BBP: 10 The First Birth Pain

Chapter 10

The First Birth Pain

Antichrist as the first & foremost False Christ Matthew 24:5

Contents

A) The importance and difficulty of knowing when the Endtimes have begun

B) The Antichrist as the first & foremost False Christ (Matt 24:5)

Primary Points

• There are many important reasons for Christians to know the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun.
• What does the Bible teach will be the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun? It is admitted this is not clearly taught in Scripture. But the answer argued in Part IV of BBP (chs. 10-12) will be: The Antichrist’s Resurrection.
• Jesus listed the first sign of the beginning of birth pains as False Christs. Therefore, He meant for us to expect this to be the first certain sign we are to be looking for to know the Endtimes have begun.
• It is possible that a multitude of False Christs emerging simultaneously in the world will be the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun. But there are several biblical problems with this interpretation.
• The many False Christs will be claiming to be Jesus Christ Himself returned to Earth.
• Jesus predicted something astounding and very perplexing. He said there will be a multitude of False Christs all over the world performing extraordinary miracles and claiming simultaneously to be Jesus Christ Himself returned to Earth AND convincing a multitude of people of this very thing!
• How will the Antichrist obtain his preeminent worship in a world where there will be many who will come … saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many to believe this, because they will show great  signs and wonders (Matt 24:5, 24)? The best answer seems to be that the Antichrist will come before the many False Christ’s. Being the first False Christ will help him be the foremost False Christ.
• Christ’s Endtimes Teaching suggests the ministry of the many False Christs occurs during The Greatest Persecution and after Antichrist’s Claim to be God.
• Revelation 6 reveals that the Antichrist will be the first and foremost example of the False Christs Jesus warned of in Matthew 24.

A) The importance and difficulty of knowing when the Endtimes have begun

Part IV of this book (chs. 10-12), The Beginning of Birth Pains, addresses a rather complex matter. Its primary point is to argue that the very first certain sign the Endtimes have begun will be the Antichrist’s Resurrection.

If you are willing to expect that as a good probability, the following three rather complex chapters (10-12) may not be necessary for you to study. It may be enough for you to simply know that there is biblical evidence that the Antichrist’s Resurrection will be the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun. If so, then you can proceed to chapter 13 which begins to describe the effects of Antichrist’s Resurrection.

Of course, as with most Endtime events, the following chapters will only be confirmed if the Antichrist’s Resurrection is the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun. But if in fact the Antichrist’s Resurrection is the first event that alerts Christians that the Endtimes have begun, most of them will be very shocked and confused by this event. Therefore, the following three chapters would be valuable in order to give them a biblical basis for what is happening.

If one wants to deny that the Antichrist’s Resurrection will be the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun, it is asked how would they answer this vital question for God’s people? What does the Bible teach regarding what Christians should be looking for to know with certainty the Endtimes have begun, and they need to prepare and act accordingly? It will be argued in these chapters that this will be Antichrist’s miraculous resurrection from the dead.

The biblical case for the claim that Antichrist’s Resurrection will be the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun will proceed as follows.

First, Jesus said the first birth pain of the Endtimes would be False Christs (cf. Matt 24:5), indicating this will be the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun. However, for reasons given in this chapter (10), it will be argued that the Antichrist will actually be the first and foremost False Christ, emerging a considerable time before the many will come … saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many (NASB).

Second, in chapter 11, it will be argued that the First Seal in Revelation 6:1-2 also portrays the emergence of the first and foremost False Christ, the Antichrist, onto the world scene. Evidence will be given there that the rider on a white horse coming to conquer by deception will be the Antichrist imitating the real Christ in His Resurrection from the dead. Therefore, the First Seal seems to suggest the Antichrist’s Resurrection will be the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun.

Third, in chapter 12, we will study Paul’s description of the Antichrist’s Revealing in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. It is rather clear the Apostle intended to teach the Thessalonians what they were supposed to look for to know the Endtimes have begun. Hints of Antichrist’s Resurrection will be suggested here as well. Chapters 10-12 will present the case for the claim that Antichrist’s Resurrection will be the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun.

Previously, the importance of determining the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun was discussed (ch. 1, sec. C.1). Reasons included: 1) Christ repeatedly commanded His people to “Watch!” for biblical signs of His Return; 2) This was to help us eagerly anticipate His Return; 3) If we are able to recognize the beginning of the Endtimes, then we will know all the other predicted events will follow rather quickly, which will help us prepare for these unprecedented catastrophes. For these reasons, and more, it is important to understand what the Scriptures say regarding the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun.

However, it was also noted in chapter 1:

There are several obstacles to understanding what the Bible teaches on recognizing the beginning of the Endtimes. First, is the widespread confusion on this topic. Again, 45% of American Evangelical Christians claim: “It is impossible to know the circumstances that will precede Jesus’ return.” Such people have little hope of clearly understanding when the Endtimes have actually begun.

Likewise, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, 65% of American Evangelical Christians claimed to “believe we are already living in the endtimes.” However, only about 21% of American Evangelical Protestants “say they believe Jesus will definitely or probably return during their lifetime.” ^[1] Therefore, it would seem a considerable number of Christians would claim the Endtimes have already begun, but they do not believe Christ will Return anytime soon. That seems to reflect a lot of confusion about what the Endtimes even is. (sec. D)

As also mentioned previously, popular but unbiblical teaching on the Endtimes has contributed to this (ch. 1, sec. D). But as also noted:

There is another important reason this issue is not clearly understood. The Bible does not clearly tell us what the first certain sign of the Endtimes will be. The complexity of answering that question will become evident in this study. In addition, there is a common misunderstanding that obscures this issue. It is easy to assume that the very first real Endtime event that will occur, will also be the very first certain sign the Endtimes have begun. But it is possible that Endtime events will actually begin before we can clearly and confidently recognize this. (ch. 1, sec. D)

The previous chapters on the 10-nation Endtime Coalition and the Rising Antichrist are examples. It has been argued that the establishment of the Coalition may be the first Endtime event to occur (cf. ch. 4, sec. B.1). Likewise, fulfillments of prophecy regarding the Rising Antichrist can provide a second testimony to confirm the Endtimes have begun. These two developments combined, provide very significant evidence that we may already be living in the Endtimes. That may be enough for some to take the necessary steps to prepare for the Endtimes. But it seems God will want His people to be absolutely certain of these things. Therefore, what does the Bible teach will be the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun? Again, it will be argued that this will be the Antichrist’s Resurrection.

The following two chapters will address another difficult question. How can we reconcile several complex things the Scriptures say about a multitude of False Christs, and the one Antichrist? The answer argued here will be the Antichrist will be the first and foremost False Christ.

B) The Antichrist as the first & foremost False Christ (Matt 24:5)

B.1) The first birth pain, seal, and sign of Christ’s Return are all described as the emergence of False Christs

In Christ’s Endtimes Teaching He was answering this question from the Apostles: “What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” (Matt 24:3 NLT). Christ responded with what would seem to be the first sign of His return and the end of the world:

“See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many” (Matt 24:5 NASB).

It was demonstrated throughout the previous book, Christ’s Endtimes Teaching (CET), that Jesus was intentionally teaching a specific sequence of Endtime events (cf. ch. 3, sec. A). Note then that when Christ was answering the question, “What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?,” the first Endtime event He described was the emergence of False Christs. He specifically labeled these very same people later in His teaching when He referred to false Christs who will arise and will show great  signs and wonders (v. 24 NASB). It would seem Jesus intended to tell us False Christs will be the first certain sign that the Endtimes have begun and His coming and the end of the age is near.

A few verses later in His sermon, Jesus called these first events of the Endtimes birth pains (Matt 24:8). Therefore, when these events occur, they are not “false labor,” or merely painful events that do not signal the Endtimes have begun. Accordingly it is significant that Jesus said the very first birth pain will be False Christs. This indicates that He intended to tell us this is the very first certain sign the Endtimes have begun.

This is confirmed by the fact that the Seals of Preparation in Revelation 6 gives a parallel sequence to “the beginning of birth pains” Jesus gave in His Endtimes Teaching (cf. CET ch. 6, sec. B.1). As explained more fully in the next chapter, the first of the seven seals clearly depicts a rider on a white horse with a crown deceptively imitating Jesus Christ (Rev 6:1-2). Both the first birth pain and the first seal reflect False Christs.

Therefore, when Jesus listed the first sign and birth pain of His coming and the end of the age as False Christs, he seemed to indicate this will be the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun.

Accordingly, an initial interpretation of Jesus would be this: a multitude of miracle-working False Christs emerging simultaneously in the world will be the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun. This interpretation is possible. ^[2] Perhaps the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun will be when many … come in Jesus’ name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and … mislead many. But there are several problems with this interpretation.

B.2) The False Christs will be claiming to be Jesus Christ Himself returned to Earth

First, we should understand what these False Christs will be claiming. NT scholars have differed on this. The primary options include claiming to be: 1) Generic savior-like persons intending to restore morality, peace, and prosperity to the world; ^[3] 2) Specifically and only the Jewish Messiah; ^[4] 3) Merely representatives of Jesus; ^[5] and 4) Jesus Christ Himself returned to Earth. ^[6] Which one of these options is correct?

The Greek word translated Christ (NASB, ESV; Messiah NIV, NLT) is christos which means 1) “fulfiller of Israelite expectation of a deliverer, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ”; or 2) “the personal name ascribed to Jesus, Christ.” ^[7] As noted above, some translations suggest the first meaning, Messiah, and others adopt the second meaning, Christ.

Based on the lexical data, we can probably reject option 1 above, that Christ was predicting merely “Generic savior-like persons.” The Greek Lexicon (BDAG) lists no examples in either the NT or early Greek literature of christos being used in this more general sense.

There is also good reason to reject the second view that the False Christs will merely be claiming to be the Jewish Messiah. First, Jesus said they will mislead many, implying many people all over the world, not just in Israel or only Jews. In fact, later in the teaching Jesus makes it clear that the primary target of the false Christs will be to mislead … the elect (eklektous), a term that always includes the Church when referring to people in the NT. ^[8] Jewish Messiahs would probably not mislead many Christians.

The third option above was that the False Christs will merely be claiming to represent Christ as in speaking for Him. The best reason to reject this view is the clear evidence in the text that the False Christs will be claiming to be Jesus Christ Himself returned to Earth, the fourth view. Obviously, this is a rather shocking statement. But As Carson puts it:

Those who “come in my name” (v. 5) may refer to those who come as Jesus’ representatives, but because of the words that follow, we must assume that their claim goes further. They claim to be Messiah, Christ himself. ^[9]

This is indicated in verse 5 itself in Mark’s and Luke’s versions which read: “Many will come in my name [of Jesus], claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many” (Mark 13:6 NIV; ^[10] cf. Luke 21:8). The False Christs will be using the name “Jesus” and claiming, “I am He.” That seems to clearly indicate they will be claiming to be Jesus Christ Himself.

Jesus clearly confirmed this when He said in His Endtimes Sermon:

“Then [during The Greatest Persecution, v. 21] if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great  signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance.”

“So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the [Real] Son of Man be.” (Matt 24:23-27 NASB; cf. Luke 17:22-24)

Jesus predicted in the Endtimes that they (probably the false prophets) will claim “He is in the wilderness” or “He is in the inner rooms.” Who does He refer to? The real Son of Man who will be coming like lightning and who is clearly Jesus Christ Himself. Therefore, it is clear that the false Christs who will arise and will show great  signs and wonders in the Endtimes will be claiming to be Jesus Christ Himself returned to Earth.

Let us also note that the False Christs will be operating simultaneously all over the world. Jesus described Antichrist’s Claim to be God and then the resulting Greatest Persecution (vs. 15-22). Then He said: “Then … false Christs [plural] and false prophets will arise and will show great  signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (vs. 23-24 NASB). This event will happen during the Endtimes, and false Christs (plural) will arise simultaneously during the limited time of the birth pains.

Unfortunately, many scholars claim the prediction of a multitude of False Christs, performing miraculous wonders and deceiving a multitude of people, has already been fulfilled in the past, or is being fulfilled now over a long period of time. This is not true. There have been a few people claiming to be a savior and even fewer still claiming to actually be Jesus Christ. But there have never been many people (especially simultaneously), performing undeniable miracles, claiming to be Jesus Christ Himself returned to Earth, and misleading many to believe them. ^[11] This event will happen in the Endtimes as one of the unprecedented birth pains (Matt 24:8).

B.3) The timing of the False Christs’ emergence & ministry After the first & foremost False Christ, the Antichrist

Jesus predicted something shocking and very perplexing. He said there will be a multitude of False Christs all over the world performing extraordinary miracles and claiming simultaneously to be Jesus Christ Himself returned to Earth AND convincing a multitude of people of this very thing!

Such a statement raises several difficult questions. First, how could the one Antichrist obtain the preeminent worship of the world if this is the case? Scripture predicts that after Antichrist’s Resurrection, The whole world will marvel at this miracle and give allegiance to the beast [Antichrist]… “Who is as great as the beast?” they will exclaim (Rev 13:3-4 NLT ^[12]). The answer will be no one.

The Antichrist alone will be given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. And all the people who belong to this world will worship the beast (Rev 13:7-8 NLT ^[13]). Apparently, only the Antichrist will have statues erected all over the world in his image that must be worshipped (cf. Rev 13:14-15). Likewise, only the Antichrist’s mark will be required (vs. 16-17).

The Antichrist will be considered by every non-Christian in the world to be far superior in power and authority than any of the False Christs. His worthiness to be worshipped and obeyed will appear to surpass anyone else on Earth. How will the Antichrist obtain such superiority in a world where there will be many who will come … saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many to believe this, because they will show great  signs and wonders, so as to mislead (Matt 24:5, 24)?

The best answer seems to be that the Antichrist will come before the many False Christs. Being the first False Christ will enable him to be the foremost False Christ. If the emergence of the Antichrist follows all of the amazing and convincing miracle working false Christs, both the effect and worship of the preeminent Antichrist would seem to be significantly hindered and diminished. But if Antichrist’s miracles will be the first the world witnesses, then he can obtain dominance over the many False Christs that will come later.

This may be especially important if the great  signs and wonders of the false Christs include raising people from the dead. Like Jesus, OT prophets, and NT Apostles, this may be the case. Therefore, if their miracle-working occurs before the Antichrist’s Resurrection, it would again seem to significantly hinder the worldwide and overwhelming result of this event as described in Scripture (cf. 2 Thess 2:9-11; Rev 13:1-18). This will become even more clear when the effect of Antichrist’s Resurrection is explained in chapter 13 (sec. C).

The preeminent worship of the Antichrist is one reason to believe this will be established before the emergence of the multitude of miracle-working false Christs. Therefore, it seems the Antichrist will be the first and foremost False Christ.

A second reason for this conclusion is that Jesus described the ministry of the false Christs and false prophets occurring during The Greatest Persecution. For example, He described “the beginning of birth pains” (Matt 24:8) and then said:

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death [during The Greatest Persecution], and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time [of The Greatest Persecution] many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. (Matt 24:9-11 NIV)

Jesus said the many false prophets will appear (egerthēsontai) at the time of The Greatest Persecution. As noted above, verse 24 states the false Christs and false prophets will be operating at the same time. Therefore, verse 9 indicates that the emergence of the false Christs and false prophets will occur after Christians are being persecuted and put to death during The Greatest Persecution.

Likewise, Christ clearly implied that the false Christs and false prophets will appear … to mislead … even God’s elect people after Antichrist’s Claim to be God (cf. v. 15) and The Greatest Persecution has begun (cf. v. 21). Accordingly, in His Endtimes Teaching Jesus described the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION … standing in the holy place (v. 15) and then said:

“Because then there will be the greatest persecution of God’s elect people. It will be greater than any persecution since the world began, and it will never be equaled again.”

“If those days [of The Greatest Persecution] had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of God’s elect people those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. Because false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great miraculous signs and wonders to mislead even God’s elect people if they are able.” (Matt 24:21-24 ^[14])

Jesus indicated when the false Christs and false prophets will appear. He said this will occur at that time. What time was He referring to? After the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION and the greatest persecution (vs. 15, 21) begins.

Thirdly, the attempt of the false Christs and false prophets … to mislead … even God’s elect people (v. 24) makes more sense after The Greatest Persecution has begun, rather than as the very first birth pain in Endtime events. The desperation that Christians will be experiencing in The Greatest Persecution will certainly add to the temptation of believing the claims of false Christs and false prophets … performing great miraculous signs and wonders to mislead even God’s elect people if they are able. Accordingly, Jesus told His disciples:

“The time is coming when you will long [epithymēsete: “strong desire or craving”] to see the day when the Son of Man returns, but you won’t see it. People [i.e. the false prophets] will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man [a False Christ] ,’ or ‘Here he is,’ but don’t go out and follow them. (Luke 17:22-23 NLT)

This “strong desire or craving” to see Christ’s Return surely refers to the time that His people will be experiencing The Greatest Persecution.

All of the above points to the emergence and ministry of the false Christs and false prophets to appear … and perform great miraculous signs and wonders to mislead even God’s elect people, to occur after the Antichrist’s worldwide worship is established and the Church is experiencing The Greatest Persecution. Therefore, it seems the Antichrist will be the first and foremost False Christ. Accordingly, it seems the emergence of the Antichrist will be the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun.

More specifically, this first certain sign will be the Antichrist’s Resurrection from the dead. This will be argued further in the next chapters. But there is one clear evidence for this in the first birth pain. The first and foremost False Christ will be claiming in the name of Jesus, “I am he” and “I am the Christ,” and will mislead many (Matt 24:5; Mark 13:6). How could the Antichrist possibly convince many that he is Jesus Christ Himself returned to Earth? It would seem only by his undeniable death and miraculous Resurrection to life.

All of this brings up another question. If the Antichrist is the first and foremost False Christ, then how will his claim to be Jesus Christ be reconciled with the many who will come … saying, ‘I am the Christ’ and … mislead many (Matt 24:5) to believe they are Jesus Christ? Again, wouldn’t the world see this as contradictory and questionable claims?

A possible solution can be offered. First, after Antichrist’s Resurrection he will be claiming “I am the Christ,” (Matt 24:5 NASB) as in Jesus Christ Himself returned to Earth. But later (perhaps at least 3.5 years later), in the abomination of desolation (Matt 24:15), the Resurrected Antichrist will be proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thess 2:4). There will be no contradiction here. Claiming first to be Christ and later God, may simply be a way the Antichrist will be imitating the Christian doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ.

This is another reason to believe that the ministry of the multiple False Christs emerges after Antichrist’s Claim to be God and the beginning of The Greatest Persecution. His Claim to be God will complete his rise to preeminent worldwide worship. Therefore, miracle working false Christs afterwards can simply claim to be representing Antichrist as the one true God, even as they claim to be many sons of God, and all Jesus Christs. This scenario would allow the Antichrist to establish his pre-eminent worship as Scripture predicts, without the contradictory claims of many False Christs diminishing his worship. ^[15]

Finally, this sequence of events brings up another question. It was argued above that Jesus taught the emergence of False Christs (plural) would be the first birth pain and certain sign the Endtimes have begun (Matt 24:3, 5). Why did He teach this if the emergence of the first and foremost False Christ, the Antichrist, will actually occur sometime before the ministry of the many False Christs?

Clearly, the first reason is that Christ’s primary practical point for this part of His Endtimes Sermon was to warn His people not to be deceived by these false Christs and false prophets (v. 24). This is why this warning is repeated several times throughout His sermon (cf. vs. 4-5, 11, 23-27). This is certainly one reason He began His response to the Apostles’ question with the warning of False Christs.

Secondly, claiming that the first and foremost False Christ will be the Antichrist is no contradiction to Christ’s warning of many False Christs. What is being argued above is that Scripture simply reveals that the Antichrist will be the first and foremost example of the False Christs Jesus warned of in Matthew 24. Accordingly, it was noted previously: “Christ’s Endtimes Teaching (Matt 24) does not give us the greatest detail on the very beginning of Endtime events” (ch. 2, sec. B.1). Therefore, it will be argued in the next chapter that the opening of the First Seal in Revelation 6 gives us more details about the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun, which will be Antichrist’s Resurrection.

1. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/12/08/about-four-in-ten-u-s-adults-believe-humanity-is-living-in-the-end-times/ ↑

2. MacArthur supports the view that a multitude of miracle-working False Christs emerging simultaneously in the world will be the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun when he writes regarding Matt 24:5:

   The first birth pain to signal Christ’s return will be widespread deception by a proliferation of false Christs. There were false Christs, or Messiahs, before Jesus’ time, and there have been others at various times since, including many in our own day. But in the end times their number and influence will vastly increase… Their spurious gospels will mislead many, as they promise to deliver men from their problems and troubles. (MNTC, Matt, loc. 42737).

   He seems to ignore the fact that the False Christs will be simultaneously claiming to be Jesus Christ returned to Earth. But again, MacArthur’s view is possible. ↑

3. Most NT scholars suggest Jesus intended to predict some kind of savior-like pretenders. Wessel and Strauss write: “That Jesus said there would be many such false messiahs suggests that his statement should be understood broadly to refer to various kinds of ‘messianic” figures.” They do not correct or reconcile their view with Mark 13:21-22; Matt 24:23-27 and Luke 17:22-23.

   France writes:

   A Christian reader … might think that those who will come ‘in Jesus’ name’ claiming to be Messiah are claiming actually to be Jesus, returning at the end of the age. But the declaration ‘I am the Messiah’ would not be the most natural way to make that claim; it sounds more like a would-be liberator… He would be coming “in Jesus’ name” not because he is impersonating Jesus but because he is claiming the role and title that properly belong to Jesus. (902)

   France ignores all the arguments in this section of BBP to the contrary. ↑

4. Davies & Allison are among those supporting the idea that the Endtime false saviors will claim to be the Jewish Messiah. They write: “’Come in my name’ appears to mean ‘come as the Messiah’… Our verse is then about Jewish messianic deceivers” (338-9). Unfortunately, they do not reconcile this with their commentary on Matt 24:23-27. ↑

5. Other scholars suggest a general messianic figure, but add that they will be using Jesus’ name as His representatives. Fitzmeyer writes: “The claim ‘I am he!’ means ‘a representative of Jesus’” (1336). Marshall writes, “probably we should combine” both of these descriptions, and adds the possibility of a “prophet [as] an eschatalogical figure” or “men like Simon Magus” (Luke, 763).

   Osborne is more obscure and writes: “’In my name’ has a twofold thrust—they will come using Jesus’ personal name and also his “name” or office as Messiah” (Matt, 1260). It is unclear if he thinks they will be claiming to be Jesus Christ Himself. He does not make his view any clearer in his commentary on Matt 24:23-27.

   What Hagner writes is equally obscure:

   The statement that such persons will come “in my name,” means either that they will come using the name of Jesus (see BAGD, 573a) or that they will come assuming the messianic office of Jesus (see BAGD, 573b), as is spelled out in the explicit claim that follows. Revolutionary leaders such as Judas the Galilean (Acts 5:37), Theudas (Acts 5:36), and the anonymous “Egyptian” (Acts 21:38), whose endeavors had clear eschatological overtones, might well qualify as the kind of pseudo-messiahs in view here. (690-691)

   Like Osborne, Hagner does not clarify his view at vs. 23-27 and continues to refer to the False Christ’s as a false “Messiah,” indicating he does not believe they will be claiming to be Jesus Christ Himself returned to Earth.

   Bock (Luke) is not helpful at all on this topic. Likewise, Nolland seems confusing if not contradictory. ↑

6. As noted above, Nolland is rather confusing on this point, but is among the very few NT scholars who are willing to claim that: “’Son of man’” (v. 27) is the intended meaning of “the Christ” in v. 5. and that the False Christs will identify themselves “as the coming Christ/Son of Man” (962). ↑

7. BDAG #1 & #2. ↑

8. For more on the meaning of eklektous in the NT see CET, ch. 3, sec. D. ↑

9. Carson, Matt, 559. ↑

10. The literal Greek in Matt 24:5 reads legontes oti egō eimi or “saying that I am.” Admittedly, such a reading is odd. Some have thought this means the False Christs will be claiming to be “the I Am” or God (cf. Exod 3:14; John 8:58). For example, Morris writes:

    Mark and Luke both mention that the false teachers will say, “I AM.” This probably means “I am he” and will be another way of claiming to be the Messiah, but we should not overlook the fact that there is a hint of the divine name about this form of speech and that Jesus may well be warning that some of these people will come close to claiming deity. (Matt, at 24:5)

    This is possible and could easily refer to claiming to be Jesus Christ who was and is deity.

    It is admitted that at Matt 24:5 he is not in the original text, but is added to all versions (cf. Mark 13:6, Luke 21:8). This is also true later in the teaching (cf. Matt 24:23; Mark 13:21). But in verse 25 He (estin) is used to refer to the same False Christs and the Greek here more strongly implies this translation. Therefore, the NASB does not put He in verse 25 in italics as it does elsewhere in the text as noted above. Therefore, he is an accurate addition to the text in those verses as well, including verse 5. ↑

11. Unfortunately, many Christian scholars (e.g. Historicists or Preterists) want to claim Christ’s prediction was already fulfilled in the first century, or throughout Church history. But Morris is correct when he writes regarding Jesus’ warning of False Christs:

    This will surely be a reference to the last days, for there is little evidence that any of the turbulent men so active preceding the fall of Jerusalem [in A.D. 70] ever claimed to be the Messiah. Some claimed to be prophets, but that is not the same thing. (Matt, 24:5)

    Likewise, MacArthur writes:

    There were false Christs, or Messiahs, before Jesus’ time, and there have been others at various times since, including many in our own day. But in the end times their number and influence will vastly increase. (MNTC, Matt, loc. 42737-40) ↑

12. The NLT of Rev 13:3-4 is slightly altered to reflect a future tense. ↑

13. The NLT of Rev 13:7-8 is slightly altered to reflect a future tense. ↑

14. The suggested translation of Matt 24:21-24 generally follows the NIV and NASB. For reasons shared elsewhere, thlipsis is translated as persecution (cf. CET, ch. 3, sec. E) and eklektos as God’s elect people (cf. CET, ch. 3, sec. D). For an explanation of the translation of verse 24 see appropriate chapter in The Greatest Persecution. ↑

15. The problem of the contradictory but very successful claims of many False Christ’s simultaneously claiming to be Jesus Christ is difficult. Especially in a world with satellite communications and the Internet so that these simultaneous claims would be known worldwide.

    Admittedly, the suggestion in this section that the many False Christs will claim to be many sons of God, and all Jesus Christs, may not be convincing. This would be especially true for the Christians they will be trying to deceive (cf. Matt 24:24). Scripture says Jesus is God’s one and only Son (John 1:18; 3:16).

    Elsewhere another possible explanation is offered. Additional Studies on the Endtimes, ch. 18, is entitled, “Will Technology be Lost in the Endtimes?” There a case will be made that the destruction of Endtime Babylon (cf. Rev 17:16) with nuclear and electro-magnetic pulse weapons may have far-reaching, devastating, and permanent effects on electronic equipment of any kind. Therefore, if such an attack or something else destroyed the world’s communications technology, an individual False Christ could operate effectively in one isolated area without people being aware of other miracle-working False Christs making the same claims all over the world. But again, for many this is understandably another less than convincing solution to the effectiveness of many False Christs simultaneously and effectively deceiving the world. ↑