Lesson for June 26, 2024
The Book of I John
Chapter 2:18-23
Verse 18
“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.”
The Greek word for children in this verse is “paidion,” meaning infant. The last hour that John is referring to is the Church Age, as the last dispensation in history before the return of Christ for His Church (the Rapture). This is confirmed by the remainder of the verse. We know from other passages that the Antichrist will appear during the dispensation of the Tribulation and attempt to establish himself as God.
Antichrist is the Greek word “antichristos” and is defined as a person who assumes the identity of Christ or opposes Christ. The spirit of antichrist is defined as anyone who lines up in opposition to Christ. The Antichrist, who is spoken of often in John’s writings (John 5:43; I John; Revelation), is a person that will be revealed during the dispensation of the Tribulation. This person is indwelt by Satan and is the one who attempts to deceive the entire world into believing that he is Christ, though in reality he opposes Christ.
The dispensation of the Tribulation begins immediately following the Rapture of the Church (the time when all Church Age believers will meet the Lord in the air) and will last for seven years. (II Thessalonians 2:1-12)
John said there were already those among them who exhibited the spirit of antichrist. Since there is no prophesy left to be fulfilled within this period, Christ could come back at any time after this age began (including the time in which John was writing).
Verse 19
“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 evident that they all are not of us.”
The context seems to indicate that these people to whom John refers are unbelievers, claiming to be believers with the purpose of deceiving. We also see that these false teachers had infiltrated the local body of believers. Once again, it was a trick of Satan to counterfeit the truth, make his followers look like believers, and as a result deceive believers into believing a lie.
The fact that these antichrists/false teachers left the local church is an indication that they were unbelievers disguising themselves as believers. Evident in Greek is “phaneroo” and means to make visible, clear, or known. These antichrists were hiding in disguise pretending to be believers, but upon leaving the local church, they became exposed as false apostles teaching false doctrine.
Verse 20
“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.”
The Greek word for anointing is “chrisma” and means indwelling. The anointing is not some special function of the Holy Spirit like a so-called “second blessing” (where a believer supposedly gets a double portion of the Holy Spirit). When a person believes in Christ for salvation, they receive all of the Holy Spirit they will ever get.
It is John’s purpose not only to warn us, but also to help us recognize those who have the spirit of antichrist. John is reminding his readers that they have been anointed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as our mentor and guide. It is only under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit that a believer can detect false doctrine and the spirit of antichrist within the local church. This heresy can be detected only by knowledge of truth from God’s Word. You all know simply means that well-taught believers have the necessary information to detect these falsehoods from Bible doctrine stored in their souls.
Verse 21
“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.”
John goes on to tell us that it is through knowledge of God’s Word that we are able to distinguish between true and false doctrine. It is the Bible doctrine that you have stored in your soul that the Holy Spirit uses to teach you and to guide you. John indicates that this information has already been given to these believers and that they should be able to distinguish between the true and the false. A lie, regardless of how it is “packaged”, is still not truth. Since all believers are permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit, they have the potential of learning accurate Bible doctrine. Failure to learn accurate doctrine will lead a believer into all manner of false, satanic doctrine. (I Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 13:7-9)
Verse 22
“Who is the liar except the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.”
Anyone (believer or unbeliever) who denies the deity of Jesus Christ is antichrist (against Christ). Anyone who denies that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, sent from God the Father to save the world, is antichrist. The test of the spirit of antichrist is the doctrinal accuracy of the message. This is where it takes a great amount of doctrine in your soul to discern the false from the true. Only through spiritual growth can a believer avoid being deceived by these false teachers.
There are some obvious signs that a preacher or teacher is presenting false doctrine. For example, if the motive is to seek fortune, fame, and power, they are antichrist. There are some ministers that appear to be sincere and appear to have correct motives but have allowed themselves to be deceived. Both are still teaching false doctrine and are enemies of the Cross of Christ. (II Timothy 2:25-26; II Timothy 3:1-7) False teachers often use Biblical phrases, passages, and Christian-sounding words, but distort the truth by taking passages out of context, or in some cases changing the meaning of God’s Word to fit their particular teaching.
Satan is the great counterfeiter. Therefore, what his ministers teach is mixed with a small amount of truth in order to appear as the truth. Beware… you must always evaluate the message in light of the truth of God’s Word. (II Peter 2:1-22)
Verse 23
“Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.”
To deny Jesus Christ is to reject Him as Savior, to reject the payment He made for the sin of the world, and to reject the gift of eternal life. (John 3:16-18) The person who does this cannot have a relationship with God the Father. (John 14:6) The Greek word for confesses is “homologeo” meaning to name, to admit, or to acknowledge. Confessing the Son means to acknowledge Him as God and believe in Him as your Savior. This acknowledgement is the same as faith in Christ as Savior (Messiah). The person who accepts Christ as Savior also receives an eternal relationship with the Father. Actually, the Father permanently indwells every believer at the moment of salvation.
The Father indwells believers for a specific purpose. Everything that we possess as believers is provided by the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ. As a guarantee to us of the Father’s eternal provision, God the Father indwells every believer. The Father is with us constantly to grant blessings beyond compare and above our imagination. He constantly pours out divine blessings to His children and bestows gifts of grace that are immeasurable. These blessings include such things as salvation, promises, doctrine, family, friends, material blessings, physical needs, and much, much more. The Father indwells us in order to watch over and protect us, as any good father would do. (James 1:17-18)