A number of false Christs have been arising in various nations worldwide, claiming to be the second coming of Jesus. While many are following these self-proclaimed Messiahs, some are speaking out against their cults, being mindful of Christ’s words in Matthew 24:5, “For many shall come in My name, saying, ‘I am Christ,’ and shall deceive many.”
Australia: Also known as A.J., Alan John Miller lives in Queensland, Australia with his partner Mary Luck. Miller claims that he remembers details from his “former life” as Jesus, and Luck says that she is the reincarnation of Mary Magdalene. Both state that they were married in their previous life and had a daughter together.
“I have very clear memories of the crucifixion, but it wasn’t as harrowing for me as it was for others like Mary who was present,” Miller told Sky News last year.
The two run the organization Divine Truth, and have appeared on local and international television programs to speak of Miller’s claims of being the Messiah. Crowds of generally 100 people or more gather to hear him speak at his seminars, and some followers from across the country have given up their possessions and families to be nearer to Miller.
Siberia: Also known as Vissarion, Sergey Anatolyevitch Torop began proclaiming himself as Jesus reincarnated after he was fired as a traffic officer in Russia in 1990. He went on to found the Church of the Last Testament, which combines various religions together, including Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity.
At the last report, Torop has over 5,000 followers, some of which gather to listen to the self-proclaimed Messiah speak. His words are often collected in a book, which spans 10 volumes.
Torop, also known as “Jesus of Siberia,” has long hair and wears long, flowing gowns. He speaks from the side of a hill covered by an umbrella. Approximately 2,000 of his followers live in a settlement in Siberia dedicated to his worship.
Torop, 53, has six children from two marriages. He divorced his first wife for a nineteen year old girl, who has reportedly lived with him since she was seven years of age.
“I am not God. And it is a mistake to see Jesus as God,” he told reporters in 2002. “But I am the living word of God the Father. Everything that God wants to say, He says through me.”
Brazil: Also known as Inri Cristo, Alvarro Theiss has been claiming since 1979 to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. He runs Suprema Ordem Universal da Santmssima Trindade in Brazil, where he also maintains a compound that houses his followers, who are mostly women.
Theiss, 66, dresses in a white robe and wears a cloth “crown of thorns.” His followers often wear a blue uniform with a rope tied around their waist. Theiss and those who live with him at his compound are vegans and grow their own fruits and vegetables on the property.
The United States, Britain and Venezuela have banned Theiss because of his claims and views, and the throne-sitting cult leader been arrested over 40 times. Theiss is an abortion supporter, and also speaks against capitalism.
“Life as it is known—union of the matter with the spirit—only happens when the newly-born breathes the air for the first time,” he once told reporters.
Theiss has his own 24-hour television internet channel, which airs messages from the self-proclaimed Messiah around the clock.
“My mission is to prepare the elect, the survivors of the inevitable nuclear hecatomb that will culminate in the end of this chaotic world, for the formation of the new earthly society, which will strive to fulfil the Creator’s will,” he said.
Warnings:
Some are speaking out against men such who claim to be the Messiah, stating that it is dangerous to fall into the hands of cults such as these.
“Jesus warned that in the last days counterfeit christs would arise who would masquerade as the Messiah and claim to be the savior of the world,” writes the website Bible.info. “Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus preached His great prophetic discourse regarding profound events that would occur at the end of the age just prior to His Second Coming. Among those events, He said, would be false prophets and false christs.”
He warned, “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it,'” the site outlines.
“Tragically, those who are deceived in the last days by these false christs will sincerely regard themselves to be genuine believers, actively doing the work of Christ,” it continues. “They will even prophesy in the name of Jesus, cast out demons in the name of Jesus, and work miracles in His name. But they are serving a false Christ—not the real Jesus.”
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