Glen H at Pot and Torch Apologetics has a thorough article on an anti-Christ whose real name is Vissarion. (link) He is a Russian man who has gained a cult following in a fairly remote part of eastern Russia.
Let me ask the reader a question. How in the world could we tell if this man really is the Messiah returned a second time? Would we simply go to him and believe what he says because he claims to speak the Word of God?
I hope no one would be so foolish. There are, however, those who read this blog who accept what their churches have to say as though that were God's Word. Their churches don't claim to be the second coming of Christ, but they do insist that their doctrines cannot be tested by individuals on the basis of Scripture.
By comparison to Vissarion (and he is not the only man claiming to be Jesus and gathering a following after himself), we can see the need for Scripture. It is Scripture to which we turn to know whether this man is the Messiah or an Anti-Christ. It's the same way we test the claims of any teacher and of whole churches of teachers.
We start from what we know to be the Word of God, and go from there. I hope, dear readers, that you will do the same. Most error is not as obvious as a man pretending to be Jesus. More often in comes in more subtle forms. The way to root it out is by searching the Scriptures.
To the glory of God, and the vindication of His truth,
-TurretinFan
Monday, August 04, 2008
1 comment:
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Of course, the very folks you're alluding to ALSO are following a dude who claims to be Christ.
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