Mat 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here
is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Sign Fourteen-
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs,
Sign Fifteen-
and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect.
Mat 24:25 Behold, I have told you before.
Mat 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold,
he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers;
believe it not.
Has anyone ever told
you that Christ was here or there? No
one has ever told me that. However, this list from Wikipedia reveals that there
have been quite a few who have made the claim to be Christ- these are FALSE CHRISTS
and FALSE PROPHETS.
'19th century
John Nichols Thom (1799–1838), a Cornish
tax rebel who claimed to be the "saviour of the world" and the
reincarnation of Jesus Christ and his body temple of the Holy Ghost in 1834. He
was killed by British soldiers at the Battle of Bossenden Wood, on May 31, 1838
in Kent, England.
Arnold Potter (1804–1872), Schismatic
Latter Day Saint leader; he claimed the spirit of Jesus Christ entered into his
body and he became "Potter Christ" Son of the living God. He died in
an attempt to "ascend into heaven" by jumping off a cliff. His body
was later retrieved and buried by his followers.
Bahá'u'lláh (1817–1892), born Shiite,
adopted Bábism later in 1844, he claimed to be the prophesied fulfillment and
Promised One of all the major religions. He founded the Bahá'à Faith in 1866.
Followers of the Bahá'à Faith believe that the fulfillment of the prophecies of
the second coming of Jesus, as well as the prophecies of the 5th Buddha
Maitreya and many other religious prophecies, were begun by the Báb in 1844 and
then by Bahá'u'lláh. They commonly compare the fulfillment of Christian
prophecies to Jesus' fulfillment of Jewish prophecies, where in both cases
people were expecting the literal fulfillment of apocalyptic statements.
William W. Davies (1833–1906), leader of a
Latter Day Saint schismatic group called the Kingdom of Heaven located in Walla
Walla, Washington from 1867 to 1881. He taught his followers that he was the
archangel Michael, who had previously lived as the biblical Adam, Abraham, and
David. When his son Arthur was born on February 11, 1868, Davies declared that
the infant was the reincarnated Jesus Christ. When Davies's second son, David,
was born in 1869, he was declared to be God the Father.
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, India
(1835–1908), claimed to be the awaited Mahdi as well as (Second Coming) and
likeness of Jesus the promised Messiah at the end of time, being the only
person in Islamic history who claimed to be both. He claimed to be Jesus in the metaphorical
sense; in character. He founded the Ahmadiyya Movement in 1889, envisioning it
to be the rejuvenation of Islam, and claimed to be commissioned by God for the
reformation of mankind.
20th century
Haile Selassie I (1892–1975) did not claim
to be Jesus and disapproved of claims that he was Jesus. But the Rastafari
movement, which emerged in Jamaica during the 1930s, believes he is the Second
Coming. He embodied this when he became Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930, perceived
as confirmation of the return of the Messiah in the prophetic Book of
Revelation 5:5 in the New Testament but is also expected to return a second
time to initiate the apocalyptic day of judgment. He is also called Jah Ras
Tafari, and is often considered to be alive by Rastafari movement members.
George Ernest Roux (1903–1981), called the
"Christ of Montfavet" or "Georges-Christ", founder of the
Universal Christian Church (now named the Universal Alliance) in France,
claimed to be Jesus, then God. He presented himself as a persecuted prophet to
carry out the law of love unfulfilled by God's representatives, including
Jesus.
Ernest Norman (1904–1971), an American
electrical engineer who co-founded the Unarius Academy of Science in 1954, was
allegedly Jesus in a past life and his earthly incarnation was as an archangel
named Raphiel. He claimed to be the reincarnation of other notable figures
including Confucius, Mona Lisa, Benjamin Franklin, Socrates, Queen Elizabeth I,
and Tsar Peter I the Great.
William M Branham (April 8, 1908 – December
24, 1965) though never directly claiming to be Jesus himself, Branham promoted
himself as the final prophet "Elijah"
and claimed that Elijah of this day was the Lord Jesus Christ.
Krishna Venta (1911—1958), born Francis
Herman Pencovic in San Francisco, founded the WKFL (Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith
and Love) Fountain of the World cult in Simi Valley, California in the late
1940s. In 1948 he stated that he was Christ, the new messiah and claimed to
have led a convoy of rocket ships to Earth from the extinct planet Neophrates.
He died on December 10, 1958 after being suicide bombed by two disgruntled
former followers who accused Venta of mishandling cult funds and having been
intimate with their wives.
Ahn Sahng-Hong (1918–1985), a South Korean
who founded the World Mission Society Church of God in 1964, who consider him
the Second Coming of Jesus. The church believes that his wife Zahng Gil-Jah is
"God the Mother," who they believe is referred to in the Bible as the
New Jerusalem Mother (Galatians 4:26, and that Ahn Sahng-Hong is God the Father
Sun Myung Moon (1920–2012), believed by
members of the Unification Church to be the Messiah and the Second Coming of
Christ, fulfilling Jesus' unfinished mission. Church members
("Unificationists") consider Sun Myung Moon and his wife, Hak Ja Han,
to be the True Parents of humankind as the restored Adam and Eve.
Jim Jones (1931–1978), founder of Peoples
Temple, which started off as an offshoot of a mainstream protestant sect before
becoming a personality cult as time went on. He claimed to be the reincarnation
of Jesus, Akhenaten, Buddha, Vladimir Lenin, and Father Divine in the 1970s.
Organized a mass murder suicide at Jonestown, Guyana on November 18, 1978.
Marshall Applewhite (1931–1997), an
American who posted a famous Usenet message declaring, "I, Jesus—Son of
God—acknowledge on this date of September 25/26, 1995: ..." Applewhite and
his Heaven's Gate cult committed mass suicide on March 26, 1997 to rendezvous
with what they thought was a spaceship hiding behind the comet Hale-Bopp.
Yahweh ben Yahweh (1935–2007), born as
Hulon Mitchell, Jr., a black nationalist and separatist who created the Nation
of Yahweh in 1979 in Liberty City, Florida. His self-proclaimed name means
"God, Son of God." He could have only been deeming himself to be
"son of God", not God, but many of his followers clearly deem him to
be God Incarnate. In 1992, he was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and
sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Laszlo Toth (1940–), Hungarian-born
Australian who claimed he was Jesus Christ as he vandalized Michelangelo's
Pietà with a geologist's hammer in 1972.
Wayne Bent (1941–), also known as Michael
Travesser of the Lord Our Righteousness Church. He claims; "I am the
embodiment of God. I am divinity and humanity combined." He was convicted
on December 15, 2008 of one count of criminal sexual contact of a minor and two
counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in 2008.
Ariffin Mohammed (1943–), also known as
"Ayah Pin", the founder of the banned Sky Kingdom in Malaysia in
1975. He claims to have direct contact with the heavens and is believed by his
followers to be the incarnation of Jesus, as well as Shiva, and Buddha, and
Muhammad.
Mitsuo Matayoshi (1944–), a conservative
Japanese politician, who in 1997 established the World Economic Community Party
based on his conviction that he is God and Christ, renaming himself Iesu
Matayoshi. According to his program he will do the Last Judgment as Christ but
within the current political system.
José Luis de Jesús Miranda (1946–), Puerto
Rican founder, leader and organizer of Growing in Grace based in Miami,
Florida, who claims that the resurrected Christ "integrated himself within
me" in 2007.
Inri Cristo (1948–), a Brazilian astrologer
who claims to be the second Jesus reincarnated in 1969, BrasÃlia is considered
by Inri Cristo and his disciples as the “New Jerusalem” of the Apocalypse.
Thomas Harrison Provenzano[34] (1949–2000),
an American convicted murderer who was possibly mentally ill. He compared his
execution with Jesus Christ's crucifixion.
Shoko Asahara (1955–), founded the
controversial Japanese religious group Aum Shinrikyo in 1984. He declared
himself "Christ", Japan's only fully enlightened master and the
"Lamb of God". His purported mission was to take upon himself the
sins of the world. He outlined a doomsday prophecy, which included a Third
World War, and described a final conflict culminating in a nuclear
"Armageddon", borrowing the term from the Book of Revelation 16:16.
Humanity would end, except for the elite few who joined Aum. The group gained
international notoriety in March 20, 1995, when it carried out the Sarin gas
attack on the Tokyo subway. He has been sentenced to death, and is awaiting
execution.
David Koresh (1959–1993), born Vernon Wayne
Howell, was the leader of a Branch Davidian religious sect in Waco, Texas,
though never directly claiming to be Jesus himself, proclaimed that he was the
final prophet and "the Son of God, the Lamb" in 1983. In 1993, a raid
by the U.S. BATF, and the subsequent siege by the FBI ended with Branch
Davidian ranch burning to the ground. Koresh, 54 adults and 21 children were
found dead after the fire extinguished itself.
Hogen Fukunaga (1945–) founded Ho No Hana
Sanpogyo, often called the "foot reading cult," in Japan in 1987
after an alleged spiritual event where he claimed to have realized he was the
reincarnation of Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha.
Marina Tsvigun (1960–), or Maria Devi
Christos, is the leader of the Great White Brotherhood.[39] In 1990 she met
Yuri Krivonogov, the "Great White Brotherhood" founder, who
recognized Marina as a new messiah and later married her, assuming in the sect
the role of "John the Baptist", subordinate to Tsvigun.
Sergey Torop (1961–), a Russian who claims
to be "reborn" as Vissarion, Jesus Christ returned, which makes him
not "God" but the "word of God." He founded the Church of
the Last Testament and the spiritual community Ecopolis Tiberkul in Southern
Siberia in 1990.
Maurice Clemmons (1972 – 2009) an American
felon responsible for the 2009 murder of four police officers in Washington
state, repeatedly referred to himself as Jesus, and said his wife Rozena was
Eve, which he went on to describe as the "Goddess of all things
holy".
21st century
David Shayler (1965–) was a former MI5
agent and whistleblower who, in the summer of 2007, proclaimed himself to be
the Messiah. He has released a series of videos on YouTube claiming to be
Jesus, although has not built up any noticeable following since his claims.
Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez (1990-). In
November 2011, he fired nine shots with an AK-47-type rifle at the White House
in Washington D.C., believing himself to be Jesus Christ sent to kill U.S.
President Barack Obama whom he believed to be the Anti-Christ.
Alan John Miller (1962–), more commonly
known as A.J. Miller, a former Jehovah's Witness elder member and now leader of
the Australia-based Divine Truth movement. Miller claims to be Jesus Christ
after reincarnating in the 20th century with others to spread messages that he
calls the "Divine Truth". He delivers these messages in seminars and
various forms of media, along with his current partners Mary Suzanne Luck and
Rozena, the latter who identifies herself as the returned and chic Mary
Magdalene.
Lia Eden (1947 -), born as Lia Aminuddin in
Makassar, Indonesia. In 1998, she claimed that she met the angel Gabriel
several times, convincing her that she was Imam Mahdi or Messiah who brought
the prophecy of the world security and justice before the doomsday. In another
occasion, she also claimed that she was the reincarnation of Mother Mary and
her son, Ahmad Mukti as the reincarnation of Jesus. She wrote a 232 page book
"Perkenankan Aku Menjelaskan Sebuah Takdir" (meaning "Let Me
Explain a Destiny"). She gathered around 100 pupils and spread her
teaching in a religious group called Salamullah Pilgrim. The Indonesian Council
of Ulema banned this new sect for false Koran teaching. In 2006, Eden was
sentenced to two years in prison for religious blasphemy. In 2009, she was once
again sentenced for another two years in prison for the same case.
*******
And these are just
the KNOWN people who have claimed to be Christ or a Prophet.
There have been
many, many of these people ever since Jesus died and was resurrected, and Jesus
told us this would happen. Twenty-three
in the 20th century and already four in the 21st century, and like I mentioned
these are just the notable ones.
Most people would
say all of these people were/are mentally handicapped, and they might be right.
Does it explain all the people who choose to follow them? Some might say it
does, that they are all crazy, and again, maybe they'd be right. All I know, whether crazy or not, they are
claiming to be JESUS or PROPHETS from GOD, just as we were told they would.
Mat 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here
is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Sign Fourteen-
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs,
Sign Fifteen-
and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect.
Mat 24:25 Behold, I have told you before.
Mat 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold,
he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers;
believe it not.
Believe it not.
How will Christ
return?
Act 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while
they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Act 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward
heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
Act_1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand
ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into
heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Rev_1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye
shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth
shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
1Th_4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these
words.
When our Savior
returns it will not be a quiet event tucked away in some remote corner of the
earth as person born of a man and woman. Our Savior returning will not be in
the spirit form inhabiting the body of another human being. When Christ returns
it will be for a PURPOSE, a WORLDWIDE purpose. He won't set foot on earth and
call men and women unto Him.
The Bible clearly
tells us that we will MEET the LORD IN THE AIR.
The Bible clearly
tells us that the DEAD IN CHRSIT will RISE and also MEET the LORD IN THE AIR.
Obviously the dead
are NOT already with Christ if they need to rise to meet Him in the air, and
obviously Christ's second coming isn't going to be in any sort of secret manner
whatsoever.
We cannot imagine
how, beyond televised events, but EVERY EYE will see the LORD when He returns,
not just a few.
Those who PIERCED CHRIST will see His return. How is that possible? With GOD
ALL things are possible.
We love to imagine
zombies and such, especially these last several years with their television
series and all, going beyond the occasional movie. In fact some people believe
zombies could be a reality. People believe all sorts of things but when it
comes to the inexplicable Biblical pronouncements, for some reason they draw
the line there and say it's impossible.
To billions of people over the years our technology today was
impossible. The earth being round was impossible at one point in our
history.
With God nothing is
impossible and while we cannot fathom something, God can fathom all things.
I believe His word!
I believe the proven
prophecies.
I have to believe
the signs our Savior gave us.
Our Savior told us
that we aren't to believe ANY that claim to be here or there, because He knew
that He would NEVER return to earth in the manner many false Christ's and
prophets would portray.
Mat 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.
We have to remember
that some of these false Christs and false prophets will show GREAT SIGNS,
GREAT WONDERS!
Not all of the false
Christs and prophets will be wild-eyed, crazy talking, charismatic people
luring others in with their smooth talking. There will be those who will show
GREAT SIGNS, GREAT WONDERS. What could
these signs and wonders be? We do know
this--
Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of
the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Rev 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first
beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship
the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Rev 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh
fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men
He makes fire come
down from heaven in the sight of men.
Can you visualize
this?
A false Christ, a
false prophet who is able to make FIRE come down from heaven, and it's NOT some
magician's optical illusion!
This is truth!
And Jesus says that
false Christ's and false prophets will show GREAT SIGNS and GREAT WONDERS- that
IF it were possible they would deceive the VERY ELECT!
That's how
incredibly convincing they will be.
Have we seen the
last of those portraying false Christ's and prophets, I do not believe so, my
Bible tells me we haven't and there are some pretty convincing imposters yet to come.
We must WATCH!
We must know the
SIGNS!
Our Savior would
have us know.
Please LORD, help us
to KNOW, to WATCH, to be among the VERY ELECT! YOURS, wholly YOURS!
