1 John 2:18
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
It is the last time because the long-heard expectation that antichrist would come is now met by many antichrists already present. Those many are those who went out from among the believers and thereby showed they were not truly of them, for they would have continued if they had been of them, denying that Jesus is the Christ and denying the Father and the Son. The pope was recognized as the antichrist, and the same spirit develops whenever any person or leader puts self, human wisdom and authority, and outward profession in the place where God alone should rule in religion and conscience. To understand what antichrist is from the Word is decisive in the last time, for confusion over it will place people on its side and with the world in the final conflict between darkness and light. Knowing that it is the last time therefore calls for holding fast to the truth at all hazards, living the Word in obedience to all God's commandments, and urgent self-examination, confession and repentance with no moment to lose before the Lord appears.
Meaning and Context
It is the last time, and this is known because the heard expectation that antichrist shall come is now met by many antichrists already present. The coming of antichrist had been foretold and expected, and the appearance of many antichrists confirms that the last time has arrived. Their presence alongside that expectation is the mark by which the time is recognized.
The many antichrists are those who went out from among the believers, and by going out they were made manifest that they were not truly of them. If they had been of them they would have continued with them, but their departure from fellowship after once sharing faith made plain that they did not truly belong. Those who remain are distinguished by having an anointing from the Holy One and knowing the truth, for no lie is of the truth. This opposition is defined as denying that Jesus is the Christ and denying the Father and the Son, with truth separating believers from falsehood.
This leaving does Satan's work when those who leave oppose the truth they once professed. It appears in persecution and trial, when some abandon professed truth and thereby show they were not truly united with the believers. Those who apostatize in this way may even betray their former companions to protect themselves. The message is stated in simple terms with figures the readers could understand, and the passage with 1 John 2:16-19 speaks in unmistakable terms of conditions in the last days.
Antichrist in Prophecy
The pope was recognized as the antichrist, and the papal throne as Satan's throne, because the expectation that antichrist shall come was met by a present reality already at work. At an earlier point it was wondered whether the pope was antichrist himself or only his apostle, because papal decrees so misrepresented Christ as to crucify Him afresh. At that time there was still support for the Roman Church and no expectation of leaving it.
The rival popes in the papal schism were antichrists, whose mutual condemnations, strife, and corruption exposed what the papacy was. The people could overcome both rivals in Christ's name.
The spirit of antichrist develops rapidly whenever a person puts own wisdom, wealth, and power to control in the place where God should be. It appears in following mere human nature, in love of supremacy, in trusting own experience, in self-righteousness, in faultfinding with brethren, in acting without fear of God, and in professing to serve God while making outward display, departing from His counsel, and living in transgression. Ministers of the gospel who do not daily seek counsel from God walk blindly and not in Christ's footsteps in this same spirit. All who do this will soon be found on the losing side and be abased by the Lord.
The plans of antichrist are worked out when men are given, in religion and conscience, what belongs to God alone. Leaders who take authority to direct what shall be done and what shall not be done must therefore be sure they are not carrying out those plans. Many who hold the position of teacher in the visible church lack practical godliness, and their words and works reveal it. Safety is in unselfish obedience to the Word rather than in bowing to human judgment or in becoming a do-nothing.
The name antichrist describes those who refuse to be taught of God, cling to human traditions, and at last pass over to the enemy's side against God. They unite around self-rule and find in antichrist the center of their union. They stand opposed to God's people, who feed on His Word, show it by practice, press together in unity, and are one with Jesus Christ. The two parties stand in collision until the Lord appears and establishes His everlasting kingdom, shining gloriously before His ancients and setting up a kingdom that shall stand forever.
Understanding from the Word what antichrist is becomes a decisive issue in the last time. Confusion and failure to see it will surely place people on its side, making them in the crisis more on the side of the world than of God until they stand wholly with the world. The warning belongs to the final determined conflict between the powers of darkness and the powers of light, in which every true child of God will fight bravely on Christ's side. The prophecies of Daniel and John interpret one another, and by their fulfillment in the last days they explain themselves and make their message clear as truths everyone should understand as witnesses.
Because Satan has combined and will continue to combine with the churches in a masterly effort against the truth, God's people must become more and more distinct from the world and not assimilate with it. Open conformity to God's law by Sabbath observance is the visible mark of distinction between His chosen people and the world. The Lord is about to punish the world and religious bodies for iniquity and for rejection of given light, while Daniel stands in his lot and place.
Living in the Last Time
In contrast to those who go out and show they were never truly of the household of faith, truly sanctified souls live the Word, are educated and taught of God, and have the anointing from the Holy One with knowledge of the truth and that no lie is of the truth. For them the highest education is obedience to all of the commandments spoken from Sinai. The presence of many antichrists marks the last time and calls believers to remain alert and faithful to the truth. At all hazards they must hold fast to the truth and stand firm on the platform of eternal truth, and it is not yet too late for wrongs to be righted, taking courage and hope from precious promises.
The verse calls for kneeling attention to the time and to the danger of this leaving. There is not a moment to lose, and urgent heart work is needed before the Lord's appearing. That work requires self-criticism instead of exalting self and disparaging others, setting the heart in order, and confessing and forsaking sin with diligent repentance so as to be cleansed from sin, because souls are in peril in the great day of atonement. The plain truths about walking in the light, having fellowship with one another, confessing sin, and keeping the love of Christ mean very much now. Therefore the whole second chapter must be read, studied, and obeyed in order to keep first love, grow up into Christ in love, and be watchful.
That second chapter is the best sermon for practical life. It teaches to ask God in simple, trusting faith and not to trust in human weakness, to put away false science, to be cautious and not be led astray by any man's supposed wisdom, and to trust God as helper. It teaches to live as little children led and guided by the Lord in every step, to seek God and not let any person decoy from steadfast faith to follow human judgment, to recognize that man has no wisdom except what he obtains from God, and to walk in the light of the Word. Knowing that it is the last time and the end of all things is at hand, as shown by signs fulfilling all around including calamity such as the destruction of large institutions, demands close self-examination whether in the faith, more thought about the time, intense earnestness, aroused energies, and persevering effort. Consecrated workers must go forth understandingly, clear the highway, obtain victories in new places, and labor in faith and trust so that some will listen and accept truth, with success proportionate to faith.