The Jesus Deceptions (Chapter 5, The End Times Made Simple)
The End Times Made Simple
Then Jesus began to tell them, “Watch out so no one misleads you. Many will come in My name and say, ‘I am He,’ ‘I am the Messiah,’ and ‘The time is getting close.’ They will deceive many people. Make sure you don’t follow them!”
(A harmony of Matthew 24:4-5, Mark 13:5-6, and Luke 21:8).
Jesus doesn’t give pointless warnings.
Many deceivers will come.
Many people will be deceived by them.
The charge falls on us: “Make sure you don’t follow them!”
In order to fulfill this charge, we need to pay attention to what Jesus says. Jesus highlights four areas in which deception will run especially high. First, deceivers will come “In My name,” claiming to speak in the Name of Jesus. Second, deceivers will claim to be Jesus, saying “I AM,” or “I am He.” Third, deceivers will claim not to be Jesus personally, but rather to be who Jesus claimed to be, saying “I am the Messiah.” Fourth, deceivers will claim “The time is getting close” for Jesus’ return.
These deceptions tend to overlap. Some deceivers will use all four. Some will use only one. Some will be creative and mix.
Let’s examine them.
The First Deception: “In My Name”
These deceptions are not random. They target Jesus specifically, seeking to deceive those who want to follow Jesus. These deceivers don’t target the world. They aim at Christians.
Jesus’ warning begins here: “Watch out so no one misleads you. Many will come in My name.”
What does it mean to come in someone’s name?
Think of global politics. One nation sends an ambassador to another nation halfway around the globe. This ambassador is sent in the name of their home country. As ambassador, they are imbued with the authority to speak for their country. The words that they speak are taken to be the position of their home country.
Therefore, those who claim to speak in the name of Jesus are claiming to represent Jesus accurately. They claim to be an authoritative voice on what Jesus teaches and commands.
This kind of deceiver doesn’t come in their own name. They don’t say, “Listen to me, because I’ve got great ideas.” Rather, they say, “Listen to me, because I can tell you what Jesus says.”
Deceivers don’t tell you that they are deceiving you. They anchor themselves to someone you trust. They claim to be the kind of person you would want to trust, the kind of teacher who seems to be able to answer your questions.
To gain your trust, many deceivers will tell you they are Christians. They will serve as pastors and leaders, teachers and influencers, coaches and Sunday school guides. They will come in the name of Jesus — claiming to be followers of Jesus.
This is the first Jesus deception.
The Second Deception: “I Am He.”
Some deceivers go further than claiming to be Christians.
Some deceivers claim to be Jesus Himself.
At first, this might seem odd. Our innate cultural reaction is to take people who claim to be Jesus and put them in insane asylums. How could crazy people be a legitimate deception threat?
The problem is that crazy people can be incredibly charismatic.
Yes, they’re a bit detached from reality — and this can give them a boldness and confidence that feels attractive to many.
Charismatic deceivers like this don’t simply walk up to you on the street and say “I’m Jesus! Worship me.”
Rather, they target the vulnerable. They find the lonely, the lost, those who might be a bit unstable themselves, or those who were victims of poor teaching growing up, lacking the discernment necessary to see the wolf standing in front of them.
They rise in times of uncertainty, targeting the frustrated, the downtrodden, those who feel abandoned, those who feel like the system is against them.
They rise in times of cultural strife, seizing divisions in culture to play people off one another, attracting followers by uniting against a common enemy.
They appeal to those who seek deeper mysteries, who believe in endless conspiracies or world-governing societies. They feed them “hidden knowledge,” appealing to their pride and their curiosity, stoking the idea that “we’re the ones who really know what’s going on.”
To those who are lost, confused, lonely, or desperate, a confident leader with answers can feel like water to someone dying of thirst. When this leader then claims to be Jesus, it might not sound so strange to them, because they feel like he’s already saved them once.
This concludes Part 1 of this chapter. Part 2 coming Wednesday.
Kyle, in Matthew 24 , who is the Lord speaking to.? Well in verse 2 it reads:" Jesus said unto them ...verily I say unto YOU." Also this " unto them" is used in verse 4, as well as YOU. Also YOU is used in verses 6, 9, 15,23,25,26,33,35. We can easily miss the audience relevance here. The Lord Jesus is speaking to His disciples. He is speaking to them of their future. Can this apply as a duel fulfillment in my future Possibly. But the words of Jesus was spoken first to His immediate followers in the 1st century.