Carlos Olivares
Ellen G. White warns us that before the Second Coming of Jesus, Satan will appear before the inhabitants of the earth and impersonate Christ.1 This impersonation, which will occur when the final events of the history of this world are fulfilled, constitutes the “crowning act in the great drama of deception.”2 In this essay, we will survey the main characteristics of this “crowning act,” exploring it initially from a biblical perspective and the writings of Ellen G. White.
In the eschatological sermon given in the Mount of Olives, Jesus mentions that there would be false Christs after His departure (Matt. 24:5, 23-26; Mark 13:5, 21-23). More than once, he warns Christians to be aware at all times, so they would not be deceived by these false messiahs (Matt. 24:4-5, 24; Mark 13:4, 21; Luke 21:8). Throughout history, many characters have declared themselves to be “the Christ,” thus making Jesus’ prediction come true.
Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, for example, described that between the ascension of Jesus and the destruction of the temple, some individuals who claimed to have the ability to free the people of Israel from Roman oppression appeared (Flavius Josephus, B. J. 2.13.4; A. J 20.8.6). Considering that in the times of Jesus some people believed that the Messiah would come to free Israel, the work of these men illustrates the emergence of certain people who exhibited messianic traits in their actions (cf. Acts 5:36-37; 21:38). However, as it is known, they, like many other inhabitants of Jerusalem, were destroyed by the Roman army in the year AD 70. It was a devastating event that was also prophesied by Jesus (Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:14; Luke 21:20).3
Jesus, however, not only mentions false Christs, highlighting the plural existence of them but also refers to a false “Christ” pointing to the appearance of a character in particular (Matt. 24:23-26; Mark 13:21-23). In other words, although there have always been false messiahs, Jesus suggests that at the end of times, one would rise that would be different from the others. Thus, contrary to others, this false Christ seems to have universal recognition, deceiving even those who declare themselves followers of Jesus. He warns His disciples that they should not believe what people say when they declare that “the Christ” is in the desert or inside a house (Matt. 24:26; Mark 13:21).
It should be noted that Jesus’ statement is said in a context where He describes the way He would come for the second time (Matt. 24:20-30). “Do not believe it,” says Jesus, referring to those who say that the Messiah has appeared, “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matt. 24:27; cf. Luke 17:22-24). Thus, as the coming of Jesus is compared to a flash from one end of heaven to the other, the rise of the false messiah can occur in the desert or inside a house.
In other words, while Jesus will come from heaven, the false Christ will appear on the earth. Jesus reassures this when He says that the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will be to see Him coming “on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30). It is important to remember that concerning this, in harmony with Christ’s message (Matt. 24:31; Mark 13:27), Paul makes a similar assertion, emphasizing that in His coming, Jesus will meet His children in the air (1 Thess. 4:17). Therefore, biblical evidence indicates that the way to recognize the “crowning act,” which will deceive the whole world is that, compared to the false messiah, Jesus will not step on the earth during His Second Coming.
The identity of this false messiah comes up in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. There, Paul describes the actions of the evil man, the son of perdition, who “opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped” (2 Thess. 2:1-4). This symbolic figure recalls the little horn of Daniel (Dan. 7:19-25; 8:9-12, 22-25). Its interpretation must be structured, having in mind a kingdom that reveals religious characteristics, which some scholars, since the Reformation, have identified with Papal Rome.4
However, it is possible to notice that this image also acquires a personal and supernatural significance for Paul at the end of times.5 This change becomes perceptible when we observe that Paul affirms that the Lord will kill the wicked one “with the breath of His mouth,” and he will be destroyed “with the brightness of His coming” (2 Thess. 2:1-8). The term “coming” from the Greek word “parousia” is the same Greek word that Paul uses to describe the coming of this lawless one in 2 Thessalonians 2:9. In both letters that Paul addresses to the church members in Thessalonica, he employs the term “parousia” only to refer to the Second Coming of Jesus (1 Thess. 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 2 Thess. 2:8). Thus, by describing the coming of the lawless one as a “parousia” similar to Christ’s, Paul represented Satan’s attempt to imitate the coming of Jesus.6
The Gospels tell us that the apparition of this false messiah occurs before the coming of Christ and, undoubtedly, it is in parallel with other events that will happen at the end of times (Matt. 24:15-31; Mark 13:14-27; Luke 21:20-27). Jesus places the manifestation of the false Christ in an eschatological context, happening around the great tribulation that He accounts as unique (Matt. 24:21-28). It implies that the stage from which the false Christ operates assumes that the true One has not arrived. We can see a similar thought in Paul’s writing. However, considering that the false messiah is the devil disguised as Christ, it is important to remember that his annihilation takes place only after the end of the millennium (Rev. 20:10). Paul is probably summarizing the event and describing his end as if it were a single event.
According to Paul’s account, the coming of this lawless one is the working of Satan, as this “false coming” shall be accompanied by “all power, signs, and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9). These false signs not only remind us that “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14), but also alludes to the warning given by Jesus to His disciples regarding the appearance of the false messiah in the desert or the inner rooms (Matt. 24:24; Mark 13:21; cf. Luke 17:22-24). It is interesting to notice that Jesus commands His disciples to not even go to these places, which means that He is certainly trying to prevent Christians from being deceived by contemplating the wonders that this false messiah will do.
As some may believe, it is likely that this false “parousia” and its miraculous organization are symbolically represented in chapter 13 of Revelation.7 There John depicts the appearance of a beast that is raised from the earth, which does “great signs,” even making “fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men” (Rev. 13:13). In this context, Revelation calls this beast that comes out of the earth a “false prophet” (16:13, 19:20; 20:10), who encourages the worship and the recognition of the beast that comes out of the sea (13:12, 15; cf. 13:8).
To achieve this, the beast that comes out of the earth will perform signs, making fire come down from heaven. This symbolic image recalls the figure of prophet Elijah,8 since God made fire come down from heaven before men to show that Elijah served the true God (1 Kings 18:20-40). The figurative image of Elijah finds its counterpart in John the Baptist (Matt. 17:10-13; Mark 9:11-13; cf. Matt. 11:14; 16:14; Mark 8:28; Luke 9:11), who announced that Jesus was the awaited Messiah (John 1:29-34; Isa. 40:3). In this sense, this miraculous act by the earthly beast symbolically probably represents the false Elijah, who would confirm the coming of the false Christ through supernatural signs.
This apocalyptic metaphor could be complemented because the beast that comes out of the earth also performs “great signs” (Rev. 13:13). In the Old Testament, the character that performs great signs is Moses (Exod. 4:17; 4:28, 30; 11:10), using them to prove that his message has divine authority.9 We must remember that Moses predicted that God would raise a prophet like him in the future (Deut. 18:15; cf. 18:18)—a promise that the Scriptures tell us was expected in the time of Jesus (John 1:21). In fact, the New Testament points to the fact that many people saw in Jesus the fulfillment of this prophecy in the first century, giving Him a messianic connotation (John 6:14; 7:40; Acts 3:22; 7:37). If understood in this way, mentioning these “great signs” could represent Moses, who, through extraordinary acts, would symbolize the false coming of Christ and the miraculous legitimacy of His “parousia.”
Moreover, by being together, the earthly beast and the false prophet, who impersonate Moses and Elijah, evoke the scene of the transfiguration of Jesus (Matt. 17:1-3; Mark 9:2-4; Luke 9:28-30). In this scene, both appear next to Jesus, representing from the biblical perspective the divine confirmation that Jesus is the awaited Messiah.10 These great signs and the fire coming down from heaven in Revelation will be a preparation for the announcement of the false messiah, thus imitating Christ again.
John asserts that the supernatural deceit allows the earthly beast to convince the inhabitants of the earth to raise an image of the beast that comes out of the sea (Rev. 13:14). This image of the beast can speak and has the power to kill all of those who do not worship her (vv. 14-15). In this context, a mark is given to the people, thus violating the human freedom of conscious worship that each individual has. This would imply that the role of the false prophet is to prepare the way for the forced and potentially deadly imposition of an eschatological reality that has not yet come, but that one day will be true. (vv. 11-18; 14:12-13; 20:4).
The writings of Ellen G. White agree entirely with the biblical testimony. The way they are presented is essentially descriptive, giving depth, vividness, and detail to the narrative that describes the emergence of the false messiah.
She affirms that Satan will appear at the end of times, before the coming of Jesus, to carry out the “crowning act in the great drama of deception.”11 However, God will not allow Satan to “counterfeit the manner of Christ’s advent.”12 Due to this, and knowing that the biblical testimony exposes his true identity, Satan will employ visual tricks that will aim to confuse those who have cemented their lives in the Bible. To simulate Christ’s coming, Satan will appear in many parts of the world and take on the dazzling brightness of Jesus, in a similar way to the one accounted by John in the first chapter of Revelation (Rev. 1:13-15).13 To add to this visual tactic, Satan will complement it with another that appeals to the ears, using a soft and subdued voice, yet full of melody.14 Ellen G. White cautions that Satan will use a “gentle, compassionate” tone of voice and “presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the Savior uttered,” thus copying the content of Christ’s message.15
Satan’s purpose, however, is to distort the biblical message. Using the image of the false messiah, Satan will certify to “have changed the Sabbath to Sunday,” declaring that those who “persist in keeping holy the seventh day are blaspheming his name.”16 In this context, and to gain widespread acceptance, Satan will heal the “diseases of the people”17 and perform miracles.18 From this perspective, Satan will not only assure to be the Christ but also will pretend to be the great medical missionary, making “fire to come down from heaven in the sight of men to prove that he is God.”19
Sadly, Ellen G. White affirms that those who reject the biblical message will receive Satan as Lord of lords and King of kings.20 They will worship him, and Satan will bless them in the same way that Jesus blessed His disciples in His first coming to keep up with the deceit that he himself has created.21 However, she emphatically declares that “the people of God will not be misled.”22 God’s people know that only the members of the body of Christ who have “been diligent students of the Scriptures and who have received the love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive.”23
Ellen G. White calls us to continually ask ourselves if we are firmly established upon God’s word so that we will not be deceived through our senses.24 After all, the enemy will focus his strategy of deceit in what we see and hear. For this reason, you and I are invited to base our faith and Christian experience on the Bible and the Bible alone.25 If so, even if fire comes down from heaven, we will not be deceived.
At the end of time, Satan will try to imitate the coming of Jesus by impersonating Christ. The world, in general, will fall to his trap, and the children of God will also fall unless they center their lives around the teachings of the Bible. God’s invitation is for us to establish our faith in the strongest foundation—the Bible—so that we might be ready when the father of lies performs the final act of his deceitful scheme.
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1 Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, 624; Cf. Ellen G. White, Last Day Events, 163.
2 Ibid.
3 George R. Knight, Matthew: The Gospel of the kingdom. (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1994), 237-241. [Translated from the Spanish version of the article]
4 Hans K. LaRondelle, “The Remnant and the Three Angel’s Messages,” in Handbook of Seventh-Day Adventist, Raoul Dederen, ed. (Hagerstown: Review and Herald, 2000), 867.
5 Hans K. LaRondelle, “Paul’s Prophetic Outline in 2 Thessalonians 2,” AUSS 21 (1983), 61-69.
6 Don Neufeld, “The Antichrist,” Review and Herald, July 29, 1965, 4.
7 Carlos Olivares, “El fuego del cielo (Ap 13:13) y la falsa parusía: Una mirada desde los escritos de Elena White y la Biblia”, Evangelio 6 (2013), 133-144; Jon Paulien, What the Bible Says about the End-Time (Hagerstown: Review and Herald, 1994), 112; Ángel Manuel Rodríguez, Fulgores De Gloria (Florida: Asociación Casa Editora Sudamericana, 2001), 123.
8 R. H. Charles, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St. John, vol. 1 (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1920), 359.
9 G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text (NIGTC; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 708.
10 R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), 648. See also Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption, 205.
11 White, The Great Controversy, 624. Cf. White, Last Day Events, 163.
12 White, The Great Controversy, 625.
13 Ibid., 624.
14 Ibid.
15 Ibid.
16 Ibid., cf. White, Last Day Events, 163.
17 White, The Great Controversy, 624.
18 Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, 2:96, 394.
19 White, Last Day Events, 167.
20 Ellen G. White Commentaries, in The S.D.A. Bible Commentary, 5:1105.
21 White, The Great Controversy, 624; White, Last Day Events, 198.
22 White, The Great Controversy, 625.
23 Ibid., cf. White, Last Day Events, 66.
24 Ibid.
25 Ibid., 593-602, 625.