In every generation, the devil has worked to deceive the body of Christ, and it’s going on today just like in years past.  Let’s have a look at what the Lord Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 24:24-27:
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Mat 24:25 Behold, I have told you before.
Mat 24:26  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
Mat 24:27  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

So then, exactly what does the term “false Christs” mean?  We need to have the definition of “Christ”, and that means “anointed”, that is, “Messiah”.  Do we hear people talking about how “anointed” they are today?  Oh, yeah!  Are they saying “follow me”?  Again, yes.  And many who are seeking God are being led astray every day of the week.  Am I saying I have all the answers?  No, but the Word of God does, and if we are smart, we will invest a major part of our time and attention to studying the Word of God.  Doing so will dramatically reduce the chances of being led astray by the carnal teachings of the day.

One gross error I’ve seen in my years in the ministry is the teachings of how we can somehow live life above trial and temptation, living in the lap of luxury, yet we didn’t see the DISCIPLES who sat at Jesus’ feet every day listening to him living in luxury.  Now before you write me off about this, hear what Jesus said:

Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Mat 10:17  But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
Mat 10:18  And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
Mat 10:19  But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
Mat 10:21  And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Mat 10:23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Mat 10:24  The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Mat 10:25  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Uhh, PERSECUTION?  excuse me while I drive off in my Rolls Royce and go to my million dollar home, that doesn’t sound like anything I want any part of….

Well, somewhere down the line we’ve gotten the attitude that being Jesus suffered for us,  there will be no suffering by us whatsoever, that we who follow Christ Jesus will live in the lap of luxury.  But friends, I don’t see that in the scriptures anywhere, and while there is yet time, many of “God’s people” need to pay heed to these verses in Jude, which says in verses 3-5:
Jud 1:3  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jud 1:4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jud 1:5  I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

Little by little, error has crept into church doctrines until we are no longer hearing the TRUE Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Now don’t get me wrong, I like having nice things just like anyone else, and I’d much rather have abundance than lack.  And I truly believe God wants His children to be blessed.  But what if, I say what if you face persecution for your walk with the LORD, and things just don’t go for you like you’d like, and you face hard times, are you going to walk away from the LORD?  There are those today teaching that if you aren’t rich, you must be out of the will of God, because the disciple John wrote, in 3 John 1:2, Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Yes, John DID write that, I mean, would you expect him to greet people saying, I hope everything goes wrong for you?  You know, “Prosper” isn’t always a dollar sign, yet when people hear the word “prosper” or “Prosperity” they think MONEY!   Prosperity is having what you need when you need it.  If you’re driving out in the middle of nowhere and you get a flat tire, prosperity is having a spare tire to put on, and the means to put it on.  You can have a whole wad of money in your pocket, but if you don’t have a tire, you’re going to walk for a very long walk.

We really need to spend an abundance of time studying the Word of God and get back to what Jesus taught his disciples, and in doing so we will also readily see what he did NOT teach his disciples.  There are many who get led away by “false Christs”, who appeal to people’s carnality, love of money, and lusts of the flesh.  My friends, we are getting closer to the end every day, is there time for your faith to be led to shipwreck and you try to come back from it again?  Hear what the Apostle Paul said:
Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

As one who watches out for your soul, I’m sounding a warning to you: there are many self-appointed “apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers” out there, proclaiming their “ANOINTING”  who are only in the ministry to satisfy their thirst for exercising authority over people, or to talk them out of their money. I’m telling you this because I want you to make the Kingdom of God, to be an “OVERCOMER” according to Revelation 21:7, not to miss out because you’ve been deceived by false Christs and false prophets.  As Jesus said in Matthew 24:4-13,

Mat 24:4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Mat 24:8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Mat 24:9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
Mat 24:10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Mat 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

You may be thinking, “There’s NO WAY I’m going to be deceived.” Well, let me tell you, I pray often asking the LORD that I be not deceived, and I pray for you, too.  I’m not asking you to follow me, saying I’m anointed.  I’m asking you to get in God’s Word daily and make sure you’re seeking HIM and not those who are telling you to please your flesh.  Most of the rich ones in the ministry are rich because they have learned how to talk people out of their money, telling them that if they give to them, God will bless them and make them rich.  So people give, not because they want to serve God, but because they want to be rich.

Jesus was the most anointed person who ever walked this earth, and he could have said, “Give to ME, I’m anointed, give to my ministry, it’s good ground to sow into.” But no, Jesus said “Give to the poor”. Ministers today aren’t telling you to do that, because THEY want your money.  I don’t care about your money.  Yes, it takes money to run any ministry, and much of what it takes to run this ministry comes out of my own pocket.  I’ll tell you what I DO want….I want you to be a disciple of Christ Jesus, who in the end hears, “Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.”    That’s what I want.  But it will never happen if you are led astray by false Christs and false prophets.  Your soul is too precious to be lost.  Invest your life in Christ Jesus, for he invested his life in YOU!  False Christs shall arise: DON’T LISTEN TO THEM!