Mensa Otabil - Counterfeit Christs
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First John chapter 2, verse 18: «Little children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that this is the last hour.» This passage focuses on the last hour and the antichrist. The last hour refers to the time between Jesus’s resurrection, His ascension, and His second coming; this entire period is called the last hour, the final era of human history. John turns his attention to the antichrist, or counterfeit Christ. Jesus, in His earthly ministry, warned that after He had left, many would come claiming to be Christ, as well as claiming to be prophets. He said there would be false christs and false prophets.
An antichrist, therefore, is a counterfeit; it is not a real Christ or a real prophet, but a counterfeit. Sometimes it is difficult to discover, as a counterfeit often looks genuine. It requires an understanding of the features of a specimen to determine whether it is real or not, and often the ordinary person would not know. The same is true in our Christian walk; the ordinary Christian sometimes finds it difficult to distinguish between what is counterfeit and what is real, what is antichrist and what is Christ, what is a prophet of God and what is not. It can be hard to tell the difference, but we can make efforts to discern it.
As a matter of fact, John tells us later in his epistle some things we should look for to discern right from wrong. So, how do you detect a counterfeit? You detect it by knowing the real. You must know the real so well that when you see a counterfeit, you can instinctively tell. The reason why people at the bank can identify counterfeits is that they spend a lot of time with real notes, which allows them to recognize fake ones even before a machine is used.
To know Christ, we must be familiar with what the prophets said about Him in the Old Testament. We have to study Christ in the Gospels: His life, His activities, His words. We must be so acquainted with Him that when we hear words not of Christ, we can easily tell they do not align with Him. When we see actions not of Christ, we can recognize they are not of Him. We can also read the epistles; these were written by those who knew Christ intimately and tell us much more about His nature. This is how we get a clear picture of the real, and the more we know Christ, the easier it is for us to detect the counterfeit.
Knowing the antichrist doesn’t mean you should spend all your time studying it or focusing on demons and devils. Our study of Christ must infinitely supersede our study of demonology; this means we must know Christ far deeper and better than we know anything else. The more you know Him, the easier it is to differentiate the fake from the real. So, spend your time knowing Christ. Read about Him, read His Word, read the Scriptures, and become acquainted with Him so that instinctively, when something is said that does not align with Scripture, you can identify it as not being from the Master. Know the real, and then you can detect the fake.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, help me to know Christ so well that I can tell the difference between truth and falsehood. In Jesus’s name, Amen.» Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.