The Apostasy Has Come!

The Antichrist is Near!

INTRODUCTION:

++Antichrists are here! Do we see signs of this now?

++We were told it would happen! Is it happening?

We will see that it is happening even now as we speak!

What is an antichrist?

An Antichrist is:

1. a spirit in the world that opposes or denies Christ; 2. the false teachers who embody this spirit; and, 3. a person who will head up the final world rebellion against Christ.

It is the last hour!

“The last hour” began back in John’s day and has been “The last hour” or “the last times” are phrases that describe a kind of time, not a duration of time. “The latter times” are described in 1 Timothy 4. Paul, like John, observed characteristics of his time, and we see the same characteristics today in even greater intensity.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Five: Truth or Consequences (1 John 2:18–29)

Christians have always been living in “the last time”—in crisis days. It is therefore important that you know what you believe and why you believe it

I john 2:18 Little children, it is the last hour; and 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.

It is the last hour

We are in the end times

How do we know that it is the last hour?

John says because many antichrists have appeared—that is the sign

I John 2:19 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 they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

They were in the gathering

They left the gathering

The antichrist came from the church

BUT they were not of the church

they were not saved

they looked like Christians

But they were not

Had they been born again Christians they would have continued with the church

This is why I say it is important to be involved in a local New Testament Church

Those who say they are Christians but do not attend are in the category of the apostates

God expects His people to be attending and participating in church

Your actions manifest your belief

Your belief determines your eternal destiny

The leaving the church shows they were not really Christians

I John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things

BUT you have an anointing

What is this anointing

God has given the christian something

What is it?

The problem encountered was that the false teachers were saying that they had a special knowledge and anointing that allowed them to know secrets that others did not know

This is not true because all believers have the anointing and know the truth

The anointing is the Holy Spirit

He comes and abides within the believer and the believer knows the truth

There is no secrets—they have been all revealed in the Scriptures

I John 2:21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

I John 2:22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son

I John 2:23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also

I John 2:24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

This is Christological

The message from the beginning was about our Lord Jesus

His Birth

His Death

Burial

Resurrection

Accession

His Return

Abide means to remain

Let the message remain in you

You Stay with God

Don’t ever get over that Christ has saved you

Don’t ever get over the message of our Lord

I John 2:25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life