How can the believers distinguish between the false and the true Christ?

BibleAsk Team

Table of Contents
Signs of the True Christ
Signs of the False Christ

The scriptures give the believers signs to distinguish between the false and the true Christ.

Signs of the True Christ

The Second coming of Christ, the Son of God, will be characterized with:

  1. Devastating earthquake and hailstorm. “And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth” (Revelation 16:18 also 6:14-17).
  2. Great lightening. “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” (Matthew 24:27).
  3. Every eye in the world will see the event. “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him” (Revelation 1:7);
  4. Christ will stay in the clouds (His feet will not touch the earth) and the saints will be caught up to meet the Him in the air. “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
  5. There will be great noise of the trumpet of God. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God…” (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
  6. The Resurrection of the saints will take place at His coming. “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” (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
  7. The heavens will pass away and the elements will burn. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).
  8. The living wicked will be slain by the breath of Christ “…He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked” (Isaiah 11:4).

Signs of the False Christ

Jesus warned, “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. “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” (Matthew 24:23-26).

These false Christ will be performing great miracles as evidence to their authority. These powers will be seen by the people as “wonders” (Matthew 12:38, 39). However, these false miracles lack the power of God. These miracles could be almost, but not fully, convincing to “the very elect.”

God’s faithful children have obeyed the instructions of the True Witness to the Laodiceans to “anoint” their “eyes with eyesalve” (Revelation 3:18), and are therefore able to distinguish between the true and the false. Therefore, if someone is walking on earth or seen on TV claiming that he is the Christ, but he is teaching doctrines that are contrary to God’s Word, the believers will recognize that he is a false Christ.

In His service,
BibleAsk Team

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