Question: When I hear you testify that the Lord has returned, I am very happy and eager to hear more so as to reunite with the Lord. However, considering the pastor often says that false Christs will appear in the last days, I am afraid of being deceived and thus dare not listen. What should I do?
The question raised by this friend is very realistic and practical. But have we ever considered this? Though the Lord Jesus predicted that false Christs would appear to deceive people in the last days, He also clearly told us that He would come again. If we are constantly on our guard and refuse to seek and investigate, can we welcome the Lord’s return? Won’t it be easy for us to close the door on the Lord’s return? So the most important thing now is to learn to distinguish between the true Christ and false Christs. Only by doing so can we avoid being deceived by false Christs and welcome the Lord’s return.
How can we discern the true Christ from false ones? It is mainly based on the principle that Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God’s word says, “It is not difficult to inquire into such a thing, but it requires each of us to know this one truth: He who is God incarnate shall possess the essence of God, and He who is God incarnate shall possess the expression of God. Since God becomes flesh, He shall bring forth the work He intends to do, and since God becomes flesh, He shall express what He is, and shall be able to bring the truth to man, bestow life upon him, and point the way for him. Flesh that does not have the essence of God is decidedly not the incarnate God; of this there is no doubt. If man intends to inquire into whether it is God’s incarnate flesh, then he must corroborate this from the disposition He expresses and the words He speaks. Which is to say, to corroborate whether or not it is God’s incarnate flesh, and whether or not it is the true way, one must discriminate on the basis of His essence. And so, in determining whether it is the flesh of God incarnate, the key lies in His essence (His work, His utterances, His disposition, and many other aspects), rather than external appearance. If man scrutinizes only His external appearance, and as a result overlooks His essence, this shows that man is benighted and ignorant.”
From the words of God, we understand that Christ is the embodiment of the Spirit of God. He is possessed of divine essence, God’s disposition, and all that God has and is. Christ can express the truth to shepherd and provide for man at any time and in any place, and only Christ can perform the work of saving mankind. Just as the Lord Jesus, He was able to bring man the way of repentance and express the truth to provide for people at any time and in any place. False Christs, on the other hand, are in essence evil spirits. False Christs are utterly without the truth, much less are they capable of expressing the truth. They can only misinterpret the Bible or display signs and wonders to deceive people. Therefore, the One who can express the truth is Christ, and those who can show signs and wonders but cannot express the truth are not Christ. Based on this, we will be able to distinguish between the true Christ and false Christs. Thus, when we hear someone testify that the Lord has returned, as long as we see whether He can express the truth and show man the way, we will be able to determine whether He is the returned Lord Jesus.
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