Question 1

What does John mean by "it is the last time" in this passage?

Accepted Answer

When John says “it is the last time,” he is talking about a closing period of history in his day, as the message about Jesus spread and the first generation of witnesses was passing. It marks a serious time when false teachers and opponents of Christ were rising up. John is not mainly giving a date for the end of the world, but showing that they were living in a decisive hour, with real spiritual danger, where people must hold tightly to the truth about Jesus.

Question 2

Who are the "many antichrists" John talks about here?

Accepted Answer

The “many antichrists” are people who oppose Christ by denying who He really is. In John’s day, they were often former church members who later rejected or twisted the teaching that Jesus is the Christ, God’s chosen Son. They did not have to be one famous world ruler. They were anyone who denied key truths about Jesus’ person and work. Their teaching fought against Christ, so John calls them antichrists and warns believers to be on guard.

Question 3

Why does John say "they went out from us, but they were not of us"?

Accepted Answer

John explains that some people once seemed to belong to the church, but later left and turned against the message about Christ. Their leaving showed that they had never truly shared the same faith. If they had really been part of Christ’s people in heart, they would have stayed. Their departure made it clear who was genuine and who was not. This does not mean real believers lose salvation, but that some who appeared to believe were never truly changed inside.

Question 4

What is the "unction from the Holy One" and how do believers "know all things"?

Accepted Answer

The “unction from the Holy One” is John’s way of speaking about the anointing of the Holy Spirit given to all true believers. Just as oil was used to set someone apart in the Old Testament, the Spirit sets Christians apart and teaches them. When John says, “you know all things,” he is not saying believers know everything about every subject. He means they have been given real spiritual understanding of the truth about Jesus, enough to tell truth from lies about the gospel.

Question 5

Why does John call someone a liar who denies that Jesus is the Christ?

Accepted Answer

John is very direct because the heart of the Christian message is that Jesus is the Christ, God’s promised Messiah. To deny this is not a small mistake. It turns God’s truth into a lie. Someone who denies that Jesus is the Christ is contradicting what God has clearly shown and what the church has preached from the beginning. So John says such a person is a liar and even an antichrist, because this denial fights against God’s revealed truth about His Son.

Question 6

What does this passage teach about the Father and the Son?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows how closely the Father and the Son are joined. John says that whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, and whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. You cannot claim to know or honor God while rejecting His Son. To receive Jesus as the Christ is to receive the Father who sent Him. This teaches that the relationship between the Father and the Son is essential, and that true knowledge of God always includes faith in Jesus.

Question 7

How does this passage help believers deal with false teaching today?

Accepted Answer

This passage reminds believers that false teaching is not new. There have long been many antichrists, people who deny or twist the truth about Jesus. John shows that leaving the core truth about Christ reveals a heart that was never truly with the church. He also reassures believers that God has given them the Holy Spirit, who helps them recognize what is true and what is a lie. Today, Christians can use this to stay close to the plain teaching about Jesus and be careful about new voices that deny Him.

Question 8

Why does John say "no lie is of the truth" in this context?

Accepted Answer

John wants his readers to see that truth and lies do not mix. God’s truth about Jesus stands on its own and does not need to be changed or improved. When someone denies that Jesus is the Christ, or changes who He is, that teaching does not partly belong to the truth. It is a lie. By saying “no lie is of the truth,” John draws a clear line so believers will not be confused or think they can accept a little error about Christ without doing harm to their faith.

1 John 2:18

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

Beware of Antichrists

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1 John 2:18

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

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Beware of Antichrists

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