The Last Hour

In his first epistle, John declares it is the Last Hour, a period elsewhere called the “Last Days.” As evidence, he points to the false teachers in the Church who disrupt the congregations under his care. They are the products and instruments of the “Spirit of Antichrist.” They are the forerunners of the final “Antichrist” who is yet to come.

The belief that we are in the “Last Days” occurs multiple times in the New Testament. This period is the final stage of history that commenced with the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

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• (1 John 2:18-22) – “Little children! It is the last hour. And just as you heard that an antichrist is coming, even now, many antichrists have come, whereby we perceive that it is the last hour… Who is the false one, save he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? The same is the Antichrist, he that denies the Father and the Son.”

John needed only to point to the false teachers peddling their lies in the congregation to substantiate this claim. Did not Jesus himself warn that “many deceivers” and “false prophets” would come and “deceive many,” including the “very elect”? The activity of false teachers in the Church was irrefutable evidence that the final period was underway - (Matthew 24:4-5, 25:31-46, Mark 13:5-6, Luke 21:8, 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 3:1).

John called these deceivers “antichrists,” and he used the plural number when doing so. They were not proponents of pagan religion from outside the congregation, but deceivers propagating false doctrines in the Assembly (“They went out from among us”). They were identifiable by their denial “that Jesus is the Christ.”

John confirmed that a final “Antichrist” would come, though he provided almost no information about this figure. By applying the terms “antichrists” and the “spirit of Antichrist” to the false teachers of his congregations, he associated them with that end-time figure. Like the final incarnation of the “Antichrist,” these false teachers were also “false ones”; that is to say, liars.

John did not connect the activities of these false teachers with any expected final events or “signs of the times.” His immediate concern was the damage inflicted on the Assembly - (1 John 4:1-3, 2 John 7-8).

ABIDE IN JESUS

John’s reference to “many deceivers” echoed the words of Jesus in his Discourse on the Mount of Olives, especially his warning about coming deceivers:

• (Matthew 24:4-5, 11-13, 23-25) – “And answering, Jesus said to them: Beware lest anyone deceive you; for many will come upon my name, saying: I am the Christ, and will deceive many… And many false prophets will arise and deceive many… For there will arise false Christs and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders; to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

Believers must “abide” in Jesus so that “when he is manifested, we may have boldness and not be shamed away from him at his arrival.” This was a summons to holy living – “purifying oneself” - especially considering the future return of Jesus - (1 John 2:28–3:3).

By “abiding” in him, we prepare for the final day and immunize ourselves from the wiles of the Devil and his earthly agents, including the “antichrists” running rampant in the churches of God.

The Greek term translated as “manifested” represents the verb phaneroō – To “manifest, appear, make known, become visible.”  The Apostle Peter applied the same verb to the coming of Jesus in his first Letter, as did Paul in Colossians - (1 Peter 5:2-4, Colossians 3:4).

The world does not understand Jesus. Therefore, it does not understand those who belong to him. For now, his disciples look no different than other human beings, though their conduct may strike many as nonconformist, even subversive.

Despite appearances, believers are the “children of God,” and when Jesus is “manifested,” they will appear for all to see “like him.” Moreover, they will see him “just as he is.” Those with this hope “purify themselves” in preparation for that day - (1 John 3:1, Hebrews 9:28).

Regardless of how far along we are in this final period, “the Last Days,” the return of Jesus remains certain. The Apostle John’s concern was with how believers live in the interim between their present and the return of Jesus. The fact that “many antichrists” are active in the Church means that sooner or later the final Antichrist will appear on the scene. By “abiding in Jesus,” his disciples prepare to resist his deceptions and remain holy before the Lord.

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RELATED POSTS:

• Howling Imposters - (The New Testament warns repeatedly of coming deceivers and false prophets who will cause many disciples to depart from the faith)

• The Antichrist Spirit - (The Antichrist Spirit works to destroy the church from within, especially through deception propagated by deceivers and false teachers – 1 John 2:18-22)

• The Apostasy - (Paul warned the Thessalonians of the future apostasy which he linked to the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction)