1 John 2:18-29

Antichrists? You mean there are more than one???

(pass out spot the difference page, only one, wait a few minutes, collect them and pass out a slightly different version, have the students guess the differences, illustrate that without seeing the original, it’s really hard to spot the differences and you can easily be fooled if you aren’t familiar with the genuine article)

Today we continue in 1 John, we will be in chapter 2 vs 18

1 John 2:18–27 “18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

Who can tell me about the antichrist? (Aka the false profit in Revelation, man of lawlessness 2 Thessalonians 2)

So most, if not all, of us have heard of the antichrist, but did you know there were many antichrists?

(Matthew 24:5 “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” )

What do you think antichrist means? (anti Christ, it is in the name)

What do you think the antichrist does? (vs 22 - 27)

22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

What does it mean that Jesus is the Christ? Isn't that His last name? (no, Christ, Christos in the Greek, refers to The anointed One or Savior, sent to redeem the world.)

How did Jesus prove that He is the Savior? (died on the cross and rose again)

If you have placed your trust in Jesus as the Lord of your life, are there any other things that you MUST do in order to be truly saved? (no, baptism is an outward sign of obedience, it’s a sign that you are saved, but it doesn’t save you)

Do people teach other views on salvation? (yes, some people believe you have to earn it, some people believe that everyone goes to heaven even if they have never trusted in Jesus for salvation, there are a lot of views on what happens when we die)

(If they have questions or you have extra time)

If you notice in vs. 20, John gives us a clue as to what these false teachers were saying, John says you have been anointed by the Holy One, meaning that you don’t need a special anointing or ritual to really be saved as the Naassenes taught, John also says that you have all knowledge because other Gnostic sects taught that you needed special knowledge to really be saved but John is saying that when you place your faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live in you and no special ceremony, or anointing of oil, or knowledge can compare to the Spirit of God living within you!

Paul says it this way:

Galatians 1:6–9 “6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”

So this has been a problem since the days of the early church. Both John and Paul address this in their letters to the churches. So this is not something new that we can blame on the internet or TikTok!

How can we know the true Gospel from a false gospel?

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 “3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”

Any gospel that does not recognize Jesus Christ as Savior, how He lived on earth as the God-man fully human and fully God, died for our sins, was buried and raised to life is a false gospel and you should reject it!

But I have to be honest with you, false gospels aren’t always easy to spot… sometimes they use similar words, sometimes they use the same words, sometimes they talk about Jesus or quote the Bible… even satan quoted the Bible when he tempted Jesus, but they do it in a way that makes the message more about you or worldly possessions… and if you’re not careful, you will find yourself listening to a false gospel and rejecting the true Gospel. Because deep down, we all like stuff, we all want an easy life, we all want to grow old go out the easy way in our sleep!

So what do we do? We have been warned that there are people out there with an agenda to get us off track and have us believe in a false gospel!

It’s simple, we do what the United States Secret Service does.

Do you know how the US Secret Service spots counterfeit money? They learn to spot counterfeit bills by thoroughly studying and memorizing the unique look, feel, and security features of real U.S. currency, allowing them to recognize anomalies in fake bills. 

In other words, they don’t study fakes, they study the real thing… and they know the real thing so well, that they can spot a fake that would fool anyone who wasn’t trained and wasn’t paying close attention.

If you want to keep yourself from falling for a false gospel, study the real Gospel, know it so well that you will spot a fake instantly and keep yourself from being fooled by preaching that sounds good, but is ultimately leading you astray.

John says it this way…

24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. 26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.”

1 John 2:28–29 “28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.”

Abide in Christ, study the true Gospel, know the story of what Jesus did for you, how He lived, how He died, and how He rose again to give us life and reconcile us to the Father.