I want to show you today why fake news is a definite sign of the end times according to prophetic passages in the bible. During the recent election cycle, it was difficult for the typical American citizen to discern what was true and what was false. This blog is not about politics, it is about understanding what is really happening underneath it all. Unfortunately, in the political world, accusations fly more often than solutions are suggested, and the big accusation of recent weeks has been: that is fake news. This is not about whether Donald Trump is right or wrong as he challenges the media, this article will show that even the potential for fake news demonstrates that massive end time deception will occur.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you need to lift up your eyes to the eastern skies because all of these things show us that we are approaching what Jesus and his disciples talked about in Matthew 24, “the end of the age.”

Fake news shows us that the words written in the bible are actually coming true.  Paul wrote this warning to Timothy.  He said in 2 Timothy 3:13  “But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”   Anyone would agree that it is an evil thing to report something as true when it is false. It is not in the scope of this short blog to try to figure out what is true and false. But when two completely different versions are reported as “truth” then obviously they both cannot be right.  Perhaps in the minds of newsmakers they thought the news had merit. And so consequently, they become deceived, and as it hits social media and other news agencies give their spin, things grow worse and worse. People are continually deceiving and being deceived.

And I have a bible prediction: discerning what is fake news is going to get even more confusing.

A friend recently sent me a link to an article in Vanity Fair.  Please read these interesting excerpts: http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/fake-news-technology

“At corporations and universities across the country, incipient technologies appear likely to soon obliterate the line between real and fake. Or, in the simplest of terms, advancements in audio and video technology are becoming so sophisticated that they will be able to replicate real news—real TV broadcasts, for instance, or radio interviews—in unprecedented, and truly indecipherable, ways… technologies that are now used by Hollywood and the video-game industry have largely rendered digital avatars almost indecipherable from real people…At its annual developer’s conference, in November, Adobe showed off a new product that has been nicknamed “Photoshop for audio.” The product allows users to feed about ten to 20 minutes of someone’s voice into the application and then allows them to type words that are expressed in that exact voice. The resultant voice, which is comprised of the person’s phonemes, or the distinct units of sound that distinguish one word from another in each language, doesn’t sound even remotely computer-generated or made up. It sounds real. ”

It is a scary thought when you think of what technology (that is able to create fake news) and social media (that is able to make news go viral) can do when put together. It can absolutely lead to massive deception in the world.  But this shouldn’t surprise any student of bible prophecy, because Daniel predicted that knowledge and that obviously includes technology would increase until the time of the end.  Daniel 12:4 NLT says, “But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.”  And Jesus said that “deception” would be a real thing during the final days of this age.

So what is behind the fake news crisis in our world?

I see three things happening:

  1. The spirit of Antichrist is at work.

Satan and the evil spiritual principalities that hold sway in the world will use all technology and means available to them to spiritually deceive mankind.  Anyone who has seen what the enemy of human souls has already done to propagate evil through media should agree with what I am saying.  The big issue is not who is telling the truth, those who lean to the right or those who lean to the left. The biggest issue is the spiritual deception that attempts to deny the person of Jesus.

The bible is plain that the spirit of antichrist is at work in the world. Technology itself is neutral. But under the influence of spiritual forces it can wreak devastating spiritual results.  The spirit of antichrist will continue to use technology to create a world that is in turmoil.

1 John 4:3 says,  “and every spirit that does not confess that[a] Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”  This verse plainly says that the spirit of Antichrist is working in the world.  My thinking is that the spirit of the Antichrist is perfecting his game, if political truth can be twisted, then it only makes sense that at the moment when the world needs spiritual truth, it also will be able to be twisted.

2 John 7   “For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”  This verse clearly states that there are currently deceivers in the world. Those who deceive, particularly in order to bring disrepute and negate the truth of the gospel are “an antichrist.” In other words they stand in opposition to Christ and His kingdom.  So not only is the spirit of Antichrist in the world, but he is currently using and flowing through human agents that the bible calls deceivers.

And we know that all of this shows that we are getting closer to the end of the age, because John made it very clear that when we see these things we will know it is the last hour.  1 John 2:18   “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the]Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.”

The purpose of this knowledge is not that we have fear, but rather that in these days Christians everywhere need to get closer to Jesus, and really know His word. Because that is how we will be able to discern truth from error.

The second thing I see happening is that…

  1. Jesus prediction of deception at the end of the age is coming close.

Even Jesus predicted deception. This must be spiritual deception on a great scale.  Listen to these words of the Son of God:  Matthew 24:4  “And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.” Matthew 24:24  “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

Is it possible for false christs and false prophets to use “fake news” in order to sway the masses. I think so!  In fact, there is no doubt that they will. Vanity Fair’s article offered what I believe to be a fair and accurate description of what the world will be like. Think of the advances in technology that will take place in another twenty years should Jesus not return.  Once again, I reiterate that fake news that moves people from the right to the left or from democrat to republican has little spiritual significance, but fake news that moves people to be eternally and forever deceived to the point where their eternity is changed is something worth thinking about.

And that is exactly the next thing that I see in this discussion.

  1. The world is being subtly prepared to believe “the lie” that the antichrist will tell.

Students of prophecy understand that the bible predicts a man known in spiritual terms as the antichrist will rise to world domination and power. He goes by many names in scripture, but he is the lawless one and he will use massive deception in order to sway people away from Christ. He will come to power in a time that students of bible prophecy call the Tribulation period.

And the antichrist will certainly be the king of fake news!

Paul describes him here in 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12  “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,  and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,  that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

During the Tribulation period, millions upon millions of people will believe the fake news lie of the antichrist that will cause them to fall into massive spiritual deception.   I am not certain of what “the lie” is. Some have speculated that the fake news lie will be an explanation of the millions of missing Christians that will have disappeared in the rapture. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)  Others have speculated that they will believe the lie that antichrist is indeed God and go and worship him as we know that he will declare himself as God. (2 Thessalonians 2:4) Or maybe the lie has to do with the idea that all religions are the same and that all roads eventually lead to God.  Whatever the lie is, we know that it will be “fake news” that will lead many astray.

Some may ask this question, why would God send them (those who are being deceived) strong delusion.  It is evident from this passage that the struggle for truth is happening right now.  There are many who do believe the truth but take pleasure in unrighteousness, in other words they chose to live in ways that do not please God, and they chose to reject the truth of the gospel.

Today is the day of salvation.  The only truth standard is the Word of God. The only way to heaven is Jesus.

Thanks for reading this article. Please leave your comments below.

Join us this Wed at 7:15 as we undertake an in depth study of Bible Prophecy and in particular the book of Revelation. Anyone is welcome.

2300 Barker Oaks Drive

Houston, TX 77077