Jesus of Nazareth walked out of the Jerusalem temple complex. Heading east, He crossed the Kidron Valley and slowly made His way up the slope of the Mount of Olives (or Mt. Olivet) on the opposite side. With Him were His disciples. At some point near the summit, under the shade of some trees, they stopped and looked back across the valley to the city and its magnificent temple.

Minutes earlier, as they left the temple, Christ's words had shocked the disciples. He told them that the time was coming when the massive temple would be utterly destroyed, without a stone left atop another. Now they sought to find out what He meant. "Tell us, when will these things be?" they asked. "And what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3).

Jesus responded with what would become known as the Olivet Prophecy—an overview of the trends and events that would lead up to His return. He listed several signs, but the first sign He gave was: "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many" (verses 4-5, King James Version).

This was to be followed by wars, famines and disease epidemics (verses 6-8). We should observe that each problem here often engenders the next one—false religion leading to wars leading to famines leading to disease. We consider here the first development leading to the second and how this is playing out on the world stage.

Religious deception: A scourge on humankind

Religious deception was the first and, in many ways, the most basic of problems that would plague the world. Religious wars have racked the planet for millennia. In today's postmodern world, while many wish that religion would fade completely from the scene, the reality is that there is more strife in God's name than ever before. A survey of our world shows that far from dying out, religion continues to play a significant role in the political affairs of nations.

Before 9/11 the prevailing thought was that religion as a force in world affairs was on the decline. The Economist, in its millennium edition, published another in the long line of obituaries for religion and God. Many hoped that the "end of history" had brought an end to religion as a dominating force in human behavior—and for good reason.

Religious strife forms the basis for much of history. From the Crusades of the Middle Ages to the 20th century, many wars and conflicts had religion as a part of the cause. Nations that sought to join the modern world made strong efforts to shed their religious baggage, or at least to minimize its role in the governance of the state.

Kemal Ataturk created modern Turkey as a secular state, no small feat for a Muslim country and the seat of the old Ottoman Empire. In postcolonial India, Jawaharlal Nehru wanted to limit the role of religion. He felt that it "almost always . . . seems to stand for blind belief and reaction, dogma and bigotry, superstition and exploitation and the preservation of vested interests." Unfortunately for the country, religious strife still plays a significant role there.

Religious conflict in the modern world

On 9/11, Muslim terrorists attacked the United States in the name of Allah and set off a chain of religious events that is shaping the 21st century. Where before few Westerners could tell the distinction between a Shiite and a Sunni Muslim, today the words are at least part of the religious debate even though many remain woefully ignorant of the entire Islamic faith.

The new wars of religion define many regions. In the dispute between the Palestinians and Israelis over the Holy Land, religion has become central to the conflict as the two sides jockey over sacred land and religious sites.

China today openly persecutes religious sects like Falun Gong, and there is speculation that Christians outnumber members of the Communist Party. Before the death of Pope John Paul II there was talk that he had secretly appointed a Chinese cardinal.

The Chinese government's paranoia toward religion took on comic overtones when it recently banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission! It is a futile effort to control the succession of the Dalai Lama, keeping the next one in China.

Even the antireligion forces exhibit an air of religiosity themselves. The new, virulent strain of atheism takes on spiritual dimensions when its high priests attack faith and the faithful.

Atheists Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins have written best sellers in a crusade against religion and a belief in God. Their dogma flows from a fountain of exasperation at the failure of enlightenment and rational philosophy to eradicate religion from public life. Their books show the deep, passionate fervor they hold for their ideas against the tides of modern religion.

And then look at American politics. President George W. Bush candidly discusses his faith and opens cabinet meetings with prayer. Republican presidential candidates must disclose their religious preferences and court conservative evangelical groups if they hope to secure their party's nomination.

In 2008, Democratic candidates understand that their message must be crafted with a "social gospel" emphasis to woo the religious sentiments of various regions if they are to be successful. The 2008 race features some fascination and concern over the Mormon beliefs of one candidate, much like the 1960 race focused on the Catholicism of another.

Everywhere you look in today's world you find religious problems. Radical Islam is a frontline problem in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. India has Hinduism, and China has its growing number of Christians. It is a long and tedious list.

Some conclude that if the Bush administration had understood the complexities of Islam—and remembered the British experience in the 1920s—before invading Iraq, things could have turned out differently. But that wasn't to be.

So if even the experts lack fundamental knowledge of world religions, where does that leave others? Surveys consistently show that most people understand little about their own faith, much less any of the major world religions. Most people today are religious illiterates. As the new religious wars shape the coming years, this will prove a serious liability for anyone trying to understand what is happening.

Religious historian Philip Jenkins predicts that in the years to come religion will be "the prime animating and destructive force in human affairs, guiding attitudes to political liberty and obligation, concepts of nationhood and, of course, conflicts and wars" (quoted in "In God's Name," The Economist, Nov. 3, 2007). This statement is in line with what Bible prophecy—in the form of the words of Jesus Christ Himself—has to say about religion.

Warning of deception to come

As we've seen, Jesus warned His followers that after His death many would come in His name, but with their own version of what He was and what He taught (Matthew 24:4).

Church history shows this occurred very quickly. It may come as a complete shock for you to contemplate that most of the 2,000 years of recorded church history are largely the story of a counterfeit Christianity that acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah and Savior but does not follow His actual teachings. (To understand more, request our free booklet The Church Jesus Built.)

Islam, too, accepts Jesus (or Isa in Arabic) as a true prophet but rejects the New Testament as corrupted. Muslims believe that Jesus will return in the last days to forcibly convert the world to Islam.

Both these religions have asserted their deceptions on a world spiritually imprisoned by a powerful spiritual being (Revelation 12:9).

Satan the deceiver waits to spring on the world a master deception that will build on all the deceptions he has engineered throughout human history. Revelation 13 describes a great false religious leader to come who will perform great miracles to deceive a postmodern scientific world into actually believing a false religious faith.

His teaching and actions will turn the world for a brief period toward giving allegiance to a masterful political leader who will promise humanity a terrestrial kingdom of peace. People will believe the lie and accept his mark of identity on every dimension of life.

This is the scene symbolized by the ride of the first of the "four horsemen of the Apocalypse" in Revelation 6, a rider who wears a crown and sits on a white horse wielding a bow and going among the nations to conquer and rule. This first seal will unleash a wave of religious fervor that will transform the world in the period Christ called "the end of the age."

The religious wars of the 21st century will involve a mixture of violence, evangelism and pacifism. Terrorism will play a significant role as fanatical religious elements will seek to overthrow nations and gather power into their hands.

Tribalism and nationalism will ignite periodic strife in developing nations like Nigeria and India; religion will be at the center of the conflict. States such as Iran will use their power to advance or retard religious elements, provoking strong reactions in the process. Religious parties will use even the ballot box to push their agendas or gain control of a country.

This will be a potent and heady mix going forward. Violence will be mixed with peaceful efforts in the steady march toward the religious unity described in Bible prophecy.

The hope of the fifth horseman

The book of Revelation does not leave us with only a grim picture of deception and strife. It takes a final, fifth horseman, Jesus Christ at His return, to put down the power of the nations gathered in the end time.

Revelation 19 shows the unveiling of the heavens and the appearance of Christ on a white horse at His triumphant return to the very place where he offered a glimpse of the future—the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4).

The One who warned in advance of religious deception will return to end the religion-inspired wars at the end of the age. If you keep your eyes focused on His teachings and the work of the Church He founded, you will be able to avoid the deceptions that will grip this world. GN