1 John 2:18 - Meaning and Application

Here is a moral warning about the times: the end is near. “Little children, it is the last time” (1 John 2:18). Some think the apostle is again speaking only to younger believers, because they are easier to mislead. On that reading, he would be saying, “Young Christians, watch yourselves so you are not corrupted.” But it may also be a general address to all Christians, as if he were sounding an alarm to everyone. He is saying that the Jewish order in both church and state is coming to an end, the Law of Moses is about to fade away, and the time marked out in Daniel is nearly complete. The fall of Jerusalem and the temple is approaching, and that judgment was already set in motion (Daniel 9:26). It is right for disciples to be warned that time is short and to be told, as far as possible, about God’s appointed times.

The sign that this is the last time is clear: “Even now there are many antichrists” (1 John 2:18). Antichrists are people who oppose Christ, his teaching, and his kingdom. It is one of the strange ways God governs the world that such people are allowed to appear. But once they do appear, it is good and safe for believers to be warned about them. Ministers should act as watchmen for the house of Israel. Christians should not be deeply troubled or surprised that there are such deceivers. One great enemy of Christ had already been foretold, and the church had been told to expect him (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10). So it is no surprise that there are many smaller forerunners of that great enemy. “The mystery of lawlessness is already at work.”

These deceivers were also foretold as a sign of that last time. False Christs and false prophets would arise and show great signs and wonders, enough to deceive even the chosen if that were possible (Matthew 24:24). They were also the precursors of the collapse of the Jewish state, nation, and religion. So when we see the promised rise of deceivers, we know that it is the last time (1 John 2:18). The fact that Scripture warned us about such people should strengthen us against being led astray by them.

We are also told something about these deceivers, or antichrists. In one sense, they had once belonged to the Christian company and had professed apostolic teaching: “They went out from us” (1 John 2:19). They had come from the church’s fellowship, perhaps from the church in Jerusalem or from one of the churches in Judea, as in Acts 15:1. Even the purest churches can have apostates and rebels, and not everyone who is convinced by apostolic truth is truly converted by it.

In a deeper sense, though, they were never truly part of the church’s life. “They were not of us.” They had not sincerely obeyed the sound teaching they received, and they had not truly been united with Christ the head. Their departure proved it: “If they had been of us, they would have continued with us” (1 John 2:19). If God’s truth had really taken root in their hearts, it would have kept them steady. If they had truly received the anointing from above, that is, the Holy Spirit’s saving work that makes a person a real Christian, they would not have become antichrists. When people fall away from religion, they show that they were hypocrites before. Those who have taken in the spirit of gospel truth have a strong protection against deadly error.

Their leaving also served another purpose, it made their true condition clear. “This happened so that it would be plain that none of them were really of us” (1 John 2:19). The church cannot always tell who truly belongs to Christ and who only appears to belong, so the church, as made up of inwardly holy people, is rightly called invisible. Some hypocrites must be exposed in this life, both for their own shame and, if they can be restored, for their good. Their exposure also warns and guards others. So, beloved, since you know these things ahead of time, be on your guard. Do not be carried away by the error of the wicked, and do not fall from your own firm standing. Grow in grace instead, and keep moving forward (2 Peter 3:17-18).