FP: Contrast of True Christ and false christs

Posted on May 29, 2025 by DavidCox

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FP: Contrast of True Christ and false christs

Introduction

Every Christian should meditate on the differences between Jesus Christ and these false christs that claim to be “the Christ.” The concept of Christ is an anointed one, somebody chosen by God to perform a task or complete a mission. This person is special, first because he has a special character that is approved of God so that God can use him in the work of God. Secondly, he has a disposition towards God to serve God over his own needs. Need we remind our readers of Jesus hanging on the cross? Of his scourging’s and other tortures? Of the humiliations of being God King, and taking on the role of a humble servant to humanity in effecting its salvation?

Thirdly, this anointed servant had to complete his mission without he himself breaking any of God’s commandments. Jesus, being very God, it is amazing that Jesus didn’t lose his patience with mankind and kill every soldier at the cross, or declare a curse on those that caused his death. The underlying mark of Jesus as Christ is that He fulfilled all the norms and requirements that God set for him.

We are overwhelmed at the humility and servanthood of our true “Christ.” If you study false prophets, reading what they do and say in their own churches, you will see the stark contrast. While Jesus does inform us of many eternal, spiritual things, you will never see this selfish ambition coming out in his character nor in his words. This arrogant, haughty, prideful boasting is very common in false prophets.

The question here really is, how can a truly saved person accept this evil character in their earthly leaders knowing the character of Jesus Christ? For a unsaved person, in their ignorance, to be deceived, that is understandable. But for a Christian to be deceived and enter into the trap of the false prophet, or even being within that ministry, seeing the antichrist behavior of their leaders (character, conduct, and speech very opposite of what is identified with Jesus Christ) should impel their exit as soon as possible.

Our Salvation from Sin

Again we have to rail against modern day preaching and the forms of presenting the gospel as being “another gospel,” a defective, non-biblical gospel. The false christs come preaching salvation from poverty (you will absolutely be rich), salvation from sickness (they have no concept of everybody’s sin causes sickness, and eventually physical death), salvation from insignificance (following them, you will be famous like they are), and salvation from ineffectiveness (success is defined by them as bodies, buildings, and bucks See CoxTracts.com ch31 3Bs of Success: Bodies, Buildings, and Bucks). The false prophet defines what is to be effective as a minister (or as a Christian) as something totally different from what the Bible would indicate. Ministerial success is not big numbers, big money, fame nor power.

1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Hebrews 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

So eternal life, living in the bliss that God can give a person, is linked to doing the will of God. Matthew 7:21 hits the false prophet extremely hard. These ministers, who in their own eyes had achieved ministerial success, besides being saved, they were expecting great rewards for what they had accomplished for the Lord, and Jesus laid them low. “You are not even saved!” The “true Christ’s” total goal in coming to earth was to do the will of God. It consumed him, and bound every movement, every action, every word, every thought to this will of God. Jesus did not think of himself while on this mission but focused on his mission. He sacrificed whatever was needed in order to complete the mission successfully, that is, according to the will of God.

2 Timothy 2:5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.

Moreover, Paul contrasts the false prophet, the wrong motive and attitude in the ministry with doing the will of God of a true prophet.

Ephesians 6:6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

A man pleaser is somebody who looks for approval from men. This is not success but the mindset of a false prophet. We do what God wants no matter what outward success signs are lacking. Consider the Old Testament prophets. Did they fail? No. They accomplished the will of God for them. But they exhorted Israel, which refused to submit to God, and in the end, God set Israel aside to use the church. So our conclusion has to be that fulfilling God’s will is never conditioned on man’s viewing a ministry as successful. It has to do with God’s will and that individual.

But what should have been presented to people who are “saved,” is that the danger here is sin, and their salvation is freedom from sin, i.e. not liberty to sin all you want, but eradicating sin and its influence over us. Firstly, Christ made a judicial (legal) move in saving us, making our sinful offenses toward God disappear. As far as the law of God is concerned, we are not criminals (sinners), but we have the righteousness of Jesus Christ showing on our life’s account.

Secondly, you cannot separate the work of the Holy Spirit from the work of Jesus Christ in saving a person. While Jesus’ work as our advocate or lawyer is in one area, the Spirit’s work is in another, in actually purifying our lives of common sin. This is very important because so many Christians think that their sanctification is an option, and they can take it or leave, and their eternal destiny will not be affected in the least. No. Salvation is from sin, and the consequences of sin in a person’s life here on earth continues. Salvation is not complete if it doesn’t include actual cleansing from sin. We can understand this only as repentance, abandonment of sin, and the energetic pursuit of righteousness. We only are blessed when we live a holy life.

Hebrews 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

People want to separate doing the will of God from their salvation, and the Bible does not let us off so easily. Salvation is free, it is grace and mercy, but there has to be a response in the actual life of the person also. James speaks of a dead faith that is worthless in James 2:14-26, that every person who plays a game of sin with God should really meditate on.

Satan is portrayed by his antichrist, a person in the place of God

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The image of a person being great as God or greater than God, sitting in a position of having others worship and praise that person is the very heart of Satan. All ministers are servants, and we are not to be exalted nor worshipped. The entire concept of “antichrist” is defined by what the Christ is. Whatever Jesus is, an antichrist is the opposite. Jesus was humble and meek, so Satan’s ministers are haughty, arrogant, proud, running over the rights and lives of others. Anybody can see this in the ministry of a false prophet. Only true Christian with spiritual fortitude will act on it, leaving that ministry for a good ministry. In my life time, I have seen grown men with families quit a good paying job in order to get under what they thought was a good, beneficial, godly ministry.

Signs and Wonders

The man of perdition (the antichrist) uses the “wow-factor”, signs and wonders. He wants to distract his followers from his lack of the quality character that Jesus sets before us to emulate. He fails miserably at that point. So to distract from that point, he presents miracles, signs, wonders. Things that the false prophet uses to indicate that he is that special envoy from God to his followers.

Salvation is conditioned on love of the Truth

The key element in the above passage, the take-away that every body needs embrace is that salvation only comes from one thing. But that salvation is like a fine diamond, it has many facets but each one makes it what it is. Here, a person is saved because he has decided to love the truth. Without that pressing love for the truth, nobody can be saved. Truth is related to reality. It is the reality that God has created and maintained. God tells us what we need to know through Scripture.

Love (an energetic embracing of something or someone) is a precursor of being saved. God can tell you how to be saved, but if you reject that truth, then there is no work of salvation. This presents another overwhelming point, and a very important point. As a minister of God, the minister has to be a champion of truth. That is, the flag he wars under is truth. He cannot use lies, deceptions, deceit, half-truths, nor anything similar to that. He must deal completely in truth.

It is amazing how much a pastor can lie to his followers, and still they will not question him. They may be disgruntled, but continue on half-heartedly with him.

A False Prophet Threatens, but it doesn’t come to pass

Deuteronomy 18:20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. Deuteronomy 18:21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? Deuteronomy 18:22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

A minister has a unique position among society. In the Old Testament, they were called prophets, but in actuality, they were spokesmen for God, preachers. God threatens humanity with punishment over their sins. In the case of Israel, God promised blessings and punishments depending on whether they obeyed God or not. The entire focus of these threats are spiritual in nature, i.e. like worshipping other gods instead of the true God, Jehovah. With these threats came promises of judgment. This gave these God’s spokesmen great power over the people.

But again, the great difference between a false prophet and a true prophet of God is that the true prophet of God cannot speak anything without it coming from God, being the will of God. They are greatly limited in what they can say. To pass judgment of a sinner, declaring that they are guilty and what their sin would be, is something that only God’s direct revelation can communicate to that preacher.

A True Prophet Builds up, Edifies the Body of Christ

The contrast here is again needed to be stated. The overall effect of a prophet or preachers ministry should be to spiritually edify the church’s members. This is defined as walking closer to God, obeying God’s expressed will through the Scriptures. The individual person will of God for the life of an individual, such as what career they should follow, where they should live, who they should marry, etc. is not expressed universally in Scripture. That is between that individual and God. Bad choices by the person are often seen like when they marry and are divorced.

God gives authority to His ministers to Edify the Body of Christ

2 Corinthians 13:10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Here you see the true reason why God has allowed, yea, commanded that His church has leaders with the authority of God. It is for spiritual edification. The false prophet hijacks this purpose of God to abuse such authority. God never gives authority to a man for tearing down the spiritual lives of others. That event is wholly Satan working.

It is important to be able to see true edification, and what destroys. Haughty arrogance destroys. Humble service and love build up. This test is very important to apply to what you see happening in your church group. You can consistently identify the workers of Satan because even being laymen, they gossip, destroy, tear down, hurt, speak cutting words, have bad attitudes, etc. Those who have a kind word, some good work of service one to another, etc., these are the workers God uses.

1 Corinthians 14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

True edification brings people closer to God. This comforts one another with comradery, the feeling that one is not alone in the trials and tribulations of life. A critical, controlling leader doesn’t promote this in his followers. He wants them lonely and obedient.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Our words are important, the effect that they have on others. We should put a guard, a watch, over what we say so that we say things that edify, that unite together in love, and do not divide and hurt.

Romans 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

We should follow after or collect and concentrate on things that edify our brethren. Notice that the false prophet creates an atmosphere of entertainment, which supposedly edifies himself.

Romans 15:2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

God wants us to love one another. We should have a relationship of pleasing one another in what we can under God’s will. But the mark of a Christian is that he gets along with others in a good fashion. Stubborn and contentious people are the mark of Satan.

In many churches that we would not even think are the ministry of a false prophet, the common element is contentious people fighting among themselves. This is sad. It is not God’s will. If you cannot make your church a loving place, you should change yourself and your church to somewhere that follows God’s will.

Follow the leader, but only as he follows Christ

The false prophet is in the control business. He has “his followers”, i.e. people who follow him. His concept is not to bring his people to following Jesus Christ, but the false prophet himself. This is very important in distinguishing the false prophet from the true prophet.

1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

If he is obsessed with controlling people, why don’t they normally use this verse? I mean the Bible says, Paul says, “be ye followers of me.” What breaks down here for the false prophet? Because just as clearly the desire of Paul was that they follow him as he follows Christ. In other words, as the minister is a good Christian, be like him, and you should presumably see Christ living in him, so that helps rather than trips up a person spiritually.

Hebrews 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

So we get a very helpful clarification here. We can evaluate the correctness of joining and participating in any certain ministry or church (religious group however you want to state it) by looking at its leaders, and see if you see Christ living in them. You should only attend and participate in ministries that have a clear “Christ living in the lives of their leaders.” This principle nocks out the false prophet because he is a hypocrite, an unsaved person really. What more signs or warnings from God do you need to understand this and leave? Search for a place where the leadership is truly humble, meek, servants.

FP: Contrast of True Christ and false christs

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Dagg Manual of Theology (and links to this work in various other formats).
Dagg Manual of Theology (MySword for Android)
Dagg Manual of Theology (theWord Bible Format)
Dagg Manual of Theology (esword format)
Dagg Manual of Theology (PDF Format)

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