Lying Signs & Wonders

an article by Joel Allen

[2Th 2:8-11 KJV] 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 [Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

How many of us have heard in our lifetimes that the Antichrist would be able to perform miracles just like Jesus (Yeshua) but these signs and wonders would be a form of deception to draw religious people to him instead of the true Messiah? I am not saying that that interpretation is incorrect but have you ever really considered that maybe the signs and wonders could be prophetic interpretations and false “signs” depicting events that may be just distractions for God’s people? What do I mean by that? Well while most of us are looking for ministries that are operating in miracles and healings and waiting for that sign as a possible end time deception could there also be another deception that we are overlooking? For many of us in the Messianic Hebrew Roots community we many times speak against miracles as false signs condemning Christians operating in what the Bible clearly tells us as the sign of those that believe:

[Mar 16:17-18 KJV] 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Now I am NOT saying that all ministries that presumably have such signs operating in their assemblies are sealed and approved by God. But is it more than that? Are we looking at only one dimension of deception that we are forewarned about ? For those that gainsay and speak harshly against our New Covenant brethren are you delving into hours of conspiracy theories and “end time” prophecy scenarios? How many of these scenarios have played out the way Youtube said it would? How many of these conspiracy theories have caused us to be full of fear and not of faith? I personally have seen many families in my walk as a Pastor and Messianic Teacher go to harsh extremes simply on a few Youtube videos or websites. Kids don’t go to college because they are in fear of some end time event coming soon…always just glooming over the horizon. Vast amounts of energy and money is spent on food storage and bunkers. Weapons are amassed as well as survival gear and “bug-out-bags.” Now I am NOT saying that all of that is totally wrong. I believe we should have some extra food and water stored just out of practicality. In the days of the Great Depression this was normal and not extreme. However, I am addressing the extremes here. We can stretch out the Tribulation further than it has to be. We can forfeit our today for some fear of tomorrow of what we are to wear, or eat or drink all the while neglecting the true purpose of seeking His Kingdom first. Listen to the words of our great Rabbi, Yeshua:

[Mat 6:31-34 KJV] 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.

God knows the troubles that are coming our way and He will provide for those that are seeking His kingdom first. Let your light shine today! Our job is not to build bunkers and hide in the day of Trouble but our job is to let our light shine! Yeshua told us not to hide our light but to put it on a table for the sake of the whole house. He told us to be a city on a hill not a family in the basement. Even if it does take our life in the process we are to shine all the brighter as the days get darker and darker. So if Yeshua told us to not worry about tomorrow and to be a city on a hill then why are we hiding, making decisions as if there is no hope of a future. Remember what happened in the parable about the talents. It was the person who hid the talents by burying them in the ground that was admonished by God and the talent that he was entrusted in was actually given to the person who had the most and was investing his talents into others (Matt. 25:14-30). Notice in verse 25 the reason why the wicked servant hid the talent:

“And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth…”

Don’t allow fear of tomorrow or conspiracy theories to cause you to bury God’s treasure that He has placed in you. If you feel God wants you to go to college then go! If you believe God wants you to serve in the police force or military then do so without fear and without feeling like you are somehow serving some end time hidden conspiracy. If you feel God is leading you in the mission field in some country that seems scary then GO! The safest place on earth is not in a bunker with guns but serving God’s will no matter where that takes you! God is NOT concerned with preserving your flesh because the true you, the recreated you is in you! If we live in Him we WIN!!! If we die in Him we WIN!!! So what is there to fear? Yeshua spoke very clearly about this mentality that we should try to keep ourselves from danger no matter what:

John 12:25 “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

Are we spending too much time trying to preserve our flesh? I am NOT saying we should be reckless but we should exercise discernment and wisdom in all situations. We need to ask ourselves how much time is spent on filling ourselves with teachings, videos, conferences that fill us full of fear. How many false signs and predictions have come our way? Really stop and think about all of the whistle blowers and end time prophecy teachers and how many times their claims have turned out to nothing only to get right back into the sound waves with new predictions and teachings that take you further and further down the rabbit hole. Is this a distraction in your life? When was the last time you talked to unsaved person about the Lord? When was the last time you shared your testimony? When was the last time you gave to the poor or served in a soup kitchen or outreach? Are you spending more time on Youtube or Facebook than your local congregation? Are you motivated by faith or fear? These are questions we should be asking ourselves daily.

One big thing we need to evaluate as believers is whether or not the teachers and end time watchers we are spending time learning from, are bringing deception or not. Are they spreading a message of faith or fear and could it be possible that the false claims and predictions are numbing and desensitizing God’s people for when the true end time signs appear. Can the evil one mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 be one that will create signs “owth” in Hebrew. The first time this word is used is Genesis when talking about the purpose of the lights in the heavens, for signs, seasons, days, and years (Gen. 1:14). This word can be translated as miracles but it can also mean events and warnings. Just do a quick search on the internet for “end time signs” and you will be inundated with thousands of websites and videos about free masons, illuminati, America being doomed, Jews are part of end time deception, Obama is the antichrist or was it Hillary Clinton or maybe perhaps George Bush? At first glance everything looks legit but what is the truth? All of the points of view bring some interesting points and what seems to be evidence but how do we sort through this to find what is truly the “end time signs?” Truly Daniel’s prophecy (Dan. 12:4) of our generation is true, that ” many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Knowledge is everywhere! The internet has proliferated all kinds of sharing of information, accessed in seconds by the push of a button. Truly we are running to and fro with the increase of knowledge and we can’t seem to slow down and wait upon the Lord. We feel a sense of urgency but we don’t know if it is by the Holy Spirit or some video we watched about a nuclear holocaust. Quite simply we are confused not by a lack of information but by a flood of too much information.

Even prominent teachers and those that seem very Spiritual are riding the tidal wave of fear. Instead of leading believers to the simplicity of repentance and lifestyles of mercy and judgment it seems like a race to be the first one to get the right prediction. Not realizing the trail of the misguided is getting wider and wider. Worse yet major denominations are rejecting end times prophecy as being of any importance at all, mostly because of all of the false claims and speculative preachers of doom throughout the last 2,000 years. Where can we find balance in all of this? How can we be found watching and waiting for His return but without bringing fear and confusion to this generation? Listen to the warnings of Yeshua:

[Mar 13:22 KJV] 22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if [it were] possible, even the elect.

[Mat 24:24 KJV] 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.[Mat 24:25-26 KJV] 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, [he is] in the secret chambers; believe [it] not.

It’s interesting that right after Yeshua says these false prophets (plural) are to rise up He doesn’t mention false miracles but that THEY WILL SAY and go on false claims of His return, etc. The warning is about false prophets painting scenario after scenario of end times doom and gloom and predictions of the return of the Messiah, which Yeshua calls; “False Christs.” He also warns us that these prophets of end time doom and gloom will be so powerful with their deception that even the elect would be deceived or caught up in them.

In conclusion, I want to make it abundantly clear that I am NOT opposed to eschatology (the study of end times events). I have also taught and expressed strong concern over what appears to be end time signs. However, we have to be very careful with how we approach these subjects and how we spread the information that we receive as they can lead to paranoia and paralysis in the Body of Messiah. We have a great work in front of us. The harvest is plenty but the laborers are few. It’s time to beat the swords into plowshares and work this harvest together, with both hands on the plow!

-Shalom Aleichem