Solomon Abaki - End time Deception (Part 1)

Peter warns about false prophets and teachers in the Church deceiving many and giving a bad name to true Christian faith:
2 Peter 2:1-3 But [in those days] false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will subtly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them...Many will follow their shameful ways, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with false arguments and twisted doctrine...
The prevalence of false preachers coincides with the increasing number of Christians who no longer tolerate sound doctrine:
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine (teaching). Instead, to suit their own desires (lusts, longings), they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching (tickle) ears want to hear 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Today, there is destructive heresy being taught in Christian universities, where pastors are being trained, that denies the full and final authority of Scripture. There is an increasing number of people who claim to be Christian but who no longer view the Bible as the ultimate source or foundation for truth. In Romans 1 we are warned that many will “ because by choice exchange the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever” (vs. 25).

The Deceiving Nature of the False Teaching
1. A Perversion of Grace—Sexual Immorality and Sexual Perversion
“For certain people have crept in unnoticed (just as if they were sneaking in by a side door). They are ungodly persons whose condemnation was written/predicted long ago...Jude 4
The false teaching will be a perversion of Biblical grace, leading to a disregard for sexual restraints, boundaries, a disregard for sexual purity, which includes all sex outside the confines of a committed, covenanted marriage between one man and women before God, which is the Biblical standard.
“In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion.”—Jude 7, 8
Why does Jude mention God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah?
The Greek for “sexual immorality” is pornography and the word for “perversion” is literally
“going after strange flesh” or homosexuality. (Romans 1, “they exchange natural sexual relations for unnatural ones...men committed shameful acts with other men” (vs. 26-27)
Jude indicates that these false teachers will divide the Church.
“These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have
the Spirit.”—vs. 19
Presently in the American Church there is an increasing number of churches that are perverting the grace of God into a license for sexual immorality. This teaching is especially focused on affirming homosexual marriage, which is dividing many denominations.

2. Increased Atmosphere of Hostility and Hatred: A Spirit of Offense and Racial Strife Matthew 24:7-14 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish and the time of unprecedented trouble]. 9 “Then they will hand you over to [endure] tribulation, and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name...Because lawlessness is increased, the love of most people will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures and bears up [under suffering] to the end will be saved. 14 This good news of the kingdom [the gospel] will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end [of the age] will come.
 Paul describes the last days as “terrible times”: A spirit of self-centeredness, self- love, pursuit of pleasure and a spirit of hostility will infect many believers
2 Timothy 3:1-5 But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God...
With the advent of social media there has been an alarming level of anti- social behavior, marked by hostility, outrage, a cancel-culture, marked by a spirit of offense. This spirit has seeped into the Church, with many carrying offenses toward other believers. This spirit of offense is also manifesting in a growing racial divide in America.