"They questioned Him, saying, 'Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?' And He said, 'See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, "I am He," and, "The time is near." Do not go after them.'"
— Luke 21:7-8 (NASB)

I am quite sure that not a year has gone by in my life, and perhaps not even a month, without learning of someone who is the latest to claim either that they are the Christ, or that they knew the precise date of His return. Jesus Himself says that one of the primary signs of His impending return is a rise in false Christs. The leader of the Moonies claims to be such, David Koresh claimed such, National Geographic followed such a claimant and his flock for a year in their New Mexico compound — the list is practically endless. I am sure that there has never been a point in time during any historical period when there have not been at least one of these posers, but the sign Jesus speaks of is quantity: "Many will come in My name". We are experiencing the same kind of multiplied increase which occurred at Jesus' First Coming.

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"'Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.'"
—Luke 20:18 (NASB)

One of the ways I can tell that the cross is at least marginalized in many churches or even omitted entirely is when people speak of dealing with personal issues rather than nailing them to the cross. It is probably the infilitration and influence of psychology and related disciplines which advocate re-visiting one's past or getting "in touch with the inner child". The true Gospel message is to be "broken to pieces" and become a new creation in Christ. The world wants to improve upon the existing man, Christ wants to re-create him completely.

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"While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately."
—Luke 19:11 (NASB)

I find this one little verse to be utterly fascinating and filled with a mountain of information. For the vast majority of my life I have believed we are living in the shadow of the Last Days and, to that end, have spent a lot of time and energy not just studying Scripture but reading books and listening to sermons on the topic. But from the very beginning, there has been one related topic more than any other with which I have been obsessed: If so many did not recognize the fulfillment of prophecy the first time, why do we think we are so gifted this time around?

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"'He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.'"
— Luke 16:10-13 (NASB)

In some translations will be found the word "mammon" in place of "wealth" in these verses. It is an Aramaic word which does not merely describe money, but rather wealth which is personified as an object of worship. As with most things in life it is rarely the thing itself which is the problem, but how we treat it and what we do with it. It is most important to note that "mammon" is contrasted to "true riches". Material things can reveal very quickly whether you own and control them or they you.

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"'For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'"
— Luke 14:11 (NASB)

Here is a biblical principle which eventually sees its fulfillment in nearly every false Christian personality. It is hard to find someone, particularly a person who has built their popularity around the medium of television, who does not eventually fall both in the public's and church's estimation. And you can tell that narcicism is their main problem when they make their comeback attempt. They have to be in charge, they have to be the center of attention, they have to be on top. Some take longer than others, but it just seems to inevitably come nonetheless.

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It can either be particularly enlightening or more than alarming to pay attention to the details in Scripture rather than just relate the general story. One of the things that is often overlooked when it comes to accepting or rejecting the person of Christ is that by His own standard it is not accomplished by voting “for” or “against” Him, but is proved in parallel by the degree to which we accept and put His Word into practice. He speaks here not just of someone who is “ashamed of Me” but intrinsically ties it to me “AND My words“.
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Recently I heard someone say something interesting in regard to the churches they have attended: “We don’t leave a church, the church leave us”. I think they were describing what happens when a church undertakes a dramatic “renovation” by adopting a new approach leading away from the Word and the cross. I actually identify with this statement because it has been the case far too often that when I have finally had to leave a place that it was because I had come to realize they were irrevocably leaving God’s Word. I have learned the hard lesson that a group of people can refer to themselves as “brothers and sisters in Christ”, but when they allow God’s Word to cease being the glue which binds them together, they are no proper spiritual family at all.
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