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What the Bible says about False Signs
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Daniel 9:24-27

What good is understanding the Seventy Weeks Prophecy? First, on chronological grounds, it destroys three of false Christianity's holidays surrounding Jesus: Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter. Second, it puts Christ's ministry and the founding of the church in their proper historical context, helping explain and vindicate the Bible. Third, it enhances our understanding of prophecy and helps us to watch for the correct world events as the end draws closer. Christ gave us the true signs of His coming, so we do not have to look for the false sign of Antichrist's treaty with the Jews.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
'Seventy Weeks Are Determined...'

Matthew 24:6

If Jesus said this to imply something of worldwide importance—worldwide impact—it did not apply well to those people in Jesus' day because, to them, the world was limited to the Mediterranean area. They did not have radio, television, or telephones. Communication then compared to today was quite slow. What we are looking at here in Matthew 24 is primarily addressed to those who are living at the end-time, when there is radio, television, the Internet, and all kinds of means of rapid communication.

We cannot go through a day anymore without hearing of a war or some kind of armed fighting or conflict with people being killed somewhere on this earth, whether it is in Afghanistan, in Pakistan, in Iraq, in East Africa, in South America, or now even in the United States. It is happening all the time, and we are aware of it. We may not pay a great deal of attention, but it registers on our minds that it has occurred. It adds to the intensity of our stress and keeps us a little bit on edge. However, Jesus says that, despite hearing all these terrible things, the end is not yet.

All of the things He mentions from verse 4 to at least verse 12 is that none of them is absolutely a sign of the time of the end. This is not to say that they will not happen at the time of the end. They most certainly will happen at the time of the end, but none of these things of and by themselves, or even collectively, is a sign of the end time. These kinds of events can all occur at any time in history. Beginning at verse 12, though, things begin to get more serious for those of us who are living at the end time.

In terms of spiritual instruction to us, Jesus is warning us not to allow ourselves to get caught up in them because they can very easily become false signs that one can give far too much importance to.

These things are happening, and they are happening at both an increasing tempo and an increasing intensity. They are beginning to strike right in our very own lands. We need to keep an eye on them, but Jesus says, despite them, "The end is not yet."

John W. Ritenbaugh
Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Four)

Matthew 24:24-25

Increasing deception will mark the "end time." At a certain point, these deceptions will be augmented by signs and wonders—miracles! Whether they are true miracles or not, we do not know. Satan has the ability to do certain things of that nature. Whatever they are, they will seem to give credence to the ideas of the people who are doing them. If we are not careful, even the elect—if possible—could be deceived.

This phrase "if possible" has made some people wonder, "Can the elect be deceived?" Well, it is kind of a trick question. If they are deceived, then they are not the elect! This is because the elect do something that keeps them from being deceived! It is not as if God says, "Here's this one group. I am not going to let them be deceived." That is not how it works. They are the elect because they do not allow themselves to be deceived.

So it is not possible to deceive the elect. It is not because these people have a special "safety net" around them, so that they cannot be deceived. They cannot be deceived because they will not let themselves be deceived, which is why they are the elect. They are working hard so that they will not be deceived. And that is the group that we want to be part of.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Preventing Deception


 




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