…Mark 13:20b-23 “But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. 21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.”
The tribulations preceding the return of Jesus Christ are an unsettling thing. And calamity of it all causes panic among people. Satan enters into the chaos and confusion and worry and plays on the fears of humanity to present himself through deceived men as a false Christ, who offers a false hope.
Satan is wicked, but he’s not so ignorant as to be obvious. As Paul says, Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, and Satan’s servants disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. The deceptions that Satan uses are strong enough to deceive even the elect, if that were possible, which it’s not. But understand that the deception is deceptive enough that some elect would have been led astray were it not for the providential intervention by God. So the anti-Christ and the false prophets are not always the people you might think they would be.
If his deception is that strong, then how to be on guard? Know God, know the Scriptures, live for him. If you are familiar with the genuine article, the false article will be a bit more obvious.
The more you personally know God – how he loves, what he does, his character – the more the false servants of Satan will be obvious.
The more you personally know the Scriptures – what God says in all its nuance and variety and sameness – the more the false servants of Satan will be obvious.
The more you personally live for God – and experience the uniqueness of the new life – the more the false servants of Satan will be obvious. The more you know the real thing, you’ll recognize the genuine thing, and be ready for the real thing when he comes.
