Luke 21:8

‘And he said, “Take heed that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he', and, ‘The time is at hand', do not go after them.” '

The first thing that His people will have to beware of is those who will arise saying, ‘I am the one' in the name of the Messiah, or who will say ‘the time is at hand'. The warning was very necessary as such things did happen in the first two centuries AD. While we know of only one who was actually officially proclaimed as the Messiah, Bar Kokhba, ‘Son of the Star' (around 135 BC), who rebelled at the prospect of the building of a heathen city and temple on the site of the old city of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, when Jewish Christians were persecuted for not being willing to follow him, we know of a number who were claimed as having special status, and were probably thought of by their followers in Messianic terms, including some in the last days of Jerusalem (66-70 AD), such as for example - John of Giscala, Simon Bar Giora, and Eleazar, Simon's son. There was certainly sufficient fanaticism about for it to be so (all we know about it is Josephus' watered down version, and he would not wish to raise the spectre of Messianic claimants. He wanted to please the emperor).

Among others who made special claims, some of whom arose even earlier, there were:

· Samaritan ‘prophet' who claimed that he would produce the ancient Temple vessels, and whose followers were slaughtered by Pilate on Mount Gerizim in 35 AD.

· second Theudas, possibly the descendant of the Theudas mentioned in Acts 5:36, who gathered a large number of followers and promised that the Jordan would open before him, only for his followers to be slaughtered and dispersed, with himself being beheaded (c.44-46 AD).

· Jewish Egyptian prophet (Acts 21:38) who assembled a large gathering in the wilderness, promising that the walls of Jerusalem would collapse at his approach and that the Roman garrison would be destroyed. His insurrection was, however, quashed almost before it had begun, although the Egyptian prophet escaped (around 54 AD).

· Another unnamed ‘prophet' who gathered people in the wilderness, in the time of the Roman governor Festus, promising redemption and deliverance from all evils, and who was again violently crushed (around 60 AD).

· Menahem Bar Hezekiah the leader of the revolt in 66 AD, the son of Judah of Gamala, who claimed Davidic descent.

· Later still Lucuas/Andreas aroused the Jews in Cyrene and its surrounds in the time of Trajan, destroying many heathen temples, and being seen as ‘king' by his followers and even by a number of Egyptians (around 116 AD).

· And around the same time we know that there were further insurrectionists in Palestine.

These all come to our attention because they were figures involved in direct military action taken by the Romans against them. Some almost certainly saw them as ‘messiahs'. But John tells us that others also arose as false ‘christs' (antichrists, those who set themselves up over against Christ), teaching heresy, and proving that it was ‘the last hour', so that John could speak of them as antichrists (1 John 2:18).

Indeed at times of such religious ferment, with expectations running high, we can be confident that such claims were made or applied constantly by some of the common people to different figures who arose, and as quickly fell. We can compare how some did it with Jesus without really knowing the truth about Him (e.g. John 6:14; John 7:41). Such ‘messiahs' are depicted in Revelation 6:2 in terms of a horseman on a white horse (see our commentary on Revelation). The warning to Christians therefore was not to follow any who were like them, for in the nature of what He was about to say, none could be the Christ.

‘In My name.' This could mean ‘in the name of the Messiah' or ‘in the name of Jesus'. For the latter compare Acts 19:13, and the later Gnostic heresies. ‘I am the one' indicates ‘the coming one' of whatever variety or hue. ‘The time is at hand (or ‘has drawn near')', is a warning against alarmists, whether first or twenty first century ones. For the legitimate use of this idea compare Revelation 1:3; Revelation 22:10. Jesus' implication behind all this is that there will be quite some interval before He returns. For He is going into a far country from which He will not return too soon (Luke 18:12). Compare here Luke 17:23; Mark 13:8; Mark 13:21; Matthew 24:8; Matthew 24:23; Matthew 24:26.