Was the prophecy of false Christs really fulfilled in the first century?

Instead of my usual quoting of the passages to be looked at, I’m copying the table from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE VOL 3 by John Calvin (1555). I’ve added the column with the Shem-Tov Matthew, which probably predates the other versions.

Concerning the Bible translation, William Tyndale’s New Testament first appeared in 1526, so Calvin may have had a copy of that. The Geneva Bible NT was first published in 1557 (dates from biblegateway.com), and, this translation isn’t anything like the Geneva translation. So, either Calvin translated it himself, or, because this is a modern version of Calvin, maybe someone added this translation (or even the chart itself) later.

MATTHEW 24:3-5	SHEM-TOV MATTHEW 24:3-51	MARK 13:3-6	LUKE 21:7-8
3. And while he was sitting on the mountain of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? and what is the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?	3. And while he was sitting on the mountain of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? and what is the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?	3. And while he was sitting on the mountain of Olives, opposite to the temple, Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, asked him privately, 4. Tell us, when will these things be, and what is the sign when all these things shall be accomplished?	7. And they asked him, saying, Master, when shall these things be? and what is the sign when those things shall begin to take place?
4. And Jesus answering said to them, Take heed that no man deceive you.	4. Jesus answered them: beware lest anyone should lead you astray,	5. And Jesus answering began to say to them, Take heed that no man deceive you.	8. And he said, Take heed that you be not deceived;
5. For many will come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and will deceive many.	5. because many will come in my name saying: I am the Messiah, and they will lead you astray.	6. For many will come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and will deceive many.	for many will come in my name, saying, It is I; and the time approaches: do not therefore follow them.

1. translated by George Howard ↩︎

I just want to point out that in Hebrew Matthew, Jesus doesn’t say that “many” or “a lot” of people will be led astray, He says “you”, meaning the disciples (and us…).

“Verily I say to you. As the vast size and wealth of the temple, like a veil hung before the eyes of the disciples, did not permit them to elevate their faith to the true reign of Christ, which was still future, so he affirms with an oath, that those things which occupy their attention will quickly perish. This prediction of the destruction of the temple, therefore, opened up a path for the ignorant and weak. Now, though it was advantageous that the temple should be destroyed, lest its services and shadows might exercise an undue influence on the Jews, who were already too much attached to earthly elements, yet the chief reason was, that God determined, by this dreadful example, to take vengeance on that nation, for having rejected his Son, and despised the grace which was brought by him. And, therefore, this threatening must have intimidated the disciples from taking part with a rebellious people; as the punishments which Scripture denounces against the wicked ought now to deter us from those crimes which provoke the wrath of God. Every thing that it tells us, even about the fading and transitory aspect of the world, ought to correct the vanity of our senses, which too eagerly follow pomp, and luxury, and pleasure. But more especially, what it declares respecting the fearful destruction of Antichrist and his followers, ought to remove every obstacle which hinders us from pursuing the right course of faith.”

I agree with Calvin’s point that the destruction of the Temple opened the way for “the ignorant and weak.” I don’t agree that it “intimidated the disciples from taking part with a rebellious people.” While the disciples were in hiding after the crucifixion, there is no hint that they were looking to re-enter “rebellious” society. It seemed more likely that they were afraid and  just didn’t know what to do next.

“And while he was sitting. Mark mentions four disciples, Peter, James, John, and Andrew But neither he nor Luke states the matter so fully as Matthew; for they only say that the disciples inquired about the time of the destruction of the temple, and — as it was a thing difficult to be believed — what outward sign of it God would give from heaven. Matthew tells us that they inquired about the time of Christ’s coming, and of the end of the world. But it must be observed that, having believed from their infancy that the temple would stand till the end of time, and having this opinion deeply rooted in their minds, they did not suppose that, while the building of the world stood, the temple could fall to ruins. Accordingly, as soon as Christ said that the temple would be destroyed, their thoughts immediately turned to the end of the world; and—as one error leads to another—having been convinced that, as soon as the reign of Christ should commence, they would be in every respect happy, they leave warfare out of the account, and fly all at once to a triumph. They associate the coming of Christ and the end of the world as things inseparable from each other; and by the end of the world they mean the restoration of all things, so that nothing may be wanting to complete the happiness of the godly.”

I’m not convinced that all the Jews of the first century thought that the fall of the Temple meant the end of the world. I can believe that some thought that, but not all. This was not the first Temple after all, it was a rebuilt second Temple.

I do buy the idea that the disciples left “warfare out of the account, and fly at once to a triumph.” Calvin is right that people in general tend to overlook the work that must go into something before the results can be realized.

“We now perceive that they leap at once to various questions, because they had given way to these foolish imaginations, that the temple could not fall without shaking the whole world; that the termination of the shadows of the Law, and of the whole world, would be the same; that it would be immediately followed by the exhibition of the glory of Christ’s kingdom, which would make the children of God perfectly happy; that a visible renovation of the world was at hand, which would instantly bring order out of a state of confusion. But above all, a foolish hope which they entertained, as to the immediate reign of Christ, drove them to hasten to the attainment of happiness and rest, without attending to the means. Just as, when they see that Christ is risen from the dead, (Acts 1:6) they rush forward to grasp at that happiness, which is laid up for us in heaven, and which must be attained through faith and patience. 

When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?     (Acts 1:6; KJV)

“Now though our condition is different, because we have not been educated among the shadows of the Law, so as to be infatuated by that superstition of an earthly kingdom of Christ, yet scarcely one person in a hundred is to be found who does not labor under a very similar disease. For since all men naturally shrink from annoyances, combats, and every kind of cross, the dislike of these things urges them, without moderation and without hope, to rush forward unseasonably to the fruit of hope. Thus no man wishes to sow the seed, but all wish to reap the harvest before the season arrives. To return to the disciples, they had indeed formed in their minds some good seed of faith, but they do not wait till it arrive at maturity; and holding, at the same time, erroneous views, they confound the perfection of Christ’s reign with the commencement of it, and wish to enjoy on earth what they ought to seek for in heaven. 

“And Jesus answering said to them. They received an answer very different from what they had expected; for whereas they were eager for a triumph, as if they had already finished their warfare, Christ exhorts them to long patience. As if he had said, ‘You wish to seize the prize at the very outset, but you must first finish the course. You would draw down to earth the kingdom of God, which no man can obtain till he ascend to heaven.’ Now while this chapter contains admonitions highly useful for regulating the course of our life, we see that, by a wonderful purpose of God, the mistake into which the apostles fell is made to turn to our advantage. The amount of the present instruction is, that the preaching of the Gospel is like sowing the seed, and therefore we ought to wait patiently for the time of reaping; and that it arises from improper delicacy or effeminacy, if we lose courage on account of the frost, or snow, or clouds of winter or other unpleasant seasons.”

I’ve often thought that the weaknesses of the followers were specifically planned by God so that Jesus, and later Paul, could explain things to benefit later generations.

I get a chuckle reading about “improper delicacy or effeminacy” in today’s world. Today, everything seems like an “unpleasant season” to someone.

“Take heed lest any man deceive you. There are two charges which Christ expressly gives to the disciples, to beware of false teachers, and not to be terrified by scandals. By these words he gives warning that his Church, so long as its pilgrimage in the world shall last, will be exposed to these evils. But they might be apt to think that this was inconsistent, since the prophets gave a widely different description of the future reign of Christ. Isaiah predicts that all will then be taught of God (54:13). The words of God are: 

“I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy;
your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams, (Joel 2:28) 

And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.    (Isaiah 54:13; KJV)

“A still more abundant light of understanding is promised by Jeremiah.
No longer shall any man teach his neighbor, nor a man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for all shall know me from the least to the greatest, (Jeremiah 31:34)

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.      (Jeremiah 31:34; KJV)

“And, therefore, we need not wonder if the Jews expected, that when the Sun of righteousness had arisen, as Malachi (4:2) had predicted, they would be entirely free from every cloud of error. 

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.     (Malachi 4:2; KJV)

“Hence, also, the woman of Samaria said, When the Messiah cometh, he will teach us all things (John 4:25).

“Now we know what splendid promises of peace, righteousness, joy, and abundance of all blessings, are to be found everywhere in Scripture. We need not, therefore, wonder if they expected that, at the coming of Christ, they would be delivered from commotions of war, from extortions and every kind of injustice, and, in short, from famine and pestilence. 

“But Christ warns them, that false teachers will henceforth give no less annoyance to the godly than false prophets gave to the ancient people; and that disturbances will be not less frequent under the Gospel than they formerly were under the Law. Not that those prophecies which I have just mentioned will fail to be accomplished, but because the full accomplishment of them does not immediately appear in one day; for it is enough that believers now obtain a taste of those blessings, so as to cherish the hope of the full enjoyment of them at a future period…It is true that the Lord, in contending with the malice of men, opens up a way for his blessings through every obstacle; and, indeed, it would be unreasonable to suppose that what is founded on the undeserved goodness of God, and does not depend on the will of man, should be set aside through their fault.

“Yet, that they may receive some punishment for their ingratitude he drops upon them in small measure his favors, which would otherwise flow on them in the richest abundance. Hence arises a labyrinth of evils, through which believers wander all their life, though they are pursuing the straight road to salvation, having Christ for their guide, who holds out to them the torch of his Gospel. Hence arises a multitude of combats, so that they have a hard warfare, though there is no danger of their being vanquished…And since Christ enjoins his disciples to beware of impostures, let us know that the means of defense will not be wanting, provided that they are not wanting to themselves. And therefore, whatever arts Satan may employ, let us entertain no doubt that we shall be safe from them, if every one of us keep diligent watch on his own station.”

A pretty powerful pair of paragraphs.

“For many shall come in my name. He does not as yet speak generally of false and perverse doctrines, but refers to one class which was sort of introduction to all errors, by which Satan has attempted, in various ways, to corrupt the pure doctrine of the Gospel. For shortly after Christ’s resurrection, there arose impostors, every one of whom professed to be the Christ. And as the true Redeemer had not only been removed from the world, but oppressed by the ignominy of the cross, and yet the minds of all were excited by the hope and inflamed with the desire of redemption, those men had in their power a plausible opportunity of deceiving. Nor can it be doubted, that God permitted such reveries to impose on the Jews, who had so basely rejected his Son. Though those mad attempts speedily disappeared, yet God determined that disturbances of this kind should arise among the Jews; first, that they might be exposed to infamy and hatred; secondly, that they might altogether abandon the hope of salvation; and, lastly, that having been so frequently disappointed, they might rush to their destruction with brutal stupidity. For when the world turned away from the Son of God, to whom it belonged to collect them into holy union, it was right that it should be driven hither and thither by tempests; and by the same vengeance of God it was brought about, that more were carried away by a foolish credulity, than were brought by a right faith to obey God. This circumstance, too, was expressly stated by Christ, that believers might not faint at perceiving the crowd of madmen; for we know how prone we are to follow a multitude, especially when we are few in number.      (from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE VOL 3, by John Calvin, 1555)

Well, I was really enjoying Calvin until the last paragraph. He let his anti-semitism take over and ruined the whole vibe. Yes, the destruction of the Temple has been seen as a judgment, but Calvin takes it way too far in suggesting that they should “abandon the hope of salvation” and “rush to their destruction with brutal stupidity”.

“Verse 3. Came unto him privately, saying] Because it was dangerous to speak publicly of the destruction of the Temple, as the examples of Jeremy and Steven show…”

Jeremy? I’m wondering if he meant “Jeremiah”, in which case he perhaps should have said “Jeremy and Stevie.”  An internet search yields no reference to a “Jeremy” that would match this author’s idea.

“The sign of thy coming] viz. To destroy the temple.”

Obviously, the destruction of the Temple was not a sign of Jesus’ coming.

“And the end of the world] Which they thought could not possibly out-last the Temple. As they were wont to say in the Primitive Church: The world could not stand if Gods people did not stand before him in prayer…”

Standing before God in prayer has little to do with churches or temples since the Resurrection of Christ.

“Verse 4. Take heed that no man deceive you] Try the spirits, and turn from false doctrines, as you would do from a serpent in your way, or from poison in your meats. Deceivers are sly and subtle, and that old serpent, more subtle then them all, catches the deceived by the deceiver, as the fisher doth one fish by another, that he may make a prey of them both…”

Great analogy!

“Verse 5. Shall come in my name] Or, under my name, saying I am Christ, as Thenden the Egyptian, Judai the Galilean…Barchocab and others of old, who were miserably slain by the Roman. So one Moore, in K. Edward the sixths time, took upon him to be Christ: so did Hacket in Q. Elizabeths time, David George likewise and others in Germany: that I say nothing here of Papists, who desperately deny the Lord that bought them, and wickedly set up Antichrist in his stead (as were easy to prove,) who opposes him not so much in his nature or person, as in his unction and function, and thence also hath his name.”

Methinks that the author is calling the Pope the Antichrist. Obviously the author didn’t understand much of Revelation, which would have been very difficult to do in his time period.

“Verse 6. See that you be not troubled] Or frighted, as soldiers are by sudden alarm….”        (from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPELS & ACTS, by John Trapp, 1657)

Generally I enjoy reading John Trapp, but this group of quotes was tied to too many tropes of his time. His fisherman analogy was pretty good though. 

“Verse 4. Take heed that no man deceive you.]  The world is full of deceivers, and it is only by taking heed to the counsel of Christ that even his followers can escape being ruined by them…

“Verse 5. For many shall come in my name] 1. Josephus says, (War, b. ii.c. 13,) that there were many who, pretending to Divine inspiration, deceived the people, leading out numbers of them to the desert, pretending that God would there show them the signs of liberty, meaning redemption from the Roman power; and that an Egyptian false prophet led 30,000 men into the desert, who were almost all cut off by Felix. See Acts xxi. 38. 

Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days modest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?    (Acts 21:38; KJV)

(I found a pdf of the works of Josephus, but the reference here doesn’t fit that copy of it.)

“It was a just judgment for God to deliver up that people into the hands of false Christs who had rejected the true one. Soon after our Lord’s crucifixion, Simon Magus appeared, and persuaded the people of Samaria that he was the great power of God, Acts viii. 9,10; and boasted among the Jews that he was the son of God.

⁹But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: ¹⁰To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.    (Acts 8:9-10; KJV)

“2. Of the same stamp and character was also Dositheus, the Samaritan, who pretended that he was the Christ foretold by Moses.

“3. About twelve years after the death of our Lord, when Cuspius Fadus was procurator of Judea, arose an impostor of the name of Theudas, who said he was a prophet, and persuaded a great multitude to follow him with their best effects to the river Jordan, which he promised to divide for their passage; and saying these things, says Josephus, he deceived many: almost the very words of our Lord.

“4. A few years afterwards, under the reign of Nero, while Felix was procurator of Judea, impostors of this stamp were so frequent that some were taken and killed almost every day.  Jos. Ant. b. xx. x. 4. and 7.”     [from NEW TESTAMENT, VOL 1, MATTHEW TO ACTS, by Adam Clarke, 1846]

So, more accounts of false Christs.

“3 And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the Disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the World ? 

“As already intimated, this was a twofold question; and twofold, in like manner, was the answer. Unless this be attended to, all that follows will seem hopelessly confused, —having reference, now, to the Fall of the City; now, to the End of the World…On all this it has been well remarked, ‘These eager inquirers, not understanding things to come, knew not even how to ask information about them, with that distinctness of thought and meaning which we learn from looking back upon the history. Through ignorance, they coupled together two questions really quite distinct. In truth, it must have seemed very strange to them, Jews as they were, and expecting the Kingdom of Heaven as the glory of God’s people Israel, to hear of the magnificent and costly buildings of the Temple being thrown down…For if Jerusalem was to be destroyed, they knew not how to think where the Kingdom of God was to be, or how the prophecies of its glories were to be fulfilled. Nothing less than the End of the World, it seemed to them, could be the occasion of such an overthrow. So they asked at once about the destruction of the earthly Jerusalem, and the final coming of our Lord at the end of the World.’

“And yet, ‘in this their ignorance or confusion of thought,” (remarks a pious writer,) “they were still wiser than the most learned: for they seem to have gathered from some of our Lord’s sayings that there was some intimate connection between the two events; though how to separate the type from the antitype, the lesser from the more full accomplishment, they knew not. Thus did they, in their ignorance, as babes, surpass the wisdom of the wise.’”        [from A PLAIN COMMENTARY ON THE FOUR HOLY GOSPELS, VOL 1 — MATTHEW, MARK, by John William Burgon, 1855]

Burgon speaks so tenderly of the disciples, “as babes.” While it’s more than a bit patronizing, I prefer it to the usual sneer when 17th to 19th century writers speak of the Jews.

“The first general lesson before us is a warning against deception: The very first words of the discourse are “Take heed that no man deceive you.” 

“A more needful warning than this cannot be conceived. Satan knows well the value of prophecy, and has always labored to bring the subject into contempt. How many false Christs and false prophets arose before the destruction of Jerusalem, the works of Josephus abundantly prove. In how many ways the eyes of man are continually blinded in the present day, as to things to come, it might easily be shown. Irvingism [part of the Apostolic movement] and Mormonism have been only too successfully used as arguments for rejecting the whole doctrine of the second advent of Christ. Let us watch, and be on our guard. 

“Let no one deceive us as to the leading facts of unfulfilled prophecy, by telling us they are impossible; or as to the manner in which they will be brought to pass, by telling us it is improbable, and contrary to past experience. Let no one deceive us as to the time when unfulfilled prophecies will be accomplished, either by fixing dates on the one hand or bidding us wait for the conversion of the world on the other. On all these points let the plain meaning of Scripture be our only guide, and not the human interpretations of men. Let us not be ashamed to say that we expect a literal fulfillment of unfulfilled prophecy. Let us frankly allow that there are many things we do not understand, but still hold our ground tenaciously—believe much, wait long—and not doubt that all will one day be made clear. Above all, let us remember that the first coming of messiah to suffer was the most improbable event that could have been conceived, and let us not doubt that as he literally came in person to suffer, so he will literally come again in person to reign.”     [from EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS ON MATTHEW, by J. C. Ryle, 1856]

AMEN!

We’ll move into the 20th century in the next post, but, before we do, let’s peruse a list put together from a couple of Wikipedia lists regarding current contenders for the title “Messiah”.  Of the 19th century authors, most of them spoke of the men who claimed to be Christ after the death of Jesus as being many in number and, at least implying, that they totally fulfilled this prophecy of false Messiahs. I doubt seriously that the following lists are thorough or complete, but mostly they are made up of those who have attracted a certain amount of attention. You’ll notice that the number has been rising:

PEOPLE WHO CLAIM(ED) TO BE JESUS OR MESSIAH OR BOTH

Rhys Evans (1607-1660)	Kondratiy Selivanov (~1730’s-1832)	Ann Lee (1736-1784
John Nicols Thom (1799-1838)	Arnold Potter (1804-1872	Baha’u’llah (1817-1892)
William W. Davies (1833-1906)	Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908)	Cyrus Teed (1839-1908)
Carl Browne (1849-1914)	John Hugh Smyth-Pigott (1852-1927)	Oscar Bernhardt (1875-1941)
George Baker (~1880-1965)	Haile Selassie (1892-1975)	Lou de Palinboer (1898-1968)
Andre Matsoua (1899-1942)	Ernest Norman (1904-1971)	Krishna Venta (1911-1958)
Jesu Oyingbo (1915-1988)	Victor Rodriguez (1917-1977)	Ahn Sahng-hong (1918-1985)
Sun Myung Moon (1920-2012)	Evelyn Grace Edwards (1921-2019)	Cho Hee-seung (1931-2004)
Jim Jones (1931-1978)	Marshall Applewhite (1931-1997)	Charles Manson (1934-2017)
Hulon Mitchell, Jr (1935-2007)	Laszlo Toth (1938- )	Wayne Bent (1941- )
Ariffin Mohammed (1943-2016)	Mitsuo Matayoshi (1944-2018)	Iesu Matayoshi (1944-2018)
Tony Quinn (1944- )	Hogen Fukunaga (1945- )	Jung Myung-seok (1945- )
Jose Luis de Jesus (1946-2013)	Claude Vorilhon (1946- )	Inri Cristo (1948- )
Thomas Provenzano (1949-2000)	Apollo Quiboloy (1950- )	David Icke (1952- )
Brian David Mitchell (1953- )	Hasan Mezarcı (1954- )	Shoko Asahara (1955-2018)
Ante Pavlovic (1957-2020)	Vernon Howell (David Koresh) (1959-1993)	Marina Tsvigun (1960- )
Mehmet Ali Agca (1959- )	Maria Devi Christos (1960- )	Sergey Torop (1961- )
Alan John Miller (1962- )	Alan John Miller (1962- )	David Shayler (1965- )
Maurice Clemmons (1972-2009)	Todd Kincannon (1981- )	Oscar Ortega-Hernandez (1990- )
Gabbie Hanna (1991- )	Ezra Miller (1992- )	Jey Renee Quilario (2000- )