For it is written, “And then if any man shall say to you, See, here is Christ; or, see, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.”
This comes about when people are not grounded in sound doctrine, not encouraged to read their Bibles for themselves. and do not have the added necessity of the
Holy Spirit - The Spirit of Truth (John chapters14-17).
History is full of false Christs and many, many people being deceived and most probably never gaining their salvation.
What all the following have in common is the astounding charismatic ability to deceive and betray their followers. [who obviously didn't read Matthew 24]
This is a partial list of notable people who have been claimed, either by themselves or by their followers,
to in some way be the reincarnation of Jesus, or the Second Coming of Christ.
Ann Lee (1736–1784), the founder and leader of the Shakers. Lee's followers referred to her as "Mother," believing that she was the female incarnation of Christ on Earth.
John Nichols Thom (1799–1838), a Cornish tax rebel who claimed to be the "saviour of the world" and the reincarnation of Jesus Christ in 1834.
He was killed by British soldiers at the Battle of Bossenden Wood, on May 31, 1838 in Kent, England.
Arnold Potter (1804–1872), Schismatic Latter Day Saint leader; he claimed the spirit of Jesus Christ entered into his body
and he became "Potter Christ" Son of the living God. He died in an attempt to "ascend into heaven" by jumping off a cliff.
His body was later retrieved and buried by his followers.
William W. Davies (1833–1906), leader of a Latter Day Saint schismatic group called the Kingdom of Heaven located in Walla Walla, Washington from 1867 to 1881.
He taught his followers that he was the archangel Michael, who had previously lived as the biblical Adam, Abraham, and David.
When his son Arthur was born on February 11, 1868, Davies declared that the infant was the reincarnated Jesus Christ.
When Davies's second son, David, was born in 1869, Davies was declared to be God the Father.
Krishna Venta (1911–1958), born Francis Herman Pencovic in San Francisco, founded the WKFL (Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith and Love) Fountain of the World cult
in Simi Valley, California in the late 1940s.
In 1948 he stated that he was Christ, the new messiah and claimed to have led a convoy of rocket ships to Earth from the extinct planet Neophrates.
He died on December 10, 1958 after being suicide bombed by two disgruntled former followers who accused Venta of mishandling cult funds
and having been intimate with their wives.
Jim Jones (1931–1978), founder of Peoples Temple, which started off as an offshoot of a mainstream protestant sect before becoming a personality cult as time went on.
He claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus, Akhenaten, Buddha, Vladimir Lenin, and Father Divine in the 1970s.
Organized a mass murder suicide at Jonestown, Guyana on November 18, 1978. He shot himself after the murders were done.
David Koresh (1959–1993), born Vernon Wayne Howell, was the leader of a Branch Davidian religious sect in Waco, Texas,
though never directly claiming to be Jesus himself, proclaimed that he was the final prophet and "the Son of God, the Lamb" in 1983.
In 1993, a raid by the U.S. BATF, and the subsequent siege by the FBI ended with Branch Davidian ranch burning to the ground. Koresh,
54 adults and 21 children were found dead after the fire extinguished itself.
Apollo Quiboloy (1950–) is the founder and leader of a Philippines-based Restorationist church, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ,
The Name Above Every Name, Inc. He has made claims that he is the "Appointed Son of God."
Alan John Miller (1962–), more commonly known as A.J. Miller, a former Jehovah's Witness elder and current leader of the
Australia-based Divine Truth movement.
Miller claims to be Jesus Christ reincarnated with others in the 20th century to spread messages that he calls the "Divine Truth."
He delivers these messages in seminars and various forms of media along with his current partner Mary Suzanne Luck, who identifies herself as the returned Mary Magdalene.
Divine Truth is a spiritual or new religious movement based in Australia. The church was started in 2007 by spiritual teacher Alan John Miller, also known as A.J.,
who claims to be Jesus of Nazareth through reincarnation. Miller was formerly an elder in the Jehovah's Witnesses and ran a computer business.
In 2007, Miller purchased a 16 hectare property at Wilkesdale, Queensland, Australia. In 2009, Divine Truth followers purchased another 240ha property
with plans to build "learning centres" and a visiting centre for international visitors.
It is estimated that up to 40 more followers have since moved to Wilkesdale which is located near Kingaroy.
Miller's spiritualist teachings about Divine Love, Divine Truth, Spiritual Spheres, The Hells, and the Law of Attraction appear earlier from James E Padgett (1852-1923),
and the prayer for divine love on Miller's website appeared in Padgett's writings in 1916.
And let's not forget the Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormans both starting as special divine revelation cults.
