And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them (Luke 21:8, Matthew 24:4-5, Mark 13:5-6).
Many Shall Come… Saying I Am Christ
There are a handful of people over the last 100 years or so that have been referred to as Christ. They would include Rev. Sun Myung Moon, Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda, and David Koresh. But, this would hardly qualify for the “many” that Jesus referred to.
However, the New Age Movement believes that the path to Christhood or Christ consciousness can be pursued and attained by anyone. The New Age teaches that the Jesus Christ of the Bible is not God, but a human being who attained Christ consciousness just like Buddha, Krishna, and Mohammed.
One website states that “many people on Earth have attained some degree of Christhood”. Another website states that there are “10,000 people on planet earth who have manifested a high degree of personal Christhood at inner levels” and “millions of people who have manifested a high degree of Christhood”. These numbers would qualify for the “many” that Jesus referred to who will come in His name claiming to be Christ.
The modern-day New Age movement became more prevalent after WWI. Between 1919 and 1949 Alice Bailey received teachings from the Ascended Master Djwhal Khul and published them in a series of books.
In My Name
Moses asked God what His name is and He answered “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:13-14). Following are some of the movements and organizations within the New Age Movement that use God’s name “I AM”.
- The I AM Movement was founded by Guy and Edna Ballard in the early 1930s.
- The “I AM Presence” that is part of every human being.
- The Daily I Am website.
- I AM that I AM Ministries missions statement.
- The Integrated Ascended Masters University, also known as the I AM University.
The Time Draws Near
When Djwhal Khul was communicating with Alice Bailey between 1919 and 1949 he said that “the time will not be long” for the outpouring of the Christ principle which he claimed was the true Coming of Christ. Edgar Cayce predicted this would reach fruition in “1998-1999”. Some now believe that the Golden Age of Christ Consciousness began in 2013.