Deception In The Last Days- 1

Subtitle: Jesus Warns Against Deception

This is a series regarding the warning of deception that is particularly powerful in the end times. 

The audio link appears at the end of the article which will be posted later.

Matthew 24:3-5, 9-14, 21-15.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty
Bonner on Sunday, October 18, 2026.

We are going to take some time to deal with the topic of deception particularly deception in the end times.  We are not to focus on setting dates.  However, there are many good reasons to believe that we are approaching, or are near, the end-times.  Of course, God is the One who is in charge.  He can keep things going for another hundred years.  Yet, these lessons are important for understanding deception and not falling under its power.

Today we are going to focus on the warning against deception that Jesus gave in Matthew 24.

Ultimately, I want to help us develop a way to see through powerful deceptions of any type.  That may be deceptions that come from occult circles, from religious cults, or even something as strange as an alien/UFO disclosure (now called UAPs- Unidentified Aerial Phenomena).

A recent movie called Disclosure Day has challenged whether such a revelation would shatter Christianity.  What if aliens arrived and said they had technology to fix our problems and, by the way, we created you!  I am not saying that this is going to happen.  I am saying that Christians need to be able to analyze any such things from a biblical perspective (from God’s perspective) and respond appropriately.

Let’s look at our passage.

Deception and the Beginning of Sorrows (v. 3-5)

In verses 1 to 2, the disciples are impressed with the temple complex and point it out to Jesus.  Jesus responds that not one stone will be left there upon another that will not be thrown down (presumably into the valley below). 

This sets the disciples aback.  It may be because they didn’t expect such an answer, or perhaps because they weren’t sure what he meant by it.  Regardless, in verse 3, they have moved across the valley on the Mount of Olives.  It is there that the disciples ask Jesus about his revelation that the temple would be torn down.

Their first question is clearly about the destruction of the temple.  “When will these things be?”  Yet, they also know that Jesus has been talking about being rejected, leaving and coming back.  They take opportunity to expand this question to reference this.  “What will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?”  We won’t deal with whether this is two more questions or only one.  Yet, notice that the response of Jesus is not immediately an answer about timing.  Rather, Jesus warns of deception ahead.

“See to it that no one deceives you.”  This is a good warning in general.  I don’t believe God wants His people to become fodder for scammers and deceivers in general.  However, Jesus transitions this to the particular deception of people coming in “My name.” 

Coming in my name can mean using the name Jesus.  Yet, Jesus quotes them as saying, “I am the Christ.”  This emphasizes that they are coming in his position or reputation.  God the Father had made Jesus to be the Christ, or Messiah.  Though the nation as a whole was going to reject Jesus, this would not change God’s mind on who is the Messiah.  It was, it is, and will always be, Jesus. 

False christs would play on two things.  First, those among the Jews who had rejected Jesus as Messiah would still be looking for another person to be the Messiah.  This makes them good targets.  However, Christians also believe that Jesus is coming back.  So, they too can be targets for a wannabe false christ.

It can be understandable that non-Christian Jews would be taken in by false christs, but Jesus is giving a warning to his disciples (and us).  On top of this, there are several passages in the Old Testament and the New Testament that make it clear that, when Christ returns, he will come on the clouds of heaven with a contingent of angels and resurrected humans.  No false christ to this day has ever mimicked that.  Yet, some Christians are tempted to believe such claims, at least for a time.

The first person to claim to be the Christ after Jesus was a man named Simon bar Kokhba.  Simon was a military leader who led a revolt against Rome in AD 132.  He claimed to be the Messiah, the Christ.  On top of this, a well-respected Rabbi named Akiva supported his claim.  This revolt was quashed by the Romans by AD 135 and resulted in his death.

Several other things followed from the Romans.  The area of Judea was renamed Syria-Palestina.  Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina.  On top of this, a temple to Jupiter was built.  All of these things would help to erase Jewish connections to the area.

Today, from time to time, there are religious people, whether in Jewish circles or Christian, who gather a following of people who believe them to be Christ.  Of course, they are false christs.

In a way, all nations of the world are open to or looking for someone who can fix this world.  This is what God has promised Messiah would do.

In verse 8, Jesus called this the beginning of sorrows.  It is not the end, but a period that is more closely associated to labor pains.

Transition from the beginning of sorrows to the end (v. 9-14)

Though Jesus is still speaking about the beginning of sorrows period in these verses, verse 14 becomes a clear transition to the end of this age.  The end of this age is not a Hollywood production where the world is destroyed.  Rather, it is the end of the open door of repentance that God has given to the nations.  It will be time for showing which side you are on, that of Jesus or that of a false christ.

In this section, Jesus once again warns us against deception, but this time he points out false prophets (v. 11).  This may seem anticlimactic, but it is an error that we run into more often.  People claiming to have a word from God about the world and the end times happens more than people claiming to be Christ.

We can recognize that Muhammed was a false prophet from outside of Christianity.  We can also recognize some false prophets from within Christianity.  The word prophet generally means a religious approach, but I wouldn’t overlook that atheistic philosophers today proclaim that they have the answer the world should follow, much like a false prophet.

It is easy to recognize false prophets that are from outside of your nation and influence.  Westerners are generally not drawn to Muhammed.  But those who have been raised in eastern lands find it much harder to resist the social pressure and see through his words and life.

As we approach the transition to the end, Jesus warns that we will still have to deal with false christs and false prophets.

We should also notice that there are other factors that Christians must face.  In verse 9, Jesus says that we will be hated by all nations and delivered up to tribulation and being killed.

He warns that many will stumble (be offended), betray one another, and hate one another.  Of course, Christians can fall into these errors.  However, Jesus is showing us what the world will be like and what Christians will have to endure in order to keep faith. 

The word for stumble, or offend, has the idea of causing someone to be tripped up and fall.  In this case, it is clearly about a moral and spiritual stumbling.  We will be tempted to turn away from the way of Christ and turn towards betrayal and hatred.  We see this happening in our world today.  More and more society is infected with a viral tendency towards anger and fighting one another.

It is here that Jesus warns of false prophets who will deceive many.  Just like scammers are more prevalent when the economy is dire and people are desperate, so false prophets come forth like a scourge as the world becomes more and more hateful towards one another.

In verse 12, Jesus warns of lawlessness.  This is not about man’s laws, although people will flaunt those too.  Rather, the lawlessness here is that of rejecting God’s law.  God has made clear through Jesus the Christ what He expects of humanity, but we refuse to obey that.  As we cast off God’s law, the love of people grows cold.  There is a natural love between parents and children, family, people of a particular nation.  However, these bonds are coming under severe spiritual attack.  People are stumbled and tempted into loving themselves and not loving the people in relationship with them.

Christians are called to love everybody, even our enemies.  But it is hard to love people who love themselves and are cold towards you.  It is in this context that false prophets arise promoting a way that will appeal to the flesh of those who are perishing.  Thus, Jesus warns believers that only those who endure to the end shall be saved.  It will be a heavy load, but believers in Jesus need to remain in relationship with him and his commands in this difficult time.  Everyone of these things can threaten our steadfast faith in Jesus.

Verse 14 gives us a clear sign for this transitional period.  When the Gospel of the Kingdom has been preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, then the end will come.  It doesn’t say how quickly and how soon.  I believe we are in this transition from the Beginning of Sorrows period to the end of this age.

During the Great Tribulation (v. 21-25)

Jesus then moves to speak about this end.  I am going to focus on verses 21 through 25 because I want to highlight the problem of deception during this coming period.

In verse 21, Jesus points to a time that we call The Great Tribulation from this passage.  It will be a time of difficulty that has never been this bad before and will not be this bad after.  Many Bible commentators try to make this about AD 70 and the destruction of Jerusalem.  As bad as those days were for the Jews in Jerusalem, there have been worse days since, in numbers killed and in atrocities committed.  However, Jesus seems to be talking about the whole world in this passage.  This Great Tribulation will involve a series of Judgments from God ending with the appearance of Jesus to take over the nations of the world.  It also involves a series of actions by the Devil and his Antichrist.  This period can really be thought of as a time that forces everyone to choose a side: Team Jesus or Team Antichrist.

Jesus warns in verse 23 that we are not to believe those who says to us, “Look, here is the Christ!” or “There!”  In some ways, Scripture makes it clear that no one will have to tell you when Jesus truly returns.  However, there will be powerful deceptions at play here as well.

Verse 24 speaks to this powerfully deceptive time.  False christs and false prophets will rise up and show great signs and wonders to deceive…  Some versions refer to them as lying signs and wonders.  Which begs the question.  Are these actually true wonders (miracles), or are they fake?

First, the idea of false is not connected to the signs and wonders other than they are done by false christs and false prophets.  Second, they do these powerful signs to deceive people, i.e., into following them.

This appears to be an amping up of the deception.  It wasn’t warned against earlier.  Of course, the devil is a trickster.  He will do what he can to separate you from Christ. Some have the mentality that says, “The devil can’t do miracles.”  We need to be careful with that statement.  The devil is not God, but he is a fallen angel.  Angels have powers that humans do not have.

There is an added angle to this.  Next week, we will look at a passage that speaks of a restraint upon the devil and his works.  In the end times, this restraint will be removed.  This means we will see far more powerful deceptive signs and wonders coming from his followers.

They will have enough wow factor to them to deceive possibly those who have been chosen by God, the elect.  Of course, Jesus ends this by warning, “See!  I have told you beforehand!”  Does the presence of a wonder or miracle necessitate that we believe the person doing it?  Jesus says, “Don’t be deceived.”

Jesus warns “if possible.”  It is up to each one of us.  We will be tempted but have been told in advance.  If we remember the words of the true Christ, we will not fall to such false prophets.

Maybe a part of you thinks that it would be impossible for our modern era to be wowed by false prophets.  We are not as easily deceived as people 2,000 years ago.  I wonder though.  Are we less manipulable or more?  We live in a day that has enormous manipulations happening all over the world.  Governments and smart people plan how they can manipulate large groups of people to do what they want.

In fact, it is good that Jesus came and spoke the truth 2,000 years ago.  Imagine if he waited until this highly manipulated age to come and speak.  How would we know he spoke truth?

Today, we have the words of Jesus and his apostles warning us against the deception of the Beginning of Sorrows.  We also have the Holy Spirit helping us to see through deceptions and grow spiritually.  Yet, a great deception is coming upon the earth that is intended to test every soul.  Make sure you are immunized and inoculated against it by knowing the true Christ’s words to you!

Jesus Warns audio

The End-Times Battle for Humanity

Mark 13:19-23; John 5:43; Revelation 13:5-8, 11-18.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on December 27, 2020.

Being that this is the last sermon of this year, I felt it appropriate to examine the end-times battle that God has warned us is coming in His word, the Bible.  It is the apex of the battle for the hearts and minds of humanity that has been going on ever since the fall of Satan from perfection into sin and destruction.

We know very little about that initial fall, though there are some hints here and there in Scripture.  By pure logic, he appears to be the first being to fall through self-deception.  All those who came behind him, both heavenly and earthly beings, have been deceived by him to some degree.

The Bible tells us that the critical victory in this battle was won by Jesus through the cross and his resurrection.  However, it will not be completed until Jesus comes back and kicks out the usurpers, again, both heavenly and earthly.  None of them deserve to rule over humanity, but Jesus alone is worthy to receive all power and rule.

If believers in Jesus are to resist the deceptions that are even now being cast before the world, then we will need to heed the warnings of Scripture, and recognize them as they materialize.  Thus, the big-picture in the Bible must be recognized on the ground in our own life, or we will be deceived.  Let’s look at our passages.

Jesus warns of The Great Tribulation

The passage in Mark that I have noted above comes at the end of a prophecy that Jesus gives concerning the period of time between his ascension into heaven and his return to earth.  Towards the end of this period, Jesus warns about the Great Tribulation.  Mark doesn’t use the word great like Matthew does, but the description is clear.  This will be the worst time of trouble that the earth has ever seen in the past and will ever see in the future.  It comes upon the world right before the Second Coming of Jesus.  What makes this troubling time so bad is that God stops restraining Satan’s evil plans, and pours out His wrath upon a world that would choose to follow The Beast and reject the message of the Lamb of God, Jesus.  Of course, I am using terms that the book of Revelation uses.

Jesus has already presented himself and his plan to the world.  Christians are his emissaries continuing to plead with a world that has heard, and to give a hearing to those who have not.  In a spiritual sense, Satan has been presenting his plan to the world as well.  Yet, The Great Tribulation is a time when a particular being called The Beast will rise up with a plan for the world that is satanic in origin.  John 5:43 reminds us that Jesus came representing God the Father and was rejected.  However, another (christ-figure) will come in his own name, and the people will receive him.  This is the overall state of the world.  We will reject that which is good and innocent, and embrace that which is evil and guilty.  Now, let’s go to Revelation 13.

The Beast’s plan

The groundwork for Satan’s final kingdom has been laid down over the millennia.  Every empire up to now has been prologue and perhaps trial runs, or war games that are done in preparation.  Satan knows that God is partially restraining him, but he also knows that the restraint will one day cease.  He is ready with his plan at all times.

However, it is worth taking a few moments to ask this question.  Does his plan really involve helping or saving humanity?  He continually deceives the world with the carrot of a path of salvation, a path of fixing the world, that does not depend upon the One True God.  His plan tells man that there is an alternate way that does not involve following the God who actually created all things that exist.

Satan loves to project himself as the light-bringer who is only seeking to free humans from the tyranny of God.  However, this is either a form of psychosis, or pure deception.  He either really thinks that he can make something better than God, or he knows that he can’t, but wants to “stick it” to God anyway.  It is highly doubtful that Satan actually wants to help mankind.  We are simply a means to an end, useful idiots in a megalomaniacal plan that will destroy all those who participate in it.

Regardless of the true intentions of this being, one thing is absolutely clear from Scripture and from history.  He cannot save humanity; or better, he is unable to save humanity.  He is impotent, and powerless to stop the coming judgment day for himself or humanity.  Thus, his plan is itself a dream world that can never truly be because it refuses to submit to reality, and the God who created it.  Perhaps, this is why we see so many revolting against reality and seeking to make their own imaginations real and consequence-free.

Scripture warns us continually against trusting evil, fallen spirits and their propaganda.  In the Old Testament, people were warned against seeking the wisdom, or the leading, of these spirits instead of God Himself.  Leviticus 19:31 says, “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.”  I could quote many others.  It is generally presented as a loyalty issue in the Old Testament, but it does include a warning against deception.  Deuteronomy 11:16 says, “Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them…”

Ultimately, the New Testament makes it abundantly clear that Satan and his spiritual cohorts are deceivers.  In John 8:44, Jesus says, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Evolutionists and modernists love to present religions as the attempt of ancient man to explain the cosmos so that he wouldn’t be afraid of the dark, the unknown.  This itself is a propaganda.  Religions all have a spiritual origin.  The false religions of the world and the twisting of true religion are all propaganda from evil spirits who are intent on separating mankind from its Creator.  The doctrines and teachings of demons are more prevalent today than ever before.  They have even infiltrated much of the Church, just as they had infiltrated the religion of Israel in the days of Jesus.  Christians today must wake up to the spiritual deception that comes through secular and religious sources.

The Beast of Revelation is not Satan, but a representative of Satan (see 13:1-4) that comes on the scene with a global kingdom in the last days.  The picture of the beast rising up from the waters is not what he actually looks like.  Rather, it is a symbolic picture of his character, and the attempts at such a global kingdom by Satan.  The origin and identity of this Beast is scattered throughout Revelation.  However, it is in Revelation 17:8 where we are told, “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit, and go into destruction.  And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.”  This picture of beings coming out of the bottomless pit happens several times in Scripture.  In Revelation 20, Satan himself is captured, chained, and locked up in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years and then is released at the end of the millennial reign of Christ.  This makes it pretty clear that the bottomless pit is some kind of prison, or holding place, for spirit beings that God determines must be removed from His creation temporarily.

This is all tied to Revelation 9 and the sounding of the fifth trumpet.  An angel with a key to the bottomless pit comes down and releases a locust hoard whose king or ruler is called The Destroyer (Abaddon in Hebrew, Apollyon in Greek).  This is a key point in the end times.  These are not actual locusts.  However, the symbol of locusts describes the kind of voracious beings they are.  They are destroyers by nature and leave everything wasted in their wake.  Also, they are clearly spiritual beings who have been locked up in the bottomless pit for a long time (many connect these to the time before the flood).  The king and leader of these spiritual locusts is The Destroyer, which is another name for The Beast.  The beast is also a spiritual being that apparently tried to rule the earth in the past, and was judged, imprisoned, and will be released at the end of the age.  This evil, spiritual being will come out of this prison with a pent-up rage.  Yes, the world is going to embrace a global leader who is a psychotic prisoner of the spirit realm.

His plan requires: global political control of the nations (13:7), global religious control through worship (13:8,12), and global economic control through a mark of the beast (13:17).  It will be touted as guaranteed security and peace for the world, but will lead to anything but.  It will be tyranny over the masses of humanity.  It would be a boot in the face of humanity forever, if God allowed it to continue.  Those who reject this pledge of allegiance that is called the mark of the beast will be killed, and the world will buy the idea that it is for the sake of peace (they will be pictured as terrorists that are thwarting peace). 

The plan of Satan and his Beast will end up leading humanity down a path that is away from God’s.  God made mankind to be imagers of Him.  However, Satan plans to deconstruct the mark of God or image of God that is upon us.  The term “mark of the beast” can refer to a mark, but it can also refer to the fact that the taking of this thing marks us as something less than human.  Of course, it will be marketed as a means of becoming something greater than human, breaking free from our human shackles, but this itself is a lie, which I will come back to in a bit.

We see a dehumanizing plan throughout the world today in a variety of ways.  Our schools are wanting to teach our children that they are not bound by biological gender.  Their sexual preference need not be limited, but can be fluid.  We need not be accountable to our decisions because our technology allows us to have remake reality.  We can have abortions or sterilize ourselves in order to embrace sexual immorality.  In the end, we are being propagandized that reality itself is the enemy.  Our biology is the enemy.  We are being led down a path of hating the weakness and frailty of our humanity.  Instead of waiting for the Creator to make us immortal, we will make ourselves gods, which is the original lie that Satan told Eve.  “You will be like God.” 

Why is Satan so bent on teaching us to destroy our humanity and to make ourselves over in an image of our own making?  Is it just pure hatred against God and His Creation?  Or, is something else going on?  Hebrews 2:16 reminds us that God does not give help to angels, but does give help to the offspring of Abraham.  Of course, we are told elsewhere that all who put their faith in Jesus become his, and, by definition, also become the offspring of Abraham.  Redemption is not available for any beings, but humans.  Think about that for a moment.  Why would I make myself something other than human?  That would disqualify me from being redeemable.  It is a mark of a beast because, in taking it, we become something less than human.  Thus, Revelation 14:9 and the following verses warn.  Anyone who takes the mark will be doomed to the Lake of Fire, the second death, no option for redemption.  Yes, the plan of Satan is to dehumanize humanity and thus damn us forever.

The Lamb’s plan

The plan of Christ requires us to be patient, and to embrace our weakness.  We are to embrace our humanity as God created us instead of fighting against it.  We are to live in loyalty to Jesus and die with faith in him and his plan.  A plan in which Jesus will resurrect all who believe upon him to inherit immortality, and a place with him in a New Heavens and a New Earth.

Our weaknesses are not our problem.  Our problem is that we are deceived into thinking that they are the things that hold us back from greatness.  Our weakness is actually the greatest strength that we have.  It is our weakness that allows us to be forgiven, redeemed, and resurrected. 

Contrary to the motives of Satan and The Beast, Jesus has proven his intentions and ability.  At the cross, Jesus shows the depths that he is willing to go to in order to save us, and he does just that.  His resurrection proves to all time that he is the Lord of Life and is able to conquer death.  Even if Satan intended to try and give to humanity what God is offering, he cannot deliver.  Everything he would try would be a cheap imitation that leads to destruction in the end.  Only Jesus is both worthy and able to raise humanity up out of its weak state and put us into a state of strength that is even greater than that of the angels. 

What kind of heart do I have?  One that wants to follow a crushing beast so that I can feel strong and powerful for a brief amount of time?  Or, one that will follow a sacrificed lamb who trusts the plan of the Father, which feels weak and powerless to our flesh?  You see our hearts and the choices we make are demonstrating to God whether he should give us true strength or not.  Only those who can humble themselves and lean upon Him and His strength can receive the strength that He has offered us.

The Beast’s plan gets mankind to trade its freedom for security, but Jesus offers us true freedom, the freedom of the Sons of God.  True freedom cannot be found in fighting creation and its Creator, fighting our nature and nature’s God.  This only leads to self-tyranny, and ultimately to the tyranny of Satan as a useful idiot in his kingdom.  2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!”  This is a true freedom where I am no longer a prisoner to sin and my own fallen flesh.  It is a true freedom where I am no longer manipulable and easily duped through the baser desires of my flesh.  It is a freedom in which I break free from my human condition by trusting in the God who loves us with a steadfast love, and mercies that are new every morning!

The plan of the Lamb does not reject and despise our humanity, but instead it capitalizes on the very reality of our humanity, even embracing it and joining us in our humanity.  If we embrace our weakness and learn to lean upon God’s loving strength that He has promised to use on our behalf then we will rise triumphant in the end.

In the years ahead, depending on how much longer God allows this to go on, we will face a growing case that is being made for us to use technology to free ourselves from these human shackles.  It is a deception and a lie.  Even with our knowledge of DNA, we cannot genetically manipulate ourselves into godhood.  We cannot seize the reins of our evolution and lead ourselves to a place that we’ve never been and by a being who is anything but God.  No.  His plan will make us beasts, irredeemable, and destroyed in the end.  Trust the plan of God.  This may not sound scientific, but it is actually created by the One who created all that we seek to understand through science.  Think about that.

End-Times Battle audio

Jesus Prophesies about the Future III

Mark 13:14-23. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 04, 2020.

Today, we will continue looking at the Great Tribulation, a period of time that will transition the world from the Age of the Church to the Second Coming of Christ.  This is a period of seven years in which the Holy Spirit quits restraining the coming of Antichrist and the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth in the second half of it.  It will be a period that is also marked by the wrath of Satan and his evil spiritual cohorts.  They hate humanity and want to bring us completely into servitude.  It will also be a period of the wrath of man.  Leaders throughout the world will be led by such evil spirits to destroy those who do not go along with the global empire, its economic system, and its false peace.

Christians are warned against looking to the kingdoms of this world to bring about Utopia and a New World of peace.  We know that the only administration that can cure the evils of this world is one that comes from heaven and is led by God’s Anointed One, Jesus.  His return is our Blessed Hope given by God.  The hope is not that we will escape difficulty.  Rather, the hope is that, no matter what difficulties we face in this life, the Second Coming of Jesus and the Resurrection of the saints will bring us into a time when we will enjoy perfect peace on the earth in an immortal body.  It is the beginning of eternity in which we will never sorrow again!

Let’s read this section of the prophecy of Jesus.

The Greatest Tribulation ever will occur

Last week, we talked about the desire of some in Israel to build a “Third Temple.”  The Bible warns that the Man of Sin, who is the Beast and Antichrist, will oppose and exalt “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 2:4.  Mark 13:14 calls this event the Abomination of Desolation, which we also talked about last week.  It is a thing so abominable to God that it will bring desolation and destruction upon the place.  I believe that this event triggers the series of judgments that we refer to as the wrath of God and will happen near the middle point of the Great Tribulation.  Clearly, it will be connected with the mark of the Beast, which is both an economic and worship issue.  Whether people understand it or not, the whole world will be in submission to and in worship of Satan.

When this event happens, Jesus says that anyone in Judea should immediately flee the area because of the coming difficulties.  It pictures a person who is relaxing on the flat roofs that are common in the Middle East.  They are not to take the extra time to go down into the house and get supplies.  The person in the field should not go back into the city in order to get their “Go-Bag.” 

Jesus adds that it will particularly difficult for those who are in situations like being pregnant or nursing a baby.  In any bad situation, we can often forget that it could be worse.  Things will be bad enough, but he tells them to pray that it won’t happen in winter time., i.e. in a time in which it is difficult to escape quickly.

Of course, the Great Tribulation will quickly become bad all over the world.  The emphasis here is upon those in Judea and is most likely intended for those Jews who are alive at that time.  Note that in Matthew 24, Jesus even says to pray that your flight is not during the Sabbath, which would be a contention only for observant Jews.  We should not forget that Jesus cares about his fellow Jews, and he has warned them about both the destruction of 70 AD (Luke 21:20-24) and the coming destruction in the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:15-28 and Mark 13:14-23).  The immediate danger during the Great Tribulation seems to be that the Antichrist and his forces will move to take the city, but this is not entirely clear in this prophecy.

Jesus then repeats the warning that he had given earlier in regards to the Age of the Gentiles, or the Times of the Labor Pains.  False christs and false prophets have always come and gone.  The difference is that here it mentions that they will deceive the people by great signs and wonders.  They will be empowered by Satan to do things that will wow the world.  Revelation 13 mentions several things that wow the world in the end times.  The deadly wound of the Beast will be healed.  The False Prophet performs great signs, so that he even “makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.  He will deceive those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the Beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the Beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.”  The False Prophet also is the one who “gives breath” to the image of the Beast.  Revelation 16 also tells us that, as the Tribulation comes to an end, three unclean spirits will go out into the earth.  “They are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

It will be a time when mankind will be ripe for the greatest deception ever because they rejected a love of the truth that God has been offering them for 20 centuries plus.  Some people categorically state that these signs can’t be real, and instead are faked.  However, just as humans have a kind of power that is amazing at deceiving other humans, so these evil spirits have powers that are beyond ours.  They are not even close to God, but they can wow us humans.

Matthew 24:26-28 adds another point to this issue of false christs.  The Beast leader will be worshiped in the place of Jesus, a false christ.  Jesus shows us how we will know that he is fake by contrasting it with his real Second Coming.  The Second Coming will be so obvious that no one will have to tell you that it happened.  This contrast starts between the First and Second Comings of Christ.

At his First Coming, Jesus was born into a human body (mortal), in a humble way, and his arrival was announced by a “come and see” announcement (not just at his birth too).  In contrast to this at his Second Coming, Jesus comes in an immortal body, on the clouds in great power and glory, and no one will need to announce it.  Every eye will see him coming on the clouds, but we will talk about that next week.  Antichrist seems to be a person who comes as Jesus did the first time.  He will be born, grow up, and use powerful signs to draw people to him.  The world will take it hook, line, and sinker.

Today, deception is at the fleshly and intellectual level.  Yes, we have heard amazing tales among false christs and prophets, but none that are truly like what Jesus did.  We need to know the truth so well that not even an amazing miraculous demonstration of power could pull us away from it.  I don’t just mean a set of propositions, but that we know the One who is The Way, and The Truth, and The Life!  This is a time to press into the Word, and into prayer, so that we can know the authentic Christ6 and his ways.  Then we will not only avoid deception, but we will be able to rescue others from deception as well.

Friend, don’t go another day without making your peace with God the Father.  Embrace the answer that He has sent to earth for your sins, Jesus.  Put your faith in him today so that you will not be caught up in the deception that is even now knocking on the door.

Jesus Prophesies about the Future II

Mark 13:14-23; Zechariah 14:1-5.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 27, 2020.

Today, we start our look at the second part of the Olivet Discourse.  Days before Jesus will be betrayed and crucified, he gives a detailed prophecy regarding the future from the First Century AD up to his Second Coming.  The answer that Jesus gives to their questions about the future has three parts to it and last week we looked at the first part.

So, let’s look at the first part.

Comparing Mark 13 with Matthew 24 & Luke 21

In each of the three Gospels, the answer of Jesus follows a three-part focus.  The first focus is on the difficulty of the years ahead, before he comes back.  The third focus is on the Second Coming of Jesus.  The focus we will look at today is the second one and is about Judea and Jerusalem.

Each Gospel adds a little something different that the other Gospels do not have, and they also leave out things that the others tell us.  In the first and third focus, it is very clear that they are all talking about the same thing.  Yet, in this second focus, you will see by the chart above that I believe Luke is significantly different from Matthew and Mark.  It is not contradictory because we know that there is far more discussion that has happened than what is written down. 

In the Gospel of Luke, the second focus talks about armies surrounding Jerusalem, and an exile to the nations of Israel.  He states that this will last until the Times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, or come to an end.  This is clearly describing the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in 70 A.D.

Matthew and Mark, however, mention none of these things.  Instead, they talk about the Abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy Place of the Temple and a Great Tribulation that is the worst the world will ever see.  They both use language that ties the Great Tribulation directly to the Second Coming of the third focus of the prophecy.  Matthew 24:29 says, “immediately after the tribulation of those days…”  Whereas, Mark 13:24 says, “But in those days, after that tribulation…”  Luke does not use this immediate language.  In fact, his words imply a long period, the Times of the Gentiles, that has no fixed length.  This leads me to believe that Jesus spoke about difficult times that Israel would experience in 70 A.D., particularly in Judea and Jerusalem.  Yet, he also talked about difficult times that Israel would have in the years right before his Second Coming.  These are two different destructive events that have the exact same encouragement, “Get out of the area!” 

The similarity of the imperatives to quickly run to the mountains leads some people to say that the Great Tribulation is speaking about 70 A.D.  However, it seems ludicrous to pretend that somehow the events of 70 A.D., though extremely horrible and difficult, were the worst tribulation the world, or Israel, will ever see.  What about World War II?  Coupled with Matthew and Marks emphasis on the Second Coming happening at the end of those days, the near and far away aspect of this prophesy becomes clearer.

The Greatest Tribulation ever will occur

Hopefully at this point, you are on board that Luke is sharing the prophesy that Jesus gives regarding the destruction of Jerusalem in the First Century, and that Mark is sharing the prophesy that Jesus gives regarding the difficulties that Jerusalem will have in the Great Tribulation immediately before his Second Coming, which is still future to us.  Yes, the Bible describes a future destructive event at Jerusalem at the end of this age, which will be interrupted by the Second Coming of Jesus.

In case you are not convinced yet, we need to look at an Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah 14.  Here, Zechariah depicts a partial destruction of Jerusalem that is stopped by the coming of Messiah in great power.  It cannot be forced to fit the destruction in 70 A.D. without making most of it symbolic.  Let me just say once again, that I have no problem with symbolism being employed and used here.  However, I do think it is a mistake to automatically dismiss the literal.  Something can be true both literally and Symbolically.

Zechariah describes “all the nations” coming against Jerusalem.  Yet, the army of Rome was very diverse, but it is a stretch to say that it is talking about the Roman army.  He also states that “half of the city” is taken captive, but not a remnant of the people.  “Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations in that day.”  Again, if we try to make the Lord fighting only symbolic then we would have Jesus symbolically fighting against the nations of the world or Rome.  We could perhaps posit that Christians going into the nations is that battle, and would be somewhat correct.  Yet, Zechariah also pictures the feet of Jesus touching the Mt. of Olives and splitting it in half so greatly that it creates a valley for people to flee from Jerusalem.  At this point, you realize that your symbolism scheme becomes extremely convoluted in order to avoid any literal understanding. 

Yet, it becomes even more difficult for those who only accept a symbolic understanding of this passage.  Verse 5 mentions that all the saints will be coming with the Messiah.  Then, verse 12 describes the way that the Lord will defeat the nations.  “And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.”    Some say that this is all poetic metaphor, such as their ability to see truth and speak wisdom will dissolve, or fall apart.  That may have some truth to it, but it doesn’t pass the sniff test.  It smacks of the same trick that cults do when their prophecies don’t happen.  They try to say it happened spiritually and not literally.  Bear in mind that we can also ask the same question of Revelation 19.  Is it simply poetic metaphor?  Is the rule of Messiah/Jesus over the earth simply poetic metaphor?

We have now gone through a lot of setup for this section, but it is critical to understanding that Luke is picturing a different time than Mark.  Why didn’t they all clearly detail both destructions?  Partially, it would be because they didn’t completely understand the distinctions.  We have the benefit of hindsight.  I would also have to believe that God purposefully led them to detail these separately.

As we go through these verses, we will make it clear that this second section in Mark is talking about a Great Tribulation, which will happen at the end of this age, and may be just on the horizon.

In verse 14, Jesus brings up a phrase that was well known to the Jews of his day, “the Abomination of Desolation.”  This comes from the Old Testament where the term “abomination” is most often used of idols, or images, but its meaning goes beyond them.  It pictures something that is abominable, detestable, and loathsome.  It is used of impure things and activities that God absolutely hates, as well as the righteous.  The word “desolation” refers to being brought into a state of stunned silence, or ravaged silence.  The Greek word used to translate it literally means to be made into a wilderness.  The phrase as a whole basically refers to something so impure, whether an idol and/or an act, that it brings the wrath of God upon the place and is made into a wilderness.  The righteous are always to get away from such a place and its people because they should not want to be caught up in its judgment.

We are told in the text that we should remember that this is spoken about by Daniel the prophet.  We are told that we need to understand this.

The concept or phrase “Abomination of Desolation” is found in three passages of the book of Daniel.  Chapter 9 verse 27 is in the famous Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks of Years.  In that passage, we are told that Messiah would be executed, and then the people of the prince, who is yet to come, will destroy the city.  Then it says that the prince who comes later will make a covenant with many for 7 years.  During that period, he will put an end to sacrifices and “on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate.”  Notice that this covenant, stopping of sacrifices (implying Israel back in the land with a temple), and Abomination of Desolation happens after the destruction of the city in 70 A.D. and not before it.

Daniel 11:31 is another passage that mentions the Abomination of Desolation.  This passage so perfectly fits the events of the Greek-Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 B.C. that scholars who do not believe in predictive prophecy say it must have been written afterward and not by Daniel.  Of course, there is no evidence for that.  Daniel in the 6^th century prophesied the events that were nearly 400 years later.  The passage refers to the defiling of the sanctuary and the placing of the “Abomination of Desolation.”  In those days, Antiochus was angry because of a military defeat near Egypt.  He commanded the Jews to worship Zeus, put an idol of Zeus in the courtyard of sacrifice, and had a pig slaughtered on the Hebrew altar in worship of Zeus.  So, the second mention of an abomination is different from the first.  It was fulfilled in 167 B.C. and gives us a picture of what an event would look like that qualified to be called an Abomination of Desolation.

The last passage is Daniel 12:11. Here, an added detail is given.  From the time that the sacrifices are stopped until the Abomination of Desolation, there would be 1,290 days (3 years and 7 months).  This does not fit the events of 167 B.C.  It is most likely a reference back to the Abomination spoken of in chapter 9.

In Mark, Jesus is letting us know that there is another Abomination of Desolation coming of which the events of Antiochus Epiphanes are simply a template or prototype.  Some try to make events in 70 A.D. be a fulfillment of this concept.  There were a few attempts at such a thing.  The emperor Caligula even sent an image to Israel in order to be set up in the temple.  However, he died and the command was abandoned.  It was as if God said that this was not to be the time.  Nothing like we have been describing happened leading up to 70 A.D. that would both qualify as an Abomination of Desolation and serve as a warning for people to flee.  The Abomination of Desolation is still future and will be part of the Great Tribulation, which implies a third temple at some stage of construction.

It is important to note a connection that follows the Antiochus template and is elsewhere in the New Testament.  2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 describes the coming “man of sin,” also called Antichrist, sitting in the temple of God showing himself that he is God.  When this is coupled with Revelation 13, especially the image that will be built to the beast and made to speak, we can see that the warning is of an end times temple of Israel that is co-opted by a global leader to promote himself as God.  In our modern world, this may seem impossible or ridiculous.  However, God warns us that He is restraining this stuff until He is ready for it to happen.

We will look at the rest of this Great Tribulation next week.  Yet, note these things.  The continual focus on peace between Israel and the Muslims of the Middle East continues to beg some kind of peace deal or covenant agreement.  The contention on the Temple Mount is extremely volatile, and yet, not only is there room on the mount for a Temple to be built north of the Dome of the Rock, but there is a move among Muslims to allow it to happen.  The orthodox Jews of Israel have made preparations to quickly build a temple upon any agreement.  The furnishings have been built including an altar.  Money has been raised and priest trained.  They are ready to quickly build what they call the third temple.  Lastly, many rabbis in recent years have begun to state that Messiah is on the earth and waiting to reveal himself.  One rabbi this year has prophesied that this is the last Jewish New Year (Sept. 19, 2020) without Messiah.  In other words, Messiah will reveal himself sometime before September 6 of next year.

People used to look at these prophecies and laugh at anyone who taught that Israel would literally be a nation again, much less have a temple.  Yet, the events of 1948 shocked the world as Israel became a nation again under an existential threat that could have only been neutralized by God.  We must understand that the Times of the Gentiles will eventually come to an end and God will allow the end times scenario to move forward.  Are you ready spiritually?  Do you know Jesus as your Lord and your Savior?  Only he can save you from your sins, and bring you through what lies ahead for this world.

Jesus Future II