BE ON YOU GUARD
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”
5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 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 13:3-8
The brothers must have taken to heart what Jesus had said to them because they came back to Him later with this question, “When is this going to happen?” and “What sign …how will we know when the end is about to happen?” They were aware that this present order of things must come to an end. There was a hope in them that the imperfect with its suffering and evil would not be the final state of affairs.
Jesus had indicated that there was no permanence in their temple but it was also true that there was no permanence in a corrupted creation with its wicked oversight. Wars and natural disasters would continue and even escalate and so would the number of deceivers that would arise in the world. The problem is not with those who come from the ranks of politics and false religions. They are easier to recognise than those who come from within the church.
Because people are lazy or reluctant to study the Scriptures for themselves, many are ill‑equipped to discern the deception which is subtle and closely resembles the truth. Deceivers may be dazzling, popular and convincing but they are dangerous and deadly. To follow their teaching is to veer off course and to move farther and farther from the truth. Jesus’ words to His disciples and to us are, “Be on your guard. You have been warned.”
There are at least two categories of teachers that undermine the two main parts of Messiah’s identity prosperity preachers who feed on the ‘yetzer harah’, a Hebrew term that refers to the attitude of person who is selfish and self-centred, and prophecy interpreters who undermine the nature of our ruler-ship with Christ now. Peter was guilty of misunderstanding the content of his confession. He saw Jesus as one who would overcome Rome and restore Israel’s political glory. Jesus came to teach us how to rule over our own unruly hearts first. He came to teach and demonstrate obedience and submission to the Father, even if it meant suffering and loss in this life. Anything that contradicted the heart of Messiah’s disposition was deception.