Daily Devotional For Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Good day Southside. As we are making our way through the Gospel of Matthew for these devotionals, we come now to Matthew 24:15-28. Due to the length of this passage, we are going to take several days to work our way through it. Here is the whole passage below:
“Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), (16) then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. (17) Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. (18) Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. (19) But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! (20) But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. (21) For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. (22) Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (23) Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or There He is,’ do not believe him. (24) For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. (25) Behold, I have told you in advance. (26) So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. (27) For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. (28) Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather” (NASB).
Today we pick up starting with verse 25. Our Lord knows that in times of unrelenting persecution, it is tough and trying for even the most faithful disciples to remain faithful, especially if their children are being targeted. They will be so desperate for Christ to return that they will be vulnerable to any rumor about Him. For example in India, today some religious groups teach that certain religious leaders have been reincarnations (avatars) of Jesus Christ.
To make sure His disciples and followers are not deceived, Jesus said when He returned, there would be no mistaking His return Meaning if His disciples and followers have to be told He has returned, He hasn’t. Christ’s second coming will be that obvious. Most false messiahs build their following from faithful church attendees who have been led astray. Through history, even ours, cult leaders, advocate that their truth is the correct revealed truth. With their charismatic personality and convincing charm, they appeal to the disappointed and to those who do not know the Word. They appeal to those to tell them what to believe because these people themselves do not know the Truth from God’s Word.
Jesus says in the last days these false prophets will be able to do great signs and wonders that will be “convincing.” Their supposed “miracles” come from demonic power, not the power of God. The Bible is clear that both legitimate and illegitimate prophets can do miracles, signs and wonders (see Deuteronomy 13:1-5, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, 1 John 4:1-3, and Revelation 13:11-18).
Sadly, they will be so convincing, they might even lead the “elect” away (vs. 22). It is possible for Christians to be deceived. Do you remember PTL with Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker? Look at the Apostle Paul’s warning to the Galatian church in Galatians 3:1. The deception in the end times by these false prophets, and especially the antichrist will be so convincing, that even genuine believers will have trouble not being able to tell the difference. This is why believers will need the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth (see John 16:13).
Jesus has warned us of the coming deception, the coming persecution and thus we should be more intentional to be on hyper alert now. We should not wait until it comes because that will be too late. We live in a hurricane prone area. If you wait until the hurricane hits to buy gas, groceries, etc, it is too late. Everything is already cleaned out. The shelves are empty. The roads are flooded. You do it a week or more ahead. Only a solid foundation of God’s word and the indwelling guidance of the Holy Spirit can lead us to see through the deception and sustain us through the persecution.
Reflection Assignment: Part of what Jesus is referring to here is the 7-years of Tribulation. Without the “mark of the beast,” you can’t buy or sell anything – even food. Are you right now prepared for that? If you say, “Well, I believe the church will be raptured before that!” Okay, but based on yesterday’s devotional, what if it is in the middle or after it, are you prepared for it because the Bible isn’t clear when it is? I pray it is before, but it may not be.
Scripture To Meditate On: 2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I want to be found faithful no matter my circumstances – whether it is in peace or persecution, whether it is in freedom or in fatigue. Lord, You endured so much for me going to the cross and especially on the cross. You being perfect became sin and You never compromised. Help me to know Your Word and have such an indwelling presence of Your Holy Spirit to guide me that I can spot deception immediately. I want to be prepared for what is coming. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly