Disciples Global Network

The discourse of Jesus given on the Mount of Olives includes instructions for his disciples about the future. In it, he warns repeatedly of the “ many deceivers ” and “ false prophets ” who will appear among his followers, spreading false information about his return and the end of the age and otherwise striving to mislead “ the elect .” Constant vigilance by his Church is vital for avoiding deception and apostasy.

Jesus warned his disciples about coming “ deceivers ,” “ false Anointed Ones ,” and “ false prophets ” intent on misleading them, warnings reiterated and expanded in the writings of the Apostles. He began his Olivet Discourse with the stern warning - “ Beware lest anyone deceive you ,” for “ MANY ” deceivers would come and “ deceive MANY .”

The term “antichrist” occurs only in the second and third letters of John, and the Apostle applies the plural form of the Greek noun to deceivers who were spreading false teachings in his congregations. The presence of “ antichrists ” constituted irrefutable evidence that the “ Last Days ” were underway, and the false teachers were the product of the “ Spirit of Antichrist ,” forerunners of the final “Antichrist” who was yet to come.

In his first epistle, John declares it is the  Last Hour , a period elsewhere in the New Testament called the “ Last Days .” As evidence of this, he points to the presence of false teachers who are disrupting the congregations under his care. These deceivers are the products and instruments of the “ Spirit of Antichrist ” that is active already in the world, and these very same men are forerunners of the final “ Antichrist ” who is yet to come.

After explaining the coming “Apostasy” and the “Man of Lawlessness,” Paul instructed believers in Thessalonica on how to avoid the coming deception and thereby find themselves standing “blameless” before Jesus when he “arrives.” To do so they must “stand fast” by adhering to the teachings and “traditions” of the Apostles. The conclusion to his discussion includes verbal links to his first letter to the Assembly. The second letter was written within a few weeks or months at the most of the first letter.

In  Second Thessalonians , Paul addresses rumors and claims that the “ Day of the Lord has set in ." False information about the “ arrival ” of Jesus was disrupting the Assembly, and this disinformation was being attributed either to a “ spirit ,” word (l ogos ), or a letter “ as if from ” the Apostle Paul and his coworkers.

Jesus began his final discourse with a sharp warning - Beware of the “ many deceivers ” who would come and spread false information about his return based on wars, earthquakes, and other calamities. They will “ deceive many .” Likewise, “ false prophets ” and “ false anointed ones ” would propagate lies about his whereabouts and “ coming .”