"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. 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 shown that they all are not of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know."
What you believe makes a difference. It is impossible to build a life by believing lies. A true believer in God, builds his life on truth, not superstition or lies. In these last days, counterfeit Christians and false teachers are rising up, attempting to lure away weak, the lost and even Christians away from Jesus Christ.
We are living in an age where truth is being minimized. "Let’s set aside our doctrinal differences and come together on the areas where we agree," has replaced sound doctrine. The modern church is being taught that "Jesus said that they will know that we are His disciples by our love, not by our doctrine." Tolerance, unity, and love are perceived to be more important than doctrinal truth. I want to make something very clear, doctrine is not a minor theme in the Bible!
I have found nowhere in the Word of God where it says "Set aside your doctrinal differences and accept anyone who says that he believes in Jesus." Nowhere is biblical love divorced from an emphasis on biblical truth. Because believing such error results in the eternal damnation of those who embrace it.To compromise the truth, to deny the person and work of Jesus Christ, is nothing but the teaching of "antichrists" and "liars!" We cannot allow such false teaching in the spirit of unity to cause us to throw out the biblical emphasis on sound doctrine. In order to avoid spiritual deception, we must be discerning of people and doctrine.
These anti-Christs not only attack from without but they will mislead from within by usurping the authority of Jesus Christ. We must teach God’s Word clearly and carefully, so that people won’t fall prey to these false teachers who "come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." Because many of these false teachers are so clever, so cunning and so charismatic that they will actually take the place of Christ in the minds of many people. Make no mistake, these false teachers belong to the enemy and are adversaries of Jesus Christ!
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we are so thankful for Your Word. We pray for those who in examining their own hearts, find themselves in opposition to Christ. We are thankful that we know the truth, because You have revealed it to us in Your Word and all these things that others claim to possess are the lies of the enemy and they’re a part of damnation, destruction and eternal death.
We are thankful that we know what is true because You have given it to us. Not only do we know the truth but we are in the truth, because we are in Christ. Thank You for that. Lord, we pray that you would rescue those who are being deceived by the lies of the evil one and save them for Christ’s sake. We thank You for our time together, to read and study You Word, thank You for those that You have gathered with us today to praise and worship You. Father, we pray that You would bless this message as it goes out into the world.
In Christ's name we pray
Amen
Today's Message: In The Last Hour
It is important that we understand false teachers invariably adopt Christian terminology and posture themselves as being Christians. Generally speaking, at first, their teaching is orthodox, then overtime, they begin subtly to stray away from the truth.There can be many reasons for this deviation from the truth, it could well be they have fallen into immorality, and to justify their sin, they have to deny Scripture.
Often times, as they become in demand, as their popularity grows, they love the prestige and acclaim of being popular, along with the financial rewards that often go along with a successful ministry. His desire for popularity then supersedes his desire for teaching the Word of God. And, although he is preaching heresy and living in disobedience to Scripture, no one dares to challenge his lifestyle or his deviance from sound doctrine.
Many Christians idealize the early church, however, even the early church had gone through the problems associated with false teachers in their midst. If it happened to the early churches, it can and will happen in the churches today. They has never been a perfect church. Since this is how the enemy has worked from the earliest days of the church, until now. We shouldn't be surprised when it happens. We should instead be prepared! I believe that if professing Christians today knew what the Word of God says, we wouldn’t have all of the problems that we constantly battle in the modern church. We would immediately recognize those who claim that they have the truth and yet, do not.
Open with me your Bibles to I John chapter 2. As we continue in our study, we come to a section of the Word that runs from verse 18 to verse 27. In verses 18-20, John shows that to avoid spiritual deception, you must
develop discernment with regard to people. In verses 21-23, he shows that you
must develop discernment with regard to doctrine, especially, the truth
about Jesus Christ. And, in verses 24-27, he
shows that the means of developing such discernment is to abide in the
Word and in the Spirit. Needless to say, this is a very important section of God's Word, especially in the days we're living in.
As we have noted before, John often addresses all of his readers as "children," which implies their
vulnerability and the need to be on guard against these unprincipled men
who were trying to deceive them. In our passage today, John is giving us important counsel that will help us avoid being deceived.
I invite you to follow along with me as I read, the entire passage to set the text in our minds, while we prepare our hearts for what the Spirit of God has is saying to each of us. Listen for the voice of our Lord.
"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. As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him."
The term "antichrist," which John uses, is the Greek word "antichristos," Christos, obviously, meaning Christ, and the word "anti," which can have two possible meanings. In the Greek, it is a preposition that can mean either against or in the place of. Someone who is either against Christ or someone who is seeking to replace Christ.
Since the opposition here is clear, we can take it then, to mean one who opposes Christ. The opposition becomes more subtle and more disguised.An antichrist is one who on one or more fronts, who is openly and overtly against Christ. They not only deny the deity of Christ, His identity, they deny the nature and work of Christ. That said, anyone who possesses any spirit of opposition to Christ, then has the antichrist spirit. Therefore, they speak lies concerning Christ. However, it is not just limited to those who attack Christ, who assault, His identity, His deity or His word, but also put themselves in the place of Christ.
In Mark 13, Jesus said "And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance."
In 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."
I'd like you to notice that the last hour is identified twice, once at the beginning and the end of the verse. It isn’t the last hour until you have antichrists. In the last hour, you will have false claimants to messiahship When that happens, you know it’s the last hour, and the antichrist is coming. We know it’s the last hour because already many antichrists have arisen. We’ve heard that the last hour, the final antichrist is coming. The Bible is very clear that one man will be the final antichrist. Scripture tells us that this powerful, final antichrist, will appear in a time which is called the time of the tribulation.
So, I believe that this verse is very helpful to us. This is a time that will end man’s day. The Tribulation is a seven-year period of time, which is divided into two three-and-half year sections. This is the time when Satan releases his power in the world at the same time God releases judgment in the world. And, a world ruler, will appear, who is identified as the antichrist. I believe that most Christians already know that. Throughout church, there has been much speculation as to who that antichrist might be, but many antichrists have already risen, this is just the final one, the last in a long line of antichrists.
The period between Jesus’ first coming and His Second Coming is called the 'last days" or "the last hour." The last hour is to be associated with the arrival of Messiah. It implies a sense of urgency, in that Jesus may come at any moment.By the way, there are only two ages outlined for us in the New Testament, there is the present age and the age to come. The present age is an evil age. All of humanity has been in it since the fall. The age to come is the kingdom when righteousness will prevail in the world, and Christ will rule. John says it is the last hour of this present evil age.
Now, it had only been about 60 years since Christ had come, many antichrists had already arisen. Antichrist, is a spirit, an attitude toward Christ that personifies itself finally in one person. We can then think of antichrist more of a force rather than a person. As a footnote, John is the only New Testament writer to use this word, and it occurs five times in four verses.
There are many who are against Christ, and only a few of those who actually claim to be Christ, but rest assured, they're around. True Christians are known because they have a right view of sin and a right view of Christ. To discern if someone is a true Christian, you can test them on this basis. They also can be tested on a moral basis. A true Christian will have a love for Christ and love for others and obedience to the Word of God. Counterfeit Christians will justify their sin, so they can continue sinning.
By the way, these false teachers and antichrists John talks about did not carry a sign saying "Warning: I am an antichrist!" But, rather, they arose within the churches. Christians affirm the truth about Christ, and antichrists, do not. After Jesus announced His messiahship and three years later, they crucified Him on a
cross and launched the antichrist spirit which has continued to
flourish in this two-thousand-year period.
In Acts 20:29-30, Paul warned the Ephesian elders "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them."
We need to understand, that Satan works within the realm of religion. "Even now many antichrists have appeared," any theologian who denies the deity of Christ possesses the spirit of antichrist. The world is full of them.
In II Thessalonians 2:3-4, Paul wrote "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God."
Some of the Thessalonians were afraid they had missed the day of the Lord. So, Paul is saying you can’t be in the day of the Lord, you can’t be in that judgment because the lawless one hasn’t yet come. In short, the term "apostasy" is the rebellion. A a deliberate defection or abandonment of a formerly professed position. People will walk away from the faith. Churches that once held to the truth will be led astray. As time goes on, there will be escalating defection from the truth.
I Timothy 4, says "But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron."
And in II Peter 2, Peter says "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned."
There’s a climactic rebellion that’s going to take place. This man this final antichrist, will openly defies God’s law, and openly defies God’s rule. He literally is the son of destruction. That means he who is destined to be destroyed. The antichrist is controlled by Satan.
Verse 19, John 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; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us."
People in the church were probably wondering why they had proclaimed that they were true teachers, were saying that the true believers in the church were under an illusion that Jesus wasn’t who they believed He was. That the theology that they had been taught was not accurate. Then all of a sudden, they left. Did they take the real truth with them when they left? Are we now caught in this deception? They bought into their lies and when the false teachers moved on, these people left the church. God actually allowed false teachers to come into a church, to remove the people who aren’t genuine. God uses liars and deceivers to purge the church. God works in amazing ways!
So, John is saying these antichrists left us Christians. Their defection bares evidence of their character. True Christians don’t do that. "If they had been of us, they would have remained with us." It's interesting that many people who profess to be Christians, will follow the deceivers and the liars and the religious phonies. The principle is, that true Christians stay true to the faith.
You should be aware of anyone who claims to have been initiated into a deeper level of truth than the average church member. You know, it really flatters our pride to think that we have some level of truth that others lack, that we've discovered some revelation that the other poor souls are missing out on. Claiming to offer it as bait to those who have not yet to be enlightened.
Look, don’t doubt the truth of Scripture. Don’t expect that that’s never going to happen. These kinds of false teachers are a negative influence in the church. Let them go! If somebody shows up and has the wrong view of Christ, don’t say, "Come on in and let’s sit and chat about it." They are the workers of Satan. And, if you welcome them in, you’re a participator in their evil deeds.
They may affirm the deity of Christ, but deny the gospel of Christ. If they're pushing a false religion, they don't have God, they're not saved. Anybody who buys into the lies about Christ does not abide in the teaching of Christ. You stay in the church because God by His Holy Spirit has protected you, He's given you the will to persevere. Jesus said "Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also." Not only do you have to believe in Christ to be saved, but you have to
believe in Christ who is the true Christ revealed in Scripture. If you reject Jesus Christ, you do not know God.
Now we come to verse 20, "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know."
True Christians may occasionally have doubts, they may have questions, but t true Christian is not deceived, they will never abandon the truth. The faithful abide. The reality is being a Christian, you know the truth because you can’t be saved if you don’t. False teachers were using two words to describe their experience; knowledge and anointing. They portrayed themselves as exalted, more intellectual. That’s where we get the term "Gnostic." They claimed to have spiritual, mystical knowledge, above the orthodox teachings. They claimed they had received a special anointing from God. So, John refutes them by saying, "You have an anointing from the Holy One."
By the way, the word "anointing," is only used twice in the New Testament. Both times are by John in chapter 2, once in verse 20, and once in verse 27. The Holy One is Christ. Even the demons know that Jesus was the Holy One. Remember in Luke 4, when the demon said to Jesus, "Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!"
In I Corinthians 2:9, Paul says "but just as it is written,"Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him."
In Closing..
Beloved, you don’t lack anything. Though you may not have a great worldly presence, don't allow others to intimidate you into believing they have an anointing that you don't have. The things of God have been revealed to us, through His inspired Word. The Holy Spirit in us is our teacher.
You know, if you listen to the charismaniacs on television, who are always saying "God gave me a Word," you’d think you were missing out. God has given us all His Word, as a pastor, I can tell you that God has never personally showed up at my house to tell me anything that hasn't been revealed in His Word. Now, that's not to say the Holy Spirit doesn't direct me, point me in the direction He wants me to go, because I always seek His guidance and direction. He will lead me to pray for certain people, at certain times. But He says nothing that hasn't already been revealed to anyone else, He hasn't given anyone any sort of super superior knowledge. That's a self-promoting, manipulation tactic.
You don’t need any more truth, you don’t need any more power, if you have Christ, you have it all. And you have the Holy Scriptures, you have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has opened our blind eyes to see the truth about our sinfulness and
the sufficiency of what Christ did on the cross to pay for our sins.
Rather than searching for some new truth, believe in the gospel message you had heard from the beginning! You could never confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior except by power of the Holy Spirit. God has endowed us through Christ with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us
permanently to teach us everything we need to know as we study the Word
of God.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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