Christs, False

False Christs (Greek pseudochristoi) are individuals who would present themselves as the Messiah, whose appearance Jesus warned would accompany and precede the end of the age. In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus cautioned his disciples: Many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and they will lead many astray (Matt. 24:5, 24; Mark 13:6, 21–22). He warned that the signs and wonders performed by false Christs and false prophets would be so convincing as to deceive, if possible, even the elect, and he instructed his followers not to believe claims of a secret location for the returning Christ (Matt. 24:23–26). The warning reflects the heightened messianic expectation of first-century Judaism and the genuine danger of prophetic imposture in a climate of apocalyptic ferment.