Religion is on the rise. Even Christianity itself has many faces. Have you ever wondered why there are so many different kinds of churches? The Scriptures only speak of two churches: the true church and the false church. Jesus Christ is the head of the true church and it is His Body, the fullness of Him that fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23). I don’t know of many churches that could measure up to that. The true church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, and it is the habitation of God (Ephesians 2:20-22). It is easy for a church to claim it is the true church; it is not so easy to be the true church. Could we say that we are in the process of becoming the true church? I don’t think any church would admit to being the false church. However, the Scriptures have a lot to say about false Christs, false prophets, and deception.
Matthew 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them (His disciples), Take heed that no man deceive you.
Jesus would not have given this warning if there wasn’t a great danger in being deceived. The Apostle Paul had much to say about deception in the latter times. Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. I Timothy 4:1. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. II Timothy 3:1. We are in the days of perilous time, the days of seducing spirits and doctrines of devils when Satan comes on the scene as an angel of light and his ministers as ministers of righteousness. These are days of great deception. Many Christians are deceived, but they don’t know they are deceived. Many have been deceived by religious Babylon. Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues (Revelation 18:4).
Matthew 24:5 For many shall come in (upon) My name, saying, I am (the) Christ; and shall deceive many.
I suppose there have been a few individuals over the hundreds of years since Christ to say they were Jesus Christ. There hasn’t been many, though, and very few have been deceived by them. However, Jesus said that many would come claiming to be Christ and would deceive many. So how are we to understand this? First, we need to understand Christ as the many-membered Christ. For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. I Corinthians 12:12. While there are not many that say, “I am Christ,” there are many who say, “We are Christ.” Every Christian group or organization claims to be Christ; that is, the many-membered Christ. So there are many who come on the name of Christ saying they are Christ and many are deceived.
So Jesus says to His disciples, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” That which is built of man will deceive. That which is built of God is eternal. For he (Abraham) looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11:10. Many shall come saying, “We are Christ,” but only the true church has the right foundation and whose builder and maker is God.
Copyright © 2008 by Henry DuBose