On the second Saturday of January an emergency missile alert was sent to the citizens of the state of Hawaii, telling them to seek immediate shelter. To convince residents that the alert was real, the alert included a statement that it was not a drill. The state started testing its nuclear warning siren in December to alert residents to impending nuclear missile strikes. The warning siren was the first since the end of the Cold War, and followed threats from the leader of North Korea that missiles in his country were extending their range. Less than an hour later, the alarm was reported as being a false alarm, and it was blamed on an emergency worker hitting the wrong button.
In the Word of God we are warned about individuals who are false prophets, who subject the world to false alarms about the return of Jesus to the earth. Matthew 24:24 says that “there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect of God.” Jesus said in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
A notorious cult leader of the People’s Temple led more than 900 followers in a mass-suicide using cyanide-laced punch in Guyana, South America. He claimed himself to be the messiah and promised his followers’ paradise if the followed him. On November 18, 1978, he led over 900 men, women, and children to their death.
Another cult leader named David Koresh led a group called the Branch Davidians in a deadly 51-day standoff against the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. He and his followers built what they called an “Army of God” by stockpiling weapons in preparation for the apocalypse. Their compound in Waco, Texas, was raided February 28, 1993, and the standoff ended when Koresh shot himself.
These are but two of dozens of individuals who claimed to be the Messiah or a prophet of God, but they all were fakes and were guilty of sounding false alarms and making false promises. This has been the case for hundreds of years, and not just in our lifetime. Unfortunately, these individuals often prey on those who are uninformed, and who are overlooked by society.
This is why it is so important for people to be informed about the Scriptures so false prophets and individuals falsely claiming to be a messiah cannot take advantage. We cannot depend on others telling us what the Scriptures teach, but we need to study them for ourselves. The apostle Paul wrote about this in Acts 17 when he said that “the Bereans were nobler than the people of Thessalonica because they receive the Word of God with readiness of mind, and they searched the Scriptures daily to see whether the things he preached were so.”
Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville. Everyone is welcome to attend. For information, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.
