Antichrist and the Truth (1 John 2:18-21)

ANTICHRIST AND THE TRUTH (1 JOHN 2:18-21): 

After advising to abandon the things of the world, Apostle John warns about the Antichrist and the importance of keeping the truth. Apostle John addresses the believers as Children, primarily to give heed to him carefully. He writes that in the last hour, and as they have heard antichrist is coming, so many antichrists have come. He also affirms that therefore they know that it is the last hour. The prophets of ages and even Jesus had proclaimed about the last days. The believers of the time of Apostle John is also aware of the last hour as it was previously taught. The antichrist is the false prophets who deviate from the core foundations of scriptures, many such people with various philosophies were prevalent during the period of Apostle John, so he claimed that they were in the last hour, as those were the signs of last hour.  

Apostle John continued telling that those antichrists are not new people who hold on to new beliefs but they went out from them and they were not part of them then, because if they had been with them, they would have continued with them. But they went out that it might become plain that they all are not of them. The antichrist sometimes holds on the things that look alike to Christ's teachings when looked outwardly but when carefully analyzed it will be a deviant one and foundationally wrong. The antichrist could not be part of the group of believers where there is truth, as they are already deviant which may confirm their infidelity. Any teaching that doesn’t correlate and goes in line with the scripture is not right and could be from antichrist.

The Apostle John writes to the believers that though there are antichrists in the midst of them, the believers are anointed by the Holy one and they all have knowledge. The believers were sanctified once they truly confessed themselves, accepted the Lord Jesus and believed Him with the sincere heart. The believers received the Holy Spirit who guides and gives understanding about the knowledge of God in depth, henceforth all of them who committed their lives unto God have knowledge about God. Apostle John is certain that the true believers are not ignorant of the truth but because they know it and because no lie is in the truth. Once a person had sought and found the truth, the truth sets the person free and no lie could overtake because it has no part in it. But the weak in the faith should be aware and cautious of the antichrists, as they are just growing in the faith to attain the fullness of the knowledge of God, which is needed in order to start filtering out something that is not from God.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.      What the believers heard of and explain about it?

2.      How the believers could know that it is the last hour? Why?

3.      Who are antichrist?

4.      Why antichrist did not continue with the believers?

5.      How it is plain that the antichrist are not of the believers?

6.      What the believers are been anointed? How?

7.      How believers have knowledge?

8.      Why the author writes about antichrist to believers?

9.      How there is no lie in the truth?

10.  How can we know and avoid antichrists?