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“Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” Matthew 24:4-5

Recently, as I was shopping for a new car, I stopped by a “luxury” store to look at the inventory. Telling me why I should pay for value and purchase his brand of automobile, the sales consultant compared his brand to be like the watch he pointed to on my arm. That watch, he said is a brand that speaks for itself and no one can copy or duplicate it. He observed that if I could own a “luxury” watch, then surely I should drive it with a “luxury” watch on my arm.

Laughingly, I explained to him that the watch was one that I purchased at a sidewalk flea market in Bangkok and wore occasionally for fun. I told him that I had paid a mere twenty five dollars for it. A real one would cost thousands. It looked like a real one, felt like a real one and performed like a real one, but it was a fake imitation.

In many parts of the world, where intellectual property is not legally protected, you can purchase all kinds of fake products, from luggage to writing instruments and almost any pirated music, for a fraction of the cost of the “Real McCoy.”

Jesus warned that many would try to deceive us and many have tried throughout history. Many have claimed to be the “real” messiah. Many have performed great signs and miracles, but have manifested terrible deception. In writing to the church at Corinth, Paul warned that just as the snake seduced Eve with his smooth patter, the Corinthian’s were being lured away from the simple purity of their love for Christ.

As the end times get closer, we too will be tempted, tested and lured away by a false messiah. How will we know and recognize him? The answer is simple. Those lured away will be the ones who are deceived because they refuse to live and love God’s truth as revealed to us in His Holy Bible.

Just as a good captain keeps his ship safe by keeping her in the deep channels, so too must we keep our lives focused on the true and only God by reading and steering our lives in accordance with the sacred scriptures found only in the Bible. It is God’s plan for our life and our road atlas for living.

Just as jeweler will judge the quality of metal against a perfect standard, so too must we judge those who claim deity against the perfect standard of the Bible. Let the Bible be your life guide and you will never run aground.

Questions: How can you spot a “fake” Messiah? By what standard will a false teacher of the Word be held accountable?

About the Author: John Grant