Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Then if any man tells you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There,’ don’t believe it.
- BSB At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it.
- NKJV “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.
- NASB Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘He is over here,’ do not believe him.
- NLT “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
If anyone says 'Here is the Christ' or 'There he is,' do not believe it. It warns again against false claims about the Messiah's whereabouts.
Overview
During tribulation, deceivers will point to supposed locations of the Christ. Jesus tells his followers not to be taken in. The warning prepares for his teaching that his true coming will be unmistakable and universal, not a hidden event verified by rumor.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Luke 21:8And 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 17:23–24And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
- Deut 13:1–3If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
- Mark 13:21And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
- John 5:43I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 24:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.