If there arises among you a prophet … and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, “Let us go after other gods”—which you have not known—“and let us serve them,” you shall not listen to the words of that prophet. (Deuteronomy 13:1-3)
For a bit longer, I want to continue mining all the truths we can from these few verses because, as has already been mentioned, deception is going to be a prominent opponent of God’s people in the last days. So then, take note of the fact Moses said that those we are to beware of most often don’t come from the outside but from among us. His phrasing, “among you” or “in the midst of you” is in concert with the Adversary’s tactic, seen from the very beginning. In other words, if the attack comes from without, it is much easier to discern and will prompt a defensive posture. However, if it comes from within, it will most likely be someone we know — and maybe in times past, have trusted.
I suggest that this is the tactic used to lead many of God’s people astray. Complicating it further are the “signs and lying wonders.” Make no mistake, the signs and wonders do occur but are intended to beguile and mislead. The fact that Paul refers to them as “lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9) infers that it will be a mixture of truth and falsehood –- which is, adding to and taking away –- because every convincing lie always contains a measure of truth. Therefore, we should not think that we are exempt from this ancient warning but should heed the words of Messiah who said, “False christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24).
There is one other element to this scenario that needs to be addressed and that is our tendency to follow after “signs and wonders.” Whether by the hand of Pharaoh’s magicians or the power given to the False prophet in the last days, people — including many of God’s people — have always been susceptible to the lure of signs and wonders. Messiah identifies the real problem behind this when He said, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign” (Matthew 12:39). By “adulterous” He means those who have been seduced away from the truth and have gone after “other gods,” or in other words, those who have abandoned their first love. Let us not be those people but let us be those who will heed His admonition to beware of deception and to hold fast to Him in these perilous times.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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