4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” Matthew 24:4–5 (ESV)
The Oxford English Dictionary defines astray as “away from the correct path or direction.” It also means to “be in error or to have morally questionable behavior.” The Greek word, (πλανήσῃ; planese), which Jesus used twice, means to mislead, to deceive and to stray from the truth. It means to cause someone to hold a wrong point of view and to be mistaken.
Inherent in the word astray is the concept of an objective standard from which one wanders or deviates. You cannot be led, or lead someone, astray unless there is a standard and rule by which to judge, or navigate, your present position. It is on the basis of an objective standard that individuals can see if they have wandered from the correct path, are in error, or have morally questionable behavior.
The Scriptures are the objective standard which determines objective truth or reality from non-truth and fantasy. The bible determines whether people are deceived. Consider the following biblical passages affirming the reliability of the Bible’s truthfulness.
Psalm 19:7–14 (ESV) – “7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
John 17:14–19 (ESV) – “14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”
2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV) – “16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Ironically, false teachers have attempted to use The Olivet Discourse as a means of leading people astray from the truth of Scripture. They say the discourse is full of errors; principally being the time of Jesus’ predicted return to earth in power, might and glory. Therefore, skeptics conclude if Matthew 24-25 cannot be trusted as true neither can the rest of the Bible.
“When Bertrand Russell wrote his book Why I Am Not a Christian, he cited a portion of this discourse as being one of the chief reasons for his rejection of Christianity,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul. “The problem, as we will see when the disciples asked for the time reference of these things, is that Jesus makes the assertion that this generation would not pass away until all the things included in this discourse came to pass, which would include His coming in clouds of glory.”
Bertrand Russell said: “Jesus said that He would come back within the course of one generation, and He failed to do it. So, as amazing as the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem was, the credibility of Jesus and the credibility of the New Testament collapses with the time frame reference by which Jesus predicted His coming in glory.”
“I have to say that, in my estimation, conservative Christians and evangelical scholars who have struggled with the tension of this text mostly fail to feel the real weight of this problem. I think it is the weightiest problem we have in the New Testament with respect to the truth claims of the nature of Christ and Scripture,” states Dr. Sproul.
It is into these troubled waters we begin to set sail. May the Lord provide us the interpretative guidance we need to sail safely knowing the LORD will bring us to the port of truth. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 