Disciples Digital Library

Christ’s ‘Olivet Discourse’ is comprised of instructions given to the disciples before his arrest and execution, and repeatedly in it, he warns that “ many deceivers ” and “ false prophets ” will come and propagate false information about his return and the end of the age, therefore, constant vigilance is necessary to avoid deception.

When certain “ super-apostles ” began to undermine his teachings, Paul reminded the church that the “ serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness ,” and he went on to warn against anyone who might appear among believers “ proclaiming another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or a different spirit, or a different gospel .”

Christ’s final block of teaching that he gave on the Mount of Olives includes several warnings about coming “ deceivers ” and “ false prophets ” intent on misleading the saints, warnings reiterated and expanded in the writings of the apostles. And his discourse began with stern warnings to “ beware lest anyone deceive you .”

The “Seven Mountains Mandate”? I was taught long ago that disciples of Jesus must live “separate from the world,” not physically, but morally and spiritually. We are “ in the world but not of it ,” and our task is to call men and women to “ save themselves from this crooked generation ” before Jesus arrives and judges the world.

The church has been infiltrated by deceivers that are misleading many believers and causing not a few to apostatize. This comes as no surprise since Jesus and his apostles warned us about coming false teachers and  faux  prophets who are intent on disrupting the church and leading the church astray.

After a curt introduction, Paul begins his letter to the Galatians with a stern warning. What some members are contemplating amounts to replacing Jesus with a false messiah and a counterfeit gospel. To turn from the “ faith of Jesus Christ ” to circumcision and other “ works of the law ” as the basis of the faith is apostasy. Thus, the sternness of his language.

"In the last days, mockers will come with mockery, saying, ‘Where is the promise of his coming?’.” Over the last year, we have witnessed significant failures by the “leaders” of the “Prophetic Movement,” and the last failure was so spectacular that many “prophets and apostles” found it necessary to issue public “apologies.” Unfortunately, this has not stopped them from repackaging themselves as they continue to “prophesy” in the name of the Lord.

“The Spirit expressly says that in later seasons some will revolt from the faith, giving heed unto seducing spirits and teachings of demons” – 1 Timothy 4:1. I cannot presume to know why allows certain things to occur within His church, though recent events suggest possible explanations. He cares for His people, and even when He judges them, it is to correct and save them. Unfortunately, at this time, all too often the worst elements seem to rise to the top.

Why are so many church leaders seeking to divine God’s will and the future by using astrology and calendrical calculations?  Where in the New Testament do I find Jesus or Paul teaching us how to divine “spiritual” insights or even the future from Hebrew year numbers or month names? And increasingly, Christians are seeking omens in perfectly natural events, including lunar and solar eclipses, the appearance of a comet, and even unusual cloud formations.

The history of the failed prophetic expectations by Dispensationalism is causing many to grasp at prophetic straws. The long history of failed predictions and projections by Dispensationalism has left many of its leading proponents holding an empty bag. Lately, several Christian media outlets featured a claim that a couple of foxes observed running across the Temple Mount is a prophetic sign that the Temple is about to be rebuilt, which is little more than grasping at straws.

The legacy of the “Prosperity Gospel” is the corruption of the gospel of Jesus Christ and increasingly, apostasy.  When I became a Christian, the so-called “Prosperity Gospel” was new and restricted to the fringes of the Charismatic Movement. When I heard about it, I concluded: “ This will never last. Who would believe such an obvious scam? ” So much for my prophetic abilities! This deception now dominates and even defines today’s “Charismatic Movement.”

After decades of failed prophetic expectations, it is time for believers to reexamine many popular ideas about the “last days.”  Fifty years ago, I was influenced greatly by the bestseller, ‘ The Late Great Planet Earth .’ In it, I read how last-day prophecies were being fulfilled before my eyes. All the “signs” pointed to me as a member of the “last generation” that would live before the return of Jesus. The Antichrist, Armageddon, and the Millennium were all just around the corner.

The spirit of the antichrist is raising up deceivers in the church, but a final Antichrist will also appear at the end of the age .  The Apostle John applies the term “ antichrist ” to false teachers who are disrupting his congregations, false brethren who deny that “ Jesus is the Christ ” and “ came in the flesh .” Such men are inspired and led by the “ spirit of the antichrist ” that is operating in the world.

The Antichrist is a deceiver intent on eradicating the church and causing apostasy through deception .  In popular interpretations, the  Antichrist  is a political tyrant intent on world domination. Whether this proves trust, Jesus and his apostles expressed more concern about the  deceivers who ply their trade in the church . And in passages that refer to the  Antichrist , the issue is deceivers who infiltrate the church.

In his first epistle, John declares it is  the last hour , a period elsewhere called the “ last days .” As evidence of this, he points to the false teachers that are disrupting his churches. They are products of the “ spirit of antichrist ” that is active already in the world. And these deceivers are forerunners of the final “ Antichrist . ”

SYNOPSIS: The Prophecy Industry has been telling us for generations that we are the “last generation” that will live to see the return of Jesus.  The End-Time Prophecy Industry has been telling us for generations that we are “the last generation” to exist before the return of Jesus and the many prophetic events expected to precede his arrival.

Jesus begins his final discourse with a sharp warning - beware of “ many deceivers ” who will use his authority to spread “ rumors ” about wars, earthquakes, and other calamities. They will “ deceive many .” But contrary to their claims, the “ end is not yet .” Likewise, “ false prophets ” will propagate lies about the whereabouts and coming of the “ Son of Man. ”

SYNOPSIS - Prophecies of impending doom should neither be rejected nor taken at face value. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”  The year 2019 produced economic and political turmoil around the world -  Just as previous years have done  - And 2020 is proving to be even more tumultuous. Current armed conflicts are too numerous to count, “world peace” remains a pipe dream, the global economy is close to collapse, and a new epidemic is working its way rather rapidly through the population.