“Don’t be deceived.” Vss 23-28 tell you that if someone says that Christ’s final return in person has happened, don’t listen. His return will not be in secret or like that of a normal person; His final return will be so incontrovertible that no one will be able to miss it. Notice that the deceivers are wrong on at least two critical points: One, they’re wrong on the timing (there’s that word again). They’re too early! The deceivers are those who claim He’s walking around on earth as a regular person when He’s really in heaven sitting at the right hand of the Father.
The Church’s Responsibility – To Feed the Sheep, even Public Officials
Shepherd keeping the sheep
For example, in the twentieth century, the Protestant Churches of America (The Roman Catholic Church was subject to fewer problems in this area because of its governmental structure & approach to theology) saw a conflict arise to divide whole denominations – the liberal, higher criticism theologians & teachers, who denied major tenets of biblical faith. One of their major beliefs was in the church’s responsibility for social reform. Conservatives who opposed them thought they were entering into a realm that God had forbidden for the church to enter. Therefore, the conservative believers ended up with disdain for social reform, particularly after seeing the leftist political policies advocated by liberals of the church. (And I’m not referring to a political position when I say “conservative” or “liberal” in this context. I’m referring to a belief in the fundamentals of the Christian faith.) Piles of books have been written about the controversy. I want to focus on one aspect of the debate, & I’ll be taking conservatives to task for one of their positions.
