I 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. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. 26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. 28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”
It was the close of the century. John comprehended the age he lived in. He had seen the beginning of the church age. He was old when he wrote these short epistles. Even if the Age of Grace lasted a long time, John knew it was the last age before eternity. He based it on the events of the day, and in verse 18 said by those events “we know that it is the last time.”
To get to the heart of Christianity is to get every Christian’s focus on the right things. John hated the trends he saw. The “religionizing” of Christianity had begun. The worldliness, carnality, and mixing in of pagan beliefs had started. The church had persecution by the Roman government like we’ve never seen. Amidst all of that, the biggest threat was being led astray, being seduced by the devil. There are many ways to be seduced, and it’s not always in the sexual sense the word is used. Paul said that in the latter days people would give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Error would be mixed with truth to lead people astray. John saw the subtility of the devil.
We live under the constant influence of an anti-Bible, anti-church, and anti-Christ world. John said we “have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” The anti-Christ will indeed come, but in the meantime there are many already here in an effort to deceive. “Anti” means to be the opposite of or against something or someone. It’s a real and present danger. Even the strongest can be led astray. All of us are susceptible. The devil fights with his best tactics—seduction and deceit—and some fall for it. There is part truth, but it falls short of producing faith-practicing Christianity.
Just as Christ is preparing for his coming, the anti-Christ is too. Time goes by fast, and with its passage the devil sees his opportunities slipping. There is more pressure on him to put more pressure on us. John said the pretenders went out from them, and if they had really been one of them, they would have stayed. The seducers are powerful. As Christians we’re up against that force. There were times we were not labeled as conservatives, right wing, or fundamentalists. Now we’re made more and more the blame for things as if it’s practically a crime to be a born again Christian. It’s more than those who speak out against us; it the subtle way the devil tries to seduce us. We have to be on our toes. It is a tough time to be a Christian.
When we relax and let down our guard, the devil comes. We can continue to be right with God regardless of how strong our opposition is. We have the advantage. We “have an unction from the Holy One.” God can reveal and teach us how to overcome. That unction is a healing from God. It clears the heart and mind. We’re forgiven and delivered, healed from the disease and slavery of sin. We have the Way, so we can identify the seducers. If we get the same illness twice, we know how to recognize it the second time. We’ve been brought out of sin and know the signs when the devil tries to seduce us. Even though we know these things, the falling away is here. The pressures, seductions, and persuasions weave themselves into our lives. Soaked with error, sometimes the truth is hard to see clearly. John said it’s possible the very elect of God can be deceived.
“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” When John said this he didn’t mean we do not need to be taught or don’t need to read the Bible. We do. This says we have the healing, the unction, to know we’re saved from sin. It is the basis of our evaluation of right and wrong. We are not to let the seducers persuade us to go by anything else but what THE Teacher has taught us in his word. Don’t listen to the lies. Some things really are wrong; they are not okay even if they appear to be. We’re people of truth. John said “if ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”
You and I can live right in this world. The unction gives us the real identity of truth and what it’s backed with. The Bible remains the Word of God and need never be defended. It stands for itself. We’ll stand if we stick with it. We have the spirit of truth not the spirit of error. The person of truth is Jesus Christ. We know we’re saved. Jesus can get us out of this deceitful world and its anti-Christs. Walk in the Lord, and the way will always be made. No matter how strong the seducers are, we can have eternal life; it’s our promise.
Let’s not be led away; rather led us lead others to the light of the truth in Jesus Christ.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 