“Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.” (1 John 2:18-23 NASB1995)
The book of 1 John was possibly written around 100 AD, so a
little less than 2000 years ago. And yet John wrote, “it is the last hour.” So
they were in the “end times” even back then, which were “the last days” before
the return of the Christ of the Messianic age. And if it was “the last hour”
then, and if many antichrists were appearing then, we must now be nearing the
time of the return of Christ. For now antichrists are all over the place, many
of them disguising themselves as servants of Christ and as his messengers.
And what does it mean to be “antichrist”? It means to be
against Christ, to be opposed to him and to his teachings and to his gospel of
salvation. But many who are truly “antichrist” are putting on a show of being
for Christ. Some of them are what the Scriptures refer to as “wolves in sheep’s
clothing” or as the servants of the devil who disguise themselves as servants
of righteousness. And many of them are serving as pastors of church
congregations or they are in positions of power within the government.
Another term for them are charlatans, who are religious
frauds, who lie to the people, who manipulate, trick, and deceive in order to
gain followers after themselves who will believe their lies and who will follow
their lead. And they usually do this by teaching what is close to the truth, by
utilizing the Scriptures, taken out of context, to support their lies. And many
people follow them because what they teach sounds good, and makes them feel
good, and it does not command they die to sin and obey God in practice.
But it is possible, as well, that some of them may teach
repentance and obedience to Christ while they slip in their own religious
philosophies and theologies which are contrary to the teachings of Christ, thus
still leading many people away from pure devotion to Christ to putting their
trust and faith in other humans, even in dead men. And this is why we must be
students of the Scriptures who study them in their appropriate context under
the leading of the Holy Spirit, and we let the Holy Spirit guide us to all
truth.
So, when this says, “they went out from us, but they were
not really of us, for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us,”
we should not interpret this to mean strictly a physical departure from a
particular church gathering. For some people must depart from certain “church”
gatherings, which are of this world, and not of Christ, as God commands us to
do in the Scriptures. And many who do remain are not of Christ, but they are “wolves
in sheep’s clothing” who remain in order to deceive the sheep with their lies.
[Matthew 21:12-13;
John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation
2-3; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]
We must, therefore, look at this as a spiritual departure, and
not as a physical departure, although a physical departure may be part of it,
as well. For it is those who depart spiritually from the body of Christ, and
from the gospel of our salvation, who are not following the Lord Jesus with their
lives in walks of obedience to his commands, in holy living. And some of them
are pastors of “church” congregations who are remaining in the gatherings, but
who depart from the faith in their teachings to their congregations.
So, if you are not careful and prayerful about this, you may
end up rejecting the Lord’s true servants of righteousness who, by necessity,
and according to God’s instructions, have departed from some physical
gatherings of what are called “churches” but which are unequally yoked together
with the world and who are turning the church into a place of business. And all
the while you may end up embracing some of these antichrist “wolves in sheep’s
clothing” who are teaching you lies, disguised as truth, because you are
deceived.
So, don’t “judge a book by its cover.” It may appear good on
the outside, but it may be filled with the lies of the enemy. For many of these
antichrists are very charming, manipulative, and persuasive people who are able
to attract the crowds to follow them, but who are “pied pipers” leading their
followers to the death. And just because someone verbally confesses Jesus as
the Christ, that does not mean they are not antichrist beneath the surface. For
truly to deny Christ is to deny him by how we live, in practice.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John
6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1
Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32;
Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2;
1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth
for the water
So my soul longeth
after You
You alone are my
heart's desire
And I long to
worship You
You alone are my
strength, my shield
To You alone may my
spirit yield
You alone are my
heart's desire
And I long to
worship You
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Many Antichrists Among Us
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