*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_
 
Saturday 14th March 2026

BEWARE OF FALSE CHRISTS

Scripture Reading: 1 John 2
 
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 1 John 2:18
 
John turns his attention to counterfeit Christs – antichrists. Jesus warned that after His earthly ministry, there would be false Christs who would seek to turn the hearts of His followers from Him. A counterfeit appears to be the real thing but is actually very different from the genuine article.
 
Often, counterfeit money notes are discovered when an unsuspecting consumer tries to use one, not realising that the money is, in fact, worthless. Usually, the differences between real and counterfeit currency are so subtle that only experts can tell them apart.
 
To know the difference between a counterfeit and the real, we must know the real very well. It is only when we really know the real that we can detect that which is not real. It is then that the counterfeit becomes obvious, the moment we are presented with it.
 
The Christian must invest his or her time in knowing Christ. We must pay attention to who Jesus is and what He said. The gospels give us a clear picture of our Lord. They tell us about how He lived, what He taught and what He did. In the Epistles of the New Testament – such as those of John - we get further clarity on who Christ is. In the Old Testament, we see what the old prophecies said about the Messiah. Together, all of these show us who the real Jesus is.
 
When we become experts on the biblical Jesus Christ, we can tell the differences between what is really of God and what is not. This is our insurance and safeguard against the deception of counterfeit Christs.
 
The scriptures exhort us not to be ignorant of the devil’s devices. However, we should not focus all our attention on the devil and pay little attention to Christ. Our Christology must supersede our demonology.
 
Knowing the real Jesus makes it easy for us to spot the fake.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help me to know Christ so well that I can tell the difference between truth and falsehood. In Jesus’ name, Amen.