I am on a mission here. Is this evident? =)
Join me for a few more weeks as I dive into the ‘Why? How? and Should I?’ of conspiracy theories. This is just great. So much gold here!
There are a few different statements and/or questions that I am going to examine in this five-part series. These statements seem to be the reason many people adhere to various conspiracy theories. As with many things in life, the actions are only products of a belief system. And that belief system is rooted in who we believe God is or is not.
May truth prevail!
“Why study conspiracy theories?”
“So that I am not deceived.”
“Deceived about what, exactly?”
“About taking the mark of the Beast, or unknowingly pledging allegiance to this Beast. The book of Matthew states that ‘even the elect will be deceived’.”
OK. Valid point. Two things immediately stand out to me here: fear of being irreversibly marked beyond redemption and fear of deception.
Let us dig into this.
One place where we learn of this mark of the Beast is in Revelation 13 and 14.
Read the passage.
It seems clear that those who will be marked are either consciously agreeing to this or are already deceived. (More on the deceived later) They are knowingly worshipping this beast. They have pledged allegiance to him. They have made deliberate choices toward allegiance to the beast, long before his mark comes around. They are walking in darkness because they have chosen to embrace that darkness.
Those who walk in close relationship with Jesus Christ, who is Truth and Life, will not be left floundering in uncertainty of “Is this the mark or not?” There will be a very clear divide between worshippers of the beast and non-worshippers.
As for the ‘elect’ being deceived, let us get the context of this passage.
Read Matthew 24.
Jesus speaks about the end times. In reading the entire passage, it becomes quite clear that there will be obvious signs that the coming of Jesus is near. Just like you know spring is coming when the olive tree has buds, it will be just as obvious to you when my return is near. Verse 24 states:
For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.
Firstly, nearly all Bible commentators agree that the grammatical construction of this verse and its parenthetical statement “if possible” strongly point to such a thing being out of the question. Meaning, ‘what a joke to think the elect will be deceived!’ It will seem like the real deal, but His chosen ones couldn’t possibly be drawn away into deception.
Second, the Bible firmly speaks to the fact that the elect are protected by God from deceptions that would result in eternal separation from Christ. Paul tells us that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him” Ephesians 1:4
Peter says that the chosen “are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:5
And Jude says that the chosen are “beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ” Jude 1:1.
It is clear, the elect will persevere in God’s strength.
Also, in the same context and chapter of Matthew 24, further down in verse 31, Jesus states: “he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
How can the elect be deceived if Jesus then gathers them from all corners of the earth?
From all of this, I believe we can confidently say that the elect will be far from deceived. There is no chance of the sheep inadvertently following another shepherd, when they know the voice of their Shepherd. Even an imposter shepherd!
This leads right into the next part: fear of deception.