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Luke 21:8
ESV And he said, "See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.
NIV He replied: "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.
NASB And He said, 'See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them.
CSB Then he said, "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Don’t follow them.
NLT He replied, 'Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them.
KJV 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.
NKJV And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them.

What does Luke 21:8 mean?

Peter, Andrew, James, and John (Mark 13:3) want to know when the temple will be destroyed (Luke 21:6–7). Jesus wants to give them a more comprehensive prophecy of the future. In Luke 21:8–11, He provides an overview of the hardships the world will have to navigate before He returns.

One of the primary issues is false messiahs: people either claiming to be Jesus, Himself, or His equivalent. People will claim that the Messiah has come, but in some subtle way (Matthew 24:26). These false saviors will be persuasive; they will "perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24:24).

If false messiahs—false "christs"—can perform miracles, how will Jesus' followers know the difference? Jesus spoke about this before and was noticeably clear: when He returns, it will be as obvious as a lightning storm that fills the sky (Luke 17:22–24). He will come "in a cloud with power and great glory" (Luke 21:27). He won't hide in the wilderness or an inner room. He won't announce Himself on a social media network. He won't invite people to join His commune.

Jesus will come "with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him" (Revelation 1:7). As the nations war against Israel, He will arrive on the Mount of Olives and the mountain will split so the people can escape (Zechariah 14:1–5). He will destroy the Antichrist and all the armies of the world (Revelation 19:11–16). Petty magic tricks from fake saviors are nothing by comparison.
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