Jesus warned us to beware of deception in these last days!
Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 24:
1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
This took place in 70 A.D. exactly as He prophesied.
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives (planaō) you.
In other Words, at that time deception will run rampant. So beware that you are not fooled!
What will be the sign? Jesus gave them multiple signs, but the primary sign was worldwide deception.
The word planaō means: to cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right way; to go astray, wander, roam about; to lead away from the Truth, to lead into error, to deceive; to be led into error; to be led aside from the path of virtue, to go astray, sin; to sever or fall away from the Truth; to be led away into error and sin.
Fifty years ago, the environment did not lend itself to worldwide deception. Now, things have changed. With the advent of the Internet, the term “worldwide” became relevant to the average person. With technology, worldwide communication is virtually instantaneous. With Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system, there is Internet available even in remote locations.
That’s not all.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is now a highly effective tool for deception. With this tool, programmers can take advantage of social media and post what appears to be individuals who speak whatever the programmers want them to say. It appears real and convincing. AI is taking over social media such as YouTube, Facebook, and other social media platforms. The average person cannot tell what is real and what is fake. Nefarious individuals will use this technology to further their agenda and will manipulate the public through worldwide deception.
What is our defense? Being led by The Holy Spirit and not allowing ourselves to be moved by what we see and hear on these platforms. Face-to-face encounters with others will become vital.
What happened on the Day of Pentecost when The Holy Spirit was given? Peter prophesied of the end of the end times:
Luke faithfully recorded by The Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 2:
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.
15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the Great and Awesome Day of the LORD.
21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the Name of the LORD Shall be saved.’
In this prophecy, Peter covered 2,000 years into the future. Thee Great and Awesome Day of the LORD is the rapture, also known as the catching away of the true church. We are now at the doorstep, we can see the finish line so don’t slow down. It is vital that we rely on The Holy Spirit in all aspects of our walk.