Aug1-7: Walking in the Light: Rejecting Antichrists

Teaching Points

1. John knows that he is living in the last time because "there are many antichrists" 1 John 2:18 John understood that antichrist will come before the end of the world or the second coming of Christ.

OBSERVATION:

• Notice who else taught the same thing in the Bible.
• Jesus Matt. 24:5, 24, 26
• Paul 2 Thess. 2:1-4
• Daniel Dan. 7:25-27

2. Antichrist according to the epistle of John

• 1 John 2:19 "They went out from us"-antichirists were among the true followers of Christ
• 1 John 2:19 "They were not of us"-antichrists could not be a part of the true fellowship of the light
• 1 John 2:22 "Who is a liar" -antichrist is a liar
• 1 John 2:22 "Denieth that Jesus is the Christ"-antichrists do not accept Jesus as the Messiah
• 1 John 2:22 Antichrists "denieth the Father and the Son" -very similar to Jude 4
• 1 John 4:3 "Confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh" - antichrists accept false teaching of human nature of Christ
• 2 John 7 "This is a deceiver and an antichrist" -antichrist is a deceiver

OBSERVATION:

• Observe the flow of John's writing in 1 John. Antichrists were among the true believers of Christ but they were not a part of the true fellowship of the light because they walk in the darkness. According to John, walking in darkness is connected to having a false definition of sin. And a false definition of sin is connected to not keeping God's commandments (compare 1 John 1:8 and 1 John 2:4-"the truth is not in us" or "him"). And not keeping His commandments is connected to not having the love of God (1 John 2:5). And not having the love of God is as same as having the love of the world (1 John 2:15). Antichrists "were not of " the fellowship of the light because they love the things of the world. Antichrists deny "that Jesus is the Christ"(1 John 2:22) and at the same time antichrists deny the fact that Jesus came in the flesh (1 John 4:3). Since antichrist is also a "deceiver" (2 John 7), he has a deceptive teachings about Jesus. What is that teaching? Jesus is not "the Christ", the only anointed one and Jesus is not exactly like human flesh.

3. John reveals his motive for writing the epistle. 1 John 2:24-29

• 1 John 2:26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

OBSERVATION:

• "seduce" means go astray, deceive, wander, be out of the way in Greek.
• Notice the word " abide" and "remain" in 1 John 2:24. Those two words are from the same Greek word, which means continue, dwell, endure, stand.
• 1 John 2:24 Abide in the truth ("which ye have heard from the beginning")
• 1 John 2:27 Abide in the Spirit ("the anointing")
• 1 John 2:28 Abide in Jesus (in the truth and the Spirit) until the coming of Jesus.
• Obviously John is making a clear contrast here. His point is remain in the truth and the Spirit until Jesus' coming and don't be seduced by antichrists' teachings.
• What could be one of seductive teachings of antichrist here? See 1 John 2:29 It is a teaching that says, 'you can be considered "born of Him" without doing the righteousness'.
  

CONCLUSION:

• Based upon my observation, 1 John 1 and 2 are talking about antichrist and it's characteristics. John makes it pretty clear why he is writing the letter. He does not want the followers of Christ to be seduced by the antichrist's teachings and beliefs.