His Repeated Warning

Jesus instructed his disciples about the future while on the Mount of Olives. He warned of the “many deceivers” and “false prophets” who would appear among his followers, spreading false information about his return, the end of the age, and otherwise misleading “the elect.” Constant vigilance was vital for avoiding misinformation and apostasy.

He began with a warning: “Beware lest anyone deceive you.” Liars and charlatans would come in his name and “deceive MANY.” Likewise, “MANY false prophets,” not just a few, would target the “elect” of God with disinformation and false teachings. His stress was on the term “many” - (Matthew 24:4-11, 24:23-24, 24:26).

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These deceivers spread false information about the return of the “Son of Man.” False prophets claim that he “is here” or “there,” or “in the wilderness” or the “secret chambers.” They set false expectations about the imminence of his return by claiming the “season had drawn near” - (Matthew 24:23-26, Luke 21:8).

Disciples will “hear of wars and reports of wars,” and deceivers will point to conflicts between nations, earthquakes, and similar calamities, both natural and manmade, as “signs” of the rapidly approaching “end.” Wars, seismic activities, and famines occur with regularity. However, they are not indicators of the nearness of Christ’s return. They are, at most, “birth pains,” evidence of the inevitable end of the present age, but they cannot be used to calculate the timing of his return. As Jesus declared, “The end is not yet.”

He warned that “no one knows the day and hour, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, except the Father alone.” For emphasis, he ended his declaration with the term “alone,” which is emphatic in the Greek sentence. The Father is the only exception to the rule.

He repeated this warning four times in his ‘Olivet Discourse’. Additionally, he stated that believers could not know “on what kind of day” he would come, for he was coming “at an hour you do not expect.” The version of this saying in the Book of Mark adds that his followers could not know “when the season is” - (Matthew 24:42-44, 24:50, 25:13, Mark 13:32-35).

Jesus warned his disciples again just before his Ascension. They asked when he would restore the Kingdom. He replied, “It is NOT for you to know times or seasons, which the Father has put in His authority.” The Greek nouns translated as “times” and “seasons” are plural. They cover any way we might delimit time - (Acts 1:7-8).

Rather than calculate prophetic timetables, his disciples must concern themselves with proclaiming the Gospel to all nations. That is the mission assigned to us by our Sovereign, not decoding end-time chronologies. He commanded his disciples to wait until they received the Spirit, then they would be his witnesses to the “ends of the Earth.”

In the period between his Ascension and Return, we must remain prepared for his sudden arrival. Because we do not know the timing of the end we must be ready at every moment for his appearance - (Matthew 24:14, 24:42-44, 25:13, Mark 13:32-36).

The ‘Olivet Discourse’ does not provide signs and chronologies by which we can determine the timing of his arrival in glory. Instead, we are warned about deceivers who will plague us until the end of the present age. Therefore, we must “beware lest anyone deceives us!”

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RELATED POSTS:

• Rumors of War - (Jesus warned of coming deceivers who will mislead many and disseminate false information about the future and his return)

• The Sign of the End - (According to Jesus. the End will not come until this Gospel of the Kingdom of God has been proclaimed to all nations on the Earth – Matthew 24:14)

• The Days of Noah - (Just as unprepared men were destroyed by the Flood, so unrepentant men and apostates will be overtaken by destruction when Jesus arrives)