{"id":3062,"date":"2023-11-24T20:04:42","date_gmt":"2023-11-24T20:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bethelmacclesfield.org.uk\/?page_id=3062"},"modified":"2023-11-30T20:30:57","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T20:30:57","slug":"26-november-2023-when-will-jesus-return-part-4","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bethelmacclesfield.org.uk\/?page_id=3062","title":{"rendered":"26 November 2023: When will Jesus return? (part 4)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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Bethel Baptist Church
Worship Service @ Home<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

26 November 2023<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Welcome<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.<\/p>\nPsalm 97:11, chosen by Stella<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Worship<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe is Lord, He is Lord; He is risen from the dead and He is Lord; Every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Word<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When will Jesus Return?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Many false prophets will appear and deceive<\/strong> many people \u2026 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive<\/strong>, if possible, even the elect. <\/p>\nMatt. 24:11, 24<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This is another clear sign that will happen before Jesus returns. Again, we ask, \u2018How do we measure this?\u2019<\/em> There have always been false prophets and the like. But as we trace things over the years do we find an increase in the intensity and extent of deception? The word deceive appears twice in the verses quoted, re. those who \u2018deceive many people\u2019<\/em> and those who \u2018deceive, if possible, even the elect\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right from the beginning Satan has been in the business of deceiving e.g., Adam and Eve, Genesis 3:1-15. He will continue his work of deceiving right to the End of time,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world<\/strong><\/p>\nRevelation 12:9<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026 Satan will \u2026 go out to deceive the nations<\/strong> \u2026 10 <\/sup>The devil, who deceived them<\/strong>.<\/p>\nRevelation 20:7-8, 10<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He does this directly, and also through organisations and people. In 1984 Francis Schaeffer wrote in, \u201cThe Great Evangelical Disaster\u201d, referring to Secular Humanism:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSixty years ago could we have imagined that unborn children would be killed by the millions here in our own country? Or that we would have no freedom of speech when it comes to speaking about God and biblical truth in our public schools? Or that every form of sexual perversion would be promoted by the entertainment media? Or that marriage, raising children, and family life would be objects of attack.\u201d<\/em>

Francis Schaeffer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has always been witchcraft and demonic activity that deceives the people in both the OT and NT e.g.,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt also did in like manner with their enchantments.<\/p>\nExodus 7:10-11 <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Simon had practised sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, \u2018This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.\u2019 They followed him <\/strong>because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery.<\/p>\nActs 8:9-11 <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognise the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.<\/p>\n1 John 4:1-3 <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The test with these false prophets was: \u2018Do they believe in the Incarnation?\u2019<\/em> Today, we still have those in the Church, even Bishops, who deny the Incarnation. Furthermore we have those who deny the Deity of Christ. Has there been an increase in the intensity and extent of deception over the last few hundred years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n