1 John 2:18 - 23
"18 Dear children, this is the last hour, and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.
19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us.
For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us,
but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth,
but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.
22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ.
Such a man is the antichrist - he denies the Father and the Son.
23 No one who denies the Son has the Father;
whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you.
If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.
25 And this is what He promised us - even eternal life.
26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.
27 As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you,
and you do not need anyone to teach you.
But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real,
not counterfeit - just as it has taught you, remain in Him.
28 And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears
we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.
29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone
who does what is right has been born of Him."
24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you.
If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.
25 And this is what He promised us - even eternal life.
26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.
27 As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you,
and you do not need anyone to teach you.
But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real,
not counterfeit - just as it has taught you, remain in Him.
28 And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears
we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.
29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone
who does what is right has been born of Him."
In these verses, John warns the believers about those around them who are against Christ. That is really what the word 'antichrist' means - against Christ ("one who denies or opposes Christ"). Many of us who are familiar with the Bible and its prophecies regarding the future are aware that eventually there will be a man of great power in this world, a man that is called the Antichrist. Revelation 13 calls this man a beast, and says that the world will be astonished by, and will follow, the beast. In that same chapter, it is made clear that this beast receives his power from the devil, and that people will worship both the devil, and this man. They will believe him to be invincible, like no other. Revelation 13:4 says:
Men worshiped the dragon [devil] because he had given authority to the beast,
and they also worshiped the beast and asked,
"Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"
This Antichrist will be proud and boastful (Daniel 7:20, Revelation 13:5), he will be imposing, and powerful; he will be given authority for a time (Dan. 7:20, Rev 13:4, 5). He will blaspheme God, and slander His Name, His dwelling place, and His people (Dan. 7:25, Rev. 13:6). He will make war against Christians, and will rule over the world - the people of the earth will worship him (all, that is, except for the TRUE Christians, whose names are recorded in God's Book of Life, who belong to Jesus Christ). The Antichrist is a deceiver, turning people away from the truth and teaching them to believe his lies.
These are some of the signs of the Antichrist that is to come, and there are many other signs (prophecies) written about that time. But almost 2000 years ago, John was already warning the church that many antichrists (small 'a') had already come. There were already many who had that same spirit within them that will one day totally dominate that future Antichrist - the spirit that opposes Jesus! He told them that this was a sign of the end of this age, calling it the last hour. So, to my understanding, I believe that the age that we have been in, from then until now, and until these things are fulfilled, is 'the last hour'. I'm sure as I would do more thorough research on this, I would find more technical, or correct titles for this, but it interests me to think that so much time has passed from when these words were written until now, and yet, mankind has not changed very much at all - everything is still so applicable now!
Verse 19 points out a characteristic of these people that we as true believers need to watch for, as one of the signs we can use to identify an 'antichrist'. It says that they "went out from us...", that they "did not really belong to us..." He says that if they had belonged, and I believe he means, if they had truly been a part of Christ's family, if they had truly been born again, "they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us." John shows that these people who opposed Christ and His message had once been a part of their fellowship. They had risen from among the faithful, but had now fallen away from true faith.
Often, I think as Christians we believe that the world, with its blatant sins against God, such as immoral lifestyles, addictions of all kinds, violence, and general 'Godlessness' is all we need to watch out for and avoid. It is true that we need to stay away from these things! But sometimes we forget to see the countless warnings within Scripture to beware of those within 'Christian' circles who are distorting the truth, thereby turning it into a lie. False teaching under the name of Christianity is out there, and we need to "see to it that no one takes [us] captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ" (Colossians 2:8). 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 gives us as believers this warning about the devil's schemes to lead people astray:
"...for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.
But their end will be what their actions deserve."
In verse 20, John pointed out the difference between those who had left true faith, and the believers he was writing to. These words also still apply to us today. He said, "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth"! The thing that I love about God is that He wants to enlighten us, to show us His truth. He doesn't withhold His wonderful plans and promises from us, but rather leads us into a knowledge of HIs will. Although His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His ways higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9), Jesus Christ has given us the Holy Spirit, who gives us understanding and reveals God's truth to us. 1 Corinthians 2:9-12, followed by verse 16 of the same chapter, says:
"...it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love Him" - but God has revealed it to us
by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him?
In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us."
" "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?"
But we have the mind of Christ."
Often, I have wondered what is truly going on in the mind of my husband, my kids, my friends, parents, siblings, etc. But, unless they choose to tell me what they are thinking, I cannot know what their thoughts are. But God tells us that through the Holy Spirit given to us, we actually have the mind of Christ! What a gift that He has given to us! We don't need to wonder what the Creator of the Universe is thinking, we have 66 books of the Bible that tell us! We have the Holy Spirit, directing us into a knowledge of God's will, into spiritual understanding, into wisdom that comes from knowing Him and His truth! We, as believers, have the Spirit of God dwelling within us to show us who He truly is, and because of that, we can know the truth!
Because we know truth, we will be able to recognize error. We will be able to tell what is false. Years ago, when I worked at a bank, we were told to be watchful for counterfeit bills. We handled hundreds of bills of 'real' money every day, and we were told that by studying the texture and quality of the real thing, we would know when we came into contact with a counterfeit bill. We would see it, and quite possibly feel the difference before we ever even examined it with our eyes. So it is with God's truth. The more we get to know His word, the more we learn to recognize the promptings of His Spirit within our hearts, the easier it will be to discern truth from error. So, as it says in verse 21, John did not write to the believers because they did not know the truth; rather, he was confident that they had the Spirit, who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). He wrote to them to remind them of this, and to remind them that if people were teaching false doctrines, if they were teaching erroneous thinking, then they could rely on God's Spirit within them to show them that error, and to keep them from falling into false beliefs.
Because we know truth, we will be able to recognize error. We will be able to tell what is false. Years ago, when I worked at a bank, we were told to be watchful for counterfeit bills. We handled hundreds of bills of 'real' money every day, and we were told that by studying the texture and quality of the real thing, we would know when we came into contact with a counterfeit bill. We would see it, and quite possibly feel the difference before we ever even examined it with our eyes. So it is with God's truth. The more we get to know His word, the more we learn to recognize the promptings of His Spirit within our hearts, the easier it will be to discern truth from error. So, as it says in verse 21, John did not write to the believers because they did not know the truth; rather, he was confident that they had the Spirit, who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). He wrote to them to remind them of this, and to remind them that if people were teaching false doctrines, if they were teaching erroneous thinking, then they could rely on God's Spirit within them to show them that error, and to keep them from falling into false beliefs.
Verse 22 gives another clue, helping to identify the lies of those who are not truly following Christ, for that is what false teaching is - the teaching of lies as opposed to the teaching of the truth.
It says, "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist - he denies the Father and the Son." Anyone who doesn't acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, the Christ (which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word - Messiah - meaning "Anointed One"), is not only rejecting Jesus, but is also rejecting God, the Father of Jesus. Jesus said it clearly in John 14:6:
"...no one comes to the Father except through Me."
Jesus is the only way to come to God. If we deny Him, we have no part with the Father, but if we acknowledge Him to be all that the Bible teaches Him to be, then we are also invited into the presence of God. Verse 24 says, "See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you..." In the next five verses, the words "remain in" and "continue in" (some versions use the word "abide in") are used four times. If we persevere (remain/abide) in our faith, we are secure in our standing with Jesus, and with God, the Father. We are given a great promise - eternal life!
The whole world seems to be searching for ways to prolong our lives, as people work tirelessly to find cures for disease, and as they try to erase signs of aging so that we can remain youthful in how we look and feel. But as Christians, the moment we receive the gift that Jesus offers us through His death on the cross, we are given the promise of an abundant life forever. This - the gospel of Jesus Christ - is what we heard in the beginning; it's what brought us to faith in Christ, and the answer to the question "How can I keep on living forever?" is simple; we just need to be sincere, we need to persevere in our faith until we see that promise fulfilled! We have an amazing future awaiting us, and Jesus is the Way to that future, He is the Truth - He is Life Eternal!
The whole world seems to be searching for ways to prolong our lives, as people work tirelessly to find cures for disease, and as they try to erase signs of aging so that we can remain youthful in how we look and feel. But as Christians, the moment we receive the gift that Jesus offers us through His death on the cross, we are given the promise of an abundant life forever. This - the gospel of Jesus Christ - is what we heard in the beginning; it's what brought us to faith in Christ, and the answer to the question "How can I keep on living forever?" is simple; we just need to be sincere, we need to persevere in our faith until we see that promise fulfilled! We have an amazing future awaiting us, and Jesus is the Way to that future, He is the Truth - He is Life Eternal!
The next few verses reminds us as true believers that we have been anointed with the Holy Spirit, and that because He lives inside of us, we know the truth. The anointing that we have received is real - it is not counterfeit, as was the 'anointing' that might have seemed to be on the lives of those who have now left true faith in Jesus Christ. John goes on to say that this anointing that we received when we came to Christ will not leave us, but rather, it will remain in us. Because of these things, we can be confident of His continued work in our lives. Having the Spirit of God "guiding us into all truth" (John 16:13), "teaching us about all things" (1 John 2:27), giving us the ability to "understand what God has freely given us" (1 Corinthians 2:12), and actually giving us insight into the very "mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16) gives us assurance that we can look to Him for what we need. In 2 Peter 1:3, it says:
God will guide us in the paths that He has chosen for us. Rather than following any person along paths that they would want to guide us in, we can trust that God Himself will guide us, right until the end of our journey on this earth. I love the example of faith in Psalm 73:23b and 24, where the psalmist says:
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness
through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness."
God will guide us in the paths that He has chosen for us. Rather than following any person along paths that they would want to guide us in, we can trust that God Himself will guide us, right until the end of our journey on this earth. I love the example of faith in Psalm 73:23b and 24, where the psalmist says:
"...You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel,
and afterward You will take me into glory."
The final two verses of 1 John chapter 2 are a reminder again to continue to walk in faith in Jesus Christ, and to walk in the strength He provides us for each day, as opposed to trying to walk in our own strength. If we do this, then on that great day sometime in our future, when all of mankind stands before our God, we will be able to stand confident and unashamed, not because of anything that we ourselves have done to obtain a righteousness that is acceptable before God, but because we continued "IN HIM"! Because Jesus is Righteous (without sin), He now also gives all those who are "born of Him" the desire to do what is right.
So, as I wrap up my study of this piece of Scripture, I realize that as a true believer, I will remain connected to other believers - the body of Christ. I realize that I can be confident, because of God's Holy Spirit within me. I can know His truth, and not be misled by error and false teaching. I see that it is important to fully accept and acknowledge God the Father, and God, the Son - Jesus - who came to Earth to redeem mankind from sin. I see the importance of continuing to persevere in my walk with Christ, no matter what. There are those who will try to lead us astray, because the devil longs to destroy the kingdom that Jesus is building. But we have the Holy Spirit guiding us through these traps of deception as He gives us wisdom and clarity. He is teaching us to continue in Him! If we do these things, then, when Christ finally appears, we will be able to be confident and unashamed before Him! This, to me, is a great promise! I can't imagine standing before Christ in this way. I feel so unworthy, because, like the psalmist said (Psalm 51:3), "my sin is ever before me". But reading 1 John 2:28 gives me great hope! Although a sinner, I have been saved by God's grace, and I am acceptable in His sight, because of Jesus Christ! As I have been dwelling on this thought in the last few days, some words from a favorite hymn have been flowing through my mind. The verse I have been singing goes like this:
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in Him be found,
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
In a commentary I read during this time, it said, "The ultimate test of true Christianity is endurance...If we stay faithful to the truth, we continue to experience intimate communion with God and Christ and persevere to the fullness of eternal life". That is what I'm shooting for :), and my prayer is that God will draw many countless numbers of people to that very same end!
