Finally, because the return of the Messiah nears, the Devil will bring more counterfeit versions. In Matthew 24:24, Jesus cautions that false messiahs will arise and deceive many. False christs are individuals who claim to be the Messiah or Savior but propagate deceitful teachings and lead people away from the true faith.
False christs proceed to emerge and appear to be occurring more previously century.
Jim Jones founded the Peoples Temple and styled himself as a messianic figure, claiming to be the reincarnation of Jesus, Buddha, and Lenin. He led his followers to determine Jonestown, where over 900 members died in a mass murder-suicide in 1978.
Leader of the Branch Davidians, David Koresh, claimed to be the ultimate prophet and the “Lamb of God” mentioned within the Book of Revelation. He and plenty of of his followers died in a standoff with law enforcement in Waco, Texas, in 1993.
Sun Myung Moon founded the Unification Church, also often called the Moonies. Moon claimed to be the second coming of Christ and taught his followers to view him because the messiah. He gained a big following and built a spiritual empire.
Co-founder of the Heaven’s Gate cult, Marshall Applewhite, preached that he and his followers were aliens sent to Earth to guide humanity to the “next level” of existence. He claimed to be the “present representative” of Jesus Christ and led his followers in a mass suicide in 1997, believing they’d be transported to a spaceship trailing the Hale-Bopp comet.
Two necessary things to recollect. First, these are modern examples of the signs Jesus and the apostles spoke about. However, to a point, these signs appear in every generation. They reveal the sin and corruption of humanity and the systems of this world, making the verses in Matthew 24 and Revelation relevant to each generation. Second, while some signs are more intense today than ever before (world wars for example), our modern communication and media might give us the perception things occur greater than in generations past. We should be careful to each look ahead to the signs as Jesus said but additionally to watch out not to leap to conclusions.
Regarding the top times, the core teaching by Jesus and the writers of the New Testament points us to constant readiness. Even once we recognize the signs in the fashionable day, the top will come as a surprise. We must keep our lamps stuffed with oil and lights lit, waiting for the approaching of Jesus and the approaching redemption of all things.
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