Many Antichrists Have Come

1 John 2:18-25 ESV

 

“Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

 

“Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.”

 

The Antichrist

 

Who or what is this antichrist? No one knows for certain or specifically who, though many speculate, but we do know the character traits of the one who is yet to come or that is already here and operational, and of the ones already having been and are presently living as those who are antichrist. He is or they are all those who deny that Jesus is the Christ. But let me explain something here, for we need a broader understanding of what this means so that we do not incorrectly interpret what this is saying.

 

We have many teachings in the New Testament Scriptures regarding false teachers and false prophets and their character traits. They disguise themselves as apostles of Christ and as servants of righteousness. And they come to us in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Outwardly they may call Jesus “Lord,” and they may give the appearance as though they are servants of the Lord and followers of Christ, but they are workers of lawlessness who do not obey the Lord, who do not do the will of God.

 

So, what does this tell us about them? They may verbally profess Jesus as the Christ and him as Lord of their lives. So it isn’t just everyone who denies Jesus with his lips who is antichrist, for many antichrists will fake belief in Jesus in order to deceive the masses. So, it is those who deny Jesus by how they live and by the things they do or don’t do, and by the things which they teach and preach who are antichrist. And Jesus talked about that with the Jews, many of whom gave lip service to God, and who went through the motions of religious practice, but who denied the Lord by their actions.

 

[2 Co 11:13-15; Php 3:2; Matt 7:15-23; Matt 24:11-14; John 10:1-15; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 1 Tim 1:3-7; 1 Tim 6:3-10; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 1:3-23]

 

They Went Out from Us

 

And this is yet another subject that needs some clarification, for many people today are interpreting this to mean anyone who departs from the institutional (of man) “churches” of today. And this is where we need to look at how the Scriptures define “church.” Yes, it is the gatherings of the church, but what is the church? It is not a building called “church.” It is not a church denomination. And it is not a corporation of the state, although this is what much of the church has been turned into here in America, anyway.

 

The church is the body of Christ, which is the body of believers in Christ who are of God-given and God-persuaded (genuine) faith in Jesus Christ. And this faith is evidenced by us dying with Christ to sin, not just once, but daily, and consistently, and habitually, and by us now walking (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, and in holiness and in righteousness, and in obedience to our Lord and to his commands under the New Covenant, and not in sin.

 

So, this “going out from us” is not from the institutional “churches” of today, but the “us” intended here are those of true faith as described here in the paragraph above, which I will supply Scriptures for you that teach that. And it isn’t just a physical departure, but it is a spiritual departure. They have gone out from us who are true followers of Christ, and they have rejected us, and they have denied Christ by their actions and by much of what they profess to believe. They are not “of us” because they are not “of Christ.”

 

The Last Hour

 

My husband and I were just talking about that this evening. We read a couple of news articles describing what is presently going on in the world around us, although we well know we can’t believe everything we read coming from any news media source. But the articles did fit with prophecy of Scripture regarding these last days before the return of Christ, and they fit with what I had come to recognize as the modus operandi of those elite who are the ones truly running what is going on in our world. And so I was already thinking “last days” scenarios before I got to this Scripture passage.

 

And one of the signs of these last days is not only all the unrest all around about us, and the massive decline of moral codes, both in and out of the church, but it is all the deception that is massive these days. Lies and liars and manipulators and tricksters abound in all areas of life, even within many of the gatherings of what is called “church.” And they have gotten very clever at blending lies and truth together so that those who are not walking in obedience to the Lord, and who don’t know the Scriptures, are being duped by them, and they are being led astray by their lies.

 

So, a verbal confession of faith in Jesus Christ does not necessarily mean that you are “in Christ”. Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven (Matthew 7:21-23). So, we have to let the truth of what Jesus taught and of what his NT apostles taught regarding our salvation abide in us. And to abide means to “comply with, obey, follow, keep to, conform to, and to act in accordance with,” as well as it means to agree with, remain in, and to continue in.

 

Eternal Life

 

So, if you want to have the hope of salvation from sin and of eternal life with God, then you must deny self, die daily to sin and to self, and follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands. For if sin is what we obey, we will die in our sins. But if obedience to our Lord is what we obey, it will lead to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life. For if sin is what we practice, and if obedience to Christ is not what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what faith in Christ we have confessed with our lips. So, please take this to heart.

 

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

For Our Nation  

 

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

 

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

 

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

 

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

 

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

 

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