When Jesus spoke in Matthew 24 of the signs of the end times that will mark the season of His return, the sign He mentioned more than any other would be an epidemic of false Christs. In Matthew 24:5 Jesus says, “For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” Then in verse 11 He repeats it, “and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” Then in verse 24, He mentions it a third time, “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect — if that were possible.”
Today we are indeed in the midst of that epidemic of false Christs.
Lamb & Lion Ministries interviewed Bible prophecy expert and all-around nice guy Don Perkins, the founder and director of According to Prophecy Ministries in San Diego, California, about the modern-day fulfillment of the prophecies related to the growing number of false Christs.
Don was first asked if he, too, believed we are in the season that Jesus is talking about in Matthew 24 — the season of the multiplications of false Christs. He concurred. He was then asked to give a brief overview of some specific false Christs that are on the scene today.
False Christs on the Scene Today
We’ve had quite a few. In the 1990s we had David Koresh. He actually claimed to be the Lamb of God. We’ve had Sun Myung Moon. He claims to be the new Christ and was coronated the Messiah in Washington D.C. in a public building there with congressmen and senators present. They actually put a crown on his head and declared him to be the Messiah.
It’s amazing that in our time — the 21st Century — there are still people that will follow an individual who claims to be Jesus, or claims to be Christ. Jesus said that this would be an indicator of the end times. I meet people all the time who ask, “Who would follow a man today who would claim to be Christ?” Well, it’s happening today! And there are many, many others.
There’s one gentleman out of Russia, his name is Sergei, and he was an ex-traffic cop. And they call him the Vissarion Christ. People have left their jobs and their families to live in this big old commune. They actually call him a Christ, and people are following this guy.
We have a new guy today — Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda. He’s from Puerto Rico. A lot of his followers are Hispanic. This man literally claims to be Jesus Christ. He denies sin. He denies the devil. And, his group teaches that when you join him it’s ok to indulge in sin. This is a religion with no requirements except to believe in him. People are literally fighting each other to give him money. They were giving him mansions, cars and businesses. He’s become a multimillionaire. He already has like twenty worship centers in the United States.
We are truly living in a time of deception. Jesus said in the last days there would be many who will claim to be Christ. We are truly living in that time, and again, what amazes me so much is the fact that in the 21st Century there are still people today that are gullible to follow a person who would claim to be Christ.
Another false Christ is Lord Maitreya, part of the Terror Center it’s called. This was a group that actually taught in the early 1980s that this Christ was going to come on the scene. He was going to overshadow men and women. As a matter of fact, they did a full page ad in every newspaper all across the United States and around the world in the early 1980s claiming that the Christ was here. They have a lot of money.
A guy by the name of Benjamin Creme was his forerunner. This guy actually goes ahead of this Lord Maitreya. Now, this Lord Maitreya has never really actually appeared before a television camera, but they do show photos of him. As a matter of fact, on the website you can see pictures of him and what he supposedly looks like. But, this man claims to be the Christ of all Christs. And, he teaches that basically that every other religion, every other world teacher like Buddha — all of them — are under Christ, under him. He’s the “Master Christ,” if you want to call him that. He claims that every other Christ comes from him. And again, it puts him in the category of the false prophets.
Years ago he was based out of London. There has never been this overshadowing that he has promised — that he’s going to overshadow the world, end world hunger and all those things.
I mean, all of these guys, they fall in that category that Jesus said is a false Christ. Now, a false Christ, the term Christ means the “Anointed One,” and these people claim to be the “Anointed One” that’s coming to cure all of man’s ailments.
Just like Jesus said in Matthew 24 would happen — there are many false Christs today, and they are deceiving many.
Would it be safe to say anyone currently claiming to be a christ is not the anti-christ? I'm thinking this because…
1. Israel wouldn't sign a peace treaty with a man claiming to be a christ.
2. The real anti-christ waits until the new Jewish Temple is built and proclaims his divine status in the Temple.
That's the way I read it too Billy.
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1 John 2:22
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
2 John 1:7
Christ is the English term for the Greek Χριστός (Khristós) meaning "the anointed",[1] which as a translation of the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Mašíaḥ,), carries much of its original Jewish meaning of "Messiah"—"one [who is] anointed" or appointed by God with a unique and special purpose
Not only are these men mentioned in the article false christ's but we also need to look at some of our elected officials domestic and abroad that are on the scene today: Obama, Sarkozy,Ben Bernanke, Ahmadinejad, to name a few. These men deny Jesus Christ the one and only true Messiah in word & deed and have deceived (and continue to deceive) many.
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. Matt 24:4
Jesus is Lord!
May the Lord bless you and keep you all
Oh yeah almost forgot Oprah!
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1 John 2:22
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.
2 Tim 3: 1-9
I can perceive that all those names belong to people that are outside the Church.
What happens with all the so-called anointed (which in greek is cristos)that claim for themselves an (false) authority that goes beyond Escripture?
In the Spanish-speaking Evangelical Church we have plenty of them. They're a real plague.
In the past comment I forgot to tell that I was refering to the false apostles, teachers and prophets that are trying to destroy the Church from within, like a Troyan horse.
Billy, I think we can safely assume that they are antichrists but not the Antichrist. The Antichrist won't be so obvious I think.
These men are the obvious ones. We've ignored the subtle antichrists like the authors of "The Purpose Driven Life" and "Your Best Life Now" among others.
I think it's terrible that so many would follow mere men who promise much but deliver little. But it just adds credence to what Jesus said when He was talking about people following someone who comes in their own name.
This so so true. Satan himself will come as the real Christ, healing and everything. We need to know the Bible well to know the true Christ. 1 Thess 4:14-18. For one place, tells us that Jesus is coming in the clouds, just as He left, he will raise the righteous dead and the righteous living with them WILL RAISE TO MEET JESUS IN THE AIR..He will never set foot on this earth at that time. Along with other places it talks about the trumpets, and the lightening that.will appear to go from east to west. 1,000s and 1,000s and 10,000s of angels will be with Him. It will NOT BE A QUIET TIME. THIS IS THE ONLY TIME THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT JESUS COMING, THERE ISNT ANY OTHER TIME. But if we don’t know what the Bible teaches, we will indeed be deceived.
anyone claiming to be christ today is AN anti-christ but not THE anti-christ. lets not forget false prophets like oprah and dr.phil
Ever notice how when Joel Osteen is "preaching" he continuously closes his eyes as he talks? Maybe he can't look people in the eyes while he's spewing his nonsense.
Any time I see his face I cringe as words/phrases like "slick", "oily", "used car salesman", "carny barker" etc. come to mind.
I don't know if I'd go as far as "carny barker", but Osteen does look like he's trying to sell me something. Personally, I've never watched him. I accidentally left the TV on TBN one night (I was watching Hal Lindsey) and went into the other room and he came on spouting about how God will bless EVERYTHING a Christian does. I guess that includes rape. I don't know.
And Oprah was definately the false prophet of her false messiah: B. HUSSEIN Obama.
Billy, you need to find the off button when Joel comes on. 🙂
I watched him a few times. And that is only because I had a niece that had just started watching him. I needed to bring some things to her attention, and therefore, to be earnest with her, I needed to know what I was talking about….not just what I had "heard".
That "prosperity gospel" is dripping with honey ~
Buggg
The Word says that the closer we get to the end the more we'll bring in teachers who will tickle our ears by telling us what we want to hear.
Isn't it fun watching prophecy come alive?