Who are the false christs?

End Times. In the Bible, prophecies were made about the end times, among which is the infiltration of false christs. As a Christian, one needs to be keen so as not to fall under their spell as well as perform their duty as Christians.

Jesus gave many prophecies about events that would take place in the last days. One of these was “many false christs would arise and deceive many”. Who are these false Christs? Christ is a Greek word meaning the Anointed One, and the word chrism means anointing. Jesus was referring to false anointed ones or anointing.
Some prophecies have been fulfilled, for instance, the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of the Jewish people. He also said that Jerusalem would be trampled by the gentiles (non-Jews) until the times of the gentiles are fulfilled.

Israel was recognised as a state in 1948 by a UN resolution, but Jerusalem remained in Jordan territory until the 1967 Middle East war when Israel captured it. Jesus said it is that generation when Jerusalem is restored that will be is the last generation of his return.

Keenness is key
For us to understand these false christs, we should first understand Jesus’ teachings and identify those who claim to follow Christ and yet preach and teach what is contrary to His word. In addition He said false christs and prophets will try to deceive even the very elect in the same way a counterfeit looks like a true currency note. You must examine the distinct features of a true currency note to be able to detect and eliminate a false one. Believers should take a close look at teachings, preachers and congregations.

Jesus said to His disciples “if you continue in My teaching, you will know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31). It requires one to receive, believe, obey and continue following and doing what He commanded in order live in freedom from satanic bondage, oppression and torment of sin and its consequences. How come then some presumptuously say that they can say a single prayer and all a person’s problems will be solved? That you can take some money and use it as a point of contact to settle all problems in your life, are these not false anointing? Doesn’t this contradict the scripture which declares you cannot be redeemed by perishable things like gold and silver (1 Pet 1:18)?

When more work is required
Jesus preached: Repent and believe the Gospel. You cannot just be baptized given a name and become a Christian (follower of Christ). The believers in Antioch were those first named Christians by pagan communities among them owing to their lifestyles. It is not clear how long this lasted because shortly afterwards Paul and Silas key teachers went for missionary journeys. Pressure from Judaism about circumcision, heresies and factions split-up churches only to nose dive shortly after the apostles’ death. The human race is now more civilised than ever before.

Experience from wars and conflicts, Science and reason have settled many myths and questions how to live in this world. Today’s standards are far higher than the first century and believers in Christ must do more to be recognised as distinct. Therefore all those who say they are followers of Christ because of water baptism and some lip confession which their styles do not reflect are victims of false christs, so are those who make noise yet their lives show no fruits.

Churches must genuinely give
Personally, I am a believer in Christ and His followers can do a lot to transform Uganda. Early missionaries built many churches, schools and hospitals. Where did they get all that money from? From believers who were committed to giving to church, and when this was excess they used it to help the needy communities. If churches which believe and teach about tithing keep that command, there will be enough funds to care for the preachers. And if their leaders are Christ-like and they will use the excess for God’s work and care for the needy, setup development projects instead of living in luxury. I’m wondering why many churches which have even completed construction and bought vehicles are doing. How many churches have genuinely attended to disaster victims in the country without merely sending e-mails here and there or collecting used clothes they no longer need?

Judaism, Islam and Christianity are all classified as Abrahamic religions because they believe Abraham is the grandfather of faith, and also believe in the teachings of Moses. Judaism and Islam call Jesus as one of the prophets. But we know and believe that all what the prophets said about Jesus were all fulfilled. If we all keep God’s word corruption will be no more. This is the first appropriate weapon against corruption because evil begins from the heart. All others measures are just treatment of symptoms.

True believers are those who read, understand and obey the word of God. Any ‘faith’ other than this is falsehood. Beware of false christs!

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com