Many Shall Be Deceived!!!!!!!

[Firstfruits]

With regards to the following scriptures, what should we expect when the Messiah comes?

Will we know the difference?

Shall we be deceived?

Mt 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

Mt 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Mt 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

Mt 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

God bless you all, and a happy Christ filled new year.

Firstfruits

[moonglow]

He was right on this..it happened then and has all through our church history.

The Adam Clarke Commentary
Verse 4. Take heed that no man deceive you.
The world is full of deceivers, and it is only by taking heed to the counsel of Christ that even his followers can escape being ruined by them. From this to Matthew 24:31, our Lord mentions the signs which should precede his coming.

The FIRST sign is false Christs.

Verse 5. For many shall come in my name
1. Josephus says, (War, b. ii. c. 13,) that there were many who, pretending to Divine inspiration, deceived the people, leading out numbers of them to the desert, pretending that God would there show them the signs of liberty, meaning redemption from the Roman power: and that an Egyptian false prophet led 30,000 men into the desert, who were almost all cut off by Felix. See Acts 21:38. It was a just judgment for God to deliver up that people into the hands of false Christs who had rejected the true one. Soon after our Lord's crucifixion, Simon Magus appeared, and persuaded the people of Samaria that he was the great power of God, Acts 8:9,10; and boasted among the Jews that he was the son of God.

2. Of the same stamp and character was also Dositheus, the Samaritan, who pretended that he was the Christ foretold by Moses.

3. About twelve years after the death of our Lord, when Cuspius Fadus was procurator of Judea, arose an impostor of the name of Theudas, who said he was a prophet, and persuaded a great multitude to follow him with their best effects to the river Jordan, which he promised to divide for their passage; and saying these things, says Josephus, he deceived many: almost the very words of our Lord.

4. A few years afterwards, under the reign of Nero, while Felix was procurator of Judea, impostors of this stamp were so frequent that some were taken and killed almost every day. Jos. Ant. b. xx. c. 4. and 7.

List of people who have claimed to be Jesus

* Jim Jones - Claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus, Akhenaten, Buddha, Lenin, and Father Divine. [1] Organized a mass murder suicide at Jonestown, Guyana.
* David Koresh - Born Vernon Wayne Howell, was the leader of a Branch Davidian religious sect, proclaimed that he was "the Son of God, the Lamb.
* Marshall Applewhite - Applewhite posted a famous Usenet message declaring, "I, Jesus—Son of God—acknowledge on this date of September 25/26, 1995: ...".[2] This was two years before he and his Heaven's Gate cult committed suicide to rendezvous with a spaceship hiding behind the comet Hale-Bopp.
* Inri Cristo - A Brazilian man who claims to be the second Jesus.
* Hong Xiuquan – Self-proclaimed "little brother" of Jesus Christ. He formed an army that fought in the Taiping Rebellion, which ultimately caused the deaths of over 25 million people.
* Ahn Sang-hong – South Korean man worshiped by World Mission Society Church of God
* José Luis de Jesús Miranda – Organizer of Growing in Grace who claims that the resurrected Christ "integrated himself within me".
* Sun Myung Moon – Founder of the Unification Church, who considers himself the second coming of Christ, but not Jesus himself.
* Jung Myung Seok – Founder of Providence Church, who also considers himself the second coming of Christ, but not Jesus himself.
* Ariffin Mohamed – Also known as "Ayah Pin", the founder of the banned Sky Kingdom in Malaysia. He claims to be the incarnation of Jesus, as well as Muhammad, Shiva, and Buddha.[1]
* Ayya Vaikundar – According to Akilattirattu Ammanai, the scripture of Ayyavazhi, Narayana, who was one among the trinity in Vaikundar was the one who incarnated as Jesus.
* Matayoshi Jesus – In 1997 he established the World Economic Community Party based on his conviction that he is the God and Christ.[3]
* Apollo C. Quiboloy – A Filipino pastor who claims to be the Christ. He has also marked Bro. Eli Soriano as being condemned to hell.
* Arnold Potter - Schismatic Latter Day Saint leader; called himself "Potter Christ".
* Charles Manson – Founder of The Family.
* Sergei Torop – a Russian who claims to be "reborn" as Vissarion, the returned Jesus Christ. He founded the Church of the Last Testament and the spiritual community Ecopolis Tiberkul in Southern Siberia.[4]
* Georges-Ernest Roux – Founder of the Universal Christian Church, now named Universal Alliance, clamed to be Jesus, then God, called the "Christ of Montfavet" or "Georges-Christ".
* Suma Ching Hai - A meditation teacher who claims to be an incarnation of Avalokitesvara and a living reincarnation of the Buddha and Jesus Christ.
* John Nichols Thom - Cornishman who claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and his body temple of the Holy Ghost. He was killed by British soldiers at the Battle of Bossenden Wood, on May 31, 1838 in Kent, England.
more at the link.

God bless

[Amos_with_goats]

Excellent post.

We should be on guard. We need to understand pride, and it's effects. When we allow our pride to
affect our judgment, we insulate ourselves from the Holy Spirit's reach and become unreachable.

Ephesians 4:17-23

17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,.

So also are we. When we are not teachable, when we decide that we know 'better' and are not willing to submit to the Lord's instruction we can eventually accept whatever the world is selling.

Psalm 32:5


5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Again, sin (in this case the sin of pride) is the disease. Confession is the cure. Many of us have some beliefs that we 'feel' strongly about. We can defend those beliefs using scripture and I am thankful for the opportunity to do that here.

The danger comes in when we are so committed to those beliefs that not even the Holy Spirit can confront them.

Many years ago I was having a conversation with a brother 'Archangel Michael' on another board (that no longer exists) and late into the night I was quoting scripture to tell him why he was so wrong on a point.... as I logged off, I was convicted that the scripture that I was quoting had a broader context, so I went back and read it and found I was wrong.

Why bring this up? Because I believe that we must all be submitted, and honestly asking if the things we already believe are so. We must be honest with ourselves, and submitted to the Lord. If we fail on either of those fronts we are in danger.

Many new things come along, and sin is often wrapped in a pretty package. The false prophet will not tell us something that we do not want to hear. His gospel will be ease and leisure, and his teaching will tickle our ears. I believe that it is alive and well today, and will only become more common. Let us pray without ceasing, and be watchful.

The deception will come from within.

[Firstfruits]

He was right on this..it happened then and has all through our church history.

The Adam Clarke Commentary
Verse 4. Take heed that no man deceive you.
The world is full of deceivers, and it is only by taking heed to the counsel of Christ that even his followers can escape being ruined by them. From this to Matthew 24:31, our Lord mentions the signs which should precede his coming.

The FIRST sign is false Christs.

Verse 5. For many shall come in my name
1. Josephus says, (War, b. ii. c. 13,) that there were many who, pretending to Divine inspiration, deceived the people, leading out numbers of them to the desert, pretending that God would there show them the signs of liberty, meaning redemption from the Roman power: and that an Egyptian false prophet led 30,000 men into the desert, who were almost all cut off by Felix. See Acts 21:38. It was a just judgment for God to deliver up that people into the hands of false Christs who had rejected the true one. Soon after our Lord's crucifixion, Simon Magus appeared, and persuaded the people of Samaria that he was the great power of God, Acts 8:9,10; and boasted among the Jews that he was the son of God.

2. Of the same stamp and character was also Dositheus, the Samaritan, who pretended that he was the Christ foretold by Moses.

3. About twelve years after the death of our Lord, when Cuspius Fadus was procurator of Judea, arose an impostor of the name of Theudas, who said he was a prophet, and persuaded a great multitude to follow him with their best effects to the river Jordan, which he promised to divide for their passage; and saying these things, says Josephus, he deceived many: almost the very words of our Lord.

4. A few years afterwards, under the reign of Nero, while Felix was procurator of Judea, impostors of this stamp were so frequent that some were taken and killed almost every day. Jos. Ant. b. xx. c. 4. and 7.

List of people who have claimed to be Jesus

* Jim Jones - Claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus, Akhenaten, Buddha, Lenin, and Father Divine. [1] Organized a mass murder suicide at Jonestown, Guyana.
* David Koresh - Born Vernon Wayne Howell, was the leader of a Branch Davidian religious sect, proclaimed that he was "the Son of God, the Lamb.
* Marshall Applewhite - Applewhite posted a famous Usenet message declaring, "I, Jesus—Son of God—acknowledge on this date of September 25/26, 1995: ...".[2] This was two years before he and his Heaven's Gate cult committed suicide to rendezvous with a spaceship hiding behind the comet Hale-Bopp.
* Inri Cristo - A Brazilian man who claims to be the second Jesus.
* Hong Xiuquan – Self-proclaimed "little brother" of Jesus Christ. He formed an army that fought in the Taiping Rebellion, which ultimately caused the deaths of over 25 million people.
* Ahn Sang-hong – South Korean man worshiped by World Mission Society Church of God
* José Luis de Jesús Miranda – Organizer of Growing in Grace who claims that the resurrected Christ "integrated himself within me".
* Sun Myung Moon – Founder of the Unification Church, who considers himself the second coming of Christ, but not Jesus himself.
* Jung Myung Seok – Founder of Providence Church, who also considers himself the second coming of Christ, but not Jesus himself.
* Ariffin Mohamed – Also known as "Ayah Pin", the founder of the banned Sky Kingdom in Malaysia. He claims to be the incarnation of Jesus, as well as Muhammad, Shiva, and Buddha.[1]
* Ayya Vaikundar – According to Akilattirattu Ammanai, the scripture of Ayyavazhi, Narayana, who was one among the trinity in Vaikundar was the one who incarnated as Jesus.
* Matayoshi Jesus – In 1997 he established the World Economic Community Party based on his conviction that he is the God and Christ.[3]
* Apollo C. Quiboloy – A Filipino pastor who claims to be the Christ. He has also marked Bro. Eli Soriano as being condemned to hell.
* Arnold Potter - Schismatic Latter Day Saint leader; called himself "Potter Christ".
* Charles Manson – Founder of The Family.
* Sergei Torop – a Russian who claims to be "reborn" as Vissarion, the returned Jesus Christ. He founded the Church of the Last Testament and the spiritual community Ecopolis Tiberkul in Southern Siberia.[4]
* Georges-Ernest Roux – Founder of the Universal Christian Church, now named Universal Alliance, clamed to be Jesus, then God, called the "Christ of Montfavet" or "Georges-Christ".
* Suma Ching Hai - A meditation teacher who claims to be an incarnation of Avalokitesvara and a living reincarnation of the Buddha and Jesus Christ.
* John Nichols Thom - Cornishman who claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and his body temple of the Holy Ghost. He was killed by British soldiers at the Battle of Bossenden Wood, on May 31, 1838 in Kent, England.
more at the link.

God bless

Did any come in a manner that decieved many that would make one believe they were Christ, other than just claiming they were?

Firstfruits

[Firstfruits]

Excellent post.

We should be on guard. We need to understand pride, and it's effects. When we allow our pride to
affect our judgment, we insulate ourselves from the Holy Spirit's reach and become unreachable.

Ephesians 4:17-23

17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,.

So also are we. When we are not teachable, when we decide that we know 'better' and are not willing to submit to the Lord's instruction we can eventually accept whatever the world is selling.

Psalm 32:5


5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Again, sin (in this case the sin of pride) is the disease. Confession is the cure. Many of us have some beliefs that we 'feel' strongly about. We can defend those beliefs using scripture and I am thankful for the opportunity to do that here.

The danger comes in when we are so committed to those beliefs that not even the Holy Spirit can confront them.

Many years ago I was having a conversation with a brother 'Archangel Michael' on another board (that no longer exists) and late into the night I was quoting scripture to tell him why he was so wrong on a point.... as I logged off, I was convicted that the scripture that I was quoting had a broader context, so I went back and read it and found I was wrong.

Why bring this up? Because I believe that we must all be submitted, and honestly asking if the things we already believe are so. We must be honest with ourselves, and submitted to the Lord. If we fail on either of those fronts we are in danger.

Many new things come along, and sin is often wrapped in a pretty package. The false prophet will not tell us something that we do not want to hear. His gospel will be ease and leisure, and his teaching will tickle our ears. I believe that it is alive and well today, and will only become more common. Let us pray without ceasing, and be watchful.

The deception will come from within.

So what will be the difference between the false Christ and the true Christ that can be identified by scripture?

If he comes from within then how will we know?

Firstfruits

[HisLeast]

With regards to the following scriptures, what should we expect when the Messiah comes?

A very rotten day for a good lot of us.

Will we know the difference?

Between what and what?

Shall we be deceived?

Oh yes. A great number will be deceived, and if my hypothesis is correct, they won't be deceived by any fault of their own, but by the complete failure of truth to be dominant, recognizable, and testable. The best one can do is hope their play of doctrine roulette hits the right number.

[moonglow]

Did any come in a manner that decieved many that would make one believe they were Christ, other than just claiming they were?

Firstfruits

Apparently otherewise why would people follow them?

God bless

[moonglow]

So what will be the difference between the false Christ and the true Christ that can be identified by scripture?

If he comes from within then how will we know?

Firstfruits

John 10:3-5 (New King James Version)

3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Its not about just knowing God's Word..or going to church..or following a doctrine or set of ideas a person's church teaches..its about knowing Christ Jesus on a very personal level...so you know His voice! Then you cannot be lead astray..like so many I listed have been, resulting in their deaths.

God bless

[Firstfruits]

A very rotten day for a good lot of us.

Between what and what?

Oh yes. A great number will be deceived, and if my hypothesis is correct, they won't be deceived by any fault of their own, but by the complete failure of truth to be dominant, recognizable, and testable. The best one can do is hope their play of doctrine roulette hits the right number.

Does the false Christ come any differently to how the true Christ will come?

Firstfruits

[HisLeast]

Does the false Christ come any differently to how the true Christ will come?

Which false Christ?

[Firstfruits]

Apparently otherewise why would people follow them?

God bless

Did they come like Christ as we expect Christ to come?

Firstfruits

[Firstfruits]

Which false Christ?

Has any false Christ come in a manner that would cause many to fall from the truth such as the beast in Revelation 13?

Firstfruits

[HisLeast]

Has any false Christ come in a manner that would cause many to fall from the truth such as the beast in Revelation 13?

Does it matter?

[moonglow]

Has any false Christ come in a manner that would cause many to fall from the truth such as the beast in Revelation 13?

Firstfruits

Revelation 13 doesn't say the beast is a false Christ though, nor does it says he claims to be Christ. In fact "he blasphemy against God" Revelation 13:6. Those that follow him aren't following him thinking he is Jesus Christ at all actually.

I think there is a big difference between those false Christ..actually claiming to be Jesus and the beast.

God bless

[divaD]

Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

IMO, I think this describes the current Charismatic movement to a T, especially those that bark like dogs, etc, since some of the elect even believe these to be Christians. And don't some of these people claim to perform great healings and such also? And this also fits that the deception comes from within.


Acts 5:12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.
13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.
14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)
15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.
16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.


Acts 4:29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

I only use these passages to show that signs and wonders can include healings, etc, and not because it's related to Matthew 24:24. My point is, the signs and wonders we see today via the Charismatic movement is part of the deception, like it or not, believe it or not.