[Note: This sermon expounds Matthew 24:24–27, focusing on the Antichrist's goal and the question of whether the elect can be deceived. Delivered 19 July 1981, Montreal.]
We continue today in Matthew chapter 24, at verse 24. "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect." Last week we studied the person of the Antichrist; today we look at his goal and the kind of people who will succumb to his deception. The Antichrist will not work alone — he will have many allies among these false Christs and false prophets, all pursuing the same objective: to lead the elect astray.
Who are the elect? Some suggest the church will be raptured before the tribulation, and that therefore "the elect" here must refer to Jews, not Christians. We must deal honestly with this, because the word elect in the New Testament consistently and without exception refers to the church. Matthew 22:14 makes the principle clear: "Many are called, but few are chosen" — the chosen are those who respond to his invitation through faith. It is not a Calvinistic predestination in which your will is obliterated; faith is the means by which we respond to God's call, and it is through that response that we become his chosen. In the Old Testament, Israel was indeed called the elect (1 Chronicles 16:13; Psalm 105:43). But when we come to the New Testament, the elect refers consistently to the church: Colossians 3:12, 2 Timothy 2:10, 1 Peter 1:1, Romans 8:33, Romans 11:5 and 7 (where even within Israel it is the faithful remnant, not the nation as a whole, who are the elect). It is dishonest with the Word of God to say that "the elect" in Matthew 24:24 refers to Jews. And it raises an obvious question: if the church is already safely raptured away, why would the Antichrist be interested in deceiving the elect at all? If we are gone from the scene, we pose no threat to him. The entire passage is directed to the disciples and, through them, to the church — it is the church that will face these things.
Now verse 24 says the Antichrist will try to lead astray "if possible, even the elect." This raises the question: is it actually possible to deceive the elect? Some answer no — the elect cannot be deceived, and therefore the phrase "if possible" means "it is not possible." But we must approach this linguistically rather than doctrinally, letting the evidence speak. The phrase "if possible" in Greek (ei dunaton) occurs eight times in the New Testament. Matthew 26:39: "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." Was it possible for the cup to pass from Christ? Legally, externally — yes, certainly, since his death was motivated not by legal compulsion but by love. Matthew 24:24 has a parallel in Mark 13:22, so that leaves six other occurrences. Luke 14:31: a king going to war with 10,000 against an enemy with 20,000, sitting down first "whether he is able" — the same phrase — to meet that enemy. Is it possible to defeat a larger army with a smaller one? Military history is full of such examples: the Greeks at Thermopylae against overwhelming Persian odds, Alexander the Great with his smaller Greek army conquering the known world, Hannibal of Carthage defeating the Romans again and again with a smaller force — even surrounding and destroying a larger Roman army at a single battle, which was unheard of in military theory. So "if possible" here most certainly means it is possible, though difficult.
Acts 20:16: Paul was hurrying to be at Jerusalem "if possible on the day of Pentecost" — he thought it was possible, though ships might be delayed. Romans 12:18: "If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all." No one would argue that it is impossible for Christians to live peaceably with others; Paul is saying make every effort, by all possible means, to do so. The linguistic conclusion from examining all eight occurrences is clear: "if possible" means that although it may not be easy, it is certainly possible. No unbiased linguist would say otherwise. The Antichrist will not find it a simple matter to deceive the elect — the faithful will put up a struggle — but it is by no means impossible.
[Continues in Part B]
# False Christs Will Arise to Lead Many Astray — Matthew 24:24–27 (Part B) — The Elect Can Be Deceived; How to Avoid Deception; Lightning as Parable
[Note: This is Part B of the sermon on Matthew 24:24–27, continuing directly from Part A. Delivered 19 July 1981, Montreal.]
The scriptural evidence confirms what the linguistic evidence shows: the elect can be deceived. Genesis 3:15 applied to Adam and Eve — if there were any chosen of God, they were — and they were deceived from the very beginning. Paul applies this in 2 Corinthians 11:2–3: "I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ." Paul was afraid for the Corinthian Christians — the elect. He did not have the self-confident assurance that some preachers today project. And it was not a hypothetical fear; in Galatians 3:1 he administers a stinging rebuke to a whole church: "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?" They were not merely deceived — they were bewitched, charmed, so completely taken in that they had lost possession of their faculties. Galatians 5:4 is devastating: "You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace." The Galatian Christians — members of the church — had been so thoroughly deceived by false teaching that they fell from grace and were severed from Christ. I know of nowhere in scripture that says the elect cannot be deceived. If you build your assurance on the doctrine that nothing can ever happen to you regardless of your conduct, you are building on sand, and that foundation will be swept away precisely when you need it most.
The Lord's warning in Matthew 24:25 is therefore urgent: "Lo, I have told you beforehand." And 1 Thessalonians 5:2–4 echoes this: "The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people say there is peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them... But you are not in the dark, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief." The world will be taken by surprise. You should not be. And the way to avoid being led astray is given by the Lord himself in Matthew 22:29, where he says to the Sadducees: "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God." The Greek word for "know" here is oida — to know as a gift, as an insight given. Knowing the scriptures is not merely a matter of hard work; it requires that God-given insight which comes to those who approach the Word in humility and dependence on him. Hard work is necessary but not sufficient. And knowing his power is equally essential — you know it experientially, through walking with him until he reveals himself. Moses had to meet God in the burning bush before he could go to Egypt; God revealed his power so that Moses could say "the I AM has sent me." The same God reveals his power to every Christian who walks with him. He may start with small things — protecting you in a near accident, watching over you in illness — but as you continue walking with him, he takes you into deeper revelations of his power.
Verse 26 gives the practical application: "If they say to you, Lo, he is in the wilderness, do not go out. If they say, Lo, he is in the inner room, do not believe it." Do not be drawn after any localized appearance of Christ, whether in a desert or a secret chamber, whether a remarkable leader or a spectacular phenomenon. His real coming will be nothing like that. Verse 27: "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." Three things about lightning illuminate this parable. First, the universality of its effect: though lightning strikes at one point, its flash lights up the whole sky from east to west — his coming will be simultaneously visible everywhere. Second, the power: the average lightning bolt has an electrical output of one billion watts; a so-called superbolt — which typically strikes over water — can reach one hundred billion watts or more, and temperatures of 17,000 to 28,000 degrees, approximately five times the surface temperature of the sun. That is the power that will accompany his coming. In 2 Thessalonians 1:7–8 it says he will be revealed "with flaming fire." Third, lightning can also heal: last year in Maine, a 62-year-old man who had been totally blind and partially deaf for nine years was struck by lightning while standing under a tree in a thunderstorm, knocked unconscious for twenty minutes, and when he came to, discovered he could see and hear again. His blindness and deafness were cured. So it will be with the Lord's coming: with judgment against the wicked, and with healing for those who await his coming with joy and expectation. Let us press on in knowing his Word and his power, that we may be among those who are ready when he comes. Let us be quiet before God in prayer.