Matthew 24:23 (ESV), “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.”

Today, like never before, we are seeing the meteoric rise of people claiming to be Jesus (or His equal). Some of these deceivers have followers that number in the millions and others have just a handful of believers. Though all their claims to deity may differ in some ways they all have something in common- they are fulfilling one of Jesus’ prophetic signs of the end times!

Jesus said in Matthew 24:24-26 (ESV), “24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

I have witnessed many weak attempts for false christs (messiahs) to avoid acknowledging Jesus’ warning.[1] But no matter their excuses Jesus clearly states when He comes back He will not need TV, radio, or anything else to tell of His coming. The whole world will see it like lightening coming from the east to the west!

Apollo Quiboloy’s deception is growing today more than most false christs because he has more false signs and wonders. For example, he claims that his private jet is a “sign” of the Almighty Father’s blessings so anyone (especially local poor villagers) looking for a sign of God’s blessing can easily be deceived. Also, he likes to point to the fast growing nature of his kingdom as a “sign” of the end time harvest so people who believe that the bigger something is means the better it is will be deceived.

Is Apollo alone or unique in his claims to being the Son of God? Certainly not! He is just one among many false christs who have given false signs and wonders to deceive people into following their lies. [2] For example, look at the list below to learn about some of Apollo’s false christ competitors:

  • Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda (The Man Christ Jesus): Jose, also known as, “Jesus from Puerto Rico,” claimed he was the second coming of Jesus assigned by the Father to proclaim the message of grace. He adopted the biblical number of the anti-christ and began having his followers tattoo “666” all over their bodies. At the height of his “reign” he owned a TV station and claimed to have 2 million followers in 30 countries. However, he recently died in 2013 and his widow now claims she is the Archangel Michael!
  • Sun Myong Moon & Hak Ja Han (The True Parents of Mankind): Sun claimed that Jesus appeared to him in South Korea and asked him to finish the work He left unfinished at the cross. He and his wife started the Unification Church (also known as the, “Moonies”) and began to hold mass weddings ceremonies all over the world to populate the new kingdom with their “children.” Sun died in 2012 and now his wife continues the work as the “True Mother.” They have churches all over the world, claim three million followers, and have billions of dollars from their church owned businesses.
  • Visssarion (The Reincarnation of Jesus): Russian born Sergey Torop claims that in 1990 he had a vision that revealed to him he was Jesus reincarnated. Today he lives on a commune with around 10,000 of his followers, practices veganism & mediation, and teaches what he calls, “The Last Testament.”
  • Ahn Sahng-hong & Jang Gil-ja (World Mission Society Church of God): Based in South Korea Ahn was believed to be the second coming of Jesus and after his death in 1985 was claimed to have ascended into heaven. Afterward, Jang (not related to Ahn) proclaimed herself to be Jesus’ divine bride, the “Mother God.” Now today “Mother God” leads the church with over 1.75 million members in 150 countries with 2,200 churches. The group mixes laws of the Old Testament with “Mother’s” teachings.
  • Other Notable False Christs Still Alive: Inri Cristo (Brazil), Wayne Bent (U.S.), & Alan Miller (Australia).

God have mercy! It is deeply grieving for me to see so much deception upon the earth today. I wish I could get all these groups together and have them see how much they have in common so hopefully they would understand the deception that they are in. However, pride always makes it is easier to recognize the error in other’s people lives than our own. Therefore, I pray that we as true disciples of Christ can help them see the light of God’s Word and return to the real Jesus!

The truth is most of their followers come from Christian backgrounds either being Protestant or Roman Catholic. But because like most churchgoers today they weren’t trained in the Word of God they were not able to resist the deceptive tactics used by the false christs. In other words, they “put up” with the false Jesus instead of “putting them out” of their lives. Paul said the people of Corinth had this same very problem. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:4, “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.”

Dear friends, let us also hear the warning of the apostle John so that we will strive to know the true Son of God and stay away from idols- no matter who’s image they are in. 1 John 5:20-21 states, “20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”

Apollo Quiboloy is an idolater because he worships himself and whoever places their hope in him is likewise an idol worshipper. He is also a liar and so is anyone who teaches his false doctrines. Therefore, both Apollo and all the Kingdom Citizens will suffer the same fate in the lake of fire unless they repent and come to know the one and only Son of God! Heed the words of Revelation 21:8, “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Summarized

  1. Apollo is just one among many false christ and prophets who are being used by the devil to fulfill Jesus’ prophecies concerning the end times.
  2. If people who believe in Apollo Quiboloy would honestly consider all the other false christs they would see how much he has in common with them; for example, “finishing Jesus’ work,” “redefining the second coming of Christ,” “claiming radical devotion to the false leader for salvation,” “making millions of dollars and establishing super centers,” and many more…
  3. Worship and faith in Apollo Quiboloy is the sin of idolatry and everyone will be punished who follows him, Revelation 21:8.

For Further Study on Cults & Antichrists

  1. “Kingdom of the Cults” by Walter Martin.
  2. “Religious Groups,” at the “CARM” website, “Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry,” found online at, http://carm.org/religious-groups

 

[1] Some false christs say, “I don’t perform any signs in the form of miracles as my proof so how could I be this kind of person?” However, the Bible considers a “sign” anything that points to God’s work on the earth. Also, note that Jesus is stating that the greatness of the false signs/wonders affects the level of deception. In other words, by the time the last false christ comes- the Anti-Christ, he will deceive the entire world, Revelation 13:13-14! At the same time, Jesus doesn’t say there is just “one false christ” and “one false prophet,” but rather in the end times He states that there will be plural (many) false christs and prophets.

[2] There may be different teachings and less important claims each false christ makes but I am addressing the very nature of their shared claim- to be God in the flesh.