Imagine thinking that you are 100% correct in your beliefs on any given topic, only to have someone come and suggest an alternative view point. What is your response? Most people will think that the other person is blind to the truth, doesn’t understand the nuances or subtleties, or is misinformed. Rarely do we stop to question our own suppositions or allow other perspectives to challenge our conclusions. Deception is diabolical, it narrows our perspectives, heightens our defenses, and enlarges our ego because, of course, we believe we are right.

For decades, I wondered what Jesus meant in Matthew 24:24 when he said, “Even the elect will be deceived.” How could God’s elect be led astray from the truth? I struggled to imagine a scenario where Christ-followers would lose their focus on Jesus, and follow other paths, albeit still in the name of Christ. I should have been a better student of history, because I would have had my answer repeated many times over.

• 160 years before Christ, a family of Jewish priests called the Maccabees revolted against their oppressors.
• The Zealots of Jesus’ day used violence in an attempt to overthrow Roman occupation
• The Catholic Church instigated the Inquisition to root out heresy and maintain orthodoxy
• Most Christians in Germany welcomed the rise of Nazism in 1933 – Holocaust Encyclopedia

The common factor is that the ends justify the means when God is supporting your cause. Singer, songwriter, Bob Dylan challenges this thought in his song ” With God on Our Side”. The fourth verse focuses on Jesus’ betrayal in the name of God, and invites us to question whether our beliefs and actions are like those of Judus, the political zealot and infamous betrayer –

Through many dark hour I been thinkin’ about this
That Jesus Christ was betrayed by a kiss
But I can’t think for you, you’ll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot had God on his side

All that to say, it appears we are more easily deceived than I ever imagined.

Returning to Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24:24, it is worth noting several important points:

• The Warning: He warns his disciples to be on guard against false messiahs and prophets who will try to deceive people, even those who are considered “the elect” or God’s chosen ones.
• The Deception: These false figures will perform great signs and wonders, making their deception seem very convincing.
• The “Elect”: The term “elect” refers to those who are chosen by God for salvation or who are faithful to their divine call.
• The “If Possible”: The phrase “if possible” is a rhetorical device emphasizing the severity of the deception, suggesting that even the elect are vulnerable to it.
• The Importance of Discernment: The passage highlights the importance of discernment and vigilance in distinguishing true from false teachings and leaders.
• Ongoing Pattern: The deception Jesus speaks about is part of an ongoing pattern, not just a one-time event.

What happened 2000 years ago is continuing to happen today. We haven’t learned from history, and we are more isolated from it than ever before.

There was a time when oral traditions were passed down through the generations, preserving history in the minds of each new generation. Wisdom was revered, held by the few who had lived long enough to understand or were fortunate enough to be trained. Perhaps it was the invention of the printing press that enabled the mass dissemination of what was treasured wisdom, thus it widened and shallowed the pool of understanding, and in so doing, wisdom was reduced to knowledge, which in turn became information as more and more people could access it. Now, everyone has the wisdom of the ages in their cellphones, and information has become data to be manipulated or discarded if doesn’t fit within the siloed walls of their chosen belief system.

Today, the elect are being deceived as quickly and easily as ever. Christians are adopting nationalism and self-interest in the name of God with the result that the life and example of Christ has become a casualty of war against our ideals of individualism and commercialism. It is happening as such a devastating speed that many people will be barely awake as they sip on their first cup of coffee, not realising that life has changed forever.

Thoughts and prayers to all who think God is on their side.

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Brian

Spiritual practices strengthen faith and
Faith should be lived out in practice

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