Truth. With so many different religions, is it possible to find truth in the Bible? Is it important to find truth? What happens if we don’t have truth? Well… should we consider what happened to the Jews when Jesus came as their Messiah? And… will truth, or the lack of it, alter the world’s response when Jesus comes again?

LOVE the Truth Even if You Don’t LIKE it!

In 2 Thessalonians 2 we are warned that those who don’t LOVE truth will be led astray by false signs and wonders and a strong delusion.

“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11

Verse 8 tells us that Jesus Christ will destroy this ‘lawless one’ at his appearing. Many Christians would conclude that 2 Thessalonians 2 refers to ‘antichrist’.

A Lack of Truth led to the Crucifixion

When Jesus first appeared to mankind, the Jews had a general expectation, based on Old Testament prophecy, about what their Messiah would do, but they had missed an essential detail. 

The Jewish people should have understood that Messiah’s sacrificial mission came first, because this was foretold in the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. Jesus turned to these Scriptures after he rose from the dead, to prove he was the Messiah (Luke 24:24-27; 44-48). Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection were clearly foretold well ahead of time (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53, etc.) but none of the Jews had foreseen this tragedy. Why? Likely because this wasn’t the message they wanted to hear.

Instead, the Jewish people were fixated on the exciting prophecies that foretold of the Messiah becoming a King, restoring the Jewish nation and ruling the world… prophesies that are still waiting to be fulfilled (Acts 1:6-11).  Because so many of the Jews failed to receive the unpopular message, they personally became the instruments by which God brought the tragedy to pass. These Jewish people crucified their very own, long-awaited Messiah!! Truth mattered! To get it wrong meant to commit the most horrific crime! And truth was laid out clearly in the very Scriptures they read everyday. How did they miss it?

A Lack of Truth led the Disciples to Fail

On more than one occasion during his ministry, Jesus clearly explained to his disciples that he would suffer and die and be resurrected. Even then, his disciples didn’t accept the truth, likely because it wasn’t what they wanted to hear (Luke 18:31-34). Such devastating events didn’t fit with their long-held aspirations of what the Messiah was going to do for the nation. And sadly, because the disciples didn’t grasp truth, one betrayed him, most of the others forsook Jesus when he needed them most, and Peter denied that he knew Jesus three times. Truth mattered!

Truth About Jesus’ Return

Does truth matter in our future? Does the world understand what Jesus will do when he returns to this earth?

Some Christians don’t even expect Jesus to physically return to this earth – so if he does return physically, what will they think? Will it be obvious that Jesus is the Messiah when he comes back to earth? Is it possible that some will see him as an imposter?

Can you imagine how tragic it would be to fight against the very Messiah you thought you loved and worshipped? You may think this couldn’t happen, but this is exactly what occurred when Jesus came the first time.

Popular ideas of Antichrist

Today, there are various ideas about ‘antichrist’ which are shared as ‘truth’ among many, many Christians. Unfortunately, very few of these popular ideas begin with a consideration of the Epistles of John – the only book in the Bible where the actual word ‘antichrist’ is used.

Even more worrisome is the list of things that many people expect antichrist to do and to be. So many of these expectations for antichrist, are the very things the Scriptures claim Jesus Christ will do when he returns! We can’t overstate how seriously misleading many of the popular claims about antichrist have become! Because of these misunderstandings, many will believe the Lord Jesus Christ is an imposter when he returns. Only this time, Jesus will be returning in immortality with the God-given right to be King of the world! Click here to see a list comparing the Bible prophecies about what Jesus will do at his return, to the expectations for Antichrist, from the popular “Left Behind” series.

Yes, the Bible warns about Antichrist – many antichrists to be exact, and warns us that Antichrist will be there in the final battle. However, the Scriptural definition of antichrist is not the popular conclusion of today, even if was once the recogized conclusion in the forward of the 1611 King James Translation. How was this truth lost?

Expectation of Messiah

Today there is a general expectation among Christians, Jews and Muslims that the Messiah, or the Mahdi will soon appear! Everyone is expecting different outcomes, yet most foresee a Messiah, an Antichrist, and a final battle between good and evil.

Surely, we all hope to be on the side of the true Messiah! Who would ever want to fight against him? Therefore, it is really important to ascertain what the Scriptures say about Jesus and about Antichrist!  If you would like to do a Discovery Lesson on Antichrist, beginning with the Epistles of John, click on the underlined text.

Don’t be deluded!

To be saved, according to 2 Thessalonians 2, we need to love truth. Regardless of whatever ‘miraculous signs and wonders’ we may cling to as proof we are right, the warning of 2 Thessalonians 2 is to take time to carefully examine the matter. Don’t let yourself be deceived by the ‘false signs and wonders’. We may not LIKE the conclusions we find in the Scriptures, but must consider the history of those who only held to the beliefs they wanted to hear. Two very helpful books on this topic are  The Antichrist: Christendom’s Final Deception by Jason Hensley and Who Are You Looking For?

Truth Matters!!

The Scriptures indicate that there will be a battle between good and evil when Jesus appears and Antichrist refuses to serve him (Revelation 17 & 18). The Scriptures also indicate that some nations of the earth will not immediately accept or recognize Jesus for who he is (Psalm 2, Zechariah 14). Surely, we all want to recognize the true Messiah!

In our next blog we will take a look at the 5 places where ‘antichrist’ appears in the Epistles of John, and lay a foundation for a Scriptural understanding of the term.

As is so often said, what we believe determines our decisions. Our decisions determine our actions. Truth matters!! Truth will set us free!