Sept 7, 2026 | www.GospelofJesusChrist.blog | River Wilde
We are living in an age in which mankind has access to more information than perhaps any generation before us. Within seconds, we can watch events occurring thousands of miles away, hear the words of world leaders, compare competing claims, and search enormous libraries of information.
Yet having access to information does not necessarily mean that we possess truth. In fact, one of the great paradoxes of our time may be that while information has become abundant, determining what is actually true has become increasingly difficult.
Voices compete for our attention. Governments, politicians, corporations, religious leaders, news organizations, social media personalities, artificial intelligence, friends, and strangers all tell us what we should believe. And somewhere within that tremendous noise remains the question that has followed mankind throughout history: What is truth?
For the Christian, this should not be surprising. Jesus repeatedly warned that deception would become an important characteristic surrounding the time of His return. When His disciples asked Him about His coming and the end of the world, notice the very first warning He gave them:
Matthew 24:4 KJV
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.”
Before Jesus spoke of wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, persecution, or many of the other things associated with the end times, He warned His followers about deception.
That deserves our attention.
A World in Which Deception Becomes Increasingly Powerful
Jesus continued:
Matthew 24:24 KJV
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
Think about the magnitude of that statement. Jesus wasn’t describing deception so foolish that everyone would immediately recognize it. He was describing deception capable of appearing extremely convincing.
Paul gives another remarkable warning:
2 Timothy 3:13 KJV
“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”
Those final words are fascinating.
“Deceiving, and being deceived.”
Some people spreading falsehood may themselves sincerely believe what they are saying. Deception can therefore become self-perpetuating. One deceived person convinces another, who convinces another, until something false becomes widely accepted simply because nearly everyone around us believes it.
That is why truth cannot safely be determined merely by popularity. A million people believing something does not make it true. And one person standing virtually alone does not automatically make him wrong. Truth remains truth regardless of how many people accept it.
What Does It Mean to Be “Woke”?
The word “woke” has acquired strong political and cultural meanings today, but I am using it here in its simplest sense: awake rather than asleep—alert rather than unaware.
Interestingly, Scripture itself repeatedly uses the language of sleeping and awakening when discussing spiritual readiness.
Paul writes:
1 Thessalonians 5:4–6 KJV
“But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”
What an extraordinary description.
Some are watching.
Some are sleeping.
Some are walking in light.
Others remain in darkness.
This doesn’t mean that Christians automatically understand every conspiracy, political development, world event, or hidden motive. Scripture never gives us permission to believe every alarming claim simply because it sounds like something that could happen in the last days.
Quite the opposite.
The truly awakened Christian should become more careful about evidence, not less.
Being Awake Means Questioning Deception—Including Deception We Want to Believe
This may be one of the hardest lessons of all.
It is relatively easy to recognize deception when it comes from people we already distrust. The greater test comes when information agrees perfectly with what we already want to believe.
Scripture provides an extraordinarily simple safeguard:
1 Thessalonians 5:21 KJV
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
Notice that Scripture doesn’t say:
Believe everything.
Nor does it say:
Believe nothing.
It says:
“PROVE ALL THINGS.”
That means Christians should be willing to investigate claims carefully. Where did this information originate? Is there evidence? Has the quotation been presented accurately? Is someone presenting speculation as fact? Does Scripture actually say what someone claims it says?
That principle should apply whether the person speaking is a politician, television personality, internet commentator, pastor, priest, prophet—or even the author of the article you are reading right now.
Don’t simply believe me.
Prove it.
Religious Deception May Be the Most Dangerous Kind
Some of the strongest end-times warnings in the Bible concern not merely political deception but religious deception.
Paul writes:
1 Timothy 4:1 KJV
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;”
Jesus warned of “false prophets” (Matthew 24:24).
Why would religious deception be particularly dangerous? Because it comes wearing the clothing of truth. Think of this…Is this not the perfect environment for the adversary to deceive the very elect? There might be truth taught here, but all he has to do is sneak in one untruth to be effective. One untruth like “how to become Born Again” incorrectly taught, so a person thinks that they have fulfilled this one requirement to go to heaven.
Then when a person dies, they are denied entrance to heaven because they had been incorrectly taught this one requirement from a religion that looks entirely good, and wholesome. Can you see how satan wins here with this deception format in deceiving the very elect?
A person openly opposing Jesus Christ is relatively easy for a Christian to recognize. But someone claiming to speak for God while leading people away from the Gospel is considerably more dangerous.
This is precisely why Paul gave such an extraordinary warning in Galatians 1:8 KJV:
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”
And with this scripture is clear to see that if a person were to compare their churches doctrine with the doctrine that Jesus and His apostles taught when they were upon the earth, they would KNOW what is true and what is false.
The message itself must be tested against the Gospel already delivered. Doing this simple test was how I personally discovered all of the false teachings of the Mormon church!
Joseph Smith did not restore the gospel of Jesus Christ, he CHANGED the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the Mormon gospel and tacked on the name of Jesus Christ, and those leaders will severely pay for one day.
Darkness Can Feel Completely Normal
Perhaps one of the most sobering aspects of deception is that people who are deceived generally do not know they are deceived. If they knew, by definition the deception would have failed.
Jesus described the days preceding His coming by referring to the days of Noah:
Matthew 24:37–39 KJV
“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage…
And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away…”
Notice something remarkable about this description.
Life appeared normal. People ate, the drank, married, and life simply continued.
Then Jesus says:
“And knew not until…”
That may be one of the most sobering expressions in the entire passage. They did not recognize what was happening until judgment arrived.
The Coming Deception Will Be Greater Still
The Bible describes an extraordinary period of deception associated with the coming “man of sin.”
2 Thessalonians 2:9–11 KJV
“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:”
Whatever else we conclude about the precise sequence of end-times events, this much is unmistakable:
Deception becomes extraordinarily powerful.
Revelation continues the theme. Speaking of the False Prophet, Revelation 13:14 KJV says:
“And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth…”
The Bible therefore gives us every reason to expect deception to play a major role in the events surrounding the end times. But Scripture does not tell us every lie that will be told.
That distinction matters.
We should not take every modern theory and automatically announce, “This is the deception Scripture predicted.” We may suspect possibilities. We may investigate them. But where God has remained silent, we should have enough humility to say:
We don’t know yet.
How Do We Come Out of the Darkness?
Jesus gave the answer long before our modern world existed:
John 8:31–32 KJV
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
The answer to deception isn’t simply obtaining more information. It is knowing truth. And ultimately, truth isn’t merely a collection of facts.
Jesus said:
John 14:6 KJV
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
That changes everything.
The Christian’s greatest objective isn’t to become the person who has uncovered every hidden conspiracy on earth. It is to become the person who knows Jesus Christ, knows His Word, recognizes His voice, and refuses to exchange His truth for something counterfeit.
Perhaps the Greatest Awakening Is Still Ahead
Certainly, great deception has been in our lifetime, as we have discovered even some religions who have deceived many people, even using the name of Jesus Christ to hide behind. But this is only a preview of the deception that will soon begin in the final seven years here upon the earth, under the antichrist and the false prophet.
There may be people around us today who seem completely uninterested in prophecy. They go to work, pay their bills, raise their families, watch television, plan vacations, and assume tomorrow will look much like today.
We shouldn’t despise them. We shouldn’t mock them. And we certainly shouldn’t consider ourselves intellectually or spiritually superior to them.
Instead, we should love them enough to tell them about Jesus Christ.
Because if we truly believe His coming is imminent, then understanding prophecy should produce compassion, not pride. It should make us more patient, more forgiving, and willing to share the Gospel. More determined to tell people that salvation is found not in discovering every secret of this world, but in Jesus Christ.
Paul tells believers:
Romans 13:11 KJV
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”
Perhaps that is the message our generation desperately needs.
Wake up.
Not merely politically, or culturally. Not merely to what governments, institutions, religious organizations, or powerful people may be doing.
Wake up spiritually! Open the Bible, and begin to research the “gospel” that you have been taught. With today’s technology, comparisons can be made in a matter of minutes.
“Prove all things.”
Seek truth.
And above everything else, seek Jesus Christ.
Because regardless of how much deception may eventually cover this world, Jesus made a promise that remains wonderfully simple:
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” — John 8:32 KJV
The world will become darker. Deception will become stronger…and sadly, many may remain asleep.
But those who belong to Christ have been called to something different:
“Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:6 KJV
I can personally share how frustrating it can be to interact with people who are asleep. They are clearly asleep, and have no desire to be woken up. We simply reach the point of understanding their desire to sleep, and turn them over to God.
We’ve learned that God has a very detailed plan which will soon take place for those who desire to remain asleep, it’s called the Seven-Year Tribulation, where God will judge the earth, by pouring our His wrath upon all of the inhabitants of the earth.
The Bible gives strong evidence that many people will turn to Jesus Christ during the Tribulation period, although following Christ during that time will come at an enormous cost.
Revelation 7:9, 13–14 KJV. John sees:
“A great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues…”
When John asks who they are, he is told:
“These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
That is remarkable. It describes an enormous multitude from throughout the world associated with the Great Tribulation and cleansed through “the blood of the Lamb.”
Revelation also describes believers who refuse allegiance to the Beast. Revelation 20:4 KJV speaks of those who were:
“beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark…”
And Revelation 12:11 KJV says:
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
So, the picture is quite striking: the Rapture does not mean that God stops saving people. People will turn to Jesus Christ afterward—apparently a tremendous number of them. Many will recognize the truth, reject the Beast and his system, and remain faithful to Christ even when doing so costs them their lives.
God is fully prepared to assist waking up “deep sleepers” in giving them a final change to come to Christ. And as we have learned, He will do it through challenge and hardship scheduled for the final seven years on earth: the Tribulation Period.
Free agency is a very good thing! However, when people choose to remain asleep, it will bring the consequences that come along with their desire to remain in the dark. And for some, it might cost them their salvation.
The adversary has deceived many people here on earth, creating distance between them and Jesus Christ. This alone should create a desire for them to break free of the prisoner that they have become through his decisive ways.
And, there is and has always been a very easy way to break free of all of this deception.
Open the Bible, and study what it means to be Born Again…Learn from the Savior Himself as He teaches how a person can be “in Christ.” It is something that you can do right now…tonight!
You don’t need to join a church, nor do you need to necessarily leave a false church. Church membership has nothing to do with our salvation.
Just you, God, prayer, and the Bible…studying what Jesus and His apostles taught when they were on the earth, regarding the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is how you avoid deception. This is how you learn truth.
You still have time to be included in the rapture. Become Born Again. This is not baptism and conformation as some false religions teach. It is that actual spiritual rebirth that comes from accepting the atonement of Jesus Christ into your life, and believing in Him, through your faith.
Our salvation, living with Jesus Christ forever in “heaven,” is only possible through Jesus Christ and what He did for us. But with free agency, each person must accept His Gift of the atonement. He does not force it upon any of us. It must be accepted through our faith in knowing that this is the only way that we can have our sins forgiven, and repenting for those sins.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not complicated like many religions have made it.
Remember the thief on the cross who hung beside Jesus. In his final moments, he recognized Jesus as Lord, acknowledged that he was justly condemned for what he had done, and turned to Christ in faith, saying, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” Jesus immediately gave him this beautiful assurance: “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42–43 KJV).
He had no opportunity to perform good works, join a church, or complete religious ordinances—he simply placed his faith in Jesus Christ, and Christ promised him paradise.
This is a simple, powerful demonstration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is His invitation to you. Give you life to Jesus Christ right now, repent of your sins directly to Him through prayer, accept His atonement, and have faith in Him, and you will receive this spiritual rebirth that is mentioned in the New Testament.
See you Very Soon.
Discover more from The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
