Many Will Fall Away

 

Jesus spoke to his disciples about His second coming while sitting on the Mount of Olives. They had asked him, “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Mt 24:3). Jesus mentioned several signs, but one in particular intrigues me. He said that many will turn away from their faith, and fall into disbelief and hatred.

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Mt 24:10-13)

Can you imagine such a thing, Christians falling away from the faith at the end of the age?  What in the whole wide world could cause such a thing? What kind of delusion could be so deceptive and so powerful?

Jesus described the falling away using the Greek word, “skandalizo”, meaning that believers will be tripped up by a snare, causing them to stumble and fall away. Can you imagine a snare, or a scandal, so great that they will begin to distrust and desert the One whom they previously trusted and obeyed. Furthermore, they will betray and hate each other. Christians turning on one another – it boggles my mind.

Jesus seems to mention two causes for such a scandal. First, many false prophets will arise and deceive the faithful. This is talking about preachers and teachers in the church who lead the faithful into error on such a magnitude that it causes despair and giving up on God. The second cause is the unbridled increase in wickedness, perhaps referring to the lawless buildup to Armageddon (II Thes 2), or to a massive societal breakdown (2 Tim 3:1-3). This unbridled wickedness will cause the love of believers to grow cold. They will reason, “God has lost control of this world, why should I trust Him anymore?” They will lose hope and faith. I am not making that up. Jesus predicted it.

Consider a similar occurrence at the first advent of Jesus, when the disciples fell away the day Messiah was crucified (Mt 26:31). The Jews were scandalized and deceived for centuries, believing that Messiah would establish a sovereign and everlasting kingdom when He came. Jesus, though, told His disciples repeatedly that He must be betrayed and killed, and then rise again. But they never heard Him -- in one ear and out the other. They had trusted Jesus to be Messiah. But that hope was for naught, they thought, when Jesus was arrested and crucified. They deserted Jesus and fled (Mt 26:56). Their impenetrable bias was not displaced until Jesus appeared to them.

Just what is the false teaching that will scandalize the faith of Christians at the end of the age, causing them to fall away. Fact is, the false teaching is already in place. For nearly two hundred years now, Christians have been indoctrinated that they will be raptured before a seven-year Great Tribulation. They have been taught that all the evil of Antichrist and the judgments of God will then unfold during that period, while they are long gone. How confusing it will be for Christians when America is “consumed by fire” (Rev 17:16), and we are faced with “death, mourning, and famine” (Rev 18:8) -- while we are still here on earth, futilely hoping for an early rapture. Christians will be desperately confused when world events don’t happen the way they were led to believe. Confusion will lead to dismay, despair, then disbelief, and they will hate those who still trust God.

Many people say to me, “God is going to do what He is going to do anyways. So why argue over prophecy?” There is one compelling answer. Because many will fall away, deceived and scandalized by false teaching about the end times. God revealed His plan in great detail so that those who believe may stand firm to the end. When the Son of Man comes will He find faith on the earth?