The Spirit of Antichrist

1st John 2:18-23

INTRO: Good morning church. I’m going to deviate from the lesson I had planned because something came up that reminded me of a lesson several years back and I realized this would be a good time to look at the topic again. Incidentally, it us gives an entry point to what I am going to speak on eventually.

I was reading 1st John and came across this portion which started me thinking. Turn with me to 1st John 2:18-23 – “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. 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. 20. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. 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. 22. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”[NKJV]

This point in John’s letter has caused difficulty for many religious people in the world and they have become confused about John’s meaning.

What I want to look at today is what John calls, “The antichrist.” We might want to note that John is the only writer of the New Testament who uses the term "antichrist", and he uses the term 5 times.

I – The Antichrist
A lot of the reason there is confusion about the subject of “the antichrist” is because people refuse to use the best commentary on the Bible there is, and that’s the Bible itself. I’m sure if people let the Bible speak for itself they would have no trouble in understanding John’s meaning of the term antichrist. Let’s look at the text again a bit more carefully.
1. Who is John writing to? - John starts this section of his letter with one of his favorite phrases, he says “Little children” or in some translations “Dear children”. He uses the term ‘children’ many times through his 3 letters and in 1st John he uses the term “Little children” 9 times. John is writing this letter to the Christians of that time as a loving father would write to his children.
2. John is warning Christians, his “little children”. He is warning them about a problem that was very real in his day. 1st 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.” Note that John uses the term “antichrist ‘twice here, singular and plural.
3. He uses the term again in 1st John 2:22 where he says, “Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.”[ESV]
4. He uses it again in 1st John 4:2-3 where he says, “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. And every spirit that does not confess Jesus, is not from God, this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.”
5. John uses the term “antichrist” in 2nd John 7 when he says, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.”

We are living in a society where many people believe that the term “antichrist” is used to refer to an individual. In other words, they believe “The antichrist”, ‘singular’, will appear in the end times.

Some believe that an actual person will arise in the religious-political arena and lead many people astray just before Christ comes again. This view is held by pre-millenialist and many amillennialists.

To understand what John means, let us ask ourselves some questions. Who are the
antichrists? And how do we guard ourselves against them?

II - How do you spot the spirit of the antichrist?
Unlike popular public belief, the answer is not a mystery but quite simple. And it is simply because John tells us the answer. John says in 1st 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.”

You see in John’s day, not sometime in the future, but in John’s day, “The antichrists” not the “antichrist” but “many antichrists”, were individuals who had at some time associated themselves with the apostles and other Christians.

But then these people had left, gone out on their own, and were no longer in fellowship with the apostles. That’s why John says, “They went out from us, and they didn’t really belong to us, because if they did they wouldn’t have gone.” From this verse, it is plain that the "antichrists" were Christians who had defected from the truth, and their departure indicates their hostility to the truth.

In other words, these people were Christians, had faith, and then at some point, they lost their faith. Why? I suspect because they didn’t respect the apostolic teaching.
John tells us that, in 1st John 4:3-6 “3… every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. 4. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

If you want to relate that today, you easily can because many "antichrists" behave the same way. Many people start out acting like they respect apostolic authority and seek to be with Christians but eventually, their true nature comes out and they do not want to be with those who respect apostolic authority very long.

For example: How many people do you know who do not have the Bible as their sole authority for their beliefs? Many religious groups who won’t even read the Bible. Many religious groups hold on to the teaching of men, and men have the final say, not the Bible. Some say the Bible was for back then, we don’t need it anymore. What they are doing is refusing to accept the apostle’s doctrine.

What did Jesus say about accepting the apostle's teaching? He said in John 13:20 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me." Those who reject the apostles reject Christ himself, and in effect have the spirit of the antichrist.

John tells us another characteristic of the antichrists. 1st John 2:22-23 “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

In John’s day, some people denied that Jesus is the Christ. There was a big problem with Gnosticism in that day. A Gnostic is a person who says, “A divine God couldn’t possibly come in the flesh because the flesh is too sinful.”

People in John’s day and even today allege that Jesus and Christ are two different persons. They believe that Christ merely appeared to have flesh, but in reality, didn’t. Others believe that the Christ descended upon Jesus at His baptism and departed at the time of His suffering. It is that denial that Jesus Christ came in the flesh that John identifies as the spirit of the antichrist.

1st John 4:3 “and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”

Another way to spot the spirit of the antichrist is that they deny the Father and the Son. Again in 1st John 2:22b-23, “He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.
Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

You see by denying that Jesus is the Christ, they were denying the Son. Do you recall in John’s gospel, John 1:1-2 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” And then in John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

In other words, because of their denial, they are refusing to believe that Jesus came from the Father. By denying the Son they were also denying the Father. Again it comes back to John 13:20 I’ll paraphrase: “I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me."

If you want to spot the spirit of the antichrist today, it would be quite simple: 1. Anyone who denies that Jesus was the Messiah. 2. Anyone who denies the nature of Jesus, that He was fully God and fully man. 3. Anyone who denies apostolic authority, i.e. the Bible and its teachings about the nature of Jesus Christ. These have the spirit of the antichrist.

Based upon the evidence I have shown you so far is the antichrist a character soon to be revealed on the stage of world events? … Let’s look at some of the views of Dispensationalists, which is currently the most popular form of pre-millennialism because they have much to say about “the Antichrist.” They would have us believe that the Antichrist is a man, now living, who will soon rise to the position of a worldwide dictator.

In his book, “The Late Great Planet Earth” Hal Lindsey declares that the Antichrist will come to power just before the return of Christ, which, he asserts, will occur during this generation. Folks, this view finds absolutely no support in the Bible.

The term antikristos is found 5 times in 4 New Testament passages, all of which are found in John’s epistles, which we’ve already looked at. It’s significant that Lindsey, though devoting a whole chapter to the “Antichrist,” never once alludes to these verses. Why? The reason for this is obvious; the biblical information on this topic is not in harmony with his fanciful theory.

Over the years countless people and groups have attempted to identify the antichrist. Go home and simply type in the word “antichrist” on the internet if you have it. I got over 3 million hits in a Google search. You will be immersed with suggestions such as the Roman Emperor Nero, Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and the Pope. These are but a few of the candidates put forth. In most cases, “the antichrist” is supposed to be connected with the end of the world, the number 666, and various other signs of the times. ”

I keep going over this because we need to be aware of the view these people are coming from. We need to be aware, point out the antichrist spirit, and teach others to recognize it.

John wrote in 1st John 2:18 and I paraphrase; “Little children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.” He says in verse 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.”

John specifically tells us that many antichrists had already come into the world. If his readers were looking for a single, solitary figure distinguished as the sole antichrist, John took that notion away by saying to them that many antichrists had come. If John was talking about a mysterious antichrist who is some sinister personage that would appear in the late 21st century why would he say this? Why would he say in 1st John 4:3 again I paraphrase, “But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”

John says the spirit of the antichrist is already here, in John’s day. Any good Biblical scholar will see quite clearly that when John makes references to “antichrist” he is using that term to suggest a spirit of unbelief that can be manifested in a variety of ways, both in the past and present.

Folks, in 1st John 2:18, I would suggest you underline the term “antichrist,” and in your margin write the following, “A general disposition of unbelief; not a specific person.” John defined an antichrist as any person or group who denies the Father and the Son.

We have seen quite clearly that any person or group, which does not recognize that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has come in the flesh, is a person or a group that has been seized by the spirit of antichrist. When you think about the religious world around us today, many would fall into the category of possessing the spirit of the antichrist.

III - How do we as Christians, guard against the spirit of the "antichrists?"
The way we guard ourselves against the spirit of the antichrists is by going to the people who have already experienced it. We guard ourselves in the same way John told his readers to guard themselves, and the way John tells them is by reminding them of their "anointing."

John says in 1st John 2:20-21 “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. 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.” He is not talking to people who don’t know the truth but to those who do. He also tells them in 1st John 2:27 “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”

John says that this "anointing” is from the Holy One in 1st John 2:20. It was this anointing that enabled them to know "about all things." It also enabled them so that they "didn’t need anyone to teach them," according to 1st John 2:27. It may be that John is talking about the "gifts of the Spirit" which in New Testament times served to provide both Revelation and Confirmation of the truth for the early church. These gifts of the Spirit were given by the laying on of the apostle’s hands. The early church in this case could then identify the "antichrists" without John's help. Despite having this "anointing", they still needed to be encouraged to continue in what they had learned.

Today the earnest of the Holy Spirit is given to all believers in Christ following their repentance and baptism into Christ. It is clear from the last clause where the neuter pronoun and past tense are used that John is referring to the written records of the gospel. It was that which they had been taught; and it was that which was abiding in them, there being no difference whatever in the word of God dwelling in Christians and the Holy Spirit dwelling in them.

John in 1st John 2:24-25 says, “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. And this is the promise that He has promised us eternal life.” Just because they had "gifts of the Spirit," this did not keep them from sinning or being misled. Think of Simon the sorcerer. The same applies to Christians today. John reminds them of that fact in 1st John 2:26 paraphrasing: “I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.”

It was only by paying attention to that which they had heard from the beginning that they would be able to continue to “abide in the Son and in the Father”, and receive the promise of eternal life!

We as Christians today don't have the "anointing" like John's readers did although some religious groups do claim this. If that were the case though, then we wouldn’t need the Scriptures, according to what we have read in 1st John 2:20+27, only the self-deceived would make such a claim.

Folks, we have something just as good! We have the Word of God, which is the "sword of the Spirit." Remember Ephesians 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;” In Jude 3 we read “ Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” That is what we have. We have "the faith once delivered to the saints."

In other words, we have something which we use as the standard by which we can know the truth. It is because of that truth we find in the Bible, we can avoid being misled by subjective feelings that can be mistaken for some sort of prompting of the Spirit.

Within the Scriptures, we have all we need to enable us to know God's will. 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 “16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

But just like John's readers, we need to be encouraged to continue in what we have learned from the Spirit-given Word. Just because we have the Word of God does not ensure that we will not be misled by others.

That’s why unless we study and apply the Word, we are open to deceptions by modern-day "antichrists"! As John urged his readers almost 2000 years ago, so we must today, take the same advice he gave in 1st John 4:1. paraphrasing: “Test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

CONCLUSION:
Let me finish by saying this, "antichrists" are a very real problem for us today. While there may not be many professing Christians who deny Jesus is the Christ, or that He came in the flesh, there are many who reject the authority of the apostles by how they disregard the Scriptures!

It is hard in our time and culture to realize how pervasive the spirit of the antichrist is and even harder to vocalize, even to ourselves, where we see it. Tolerance is not always a virtue and tolerance not guided by God’s word is an enemy. It can help blind us and the spirit of the antichrist is not always that easy to see. We are reminded of that in 2nd Corinthians 11:13-15 with these words: 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

The solution then, remains the same for us. 1st John 2:24 “See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.” No matter how wonderful the work done by a person or group, how much seeming good and kindness… if they exhibit what John warns us about then they have the spirit of the antichrist. In this spirit, Christians have no part or fellowship.

People who make all sorts of claims and theories about the antichrist are missing the point of John’s words. They need to remember what John said was the significance of these antichrists—“by which we know it is the last hour." John knew that in God's purpose, Jesus could return at any time! The fact that it has been 2000 years since John penned these words does not detract from their truthfulness. Loved ones we are living, in "the last hour", and Christ may come in judgment at any time! John’s point was not only to be aware of the spirit of the antichrist—but to be ready for Christ’s return.

Are you ready for His coming? Let me leave you with Peter’s words in 2nd Peter 3:8-9 which says: “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

If you’re not a Christian this morning then let me encourage you to talk to someone about what it means to be ready for Christ’s return. We know from scripture that we must hear the word, believe in Christ, confess our faith in Jesus, repent of our sins, and then be baptized.
For those of the household of faith if you have gone astray I would encourage you to repent of your sins and pray for forgiveness. The grace of God has brought salvation. The question now is where are you relative to that salvation? Whatever your needs we will do what we can to assist you and we encourage you to come while we stand and sing.

Taken from a sermon by Mike Glover