“Then if any man tells you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There,’ don’t believe it.
Parallel translations
- KJV Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
- 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 21:8He said, “Watch out that you don’t get led astray, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is at hand.’ Therefore don’t follow them.
- Luke 17:23–24They will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Don’t go away, nor follow after them,
- Deut 13:1–3If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,
- Mark 13:21Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ don’t believe it.
- John 5:43I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.