Let No Man Deceive You
Let No Man
Deceive You, June 4
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and
shall be turned unto fables. 2 Timothy 4:3, 4.
Prior to and at the first advent of Christ, religious teachers
set forth strange ideas that were so mingled with portions of truth that they
were full of deceptive power, and led souls away from God, although they still
preserved the appearance of being His true worshipers. We find a similar
condition of society in these last days, and those who depart from the faith,
mingle with their belief diversities of human opinion. The Bible is brought
into criticism. Is it because the Scriptures are inconsistent and contradictory
that ministers differ so widely in their interpretation?—No, the trouble is
that men are doing today as they did in the time of Christ, and are teaching
for doctrines the commandments of men. Religious teachers are in the same
condition as were the Pharisees of whom He said, “Ye are both ignorant of the
Scriptures and of the power of God” (see Matthew 22:29). The very men to whom
these words were spoken were presumed to teach and interpret the Scriptures to
the people.
Are the Scriptures vague and inconsistent? Is there any
foundation for the conflicting opinions and various sentiments and doctrines
that find credence in the religious world? If so, then we may entertain doubts
of their divine origin, for it is not the inspiration of God that leads people
to come to diverse opinions. Those who undertake to interpret the Bible, have corrupted the Word of God and wrested the
Scripture from its true meaning, by seeking to harmonize the truth of God with
the inventions and doctrines of men. The Scriptures are perverted and
misapplied, and the gems of truth are set in the framework of error. These
teachers are blinded, and cannot clearly discern what is the
true meaning of the Scriptures....
Jesus, who gave His life to save men, has given us a warning as
to what shall come to pass in the last days. The disciples came to Him
privately to ask Him concerning the end of the world, and Jesus said: “Take
heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in
my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:4, 5). E. G.
White—Signs of the Times, June 4,
1894.