Matthew 24:4-5 is Jesus’ response to his disciples asking how they will know when the end times are coming. He said, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” (NIV) Luke 21:8 captured the same response, only stated as “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.” (NIV) In these two remembrances of Jesus’ warnings to his disciples, which reverberate through all times to new disciples wanting to follow the Son of Man, it is important to realize the English translations one reads ARE warnings of those to come who will “deceive many.” The first word in the Greek Jesus spoke says “Blepete.” This word is capitalized, meaning it is important to grasp. The word means “Look, See, Discern, and Perceive,” as well as “Watch out.” This word says to “Open your eyes to the truth,” because if you do not, then you will be tricked and fooled. Simply by not looking up this Greek text of Jesus’ words, oneself, to understand their meanings personally, one is being blind to the truth, out of laziness and sloth. Deadly sins those are.
A lot of Sloth going around in these pandemic days. Masks would prevent it killing you.
The Greek word “planēsē” is then translated as “deceives,” in the third person. The root word means “to cause to wander; to lead astray.” This is a prophecy by Jesus that speaks of the times of his disciples, when the Pharisees, Sadducees, and temple scribes were the ones in charge of running the business that was called Judaism; but, it prophesies of now, meaning all Christianity is really the equivalent to a church named “The Money-making Business of Religion as once Practiced by Jews.” All of the Jews who Jesus ministered to in three years were “wandering,” lost as far as how the pressures of living in a sinful world could ever be avoided, so one who believed in Yahweh could live according to His Law. Thus, Jesus’ words also prophesied a time that was coming, when the exact same lost path to God would overtake future believers.
Luke wrote that word as “planēthēte,” from the same root verb as Matthew, translating best as “you be led astray.” The slight difference between Luke’s written word and Matthew’s says this deception works two ways. This is an explanation for the natural degradation of a religion after the people have demanded from their prophets that God appoint them a king. When such a king is given the power of God over the people, he subverts the influence of God from the people and becomes godlike in his influence over them. While the king might originally be pius, his divinely led words will not be understood by those who are not divinely led to understand. The result is the truth will slowly dissolve into lies over time, and the ones who once did not intend to mislead does, and those whose heads do not want to be misled will themselves mislead. That becomes the blind leading the blind, because by then no one has been divinely influenced to know the truth.
The words “polloi gar eleusontai epi tō onomati mou” say, “many indeed will come in the name of me.” This is a statement of truth. It prophesied the coming and remaining of Christianity; but the truth was when people were led by true Apostles and Saints, all filled with God’s Holy Spirit and reborn as Jesus Christ. The word “Christianity” stems from the word “Christian,” which means “one of Christ.” The ONLY WAY one can become “of Christ” is to be Jesus Christ reborn. This is not a matter of belief in Saints or the Apostles as really special men who said to believe Jesus resurrected and walked around in a body that had been dead. When one says he or she believes in Jesus as the Christ, such words do not enable one to say one is Jesus Christ reborn. Therefore, the truth of what Jesus told his disciples is “indeed” (from the little Greek word “gar“) true Christians would “come as Jesus reborn,” able to make the claim that he or she was “in Jesus name;” but liars would also come proclaiming the same.
Because of the truth of that prophecy, it is then truth that people in the future would say, “Egō eimi ho Christos,” or “I am the Christ.” Because capitalization is important in Scripture [New Testament, as Hebrew has no capital letters], it is most important to discern the written word “Egō.” Does that Greek word seem familiar? It should, because it is where the psychological term “ego” comes from. In Greek [and Latin], “egō” is the first person singular pronoun “I.” In psychology, “ego” is the Freudian construct of human psyche, which mediates the “Id” and the “Super-ego,” as self. The capitalization, therefore, importantly states that ANYONE who follows the statement “I am” [“Egō eimi“] with “the Messiah” [“ho Christos“] is truthfully reborn as Jesus Christ or delusional and a liar. This is a prophecy by Jesus that both “will come, saying, ‘I am the Christ”‘ as being truly Christian or having a false understanding of the word “Christian.”
It is this important statement of Self-identity that has to then be seen as the greatest harm that can come to one, as without discernment of Self-ego one can be both misled and mislead others. It is the strength of Self-ego to say, “I am Christian” that can falsely lead others to believe that claim, as well as oneself. This is why the truth of being reborn as Jesus Christ, a true Christian, does not come with proclamations of self-being or self-identity, but by the actions of truth, which come from a God-led sense of discernment, perception, awareness, and prophetic vision.
When Luke wrote how Jesus said these false prophets will come announcing, “I am he,” the truth of that statement is they will only say, “I am.” Rather than this being a clear statement of “I am the Christ,” it is lazier, unable to utter the word Messiah. This is then a lesser claim, as a follower of one who falsely claims to be a true Christian, as if that person yelled, “Who is with me?” [as opposed to “Who is with Christ?”] and simple followers replied, “I am.” This is prophesying the days that surround us now, where leaders professing to be Christian, possessing letters of recommendation as priests, pastors, ministers, and bishops, as if an education from a school gives them the right to claim to be Jesus Christ reborn. Jesus had no degree to be God’s Son, neither did his Saints. While most do not cross that line of lying about themselves, they mislead others into thinking they are somehow closer to God and Christ, by wearing robes, crosses and collars. Their following is based on themselves and their institutions, where all are nothing more than reenactments of the Pharisees and Sadducees leading the sheep of Israel and Judah (Judea and Galilee) astray. Their path is one to ruin, not salvation. God sent His Son to get people to avoid that end.
When Luke added how Jesus prophesied these false shepherds would say, “The time is near,” the actual Greek is, “Ho kairos ēngiken.” The capitalized first word, “Ho” is a common article, usually translated as “the.” Because it is capitalized, the important intent is as “This one,” which makes the one proclaiming “I am the Christ” be a self-proclaimed Christian. The importance is then placed on “This one” as “THE one” people should believe. The use of “kairos,” translated as “time,” should then be realized as a word meaning “opportunity.” Rather than “The time is near,” leaders will falsely claim “This one [false leader offers an] opportunity [that] is near.” That is the “opportunity” to claim you too are Christian, simply by being “near This one” who claims to be the Savior. This is then an abortion of the words Jesus gave his disciples when they were sent out in their Commission, to tell those who rejected their presence, “The kingdom of God has come near.” Thus, the false claims of false shepherds will trick human beings into thinking that calling oneself “the Messiah” will gain them entrance into God’s kingdom.
Luke then had Jesus adding, “Do not follow them.” The Greek text here says, “mē poreuthēte opisō autōn,” which can literally translate to state, “not travel behind them.” This becomes an instruction by Jesus to all of his disciples (at all times) that they must only follow the voice of the Good Shepherd. When Jesus said the sheep will recognize the voice of their shepherd, the meaning is his voice will resonate within their being as their own. After all, sheep are like humans, and we all go where our brains lead us to go. However, when one has been truly reborn as Jesus Christ, then one will recognize that voice as one’s own, with one’s self-ego voice silenced in submission to God. Personal self-ego will be giving no directions.
The instruction “not to follow them” says that God only sent one Son to the world, and even though God’s Son will be reborn into the flesh of many human beings (Apostles and Saints) they are not to be followed. One must follow their example only and their sermons of truth that guide one to do all the work that is necessary to be reborn as Jesus Christ oneself. Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) That says “deny self-ego,” “become raised in a righteous life path,” and be reborn as Jesus Christ, so one’s body then “follows the Christ Mind within.”
Anyone who sits in a pew and listens to gibberish spoken by people dressing like they have some expertise (when they have nothing spiritual of value to offer) is lost. Anyone who stands before others and says, “It is okay to be a sinner, because I am speaking for Jesus Christ and Jesus said love everyone” is a misleading liar. The only “church” of importance is you, built within yourself. If in that church God does not permanently reside and Jesus Christ is not the only rabbi who only speaks the truth, they you are not a temple to the Lord. Also, if your ego is not the only pew-sitter in that church, the one who listens intently, perceiving the truth being in you, and if you are not constantly standing and shouting, “Praise the Lord,” then you are not Christian. You are misled.
R. T. Tippett