“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. 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 shown that they all are not of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 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. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.” (1 John 2:18-23 NASB1995)

The book of 1 John was possibly written around 100 AD, so a little less than 2000 years ago. And yet John wrote, “it is the last hour.” So they were in the “end times” even back then, which were “the last days” before the return of the Christ of the Messianic age. And if it was “the last hour” then, and if many antichrists were appearing then, we must now be nearing the time of the return of Christ. For now antichrists are all over the place, many of them disguising themselves as servants of Christ and as his messengers.

And what does it mean to be “antichrist”? It means to be against Christ, to be opposed to him and to his teachings and to his gospel of salvation. But many who are truly “antichrist” are putting on a show of being for Christ. Some of them are what the Scriptures refer to as “wolves in sheep’s clothing” or as the servants of the devil who disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. And many of them are serving as pastors of church congregations or they are in positions of power within the government.

Another term for them are charlatans, who are religious frauds, who lie to the people, who manipulate, trick, and deceive in order to gain followers after themselves who will believe their lies and who will follow their lead. And they usually do this by teaching what is close to the truth, by utilizing the Scriptures, taken out of context, to support their lies. And many people follow them because what they teach sounds good, and makes them feel good, and it does not command they die to sin and obey God in practice.

But it is possible, as well, that some of them may teach repentance and obedience to Christ while they slip in their own religious philosophies and theologies which are contrary to the teachings of Christ, thus still leading many people away from pure devotion to Christ to putting their trust and faith in other humans, even in dead men. And this is why we must be students of the Scriptures who study them in their appropriate context under the leading of the Holy Spirit, and we let the Holy Spirit guide us to all truth.

So, when this says, “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,” we should not interpret this to mean strictly a physical departure from a particular church gathering. For some people must depart from certain “church” gatherings, which are of this world, and not of Christ, as God commands us to do in the Scriptures. And many who do remain are not of Christ, but they are “wolves in sheep’s clothing” who remain in order to deceive the sheep with their lies.

[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 2-3; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]

We must, therefore, look at this as a spiritual departure, and not as a physical departure, although a physical departure may be part of it, as well. For it is those who depart spiritually from the body of Christ, and from the gospel of our salvation, who are not following the Lord Jesus with their lives in walks of obedience to his commands, in holy living. And some of them are pastors of “church” congregations who are remaining in the gatherings, but who depart from the faith in their teachings to their congregations.

So, if you are not careful and prayerful about this, you may end up rejecting the Lord’s true servants of righteousness who, by necessity, and according to God’s instructions, have departed from some physical gatherings of what are called “churches” but which are unequally yoked together with the world and who are turning the church into a place of business. And all the while you may end up embracing some of these antichrist “wolves in sheep’s clothing” who are teaching you lies, disguised as truth, because you are deceived.

So, don’t “judge a book by its cover.” It may appear good on the outside, but it may be filled with the lies of the enemy. For many of these antichrists are very charming, manipulative, and persuasive people who are able to attract the crowds to follow them, but who are “pied pipers” leading their followers to the death. And just because someone verbally confesses Jesus as the Christ, that does not mean they are not antichrist beneath the surface. For truly to deny Christ is to deny him by how we live, in practice.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You


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