I. Antichrist & Antichrists

A. The Last Hour V. 18

1. It is the last hour- definite article “the” not in the Greek.
2. Describes a time period with certain characteristics.

a. That time period leading up to the return of Jesus Christ.
b. Last hour- As in…the final time period, the last in a temporal succession.
c. I.e.- the 9th inning, the 4th quarter, the 3rd period, the last lap.

3. This Last Hour has continued on for 2000 years, & has certain characteristics.

a. One characteristic is that many antichrists will arise during this last hour.

B. The Antichrist

1. There is one called “The Antichrist”. In him, the ultimate opposition occurs.
2. “Anti”- means “opposite of, instead of”.

a. Not just the Ultimate Bad Guy, but the Ultimate Imposter.
b. A faux Messiah, one who comes w/all the answers, claiming to be God.
c. 2 Thessalonians 2:3b, 4 the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
d. Guzik- the Antichrist is a world dictator who leads humanity in what seems to be a golden age, until he shows his true colors – and the judgment of God is poured out on him and his empire immediately before the return of Jesus.

C. Many Antichrists

1. Jesus warned of many antichrists coming.
2. Many who either oppose Jesus or seek to replace Him. (Matthew. 24:4, 5, 23–26).

D. Their Departure V. 19

1. They departed from the apostles and the true church of Jesus Christ.
2. NOTE- They had been part of the church. Corruption from within.

E. How To Identify Them Vs. 22, 23

1. Denial of the Biblical description of Jesus.
2. To deny the Biblical truth of Jesus is to deny the Father who sent & affirmed Him
3. Being wrong about Jesus means you are wrong about God the Father.
4. Affirming the Biblical truth about Jesus is to acknowledge the Father.
5. To deny Jesus as the Biblical Messiah/Savior is to deny God the Father.

F. Antichrists Are Deceivers V. 26

1. They are sometimes part of a Christian gathering, but eventually depart
2. See Ephesians. 4:14, 15
3. Many religious groups who pervert the Biblical teaching about Jesus will seek to convert young Christians into their ranks.
4. They target not the atheists or agnostics, but new believers, unlearned Christians.
5. Target those who have an interest in God, but are young/undeveloped in faith

II. The Anointing The Christian Receives Vs. 20, 27

A. This Anointing Is For All Christians

1. Anointing- When the Old Testament priests were put into office for service, they were anointed with oil, set apart for special service to God.
2. When David was chosen as King, he was anointed w/oil by Samuel the prophet.
3. This anointing is common to all Christians, not the super stars.

a. God’s Holy Spirit in equipping the Christians to understand truth.
b. The Christian receives the Holy Spirit when they believe, and the Spirit teaches the Christian and leads them into truth.

4. See John 14:25, 26; John 16:13-15
5. All things– Only God knows “all things”. John didn’t mean omniscience.

a. They knew all the things that John was referring to re. Jesus
b. Know- eido- intuitive knowledge given by God, as opposed to knowledge via experience. My early days at VCF.

6. Remember- one of the spiritual deceptions of the day came from Gnosticism.

a. Gnostics claimed to have secret knowledge about God that others didn’t.
b. They sought to seduce people away from the true faith re. Jesus.

B. Not A Discontinuation Of The Pastor/Teacher Ministry V. 27

1. This doesn’t cancel the office of Pastor/Teacher. John is teaching them.
2. This verse affirms that the Christian possessed the ability & resources to know
3. If you just read by yourself, you would discover these truths.
4. Those who teach wrongly about Jesus indoctrinate you. You’d never get their doctrine about Jesus from just reading the Bible.

III. Believe & Abide Vs. 21, 24

A. They Knew The Truth

1. John affirms that they had come to know the truth re. the Father and the Son
2. They had heard the truth about Jesus from the beginning of their faith
3. They needed to remain in that truth, and not be persuaded to Gnosticism.
4. V. 24- Abide- This doesn’t mean just knowing it, but living in it.
5. Re. V. 24- Human nature is attracted to “new things”. Not good re. Jesus.

B. Eternal Life V. 25

1. Abiding in Christ and Him abiding in you brings eternal life.
2. Everyone lives forever somewhere, but Christians have eternal life w/God
3. Both a quality and a quantity of life.

C. Confidence Without Shame V. 28

1. Walking in truth w/Jesus means there will be no shame when he appears.

a. Some Christians are very ready to meet Jesus at His appearing
b. Others will monetarily be ashamed, b/c they haven’t been living in truth
c. 1Cor. 3:15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (Speaking of Christian who has not much to show for their life)

D. Living In Truth brings Righteousness In Behavior V. 29

1. Some within the Gnostic camp considered all matter evil, including their bodies
2. Since matter was evil, and God was known in the realm of the spirit only, they reasoned that it didn’t matter what they did with their bodies.
3. Therefore, they were immoral, saying it didn’t matter, since God was known only in the realm of the Spirit.
4. This is the kind of thing that would cause shame when Jesus comes.

James Warren “Jim” Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple, which is best known for the November 18, 1978 death of more than 900 Temple members in Jonestown,Guyana along with the deaths of five other people at a nearby airstrip and inGeorgetown, Guyana.By the early 1970s, Jones began deriding traditional Christianity as “fly away religion,” rejecting the Bible as being white men’s’ justification to subordinate women and subjugate people of color and stating that it spoke of a “Sky God” who was no God at all.[12] Jones authored a booklet titled “The Letter Killeth,” criticizing the King James Bible.[39] Jones also began preaching that he was the reincarnation of Jesus of Nazareth, Mahatma Gandhi, Buddha, Vladimir Lenin, and Father Divine. In the documentaryJonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple, former Temple member Hue Fortson, Jr. quoted Jones as saying, “What you need to believe in is what you can see…If you see me as your friend, I’ll be your friend. As you see me as your father, I’ll be your father, for those of you that don’t have a father…If you see me as your savior, I’ll be your savior. If you see me as your God, I’ll be your God.”[6]