Let’s go back in time to the day when Jesus spoke His apocalyptic words. At that time, rather than giving a revelation about the future, He was more concerned with warning about the dangers of deception.
Like us today, Jesus’s disciples were caught up in the excitement of anticipating the future. But Jesus, with prophetic clarity, chose to focus our attention on the deceptions His followers would face until the end of history (Matthew 24:4; Mark 13:5-6, 22-23; Luke 21:8).[1]
Jesus emphasised the pervasive threat of deception, which manifests itself in three main forms. The first is false authority, manifested through false prophets or false Christs: individuals who claim to be bearers of truth and divine authority, but who are in fact driven by a spirit of deception. The second is deceptive appearances, miracles, and spectacular signs that suggest the divine presence but are nothing more than diabolical tricks designed to deceive the onlooker. Finally, false teachings, or erroneous doctrines, spread by the same lying authorities. False prophets use false signs and miracles precisely to validate their unfounded teachings.
The apostles added two features to this apocalyptic picture. First, they elaborated on the danger of false teachers (2 Timothy 4:3-4; 2 Peter 2:1). Then, inspired by reflection on the words of Jesus, they wrote about the inherent danger of self-deception—that kind of spiritual and mental blindness by which we sabotage our own conscience and reason (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11). No mechanism of deception can work unless our minds are already predisposed to it.
Like us today, Jesus’s disciples were caught up in the excitement of anticipating the future. But Jesus, with prophetic clarity, chose to focus our attention on the deceptions His followers would face until the end of history.
Self-deception can take many forms and can be both the cause and the result of confrontations with deception. At its root is the temptation to accept false truths, to submit to lying authorities, and to be deceived by appearances. Pride, conceit, and self-sufficiency can open the way to self-deception (1 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 6:3), leading us to believe that we can succeed on our own without divine guidance (James 1:22).
There is a high price to pay for superficiality and ignorance (Ephesians 4:18; 2 Peter 3:16-17). Conversely, openness to inquiry, discernment (1 Thessalonians 5:21; Hebrews 5:14), and a healthy dose of scepticism about doctrines that compete for our attention (Ephesians 4:14) are our allies in the battle against self-deception. A healthy spirit of scepticism is not incompatible with faith; in fact, it is necessary to ensure that what we believe is true and helpful. It requires a balanced and rational approach to information and ideas, through critical thinking, logical reasoning, objective analysis, rational evaluation, and impartial judgement, without falling into the trap of negativism, conspiracy or cynicism.
In the digital age, deception has found fertile ground to multiply. The Internet can be a catalyst for accepting false truths, following illegitimate authorities, and succumbing to deceptive appearances; therefore, without an effective defence strategy, our virtual interactions can intensify self-deception.
Our solution, like that of the apostles, is to delve deeper into the truth, develop discernment, and cultivate a balanced approach. But the deepest and most necessary solution is self-examination in the light of the Holy Spirit. We must examine ourselves, confront our pride, conceit, and ignorance, and bring ourselves into harmony with God’s truth. Only then will we be able to confront deception, whatever form it takes, whether it lurks in the real world or in the digital world.
Norel Iacob is editor-in-chief of Signs of the Times Romania and ST Network.
