John begins this passage with, "Little children" (paidia) meaning all of them. It's the same word he used in 2:1, 12 and 13. "It is the last hour" continues the thought of verse 17. John is describing the transient nature of this earthly world and is telling the audience that only those who do the will of God will live forever.
Other opinions offered about, "the last hour" are that it was the end of the Jewish state. That ended with the death and resurrection of Christ. Some say it's literally the last days of the world's existence. If that's the case, what about the last 2000 years?
There are three Greek words used to denote time. Chronos means a duration of time. Our word chronological comes from this. Kairos means the right time, the opportune time, a limited time. We see that used in Mark 1:15. Hora means a fixed date or time as in seasons and months. In this instance it's talking about the dispensations, specifically here that we're living in the final, Christian dispensation. This is the only time the word is used in this book. It's used 108 times in the New Testament including John 5:25, 28 and 35. The idea expressed here is in agreement with the words of First Peter 4:7.
That brings us to the Antichrist. I don't know that there's been a passage or a title more misused in the Bible than this and the other instances John talks about the antichrist. It's really not as complicated as it's been made out to be. The only times this term is ever used in the Bible is here in verse 18, in verse 22, in 4:3 and in Second John 7. That's it. The term is found nowhere in the book of Revelation even though John was the author of that book too.
He tells his readers here, "you have heard" about Antichrist then he goes on to say that already at that time, "many antichrists have come." That's the first point to remember, that there in the late first century, "many antichrists have come." That should certainly rule out any and all of the names that have been used to claim people throughout time were THE antichrist.
Verse 19 tells us who those referred to in verse 18 were. They were ones who had been baptized but they, "were not of us". If they had been, if they'd truly believed they would have stayed loyal to God. This verse also refutes the doctrine of once saved always saved. If that belief were true then it wouldn't have mattered what those people did after they were saved. Not only were they not saved but as is often the case in John's writings, he puts them at the opposite end of where God stands. Remember, there is no gray area.
Verses 19 and 22 give us the characteristics of those who are antichrist. There are many (not just one great, evil world leader), they are not of us, they are liars, they deny Jesus is Christ and they deny Jesus came in the flesh. Wow, that sure sounds a lot like those Gnostics John was doing battle with doesn't it?!
Christ Himself predicted this would happen in Matthew 24:5, 11 and 24. Peter wrote about this attitude in Second Peter 2:1 and Paul addressed these people and warned Timothy about them in First Timothy 4:1 and 2.
Do we have antichrists among us today? Certainly, any one who denies Christ, anyone who is anti-Christ. It's really that simple.
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