The Devil Will Impersonate Christ
The devil knows that Christ’s second coming is soon and that his time is short (Revelation 12:12). Therefore, he will soon attempt to impersonate Christ and replicate a second coming. The devil has acquired the skills of deception for 6,000 years, and his last deception will be his masterpiece.
The Lord predicted, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). And He warned His followers that he will do such a convincing job that, if it were possible, even the very elect would be deceived (Mark 13:22).
The church has long professed to look to the Savior’s advent as the climax of her hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will reveal himself among people as a majestic being, imitating the description of the Son of God given by the apostle John (Revelation 1:13–15). And the deceived people will think that “Christ has come!”
Satan is not an ugly angel as often depicted in art works and movies. He’s a beautiful and powerful angel. And he can transform himself into an angel of light. The Bible teaches, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:13, 14). We must not underestimate how convincing and overpowering the devil’s final deception will be, even quoting Scripture, as he did while tempting Christ in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-6).
Can Satan Replicate Christ’s Second Coming?
Satan can’t replicate the second coming of Christ because the Bible is very clear that at that event, Christ’s feet will never touch the ground. And the saints will be caught up to meet Him in the air. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17).
This is why Jesus emphatically warned His children, “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:26, 27).
Christians would not need to make long trips to find Christ—into the deserts, or elsewhere—nor would there be anything secretive about His coming that they would need to enter into “secret chambers” to check out the rumors that Christ was there. There would be nothing mysterious about the return of Christ.
No one would have to be told that He had come back to earth, for every eye on earth would see Him (Revelation 1:7). Thus, Christ’s words doesn’t indicate a secret rapture. The inhabitants of earth would see Christ “coming in the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 24:30; 16:27; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 14:62; Acts 1:11). There would be no mistaking the event. When Jesus returns, all people will know of it.
The devil cannot replicate a worldwide, cataclysmic event the magnitude of the real second coming. But he can appear around the world in various places, perform great miracles, make TV appearances, and thus deceive the world (Revelation 16:14; 19:20).
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
