Sue J Love
Loyal
The answer to the question is in the writing:
1 John 2:18-23 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)
“18Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.
“20You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I have not written to you because you lack knowledge of the truth, but because you have it, and because no lie comes from the truth. 22Who is the liar, if it is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. 23Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.”
The Antichrist
What does it mean to be “antichrist”? It means to be against Christ, to be opposed to Him and who He is and why He came to the earth and why He sacrificed himself for us on that cross. It is to reject Him as the Messiah, the Christ, and to reject Him as Lord of one’s life. And this includes many who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who do not obey His commands and who continue living in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord. They do not know Him, they are not in fellowship with Him, and they do not love Him.
So all who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Messiah, their Savior, their Lord, and their redeemer, who do not bow to Him as Lord of their lives, but for whom self is the god of their lives, they do not know God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. And all who deny that Jesus is the Christ also deny God the Father. And this includes all Jews who are still claiming the God of their fathers as their God, but who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah, Lord, and Savior. They are antichrist who deny Jesus is the Christ.
They Went Out
Now, when this says, “They went out from us..”, this is not to be interpreted as anyone who leaves a particular church gathering, and goes somewhere else, that they are antichrist, or that they are backslidden, or that they are living in sin, and that they are out of God’s will. Some of them could be, but some of them could be following the Lord’s commands to come out from among the ungodly, and those who partner with the ungodly who have turned the church into a business to be marketed to the world. See:
[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]
For so much of what is called “church” today is not the biblical body of Christ gathering together to exhort, encourage, teach, and minister to one another, utilizing their spiritual gifts and their callings of God in their parts of the body to help one another to grow to maturity in Christ in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord. So much of what is called “church” are these businesses of human making being marketed to the people of the world which are diluting the gospel to make it less offensive to the world.
So, just because someone professing faith in Jesus Christ departs from a particular “church gathering,” it does not mean that they are backslidden or that they never were truly saved. It may mean the exact opposite of that, for they are obeying God in doing what He commands that we do. For He does not want us to be partners with the world and with the ungodly and with those who are teaching lies and who are teaching a false gospel of salvation. And the church is all who are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
The Truth
Jesus Christ taught that to come to Him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) Him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to His commands, in His power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls Him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in Him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).
The Lies vs Truth
Many pastors of church congregations are speaking the opposite of what this teaches us above. So many of them have now gone the way of the world and of the flesh and they are catering to the people of the world, and to the ungodly, and so they are teaching that we can be saved and on our way to heaven on a mere verbal confession of Christ as Lord. So many of them are also teaching that God does not require obedience to His commands and that we die with Him to sin (repent). But that is a lie from hell.
For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For it is not the one who claims he is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. We have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven (see Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1-3).
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; 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 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
Who is The Antichrist?
An Original Work / November 5, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Magnify Him
An Original Work / April 17, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Glory to the Father, and glory to the Son;
Praise the Holy Spirit – our God, the Three in One.
Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end;
Savior, sanctifier, healer, the Amen!
Jesus reigns forever; He is the King of kings.
He is our Redeemer, the Lord of everything.
Through His blood He saved us, and brought us victory;
Purifying, our debt buying, so we’re free!
Soon He’s coming back for us, to make us His bride.
He asks that we watch ‘til the time when He arrives.
When He comes, what glory then will be ours to share;
Magnify Him when we meet Him in the air!
1 John 2:18-23 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)
“18Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.
“20You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I have not written to you because you lack knowledge of the truth, but because you have it, and because no lie comes from the truth. 22Who is the liar, if it is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. 23Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.”
The Antichrist
What does it mean to be “antichrist”? It means to be against Christ, to be opposed to Him and who He is and why He came to the earth and why He sacrificed himself for us on that cross. It is to reject Him as the Messiah, the Christ, and to reject Him as Lord of one’s life. And this includes many who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who do not obey His commands and who continue living in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord. They do not know Him, they are not in fellowship with Him, and they do not love Him.
So all who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Messiah, their Savior, their Lord, and their redeemer, who do not bow to Him as Lord of their lives, but for whom self is the god of their lives, they do not know God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. And all who deny that Jesus is the Christ also deny God the Father. And this includes all Jews who are still claiming the God of their fathers as their God, but who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah, Lord, and Savior. They are antichrist who deny Jesus is the Christ.
They Went Out
Now, when this says, “They went out from us..”, this is not to be interpreted as anyone who leaves a particular church gathering, and goes somewhere else, that they are antichrist, or that they are backslidden, or that they are living in sin, and that they are out of God’s will. Some of them could be, but some of them could be following the Lord’s commands to come out from among the ungodly, and those who partner with the ungodly who have turned the church into a business to be marketed to the world. See:
[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]
For so much of what is called “church” today is not the biblical body of Christ gathering together to exhort, encourage, teach, and minister to one another, utilizing their spiritual gifts and their callings of God in their parts of the body to help one another to grow to maturity in Christ in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord. So much of what is called “church” are these businesses of human making being marketed to the people of the world which are diluting the gospel to make it less offensive to the world.
So, just because someone professing faith in Jesus Christ departs from a particular “church gathering,” it does not mean that they are backslidden or that they never were truly saved. It may mean the exact opposite of that, for they are obeying God in doing what He commands that we do. For He does not want us to be partners with the world and with the ungodly and with those who are teaching lies and who are teaching a false gospel of salvation. And the church is all who are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
The Truth
Jesus Christ taught that to come to Him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) Him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to His commands, in His power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls Him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in Him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).
The Lies vs Truth
Many pastors of church congregations are speaking the opposite of what this teaches us above. So many of them have now gone the way of the world and of the flesh and they are catering to the people of the world, and to the ungodly, and so they are teaching that we can be saved and on our way to heaven on a mere verbal confession of Christ as Lord. So many of them are also teaching that God does not require obedience to His commands and that we die with Him to sin (repent). But that is a lie from hell.
For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For it is not the one who claims he is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. We have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven (see Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1-3).
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; 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 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
Who is The Antichrist?
An Original Work / November 5, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Magnify Him
An Original Work / April 17, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Glory to the Father, and glory to the Son;
Praise the Holy Spirit – our God, the Three in One.
Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end;
Savior, sanctifier, healer, the Amen!
Jesus reigns forever; He is the King of kings.
He is our Redeemer, the Lord of everything.
Through His blood He saved us, and brought us victory;
Purifying, our debt buying, so we’re free!
Soon He’s coming back for us, to make us His bride.
He asks that we watch ‘til the time when He arrives.
When He comes, what glory then will be ours to share;
Magnify Him when we meet Him in the air!
Magnify Him
Because of what Jesus Christ did for us in saving us from our sins, we should be continually in an attitude of praise and thanksgiving to him for all that he has done for us. Praise and thanksgiving, as well, is the greatest antidote I know to sadness, loneliness, suffering, rejection and...
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