Page 9 - Lunacy and the Age of Deception

Deception is nothing new, particularly among politicians and national rulers. In 64 A.D. the Roman
Emperor Nero set Rome ablaze and blamed the fire on Christians. This deceptive act precipitated
the first persecution of Christians by the Roman government. Jesus Christ/Yahshua the Messiah
warned His disciples that they would be targeted as victims by many evil men.

Matthew 10:16-18
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and
harmless as doves. But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the courts, and scourge you
in their synagogues; and you shall even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a
testimony to them and to the Gentiles.”

If there is a central message to be extracted from the Scripture passage above, I believe it is the
admonition to “beware of men.” The Greek word translated as “beware” is “prosecho.” Strong’s
Concordance defines this Greek word as “pay attention to, be cautious about.” This Greek word is
also found in the following Scripture passages.

Matthew 7:15
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves.”

Luke 20:46-47
“Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces,
the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for
a pretense make long prayers.”

We can discern much from these quotations. In the first one Christ speaks of false prophets who
appear as sheep, but are actually ravening wolves. Apart from a very close scrutiny, it is difficult to
see through a good disguise. We know that sheep are used as a type and symbol of the people of
God. In another analogy Christ spoke of there being tares sown among the wheat. Tares were a waste
crop of no value. It is difficult to distinguish tares from wheat until they come to maturity.

When wheat and tares come to maturity the wheat will bow its head, while the tares will not. This
makes them easier to distinguish. There is a parable in this, of course, for bowing the head speaks
of humility while remaining erect signifies pride.