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Luke 21:8 - False Christs and Deception in The Last Days.

Luke 21:8 (NLT) He replied, Dont let 
anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, 
claiming, I am the Messiah, and saying, The 
time has come! But dont believe them.  

Luke 21:8 (AMP) And He said, Be on your 
guard and be careful that you are not led astray; 
for many will come in My name [appropriating to 
themselves the name Messiah which belongs to Me], 
saying, I am He! and, The time is at hand! Do not go 
out after them.  

INTRODUCTION

Jesus did not leave his disciples unprepared 
for the difficult years ahead. He warned them 
about false messiahs, natural disasters, and 
persecutions; however, he assured the disciples that he 
would be with them to protect them and make his 
Kingdom known through them. In the end, Jesus 
promised that he would return in power and glory to 
save them. Jesus' warnings and promises to his 
disciples also apply to us as we look forward to his 
return. [Life Application SB] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

Do-It-Yourself Divinity
   In the times in which were living, we 
should be aware of religious deception. Jesus said 
that in the last days, there would be an 
explosion of it, culminating in the appearance of the 
ultimate deceiver, the Antichrist. 
   We should look out for cults and groups 
who say theyre the way to God and that their 
leader, guru, or teacher is the Messiah. Today, in 
addition to relatively established cults, newer 
groups have sprung up. There has been a literal 
explosion of mysticism and spirituality in recent 
years. 
   But for the most part, it has not been a 
return to biblical Christianity. Rather, it has 
been a New Age mixture of everything under the 
umbrella of so-called spirituality. 
   People basically have a do-it-yourself 
divinity. They say things like, I dont believe 
in organized religion, but I am a very 
spiritual person. I draw a little from this belief and 
a little from that belief. It all will get us 
to Heaven or closer to God. 
   However, the Bible tells us that in the 
last days, Satan will use every kind of wicked 
deception to fool those who are on their way to 
destruction because they refuse to believe the truth 
that would save them. They will be condemned for 
not believing the truth. 
   We need to realize that whenever there is 
the genuine, there always will be the 
counterfeit. The devil is the great deceiver and the 
great counterfeiter. Jesus said of him, He has 
always hated the truth, because there is no truth 
in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his 
character; for he is a liar and the father of lies 
(John 8:44 NLT). 
   The devil is an expert at offering 
substitutes for the real thing, with enough truth to 
make it believable and enough error to destroy 
us. 
   That is why we must be students of 
Scripture. The Bible tells us to test the spirits to 
see if theyre really of God (see 1 John 4:1). 
We must stop believing the false teachings that 
come our way. Far too often, we in the church are 
gullible because we allow our feelings and emotions 
to direct us instead of looking at things 
through a biblical lens. We must learn to think 
biblically and compare everything to what the Bible 
teaches. 
   We also need to understand that all 
religions do not teach the same thing. To believe 
otherwise is to ignore what the Bible teaches. Jesus 
said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No 
one can come to the Father except through me 
(John 14:6 NLT). 
   If you are a true Christian, then you 
must believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to 
God. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; 
https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

   At the grocery store, I searched for a 
few healthy snack options. On a sale rack, I 
found crunchy peapod snacks. They sounded 
healthier than potato chips, with a similar 
crunch-salt value, so I grabbed them. After getting home 
I tasted them. Yuck. When I checked the 
ingredients, I saw they were super processed and packed 
with weird flavorings. Their resemblance to true 
peapods was only in the manufacturer's imagination. 
I shook my head. Why hadn't I just grabbed the 
real thing? Sweet, fresh peapods would have been 
a much more delicious snack. 
   As research for one of my novels, I've 
recently been studying cults. In cults, people 
substitute the real thing for a poor imitation. When a 
writer, speaker, or leader teaches about following 
Jesus, how can I know whether he or she is 
presenting the truth? Jesus provides ways to test for 
the truth. Through the gift of the Bible, I can 
make sure that any "new ideas" line up with the 
whole of Scripture. Through the gift of the body 
of Christ, I can receive wise counsel from 
others. As I daily walk with Jesus, He says I will 
learn to recognize His voice, as sheep recognize 
their true shepherd. 
   There's no need to ever accept a poor 
substitute when I have the true and only Savior. Sharon 
Hinck 
   Faith Step: Notice a thought from a book, 
magazine, podcast, or TV broadcast. Analyze it to see 
if it lines up with Scripture and ask Jesus to 
guide you in truth. [Mornings With Jesus 2022 
Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan re 1 John 4:1] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY 

1 John 4:1 (NKJV) Beloved, do not believe 
every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they 
are of God; because many false prophets have 
gone out into the world. [devotional pending] 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/