The One True Christ

Mark 13.21-22

Recently I was asked:

Pastor Walt, I was reading in Mark where it says:

Mark 13:21-22 21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: 22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

If false Christ’s are going to appear, how do I identify them from the one true Christ?

 

The Answer

Certainly false Christ’s have and will continue to appear.  Of course the most notable false Christ has yet to appear and this is the one whom the Church refers to as the Anti-Christ who will be manifested during the Tribulation Period.  The contemporary Church calls him the Anti-Christ, but after the Rapture of the Church, which will precede the seven years Tribulation Period, and the 1000 year millennial reign of Christ, the world will call him Christ.  Not because he is the Christ, but because he will be a great deceiver and will cause people to believe that he is the Christ.

 So, how do Christians identify the real Christ, our Lord Jesus Christ from all the false Christ’s?

 First, when our Lord Jesus Christ returns it He will be seen and identified by all the world.  The Bible says:

Matthew 24:23-27 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 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. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 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. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

When Jesus returns physically to this earth there will be no hiding His arrival.  He will be seen as the lightning is seen from the east to the west.  Jesus himself stressed that He would not come in secrecy, instead, He will come in a way that will be undeniable.  The whole world will know that He has returned.   People won’t have to listen for rumors, nor will they have to turn on their televisions, it will be obvious and manifested.  You can know this with all certainty; all of humanity will see His supernatural return and will be utterly amazed.

 Second, the return of our Lord Jesus Christ will be revealed through supernatural events.  The Bible records:

 Mark 13:21-26 21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: 22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. 23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. 24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Revelation 6:12-17 12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Revelation 19:11-16 11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Zechariah 14:3-4 3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Notice that there are a number of incredible natural events that will surround the second coming (advent) of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We note from these Scriptures that the heavens will roll back as a scroll.  Clearly, this supernatural phenomenon will capture the attention of the entire world.  No one will miss this space transforming manifestation of the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Then the Lord Jesus Christ will be seen riding and great white horse from heaven toward earth, and His heavenly armies will ride white horses behind Him.
  The brilliance of His glory and the bright shining countenances of those whom He has redeemed and cleansed will attract the awestruck gaze of the lost on earth as a bright light in a dark room attracts the attention of all who are present.  Our Lord Jesus Christ will clearly be seen as the lightning is seen from the east to the west.

Then as our Lord comes to rest His feet upon the Mount of Olives there will be the great rending that mountain, and the accompanying earth quakes that will shake all of the world.  As if all of Terra Firma is acknowledging the arrival of its supreme potentate.  Many have claimed dominion of this physical world, but none has been able to claim is acknowledged submission like the creator and sustainer of all things will on this occasion (Col 1.16-17).

There will be many other things that will occur in conjunction with or immediately following the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  More than I will disclose in this brief study.  One thing is certain, we know from Scripture that the next time our Lord Jesus Christ arrives on this earth everyone will know it for everyone will see Him.  Hence, we know with all certainty that He has not yet arrived.

What About Born Again Christians?

There is one thing that is certain, that every individual needs to realize.  If you are on the face of this earth when the Lord Jesus Christ returns, if you are walking in this mortal creation when the Anti-Christ is revealed, you are lost in your sin and you are in eternal peril for your soul.  Why?  Because, before the Tribulation Period can begin the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, consisting of all true believers, will be Raptured out of this world.  They will be taken to be with our Lord in the air (1 Thess 4.13-18; 1 Cor 15.51-58).  The Rapture must occur before the Anti-Christ of the Tribulation Period can be revealed (2 Thess 2.7-8).  Hence, born again Christians will not be on this earth to endure the Tribulation Period.

Now, this dose not mean that other Anti-Christ’s have not, or do not continue to reveal themselves in our world today.  They do!  The Apostle John wrote:

1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

1 John 2:22 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 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

2 John 1:7 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.

We also know that our Lord Jesus Christ warned all of us to watch out for and discern these false Christ’s when they appear and proclaim that they are Christ.  How do we identify the Anti-Christ’s?

Do not be fooled.  Do not be confused.  Live your life for our Lord Jesus Christ in keeping with God’s Holy Word, the Bible.  If you are a born again Christian you won’t miss the Rapture, which could occur at any moment, and you won’t miss the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; you will ride a white horse back to earth with Him.  Glory to God.

 

 

 

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