Endings and New Beginnings

A Series on False Prophets: Part 4 – By Jennifer Miller

One always knows something is up whenever they hear a lot of chatter.  Throughout our history we have always heard the talk about the end of times.  Some take this seriously, while many just brush off this talk.  Many are out there that do not believe that the end is near, nor that it will ever come.

So how do we, as Christians, live out each day during these trying times?  We turn to the Bible for our answers, our instructions and our hope.  We know that Jesus is our lifeline and that He has told us that He will come again.  We recognize the end times, but we are not fearful, yet hopeful instead.

In the following verses we have warnings about the end of times.  We know in Mark 13:32, Matthew 24:36, and 2 Peter 3:10, that the end will come, but we are not told as to when it will happen.

“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”

            “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”

            “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”

However, many clues are scattered throughout the Bible such as in Matthew 24:30-31 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 that point to signs of Christ’s second coming.

“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first.  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Since we know that this will happen, we, as Christians, are to be careful as how we are to respond.  We do not respond as the world does with fear and worry, but we are to remain faithful, alert and be prepared such as we are instructed in Luke 21:36.  We also are to hold on to the promises of our Lord and the truth found in 1 John 5:19, Romans 8:28 and Revelation 3:10. We also hold on to the hope of Christ’s return as we are told in Matthew 24:13-14.  This will help the Christian navigate during these trials.

“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

            “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.”

            “And we know that all things work together for good to them that have God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”

            “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

The Bible also assures us that there will be signs to watch for that will signal the end times are drawing near (Matthew 24:6-7, Luke 21:25, 2 Peter 3:3-4, and 2 Timothy 3:2-5), as well as, signal when we are in the end times (Luke 21:11).  Man is always looking for a sign of predicted doom to come.  Man asks for signs yet fails to believe them when they do appear.  Christians, being alert, recognize the signs and then acts accordingly.

Signs of End times drawing near:

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, see that ye be not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.”

            “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.”

            “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of his coming?’  For since the father’s fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers to those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of  God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away.”

Signs that the End times are upon us:

“And great earthquakes shall be divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.”

We know what to look for and it is more important than ever to stay centered in the truth and avoid falling for whatever a false prophet offers.  We have been previously warned multiple times in Matthew 24:11, 24:24, Mark 13:22, and Isaiah 8:20 that false prophets will arise and will seek to persuade you by false claims instead of sound doctrine.  We are not to be deceived.

“And many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many.”

“For there shall arise false Christ’s, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

“For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.”

            “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

How do we focus on the truth?  We turn to the Word and listen to the warnings, the answers, the offerings of hope within its pages.  We also need to be alert and ask ourselves questions to determine where the message is coming from:  The Holy Spirit or someone else.

Ask yourself the following:

1. Where is the claim coming from? Is it from man and his idea of theology or is it centered on and around God?  Sound doctrine is centered on God not man’s interpretation.
2. Is it a result of positive thinking or is it faith? Are you being told what sounds good or are you relying on the truth and believe what it states?
3. Is it a positive confession that we can bring into existence by just speaking it or is it God-breathed and inspired?
4. Does this person preach that there is more than one way to salvation or do you believe Jesus when He says He is the Way, The Truth, and the Life?
5. Is this person doing whatever feels good or is he being morally responsible for what he preaches? Is it grounded in the gospel?
6. Are they following God’s standard or are they defining and determining what is considered right or wrong?
7. Are they watering-down the Bible to preach what others want to hear or are they speaking the whole gospel: the good, the bad, the scary?
8. Do they take the Bible literally and accept it as true or do they rely on stories with teaching lessons that man interprets for himself what the meaning is?

It all boils down to this.  We have been given a gift.  We have the Word of God with us and we can choose to either believe it or not.  We all have free will and decide this.  Man’s wisdom, though highly intellectual, will never compete with an Almighty God.  We see bits and pieces and draw conclusions, whereas, our Lord sees everything and plans according to His will.

People want to bait others and people want to mislead others.  It could be for their own personal satisfaction or for some need for power or greed.  The Word of our Lord will always stand up and will never fall.  Man cannot say that, sure he can boast and believe he is more intelligent than our Sovereign Lord, but man will fall at some point.

I have presented the case against the false prophet, and I truly believe in the Bible and take every word literally.  There is no grey area.  It is as it was written and will always continue to be.  Please research before you decide.  I challenge you to take the Bible and read it and then take what others tell you and discern the truth.  It will always lead you to sound doctrine and our Lord.  I pray that none of you fall victim to the wiles of the false prophet and I pray that you offer any questions up to God for answers.  He will lead you to the truth and to those who will speak the truth no matter how hard the message may be to hear.  Do not discard the truth to follow a lie. Your salvation depends on it.  Take care and God Bless!