What is the meaning of 1 John 2:18? Children, it is the last hour “Children, it is the last hour”. John speaks with the tenderness of a spiritual father, reminding believers that they live in history’s closing chapter. • The “last hour” began with Christ’s first coming and extends until His return (Hebrews 1:2; 1 Peter 4:7). • Because redemption is complete in Jesus, nothing stands between us and His appearing (Romans 13:11–12). • The phrase presses us toward urgency—living holy, proclaiming the gospel, and guarding against deception (2 Peter 3:11–12). and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming John affirms what his readers had already been taught: a singular, climactic Antichrist will rise. • Scripture foresees this final opponent of Christ and His people (2 Thessalonians 2:3–4; Daniel 7:25; Revelation 13:1–8). • He will counterfeit Christ’s authority, demand worship, and persecute the saints. • Knowing this future certainty steels believers to recognize lesser deceptions now. so now many antichrists have appeared Even before the ultimate Antichrist emerges, lesser “antichrists” operate. • They deny the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22) and refuse to confess Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (1 John 4:3). • Jesus warned that “many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many” (Matthew 24:5, 24). • These teachers often arise from within professing circles (Acts 20:29–30), twisting truth while appearing spiritual. • Their presence tests our discernment and calls the church to cling to sound doctrine (2 Timothy 1:13–14). This is how we know it is the last hour The multiplication of antichrists confirms the time in which we live. • “In the last days perilous times will come” marked by lovers of self and haters of God (2 Timothy 3:1–5). • “In later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits” (1 Timothy 4:1). • Jude echoed John: “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires” (Jude 18). • The very opposition that worries us also assures us that God’s timetable is on course. summary John’s single verse sketches a timeline and a test. We live in the “last hour,” awaiting the final Antichrist, yet already surrounded by lesser antichrists. Their rise signals both danger and confirmation that Christ’s return draws near. Stay anchored to Scripture, alert to deception, and eager for His appearing. |
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