Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. Ezekiel 32:7

Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Matthew 24:4-6

Because many large cities were walled in Biblical times, they would place guards or watchmen on the walls of the city to serve as lookouts. Their job was to notify of impending danger, hopefully before it arrived, allowing the citizens time to prepare to protect themselves from intruders or marauders. But not only were there watchmen in the natural, physical realm on city walls, there were also watchmen in the spirit realm; men such as Ezekiel, whom the Lord Himself calls a “watchman for the house of Israel.”
There were three different areas of concern and responsibility for the watchmen on the city’s walls. First they would look into the far distance, for any signs of potential danger. They would also look closely around the near proximity of the city, if by chance someone had approached and they hadn’t seen them in the distance. But they would also regularly turn and look into the city, making sure that no one had snuck into the city somehow and now was actually in their midst. Each of these is applicable for us today as His church.
Jesus tells us to “watch and pray.” We as His holy nation are all called to be watchmen, seeking the mind and heart of God to gain wisdom and then with that wisdom peering into the distance. But not only into that which is still potentially far away, but also into the near future, learning to understand the signs of the times that we live in. As a leader in His church I am also called to look back into “His city”, the church, and look for possible deception which may have “wormed” it's way into the church without being noticed.
Unlike in Ezekiel’s day, each of us has the responsibility to be watchmen today. Though some may be more given to the role than others, each believer must be able to discern and recognize truth from error. We must each be able to recognize good fruit and differentiate from that which is bad fruit. Jesus said, “It is by their fruit that you will know them.” This isn’t a time to be enamored with men’s personalities, charisma, and charms. This isn’t a time to be casual about our doctrine, because the deception will increase not decrease. Jesus said to “watch and pray.” Paul said to” watch and pray,” and Peter said to “watch and pray.” Develop an attitude of sober watchfulness, saints of God. But above all, be watching for the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
R. Martinez