1 John 2:18-23

“Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. We know from this that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us, because if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But they went out from us to demonstrate that all of them do not belong to us. Nevertheless you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. I have not written to you that you do not know the truth, but that you do know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but the person who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the person who denies the Father and the Son. Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either. The person who confesses the Son has the Father also.”

— ‭‭1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬-‭23‬‬

Author of these epistles (presumably John the apostle) shows tenderness to his audience. 

We repeatedly see the early church identify their generation as the “last days.” We have done more damage to our current generations by assuming world has gotten way worse (though, yes, I understand Jesus and Paul’s warnings of how wars will progress and false teaching will arise, etc.) The point is humans have been pretty awful since the beginning. And in the first century, they were just as expectant of Jesus’ return as we are. There is nothing hindering that. The “end times” began at the resurrection. This cannot be emphasized enough.

“The antichrist” has many titles in NT. Son of Perdition/ Man of Lawlessness. But there’s debate if AD 70 fulfilled this portion of these prophecies. Could be pattern fulfillment for multiple blasphemous people throughout history, and perhaps culminating in one terrible person at the end. Not really trying to get into the “beast from the sea” in Rev 13. Beasts typically refer to kingdoms, not individuals throughout Jewish literature, like Daniel 7.

Many antichrists have appeared, and not just appeared from outside in the culture. These have gone out from the church. 

This passage is used in nearly every conversation about preservation of saints, assurance of salvation, losing salvation, etc. I like to focus on God’s sovereignty and faithfulness to His people. This is what preservation means. He will get His people from Point A to Point B. He never loses any (John 10:27-28), and He will complete the work (Phil 1:6). 

But we know of people all the time who were in church, heavily involved, even pastors who turn away from faith, Jesus, ministry everything. 1 John 2:18 helps. They went out because they were not really of us. If they were of us, they would have remained.

Can they come back? Sure. I know Hebrews 6 says it’s impossible for them to repent. But I would say if they repent, then they haven’t really left. We like to debate. We like to find loopholes and make up weird situations to label people or make it difficult for either people to find God or the Bible to be true. 

First, let each Bible author say what he wants to say to HIS audience for THEIR situation. Second, these people were facing persecution and opposition from teacher that we can sort of relate to but not really. They were still wrestling with deity of Christ, the expansion of the gospel for all nations, and how all this works together. We have scores of other issues. 

But many of the biblical authors, John perhaps at the top, makes it fairly simple. Someone is either following Jesus or they aren’t. Revelation basically makes God’s team and the devil’s team. We can make up all sorts of practical scenarios of switching back and forth and leaving one and going back or taking a break. But John doesn’t mess around. You’re life as a whole…for or against. Period.

John echoes the confidence of Hebrews’ warning passages. His people have an anointing from above. They have received the truth. The lies they are hearing about Jesus’ deity. The opponents who have left are saying Jesus was not the Messiah. The one sent by God to rescue His people. And then John switches from plurals to singular—the antichrist. 

You can tell similar vocabulary and phrasing between this passage and John’s gospel. He who has the Son has the Father. Jesus reveals God perfectly.