“Beware that no one leads you astray. For many
will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’.
“And many false prophets
will arise…But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
Matthew 24: 4-5. 11-13 (NSRV)
Ancient Israel suffered no lack of people claiming
that they alone possessed “the Truth”. Prophets, who were the truth-tellers of
the day, roamed the countryside proclaiming unique revelations from God. Jewish
factions, such as the Essenes and Zealots with conflicting ideologies, fought
for the hearts and minds of the people. But Jesus of Nazareth emerged from this
background noise to proclaim a new way. His message? The Kingdom of God is here
and now, and those who follow me are part of this Kingdom.
But are we really any different from ancient Israel? Many
religious leaders proclaim that only they possess God’s true message, and
salvation can only be found through their way. Political parties claim that our
national salvation depends on strict adherence to their particular ideology. Like
the Jewish people of Jesus’ day, we are assaulted daily by modern prophets
using the all-pervasive media and social networks to proclaim that they
represent the Truth and The Way.
Yet today, as in first century Israel, Jesus rises above the
noise to show us His Truth, that those who endure are part of His Kingdom. Like the false prophets of the past, the false prophets of today will
fall by the wayside and be lost to history. The eternal promise of God will
prevail.
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