Unlimited: Don’t Be Misled
Jun 25, 2024 1665
Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains (Mark 13:5–8, NIV).
The disciples of Jesus asked him when will the temple be destroyed. This is an important question for them. And the answer that Jesus gives is an important one for us as well.
Jesus prophesied that the temple would be destroyed, and his disciples asked when this would happen. In their thinking, as for all Jews, the destruction of the temple was part of what would happen at the end of the world. In their minds, the disciples were asking when the end of the world would be.
Jesus knew that they had asked a dangerous question, because there would be many deceptions around the question of when the end would come. It would also be the subject of great fear in the hearts of humanity.
That’s why he warns his disciples not to allow themselves to be deceived by anyone. Many people would wrongly come in Jesus’ name. Many would claim to even be Jesus. There would be wars, and fear, and strife in the world, and earthquakes, and famines.
But Jesus warned his followers to not be alarmed at these things. They are not the end. It is still to come. These things are, as he calls it, only “the beginning of birth pains.”
Jesus doesn’t mean that there will be lots of pretend Jesus’ running around. Instead, he meant that there would be many claiming to represent the truth about his message.
– Eliezer Gonzalez
Eli’s Reflection: How will you be able to tell the difference between the true message about Jesus and the lies, if you don’t know the real Jesus? Think about it. What can you do to be assured that you are following truth?
Republished with permission from Blogs.crossmap.com, featuring inspiring Bible verses about Unlimited: Don’t Be Misled | Good News Unlimited.
