<p>13:5 <i>And Jesus began to say to them- </i>The persecution of God's people was spoken of by the Lord as being one of the clearest signs. And he also emphasized that apostasy within the ecclesia would be the other major sign. When they asked him for the signs, Mk. 13:5 says that Jesus&nbsp;<i>began</i>&nbsp;by warning them of deception from false teachers. The way the NT writers allude to this passage indicates that they saw this deception as not coming from the crazy bogus-Messiahs of the world, but from false teachers&nbsp;<i>within the ecclesia</i>, sometimes supported by apparent possession of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:6; 2 Thess. 2:3; Tit. 1:10; 2 Jn. 7). A state of total ecclesial apostasy was the sign which Jesus&nbsp;<i>began</i>&nbsp;with, according to Mk. 13:5.</p><p><i>Take heed that no one lead you astray</i>- &ldquo;Be not deceived&quot; is extensively quoted later in the NT concerning the need not be deceived by false teachers <i>within the ecclesia</i> (1 Cor. 6:9,15,33; Gal. 6:17; 2 Tim. 3:13, as Mt. 24:4 = 1 Jn. 3:7). The deceivers the Lord spoke of were not just bogus Messiahs out in the world, but apparently Spirit-gifted brethren who will arise within the ecclesia.</p>