And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Matthew 24:3-5.
The disciples came to Jesus wondering when He would return in accordance with Old Testament prophecies (as well as His own teachings), judge the Mosaic temple system, and usher in the new age.
His answer was very different from what they were expecting. He first warned them to be careful of deception, which is a warning we in the church today must heed. Many would come in the last days of that age and proclaim themselves to be Christ, deceiving and tempting new-found believers to shrink back from their faith and go back to the temple/sacrificial system.
We know today that there are so-called leaders in the Christian church who desire to rebuild a temple in Jerusalem so that temple sacrifices can be reinstituted. This is not biblical, as we shall see in studying God's Word!
