Even now many antichrists have appeared

1 John 2:18-3:6 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

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. ²¹ I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and ^[c]because no lie is of the truth. ²² 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. ²³ Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. ²⁴ 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.

²⁵ This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.

²⁶ These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. ²⁷ 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.

²⁸ Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. ²⁹ If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. ³ And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

⁴ Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. ⁵ You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. ⁶ No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.

In today’s text John exhorts us saying:  Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.       How many of us could say that we truly would have confidence and not shrink back if the Lord came to us today?  Could we, like the psalmist in Psalm 139:23-24 say:  Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.   If we are, as John exhorts us, abiding in Him; if we are known by and found in Christ we can have confidence and not shrink away. Our confidence though must be in Him and not in ourselves.  James 4:4-10 says:  You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded…  Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.   We cannot confidently stand in the presence of God and arrogantly embrace or participate in the evil of the world.  

John says:  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.   Throughout history many people have tried to identify many people as the antichrist. John says: many antichrists have appeared.  The antichrist John is speaking of and warning about is not an individual. Rather there is a spirit of antichrist. John says:  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.   We need to understand then that it is not only atheists, who deny the existence of God, or agnostics who question and doubt that there is a God; it is not only those who follow and worship other gods, who are of the antichrist spirit. It is also those who deny that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Savior and Redeemer. In John 14:6 Jesus says:   “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”    Those who say that Jesus is a way, perhaps one of many ways to heaven and the Father are also of the antichrist spirit.  John says:  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.   Jesus says:  “I and the Father are one…If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” (John 10:30;37-38)   Jesus and God the Father are inseparable. If you say that Jesus is one of many ways to the Father, you call Jesus a liar. If He is a liar, He is neither good nor God.  Any philosophy which says that Jesus was a good teacher and a prophet of God but denies that He is the Christ and the Son of God is a philosophy which John and Jesus both say is based in a lie.  

John says:  See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.   Jesus says:  “Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19-20)   Even the scribes and the Pharisees could not confidently stand before God in their own righteousness. They denied that Jesus was the Christ. We though who abide in Jesus and know Him as the Christ, have a righteousness that exceeds their righteousness. We have the righteousness of Christ if we abide in Him.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus the Christ and precious Holy Spirit; thank You that I can confidently stand before You as I abide in You. Thank You that I can abide in You because You Jesus are the Christ. You are my Redeemer, my Savior and my Lord. You are One with the Father and are King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Yet, as I abide in You through Your Holy Spirit who abides in me, I can stand confidently in Your presence, knowing I am Your child. Amen.