1John Sunday School Class Lessons
Author: Steve Amato
Description: bible study guide for 1john
Keywords: bible study, 1john, perseverance of the saints, eternal security, eternal life, salvation, sin, obedience

# 1 John Lessons

### 1John 2:18 Literalize

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vs 18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you had heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we generally know that it is the last hour.

## ANTICHRIST

Just as the Bible contains examples of Christ-types, like Melchizedek, yet speaks of THE one Christ, Jesus Christ, so also there are Anti-Christs, and there is THE Anti-Christ. Here I'm using "THE" in its semantic form known as "Par Excellence". Wallace (Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics) notes of this usage as such:

The article is frequently used to point out a substantive that is, in a sense, "in a class by itself." It is the only one deserving of the name. For example, if in late January someone were to say to you, "Did you see the game?" you might reply, "Which game?" They might then reply, "The game! The only game worth watching! The BIG game! You know, the Super Bowl!" This is the article used in a par excellence way.

John 1:21 Are you the prophet?

AntiChrists are false versions of Christ. Indeed when THE AntiChrist shows up, he'll likely claim himself to be Christ. Interestingly enough there's a sect of Islam which is geared up for that very scenario, who claim that Christ will return and fight against the people of the cross. And in Islam, given its recent history characterized by violence and the committing of atrocities, its ongoing persecution of Christians and Jews, that religion fits very well into the apocalyptic scenario we hear in the Bible concerning the end times. Furthermore it has an alternate version of scripture in which Jesus is declared not to be the Son of God, and not to have died on the cross. Muslims claim their origin from Ishmael rather than Isaac. And yet we find in the Bible that Isaac is associated with the righteous, while of Ishmael it is written in Galatians 4:29,30 in the New Testament that, "At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son." And there is much more to say of Islam's potential link the coming of the antiChrist.
But as for antiChrists, Jesus himself said, "False Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect— if that were possible. So be on your guard." Mark 13:22-23a But then also, as in the case of the Koran, people will make claims of the historic Jesus which are false, and thus they speak of a "Jesus" but in a much different sense than the Bible does. They present an alternate Jesus, and antiChrist.
Now by "antiChrists", given that John goes on to speak of them going out from among them, it seems he may also be referring to false Christians, pretenders to the faith turned apostate. For just as Christians are to reflect Christ, so also these apostates reflect a version of an antiChrist. 1John 2:22 "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist— he denies the Father and the Son." And likewise "every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." 1John 4:3 Yet "many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist." 2John 1:7
But as for THE AntiChrist, I'll mention a few scriptures where he is alluded to.
2Thess 2:1-4 "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God."
2Thess 2:8-10 "Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved."
Rev 13:12-18 "He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666."

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources