A look at “I am Christ” – The Christian Underground Journal

A Study By

Mike Kovach

Table of Verses

Definitions of the word Christ as used in these passages

Vine’s Expository Dictionary
English Word: Christ
Usage Number: 1
Strong’s Number: 5547
Greek Word: christos

Usage Notes: “anointed,” translates, in the Sept., the word “Messiah,” a term applied to the priests who were anointed with the holy oil, particularly the high priest, e.g., Lev. 4:3, 5, 16. The prophets are called hoi christoi Theou, “the anointed of God,” Psa. 105:15. A king of Israel was described upon occasion as christos tou Kuriou, “the anointed of the Lord,” 1Sam. 2:10, 35; 2Sam. 1:14; Psa. 2:2; Psa. 18:50; Hab. 3:13; the term is used even of Cyrus, Isa. 45:1.

The title ho Christos, “the Christ,” is not used of Christ in the Sept. version of the inspired books of the OT. In the NT the word is frequently used with the article, of the Lord Jesus, as an appellative rather than a title, e.g., Matt. 2:4; Acts 2:31; without the article, Luke 2:11; Luke 23:2; John 1:41. Three times the title was expressly accepted by the Lord Himself, Matt. 16:17; Mark 14:61, 62; John 4:26.

It is added as an appellative to the proper name “Jesus,” e.g., John 17:3, the only time when the Lord so spoke of Himself; Acts 9:34; 1Cor. 3:11; 1John 5:6. It is distinctly a

proper name in many passages, whether with the article, e.g., Matt. 1:17; Matt. 11:2; Rom. 7:4; Rom. 9:5; Rom. 15:19; 1Cor. 1:6, or without the article, Mark 9:41; Rom. 6:4; Rom. 8:9, 17; 1Cor. 1:12; Gal. 2:16. The single title Christos is sometimes used without the article to signify the One who by His Holy Spirit and power indwells believers and molds their character in conformity to His likeness, Rom. 8:10; Gal. 2:20; Gal. 4:19; Eph. 3:17. As to the use or absence of the article, the title with the article specifies the Lord Jesus as “the Christ;” the title without the article stresses His character and His relationship with believers. Again, speaking generally, when the title is the subject of a sentence it has the article; when it forms part of the predicate the article is absent. See also JESUS

Strong’s Complete Dictionary
English Word: Christ Strong’s
Number: 5547
Greek Word: christos anointed, i.e. Messiah, an epithet of Jesus: — Christ

Zodhiates Word Study Dictionary

English Word: Christ
Strong’s Number: 5547
Adj.: chrio; meaning: anoint, or anointed
Greek Word: christos
General: pseudochristou, masc, noun from pseudes, false, and Christos, Christ. False Christ (Matt 24:24; Mark 13:22).

The false Christ does not necessarily deny the existence of Christ. On the contrary, it builds on the world’s expectations of such a person, while blasphemously appropriates these to himself and affirms that he is the fourfold One in whom God’s promises and the saint’s expectations are fulfilled. He is of the same character as the antichristos, antichrist, who opposes the true Christ (1 John 4:3). The pseudochristos affirms him to be the Christ. Both are against the Christ of God. The final antichrist will also be a pseudo Christ as well. He will usurp to himself Christ’s offices, presenting himself to the world as the true center of its hopes, the satisfier of all its needs, and healer of all its ills. He will be a pseudochristou and antichrist in one

Personal Commentary:

The signs of the coming judgment are going to be the rise of false Messiahs and the break-up of both social and the natural orders with wars, disturbances, earthquakes, famines and pestilence. It is also important to note that the first false messiah was Bar Cochba 132-135 A.D. There are two distinct areas we must consider in reading these verses. First is that many will come in His name (claiming to be the messiah), and second, (claiming to be anointed). The first can be viewed as someone saying that “I am the Messiah of Israel, the one spoken of by the prophets,” and the other I see as those who claim to “have the anointing,” being the Christ of God. I have always found this passage interesting because of its potential dual meaning, and how Jesus revealed to the disciples the fourfold deception, (claiming to be Him, claiming the anointing, claiming the end is upon us, and claiming the solution). However, we need to look at the break-up of both social and the natural orders to see where we may be in relation to the end of the age.

Look about us and we will notice that our society is becoming increasingly violent, intolerant, and irreverent. Even in some churches we have pastors who are willing to compromise the gospel for the sake of job security, filling the church with members, and downplaying the authority of Scripture by replacing it with a scientific standard of authorities. Our world is plainly out of control, and not just in the society, but nature as well. El Nino is one effect that we know through science, which is causing much heartache around the world. However, nature’s calamities began before El Nino, and continue to become worse with each passing moment baffling the scientific

community. Sea creatures are dying without explanation, old virus strains are showing up again, new viral strains are emerging, and many other things to point to a break-up of both social and natural orders. Today, we stand on the precipice of disaster that will make all wars fought since the beginning seem like a bargain; the governments of the world will be faced with tough choices, they will be forced to decide who lives, and who dies. I’m not talking about a few people, whole communities around the world because of food shortages, disease and extreme violence. We must be alert! Not everyone who claims to be Christian is, not every pastor of a church is a believer, not every prophet is a true prophet. These passages tell us of the dangers these characters possess, and we are not to follow them simply to belong, or by thinking they are correct. We must discern with God’s discernment concerning their teachings and personal positions about Jesus Christ.

I leave you with the words of A.F. Kirkpatrick, 1892 from the concluding chapter in “The Doctrine of the Prophets, Christ the Goal of Prophecy.” Referring to the centuries of silence between the OT an NT times, the author comments:

“For if prophecy was, as it is professed to be, an inspired glimpse into the eternal present of the divine mind, it must needs foresee the divine purpose for mankind unfolding itself in time, and that foresight must in due course be realized in facts. When the curtain falls on the stage of Old Testament prophecy at the close of the fifth century B.C., we feel that the riddle waits for its answer, the drama lacks its denouement.”

Now, I passionately believe that the facts are before us, that the break-up of both social and the natural orders are all about us and the riddle is being answered.