Deception Never Goes Away from History (Matthew 24:15, 23-26)

Class Outline:

Wednesday December 3, 2025

 

Intro:

Christ is teaching on the end of the age; the period leading up to His second coming to set up His kingdom on earth.

 

PSA 127:1

 

MAT 24:15-28.

 

Vs. 15 - background (footnote “reader understand”) Daniel 9:24-29.

 

DAN 9:26 undetermined time of war and desolations (MAT 24:4-14). REV 13:6; REV 13:14; 2TH 2:1-12. 

 

Deception: most stated in Olivet Discourse.  

 

COL 2:16-3:4

 

Paul writes in chains He knows the solution to false teaching - excellence Christ, seated at the right hand of God. And the believer’s position in Him.

 

If it is all true, why submit to something that has no value?.

 

2 Act play.

 

Act 1 (2:16-23): scene: grey, shadowy, insignificant, busy happenings. In the midst a Colossian believer.

 

Act 2 (3:1-4) throne of heaven, white, radiant / hero: Jesus Christ and our hero from Act 1 is there.

 

Act 1: grey, shadowy world

 

COL 2:16-23

Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day —  17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

 

20 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 21 "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!" 22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use) — in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? 23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

 

“Let no one be your judge.” You can determine how it affects you.

 

“Things that are a mere shadow of what is to come.” HEB 8:5; HEB 10:1

 

“But the substance (soma - body; HEB 10:5) belongs to Christ.”

 

Next commandment “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize; NASB). Athletic word - umpire. Disqualify (doping in Olympics). Buffet my body. “Prize” from athletic analogy: Warning from Paul - if you submit = lose experience living with JC; depicted in Col 3.

 

Colossian Heresy: Not pinned down. No matter - timeless theology and Christology refuses all heresies.

 

Glory of men: Insight into main motivation of peddlers - pride. “inflated without cause by his fleshly mind.” Human pride is the motivation of the fleshly mind. The glory of man does not need substance / cannot handle reality.

 

Enter Paul with a question: COL 2:20-21. First class, rhetorical - kick their good pride.

 

Our scene switches to Act 2: the throne room of heaven.

 

COL 3:1-4

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

 

COL 3:1 the only way to raise is w/ Christ.

 

Things: which? Victory and glory.

 

The ascent of Christ is the extension of His victory into His glorification. Victory over sin and death/ now “highly exalted Him (PHI 2:9). Seen by angels, scars, a Man ascending clouds (glory); seated adjacent; Imagine the awe / the celebration / astonishment.

 

Paul tells our hero, look up, not down. COL 3:2.

 

And still, he’s not done. Paul knows, like any maturing believer about self - we resist the incredible. Paul says something true or shear lunacy:  COL 3:3-4

 

Established died w/ Him already, now hidden (perf/pass - has been and still is; no merit) - how? Christ is your life.  All that He did: died, raised, ascended in glory, seated - He took you along with Him because you believed.

 

Paul has one more thing. There is an Act 3, but it is not yet. Coming attraction. COL 3:4.

 

Another reason for ascension is return in glory. Obvious can’t return without ascending / the Right Hand of God is important.

 

Conclusion:

Act 1 + 2; two worlds. Christ lived in both. He descended and then ascended. In this world, Act 1; He did the most astounding things and for the most astounding reason. He completed forever the atonement for sin, He rose again. Then He ascended and sat at the right hand of the Father. Through every one of those amazing steps, He took each believer with Him. We died with Him to the flesh and the world, we rose with Him to new life, we ascended with Him in the glorification of victory, and we are seated with Him, and will return with Him in glory. I really don’t know how God could have given us anything so great.

 

So none of us would listen to the nonsense of false teachers. Yet it is a real danger. Why? We often fail in the faith of something so grand as this. We believe in Him and because of our faith we are eternally saved. But the full truth of the matter of the gospel of our salvation is so very great that we’ll actually lend an ear to a false teacher. The solution is to keep being refreshed by the Head, increasing in faith. “Lord, increase our faith!”