And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.
There have been plenty of opportunities to be led astray by false teachers. Gamaliel gave two examples in Acts 5 of men claiming to be worth following, but they are dead. There have been movements throughout church history like Catharism in the 13th century which denounced all matter as evil, not God’s creation. In more recent times, the Millerites and the Jehovah’s Witnesses have taken a stab at predicting the day when Jesus returns, to no avail. Most recently, Harold Camping picked a date in 2011. They based these claims on verses in the Bible. All of this could have been avoided if they had simply read all of the Bible.
Much of what is leading many astray can be avoided if our churches simply read all of the Bible and preach its message. Instead, they find verses that seem to excuse sin and others that excuse hatred of others. Jesus said we will not know the hour at which he comes (Matt. 25:13). Jesus also told the healed man to sin no more (John 5:14). Finally, the entire parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us to love our neighbor, who is everyone. There is much to be gained in 2022 from reading the Bible cover to cover. You will receive (Acts 20:27)…
The whole counsel of God.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church