The second hindrance to a walk in light is deception. You can tell in verse 18 as we have said that John felt that the return of Christ was imminent and one evidence was the presence of false teachers. The same thing we have today. If there were going many false teachers last time was true in his day is still true today. The antichrists spirit is described in verse 22 where he says, “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Messiah.” This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. So we had many antichrists in that day just as today. The amazing statement in verse 19 explains the source of these. We talked about these people went out then one of the great safeguards which Christians have against error is the anointing from Christ.
Verses:
18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be evident that they all are not of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar except the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, see that what you heard from the beginning remains in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. (NASB)
Key Takeaways:
- You have an anointing of the Holy Spirit and do not need to listen to the lies of this world
- Knowing the Bible is one of the best safeguards against fighting off the lies of Satan and his demons
- Treasure Scripture and remain in it. Study it regularly that it may be ever present on your heart and mind.
Closer Look:
Verse 18: John’s general warning against the world is now followed by a warning against one of its end-time manifestations. The false teachers who were present were worldly to the core (cf. 4:5). The readers knew about the predicted advent of the Antichrist and needed to be alerted to the appearance of many who would display his traits of hostility toward God’s Christ. This is a clear indication that history has entered a climactic era: “the last hour.” Despite the lapse of centuries since John wrote, the climax of all things approaches in a special way. The stage has been set for history’s final drama.
This is the only time this phrase (“the last hour”) occurs in the New Testament, and some say it is not clear what it means. A strong likelihood is that “the last hour” refers to the time between the first coming of Christ and his second coming. Some believe it means there was only a little time left before Jesus would return, in which case John would have been mistaken.
Therefore, it seems preferable to equate the “last hour” with the “last days,” in which God’s plan of salvation directly through Christ is inaugurated (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28; Mic. 4:1). From these passages we learn that the end has come, but the end is not a short period of time. Rather, the end is a distinct period of time of uncertain length. The time of Adam was not the last hour. The time of Abraham was not the last hour. Nor was the time of Moses, or David, or Ezra the last hour. The time between Jesus’ first coming and second coming is the last hour.
The readers knew about the predicted coming of the Antichrist. John warned them about the coming of many who would display the same hostility and opposition to Jesus. Not only is the Antichrist coming, but many antichrists (people who embrace his values and agenda) are already here.
The fact that the antichrists have come proves that the last hour had begun. Some people in the church followed the antichrists, leaving the church. This proved that they had never been Christians. If they had been, they would not have left. Apparently, they had made a profession of faith that was not genuine.
Verse 19: Of the false teachers John had in mind, he wrote, “They went out from us.” The word “us” here is most naturally taken as the apostolic first-person plural of this epistle (see 1:1–5; 4:6). “Us” contrasts with the “you” in 2:20–21, which referred to the readers. It does not make sense that the false teachers had left the churches to which the readers belonged. If they had, how were they still a problem? On the other hand if, like the legalists of Acts 15, they had seceded from the apostolic churches of Jerusalem and Judea, then they were a particular threat to the readers because they came to them claiming roots in the soil out of which Christianity arose. Thus, John was eager to deny any connection with them.
The writer’s point with the phrase, “they were not really of us,” was that these men did not really share the spirit and perspective of the apostolic circle, for if they had, their secession would not have taken place. Heresy in the Christian church, whether on the part of its saved members or unsaved people in it, always unmasks a fundamental disharmony with the spirit and doctrine of the apostles. A person in touch with God will submit to apostolic instruction (cf. 1 John 4:6).
Verses 20–21: The readers were well fortified against the antichrists, however, since they had “an anointing from the Holy One” (i.e., from God). Many suggest the “anointing” is no doubt the Holy Spirit since, according to verse 27, the anointing “teaches.” They suggest that the “anointing” is conceived of as a Person.[1] the Gospel of John teaches us that Jesus will send us the “Spirit of truth” (John 14:17) who “will teach you all things” (John 14:26). Jesus Himself was “anointed” with the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 10:38). As a result of their “anointing,” the readers (perhaps primarily the church leaders) had adequate instruction in the truth of God. John wrote them precisely because their apprehension of the truth was correct and because the truth should never be confused with a lie. You have an anointing from the Holy One. What that’s saying is you don’t pray for anointing from the Holy Spirit. You have the anointing already. Some times you will hear people say, “anoint their message” or teaching. We have already been anointed if we believe in Christ. We already have and know the Spirit. What they are trying to say is, “May the Holy Spirit fill them and may the Holy Spirit control them.” But we already have an anointing. Don’t pray for an anointing, you have that already. Just mark that down in your head that you have this anointing. It’s a safeguard against error and it’s a reference to the Holy Spirit.
The reference to “the anointing” which they possessed (2:20, 27) that is, the Holy Spirit, might also suggest that the addressees were principally the leaders of the church or churches to which John wrote.[2] In the Old Testament the leaders of Israel—prophets, priests, and kings—were often anointed to their offices. While it is conceivable that 1 John 2:20 and 27 refer to an “anointing” which is true of all Christians, this kind of idea is rare in the New Testament. Even 2 Corinthians 1:21 may refer to Paul’s apostolic office. Possibly therefore, in 1 John 2:20 and 27 the writer sought to affirm the competency of the church leaders in the area of spiritual understanding and thus to shore up their authority as over against the false teachers. The leaders did not need to be taught by any human teachers since they were taught by their “anointing,” that is, by the Holy Spirit.
The second possibility reveals some problems with this interpretation, however. It does not tell us how the Spirit enables us to understand all things. Is it by some inner guidance, an internal, subjective experience? They point to this interpretation being a little out of harmony with the context, because John has appealed all along to hard facts that they have been taught from the beginning. In addition, it would invite the false teachers to counter that their own inner, subjective experience was just as valid. Plus, this interpretation does not explain the tremendous disagreement that exists among professing Christians regarding what is true and what is not true. The counter point argument is if the anointing is inner guidance from the Holy Spirit, would He not guide us to be a little more united in this matter?
The other scholars suggest that this anointing refers to the Bible, or a body of teaching passed down to the church leaders. This has the advantage of correcting the problem in the first option, eliminating the danger of spiritual subjectivism.[3] Plus, the Word of God can be understood to “remain in you.” It has the disadvantage that the Word of God is not usually understood to be an anointing. Perhaps it is a subtle combination of the two ideas. The anointing could be understood as God’s Word, “not as preached externally in the community, but as it is received by faith into men’s hearts and remains active, thanks to the work of the Spirit.”[4] If so, the antidote to false teaching is the Word of God, administered and confirmed by the work of the Holy Spirit.
No clear answer presents itself and it is impossible to be dogmatic on this point. No doubt John knew the addressees when he wrote the epistle. Even if the leaders were primarily in view, the letter would naturally have been read to the entire congregation(s) since only in this way could it perform its purpose of supporting the established teachers’ authority. The larger audience could then receive the instruction which the letter contained while at the same time being encouraged to rely on the guidance offered by their Spirit-taught leadership.
Verses 22–23: The antichrists are liars for they deny “that Jesus is the Christ,” that is, God’s Son and the appointed Savior (cf. John 4:29, 42; 20:31). This denial involves also a denial of the Father. Any claim they might make to having the Father’s approval is false. One cannot have the Father without the Son. To reject One is to reject the Other.
When we as believers have received this anointing, then “you all know. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it.” This phrase seems to strengthen the option that the anointing is the Word of God. If we have a mature knowledge of the Bible, it can be said that we know the truth.[5] Admittedly, there is plenty of disagreement about things in the Bible, but there is also much more agreement. The truth is not available only to a select few, as the Gnostics taught, but to everyone. This is not a promise of total knowledge. Anointed believers do not know all the truth there is to know. Rather, they know the truth about the inaccurate information the false teachers were spreading. They know the truth regarding the disputed issues. They need no further insight, as the Gnostics claimed.
This reinforces the truth that truly anointed Christians already believe. The false teachers (“antichrists”) are liars because they deny that Jesus is the Christ, that is, they deny that Jesus is the divine Son of God. This denial also constitutes a denial of the Father. Their claim to be in fellowship with the Father cannot be true since they are not in fellowship with his Son. A person cannot have the Father without having the Son, nor can he or she have the Son without having the Father. To accept or reject one is to accept or reject the other.
Verse 24: The readers must see that what they have “heard from the beginning” (cf. 1:1; 2:7; 3:11) “remains in” them. If it does, they will “remain in the Son and in the Father.” The term translated “remain” is again menō, which is in 2:6, 10, 14, 17 (translated as “live”). John’s point was that if the readers would resist the lies of the antichrists and let the truth they had heard from the beginning “abide” (or “be at home”) in them, they would continue to “abide” in the fellowship of God the Father and God the Son.[6]
[1] John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 891–892.
[2] Zane C. Hodges, “1 John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 882.
[3] David Walls and Max Anders, I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude, vol. 11, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 177.
[4] I. Howard Marshall, The Epistles of John, [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978], p. 155
[5] David Walls and Max Anders, I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude, vol. 11, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 178.
[6] John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 892.