False Teachers Proclaiming “The End Is Now!”
The Bible warns about false teachers being one of the first signs of the end and a problem that the church must face. Many will falsely proclaim the imminent return of the Messiah to bring in the millennial paradise and the end of this evil age. These false prophets are often both unlearned with regard to the Bible in its entirety––especially eschatology, or end time prophecies––and are ignorant of relevant history as well. Note what Jesus said:
Luke 21:6-7, “‘These things which you see––the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.’
“So they asked Him, saying, ‘Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?’” (NKJV)
Christ’s Apostles wanted to know what signs would accompany His second coming and the end of this age.
Luke 21:8, “And He said: ‘Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am He,” and, “The time has drawn near.” Therefore do not go after them.’”
Jesus is saying clearly that one of the methods of false teachers will be crying, “Wolf, wolf! The time is drawing near for Christ’s return!”
No matter the event, false teachers will jump to the conclusion that the end is near. If they are false teachers we can safely assume they have bad, selfish or other ulterior motives.
Notice Christ said do not follow them. Many false teachers use the fear of the end time to gain a following and to galvanize that following around them. History indicates that some leaders have even started wars and pushed emergencies in order to gain more power. Ecclesiastical leaders can use similar tactics. Religious leaders can use big events to say to followers, “I can save you! Give me your loyalty…and all your money.” Paul watched current events and appropriately used them to motivate the church, but never to panic them.
Romans 13:11-14, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
“The night is far spent, the day is at hand…
“Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
Watching end time events is not wrong when done in an intelligent and unselfish manner. Remember, every brick of the Temple is not yet thrown down. The Wailing Wall still exists. Further note this:
Luke 21:9, “But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately…
Verse 11, “And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.”
Christ said certain events will move the world closer to the end but the end is not yet upon us. Note that this does include pestilences like Covid-19. The world will experience various waves of catastrophes such as wars, earthquakes, and pestilences with each one worse than the last. These will be building up to the end time but no one knows how far away the second coming is!
Why Did Jesus Allow His Disciples to Misunderstand?
One issue that has often bothered readers of the Bible is the fact that God has allowed true disciples to anticipate the second coming of the Messiah and His Kingdom incorrectly. This clearly occurred. Some of the Apostles believed that Jesus might bring the Kingdom in their life times. Then as they grew older, they realized that they were mistaken. Why would God allow such a mistake? God did it to encourage and motivate the believers, but never to panic them. Note what the head Apostle James wrote.
James 5:7-8, “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
“You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
James told the brethren to patiently continue doing good works because the return of the Messiah was near. Peter said the same thing in 1 Peter 4:7. They believed it and motivated the brethren thereby. God has been using this anticipation for just about every generation to help energize them toward better growth.
Biblical, knowledgeable teachers know it is wrong to cry, “Wolf, wolf,” at every world event because it will ultimately demotivate people. Christ wants us to stay ready spiritually. He want us to be watchful of world events! However, Jesus wants us to do our watching wisely. Utilizing our Biblical knowledge of the many prophecies, we cannot be stampeded into doing foolish things, as some cultist groups have done. It is wiser and safer to really know our Bibles and truly understand the events preceding Christ’s return.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
“Not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.”
When Paul wrote this epistle, false prophets had been dishonestly using current events and forging letters from the Apostle Paul in order to deceive people. End time hoaxes are nothing new, but they are a danger we can avoid with solid knowledge of Bible prophecy. Remember that in the end times, false clerics will proliferate.
Every Generation Needs Motivation
Jesus knows that human nature, once it gets set on coasting, will degenerate and the person might fall away. Hearing supposed teachers cry, “Wolf, wolf,” again and again can lead to apathy and disbelief as well. This is the clear message of some of His warnings.
Matthew 24:42-45, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
“But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”
Christ tells us that we should expect some surprises. Further, He warns us that complacency is likely to happen. Jesus’ advice to us is this:
Matthew 24:46-51, “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.
“Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.
“But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,
“The master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of,
“And will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
We must be like the Boy Scouts, “ever ready,” spiritually. If generations of believers thought for sure that the return of Christ was not going to occur in their lifetime or even for many centuries to come, it would undermine motivation! Therefore Jesus did not allow the believers to necessarily know this information. Anyone who sets a firm date in advance is probably guaranteeing that this is a time when Christ will not be coming back. Jesus said he would come at an hour we do not expect.
Cynicism, An Even Greater Danger
The world as a whole does not believe in a real, literal second coming of Christ. This includes many Christian clerics. The “Christian Left” believes in progressive ideals and evolution, not the Bible. These modern beliefs can slowly taint our thinking as well. A believer and his children are in great danger from negative influences on all sides. The disappointments from false teachers make apathy and disbelief stronger. Not believing in the second coming of Christ at all, is the greater danger.
2 Peter 3:3-6, “Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
“And saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’
“For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
“By which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.”
Churches have been sucked into this world’s views. The world does not believe in the literal return of Jesus to bring paradise to this deceived planet. A great falling away is prophesied to come to all the world. This falling away is much broader than the apostasy of the WWCG.
Many now teach that Jesus was misguided in His statement to His disciples about His second coming. He didn’t mean He would actually come back, they say, and the world will not literally see a millennial “Paradise.” Big government is man’s only hope for paradise––socialism. All will remain as it is now, they claim. No one believes in Jesus’s direct intervention. Men will actually become more carnal and self-centered as we get closer to the end of this age. The Social Justice movement will not solve our problems. Mankind without God––His Laws and Ways––cannot succeed.
2 Timothy 3:1-2, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
“For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy…”
Our society has numerous bad influences, like social media’s evil gossip, violent video games, pornography and violent movies. A society without solid religious foundations or moral anchors is a real sign that the end is nearing and the return of the Messiah is approaching to save us from ourselves.
Continuing in verses five through eight, “Having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
“For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,
“Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
“Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;”
Jesus could return sooner than expected and we never know when one could be tempted into decadence. Stay alert in these evil times.
Prophetic events can speed up when we least expect them and come upon us like a tidal wave. But the end cannot happen until certain prophetic factors are in place. These factors include a third Temple, a powerful King of the North and a King of the South. Additionally, the power of America to insure global order must decline. Furthermore, the work of the two witnesses is still waiting and the world has no apparent Beast and False Prophet yet. Let no one panic you, but always be vigilant, constant in prayer and study, and close to Christ!
