jesus.
Because in these last days, deception will be real—but so is the truth.
And the safest place we can be is anchored in the Word of God and walking closely with Jesus Christ.
Candy Houser
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