“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame” Revelation 16:15
The danger of deception is ever present and real. As such, vigilance is literally the watchword. The counterfeit masquerades in the form of seemingly holy men, religious events, and spiritual phenomena. If it is popular, it is suspect: “They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them” 1 John 4:5. Not everything religious and spiritual that captures the attention of modern media is wrong, but popularity is generally at odds with the narrow gate and narrow way (Matthew 7:13-14).
The danger of deception is especially punctuated in Revelation 16 because it is worldwide deception that gathers the nations for the final battle called Armageddon (Revelation 16:13-14). If deception is increased in those days, then it is imperative that vigilance also increase.
“Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame”
A guard caught sleeping on the job was stripped of his clothing, leaving him naked so his disgrace would be evident to all around him. This real-life example, common in the day, served as a fitting warning and reminder to the original audience.
Someone once commented that the best way to avoid deception is to be very familiar with truth. Regardless of the times, we need to ever be pro-truth people who diligently seek to read, study, and apply the truth of God’s word. If we are not personally well acquainted with truth, we will never recognize deception.
An essential in deceit-proofing our lives is active participation with a fellowship of believers who place a high priority on truth. Those who honestly and openly help us keep guardrails around the knowledge and practice of truth are among our greatest safeguards.
If the danger of deception concerns us, then this alarm is a great indicator that we are well on our way in avoiding dangerous deception.
©Steve Taylor, 2025--Used by permission
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