Modern deception

Published 8:48 am Friday, January 3, 2025

Recently, I was marveling at the scientific advances in technology that affect all of us today. I realized that these things emphasize our modern way of life to the extent that one is tempted to think that this is all there is. Then, the Lord brought to my mind some verses of Scripture that apply so well to all this. One that is very appropriate is Matthew 24:22-24, where the Lord Jesus said, “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ! Or there! Do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

The Lord was speaking of the coming Tribulation, the worst time the world will ever see. But the deception has been going on ever since the Garden of Eden, where Eve was first deceived by Satan and committed the first sin. Through today’s marvels of technology, Satan has successfully deceived most people in our society and throughout the world.

The temptation is to see all the wonders of modern life, such as medical advances, computer achievements, cell phones, advanced technology, and start thinking that Christian theology could not possibly be true. That is exactly what our Enemy, the devil, wants us to do. And, so many people are thinking just that way today, whereas the truths of the Gospel seem somehow outmoded.

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But, the truth never gets outdated. The truth always stands. It always will. Jesus stated, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35). People who still believe what the Bible tells them are often considered naïve and even unintelligent. But, these are the only ones who will see Heaven when they die. And die they, and we, all will. The author of Hebrews tells us that God has proclaimed, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

The truth is that Christians are actually in great company. Many of the great geniuses of the past, and even the present, were believers in Christ. Examples include Sir Isaac Newton, one of the five most intelligent people who ever lived. Others are Alexander Fleming, Galileo, Copernicus, Kepler, and a great many more. There were and are hundreds of brilliant believers. There are many very intelligent believers living today. My doctor, for example, is a Christian, as well as other doctors I know or have known.

Newton was a devout Christian. He warned against using science to view the universe as a lifeless machine. “Gravity explains the motions of the planets,” Newton said, “but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done.”

When I hear or know of someone who considers himself an atheist, I feel real pity for that poor soul, because the soul never dies. It will live on forever either in heaven or hell. Of course people, especially the young, consider old age and dying too far in the future. The truth is that one does not have to be old to die. Atheists also display severe ignorance. The ones I have known never really seemed to think about the meaning of life or the fact that without belief in God life has no meaning at all.