Matthew 24:5
in Matthew 24For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray.
KJV
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
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This verse in Matthew 24
Commentary
15 notes on this verse(Verse 5.) For many will come in my name, saying: I am the Christ, and they will deceive many. One of them is Simon the Samaritan, whom we read about in the Acts of the Apostles, who claimed to be a great power of God (Acts 8). Leaving these things aside, he also wrote among other things in his own volumes: I am the word of God, I am beautiful, I am the Paraclete, I am omnipotent, I am all things of God.
This site's exposition
that no one deceives you
on Matthew 24:4-5
Jesus opens his answer with a warning, "See to it that no one deceives you," before he names any sign. The danger he names is a claimed identity, since many will come in his name and say, "I am the Christ". Josephus records such figures before AD 70.
This site's exposition
many will come in My name
Jerome names Simon the Samaritan of Acts 8 as one of these, a man who claimed to be a great power of God. Adam Clarke adds the Egyptian of Acts 21:38, who led thirty thousand men into the desert. Each borrowed a title belonging to Christ.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
They that are deceived are many, because wide is the gate that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. (Mat. 7:13.) This one thing is enough to detect the Antichrists and seducers that they shall say, I am Christ, which Christ Himself is no where read to have said: for the works of God, and the word which He taught, and His power, were enough to produce belief that He is Christ. For every discourse which professes to expound Scripture faithfully, and has not the truth, is Antichrist. For the truth is Christ, that which feigns itself to be the truth is Antichrist. So also all virtues are Christ, all that feigns itself to be virtue is Antichrist; for Christ has in Himself in truth all manner of good for the edification of men, but the devil has forged resemblances of the same for the deceiving of the saints. We have need therefore of God to help us, that none deceive us, neither word nor power. It is a bad thing to find any one erring in his course of life; but I esteem it much worse not to think according to the most true rule of Scripture.
And because the questions of the disciples are threefold, they are separated by different times and meanings. That concerning the destruction of the city is first answered, and is then confirmed by truth of doctrine, that no seducer might prevail with the ignorant.
A commentator
Apostolic ConstitutionsApostolic Constitutions (Book VII), Section 2, XXXII · Written before 380.
proposed
For in the last days false prophets shall be multiplied, and such as corrupt the word; and the sheep shall be changed into wolves, and love into hatred: for through the abounding of iniquity the love of many shall wax cold. For men shall hate, and persecute, and betray one another. And then shall appear the deceiver of the world, the enemy of the truth, the prince of lies, [2 Thessalonians 2:3-12] whom the Lord Jesus "shall destroy with the spirit of His mouth, who takes away the wicked with His lips; and many shall be offended at Him. But they that endure to the end, the same shall be saved. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven;" [Isaiah 11:4; Matthew 24:1-51] and afterwards shall be the voice of a trumpet by the archangel; and in that interval shall be the revival of those that were asleep. And then shall the Lord come, and all His saints with Him, with a great concussion above the clouds, with the angels of His power, [Matthew 16:27] in the throne of His kingdom, to condemn the devil, the deceiver of the world, and to render to every one according to his deeds. "Then shall the wicked go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous shall go into life eternal," [Matthew 25:46] to inherit those things "which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, such things as God has prepared for them that love Him;" [1 Corinthians 2:9] and they shall rejoice in the kingdom of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
Watch for your life's sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour in which our Lord cometh. But often shall ye come together, seeking the things which are befitting to your souls: for the whole time of your faith will not profit you, if ye be not made perfect in the last time. For in the last days false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate; for when lawlessness increaseth, they shall hate and persecute and betray one another, and then shall appear the world-deceiver as Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands, and he shall do iniquitous things which have never yet come to pass since the beginning. Then shall the creation of men come into the fire of trial, and many shall be made to stumble and shall perish; but they that endure in their faith shall be saved from under the curse itself. And then shall appear the signs of the truth; first, the sign of an out-spreading in heaven; then the sign of the sound of the trumpet; and the third, the resurrection of the dead; yet not of all, but as it is said: The Lord shall come and all His saints with Him. Then shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven.
"For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many." For the war, saith He, shall be twofold that of the deceivers, and that of the enemies, but the former far more grievous, as coming upon them in the confusion and turmoils, and when men were terrified and troubled. For indeed great was the storm then, when the Roman power was beginning to flourish, and cities were taken, and camps and weapons were set in motion, and many were readily believed.
7 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers1 voice
One of them of whom The speaks was Simon of Samaria, of whom we read in the Acts of the Apostles, that he gave himself out to be the great Power, leaving these things written in his worksa among others, I am the Word of God, I am the Almighty, I am all things of God. The Apostle John also in his Epistle, Ye have heard that Antichrist shall come; even now there are many Antichrists. (1 John 2:18.) I suppose all heresiarchs to be Antichrists, and under the name of Christ to teach those things which are contrary to Christ. No wonder if we see some led away by such teachers, when the Lord has said, And shall deceive many.
The Medieval Church2 voices
Many will come in my name, saying: I am Christ. Someone comes as sent by Christ; so the disciples came. But others are said to come in the name of Christ who say they are Christ, usurping for themselves a name that is not given …
Many, He says, will come declaring themselves to be Christs. For Dositheus the Samaritan said, "I am that prophet foretold by Moses" (Dt. 18:18); and Simon the Samaritan called himself the great power of God.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
For many shall come in my name,.... by his orders, or with delegated powers and authority from him; but should assume the name of the Messiah, which was peculiarly his, to themselves; and take upon them his office, and challenge the honour and dignity which belonged unto him: saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
For many shall come in my name - 1. Josephus says, (War, b. ii. c. 13), that there were many who, pretending to Divine inspiration, deceived the people, leading out numbers of them to the desert, pretending that God would there show them the signs of liberty, meaning redemption from the Roman power: and that an Egyptian false prophet led 30,000 men into the desert, who were almost all cut off by Felix. See Act 21:38. It was a just judgment for God to deliver up that people into the hands of false Christs who had rejected the true one.
These verses begin a chapter full of prophecy: prophecy of which a large portion is unfulfilled; prophecy which ought to be deeply interesting to all true Christians. It is a subject to which, the Holy Ghost says, we “do well to take heed.” ( 2 Peter 1:19 ). All portions of Scripture like this ought to be approached with deep humility and earnest prayer for the teaching of the Spirit.
These verses begin a chapter full of prophecy: prophecy of which a large portion is unfulfilled; prophecy which ought to be deeply interesting to all true Christians. It is a subject to which, the Holy Ghost says, we “do well to take heed.” ( 2 Peter 1:19 ). All portions of Scripture like this ought to be approached with deep humility and earnest prayer for the teaching of the Spirit. On no point have good men so entirely disagreed as on the interpretation of prophecy; on no point have the prejudices of one class, the dogmatism of a second and the extravagance of a third done so much to rob the church of truths which God intended to be a blessing. Well says a certain divine, “What does not man see, or fail to see, when it serves to establish his own favorite opinions?” To understand the drift of the whole chapter we must carefully keep in view the question which gave rise to our Lord’s discourse. On leaving the temple for the last time, the disciples, with the natural feeling of Jews, had called their Master’s attention to the splendid buildings of which it was composed. To their surprise and amazement, he tells them that the whole was about to be destroyed. These words appear to have sunk deeply into the minds of the disciples. They came to him as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives and asked him with evident anxiety, “Tell us, when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of thycoming and of the end of theworld?” In these words we see the clue to the subject of the prophecy now before us. It embraces three points: one, the destruction of Jerusalem; another, the second personal advent of Christ; and a third, the end of the world.
The words behind it
15 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| πολλοὶ | polloi | Many | G4183 → | 367 times |
| γὰρ | gar | for | G1063 → | 1039 times |
| ἐλεύσονται | eleusontai | will come | G2064 → | 628 times |
| ἐπὶ | epi | in | G1909 → | 883 times |
| τῷ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ὀνόματί | onomati | name | G3686 → | 227 times |
| μου | mou | of Me | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| λέγοντες· | legontes | saying; | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| ἐγώ | ego | I myself | G1473 → | 839 times |
| εἰμι | eimi | am | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| χριστός, | christos | Christ, | G5547 → | 523 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| πολλοὺς | pollous | many | G4183 → | 367 times |
| πλανήσουσιν. | planesousin | they will mislead. | G4105 → | 39 times |
πολλοὶMany
polloiG4183 →367 times
γὰρfor
garG1063 →1039 times
ἐλεύσονταιwill come
eleusontaiG2064 →628 times
ἐπὶin
epiG1909 →883 times
τῷthe
toG3588 →19766 times
ὀνόματίname
onomatiG3686 →227 times
μουof Me
mouG3165 →1936 times
λέγοντες·saying;
legontesG3004 →1325 times
ἐγώI myself
egoG1473 →839 times
εἰμιam
eimiG1510 →2333 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
χριστός,Christ,
christosG5547 →523 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
πολλοὺςmany
pollousG4183 →367 times
πλανήσουσιν.they will mislead.
planesousinG4105 →39 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 24:24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.
it leads to
- Mark 13:22
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:9–11
The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder,
- Revelation 13:13–14
And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people.
- Matthew 24:11
and many false prophets will arise and mislead many.
- 2 Peter 2:1–3
Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on…
- Mark 13:22
Through
1 John 2:18Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour.
it leads to
- Matthew 24:24
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 John 4:3
and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this…
- 2 John 1:7
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
- Matthew 24:24
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies22
About Matthew
This page draws on 14 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions (Book VII), Section 2, XXXII; Didache, The Didache, Chapter 16; Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews; Hilary of Poitiers, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew; Jerome, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 75; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Origen of Alexandria, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Matthew and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Matthew.