1 John 2:18-28
Are we living in the Last Days?
John says in 1 John 2:18a, “Little children, it is the last hour…”
Ever since Jesus Christ ascended, we have been living in the Last Days. Here is how we should do it:
Intercession. Get your head out of the clouds of prophecy, and your knees on the floor to pray for this generation.
Soul-Winning. If you are living for this world, you are only rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Be getting people into the lifeboats of the Gospel, to know Jesus Christ as Savior.
Family. Living in the last days is dangerous. Parents and grandparents, be inculcating rock-ribbed truths and values into the hearts and minds and lives of your children.
Comfort. Don’t go around wringing your hands and saying, “Look what the world is coming to…” Say, “Look who is coming to the world!”
End Times Prophecy
All Christians, from the time of John to this time, are to be expecting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ at any moment.
Paul wrote, “Wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). The word “wait” is a present infinitive—it means to be constantly waiting.
We are not looking for the temple to be rebuilt, for the Antichrist to appear, for the regathering of Israel, for earthquakes, famines, or other natural disasters, etc. We are looking for Jesus.
What Does the Bible Say About the Antichrist?
“As you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour” (1 John 2:18b).
The prefix anti- means “against,” and “instead of.” The Antichrist substitutes himself for Christ.
“They went out from us, but they were not of us…” (1 John 2:19a).
We have all seen people who joined churches, received baptism, and then went off to some cult. Why? They did not lose their salvation—they never had it.
“He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also” (1 John 2:22b-23).
The Antichrist deceives people about who Jesus is. If you are wrong about Jesus, it does not matter where you are right.
The Triumph of the Holy One
“Now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:28b).
Abide in the Word of God
The word “abide” means “to settle down, to be at home, and to remain.” Let the Word of God be at home in you, and you be at home in the Word of God.
Parents, grandparents, be putting mega doses of the Word of God into the hearts and minds of your children. They cannot only get it in Sunday school.
Abide in the Holy Spirit
“You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things” (1 John 2:20). We are New Testament prophets, priests, and kings (see Revelation 1:5-6), and we have been anointed with the Holy Spirit.
What does John mean by “you know all things”? Even with human teaching and study, you would never know anything apart from the Holy Spirit. Abide in Him so that He can teach you in these Last Days.
Abide in Jesus
Don’t be sick of this world—enjoy life every day. But let your heart beat with anticipation. If you abide, you will not be frightened. You will meet the return of Jesus Christ with anticipation, boldness, and gladness.
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