Deeper Reflection
WHEN JESUS’ DISCIPLES ASKED HIM ABOUT THE SIGN OF His coming and the end times (v.3), He did not immediately answer their question directly. The first thing that Jesus said in answering their question was a solemn warning: “Beware that no one leads you astray” (v.4, NRSV). This first thing is the most important thing. And the first word in this most important thing is: “Beware” – “See to it” (NASB), “Take heed (KJV) and “Watch out” (NIV). What Jesus wants us to pay most attention to is “Let no one lead you astray”. And He mentioned the great danger of being led astray four times (vv.4, 5, 11, 24). We must not miss Jesus’ strong emphasis. And it is “false messiahs” and “false prophets” who will lead God’s people astray (vv.5, 11, 24) – from the truth, and no longer walking with God (cf. Jn 6:66). Mark the word “many”: “many false prophets” “will lead many astray” and “many will fall away” from the faith (vv.5, 10, 11).How does false teaching work on believers? “Like the proverbial ‘frog in the kettle’ that is unable, because of its cold-blooded nature, to sense the gradual increases in water temperature until it is too late (and it is boiled), God’s people sometimes fail to perceive subtle shifts away from God’s truth. When the spiritual heat of false teaching or deception comes, we sometimes do not readily recognise it because of our spiritual cold-heartedness”⁸, spiritual blindness and biblical illiteracy. “Are we like the frog that is beginning to boil?”⁹ The scary thing is we don’t know that we are. 

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⁸ G. K. Beale, 224 ⁹ G. K. Beale, 224