Overall Question: Who is an antichrist? How do you avoid them, and how do you treat them?

Memory Text: 1 John 2:23 -- New Jerusalem Whoever denies the Son cannot have the Father either; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father too.

Sunday – The Last Hour
1 John 2:18 NRSV Children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come; therefore we know that it is the last hour.
1 John 2:18 COMMENTARY BY ADAM CLARKE As there has been a succession of oppositions to Christianity in its spirit and spread through every age since its promulgation in the world, so there has been a succession of antichrists. We may bring this matter much lower; every enemy of Christ, every one who opposes his reign in the world, in others, or in himself, is an antichrist; and consequently every wicked man is an antichrist.
Acts 2:15-17 NIV “15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 "’In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”
Hebrews 1:1-2 Holman “1 ¶ Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things and through whom He made the universe.”
1 Peter 1:20 -- Simple English Before the world was made, God chose Christ; but now, in the last times, Christ has appeared for you.

Monday – The Coming of Antichrists
1 John 2:18-19 God’s Word to the Nations “18 ¶ Children, it’s the end of time. You’ve heard that an antichrist is coming. Certainly, many antichrists are already here. That’s how we know it’s the end of time. 19 They left us. However, they were never really part of us. If they had been, they would have stayed with us. But by leaving they made it clear that none of them were part of us.”
1 John 2:22-23 God’s Word to the Nations “22 Who is a liar? Who else but the person who rejects Jesus as the Messiah? The person who rejects the Father and the Son is an antichrist. 23 Everyone who rejects the Son doesn’t have the Father either. The person who acknowledges the Son also has the Father.”
1 John 4:3 -- New American and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God. This is the spirit of the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world.
2 John 1:7 NIV Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Tuesday – Testing Spirits
1 John 4:1-6 20th Century NT “1 ¶ Dear friends, do not trust every inspiration, but test each inspiration, to see whether it proceeds from God; because many false Prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is the way by which to know the inspiration of God—All inspiration that acknowledges Jesus Christ as come in our human nature is from God; 3 while all inspiration that does not acknowledge Jesus is not inspiration from God. It is the inspiration of the Anti-Christ; you have heard that it was to come, and it is now already in the world. 4 ¶ You, my Children, come from God, and you have successfully resisted such men as these, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 Those men belong to the world; and therefore they speak as the world speaks, and the world listens to them. 6 We come from God. He who knows God listens to us; the man who does not come from God does not listen to us. By that we may know the true inspiration from the false.”
1 John 4:1 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES If they taught what God had taught in his word, and if their lives corresponded with his requirements, and if their doctrines agreed with what had been inculcated by those who were admitted to be true apostles, they were to receive them as what they professed to be.
1 John 2:18-27 CEV “18 ¶ Children, this is the last hour. You heard that the enemy of Christ would appear at this time, and many of Christ’s enemies have already appeared. So we know that the last hour is here. 19 These people came from our own group, yet they were not part of us. If they had been part of us, they would have stayed with us. But they left, which proves that they did not belong to our group. 20 ¶ Christ, the Holy One, has blessed you, and now all of you understand. 21 I did not need to write you about the truth, since you already know it. You also know that liars do not belong to the truth. 22 And a liar is anyone who says that Jesus isn’t truly Christ. Anyone who says this is an enemy of Christ and rejects both the Father and the Son. 23 If we reject the Son, we reject the Father. But if we say that we accept the Son, we have the Father. 24 Keep thinking about the message you first heard, and you will always be one in your heart with the Son and with the Father. 25 The Son has promised us eternal life. 26 I am writing to warn you about those people who are misleading you. 27 But Christ has blessed you with the Holy Spirit. Now the Spirit stays in you, and you don’t need any teachers. The Spirit is truthful and teaches you everything. So stay one in your heart with Christ, just as the Spirit has taught you to do.”

Wednesday – The Anointing
1 John 2:20-21 NIV “20 ¶ But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.”
1 John 2:21 PEOPLE’S NT COMMENTARY John writes to them as those who know the truth, and know how to discern between the truth and lies.
1 Samuel 16:13 -- New American Standard Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
John 14:17 -- New American the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you.
John 15:26 -- Simple English ``I will send you the Comforter from the Father. He is the Spirit of truth who is coming out from the Father. When he comes, he will tell the truth about me.
John 16:7 -- Living Bible But the fact of the matter is that it is best for you that I go away, for if I don't, the Comforter won't come. If I do, he will--for I will send him to you.

Thursday – Abiding in Him
1 John 2:14 -- Revised Standard I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
1 John 2:28 -- Living Bible And now, my little children, stay in happy fellowship with the Lord so that when he comes you will be sure that all is well, and will not have to be ashamed and shrink back from meeting him.
2 John 1:9 -- Revised Standard Any one who goes ahead and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the doctrine has both the Father and the Son.
John 5:38 Tyndale’s NT “And his words have ye not abiding in you: For ye believe not him whom he hath sent.”
John 6:56 -- Simple English The person who eats my flesh and drinks my blood stays in me and I stay in him.
John 6:56 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES When his Spirit is given them to sanctify them; when his temper, his meekness, his humility, and his love pervade their hearts; when his doctrine is received by them and influences their life, and when they are supported by the consolations of the gospel, it may be said that he abides or dwells in them.
John 8:31 -- New Jerusalem To the Jews who believed in him Jesus said: If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples.
John 15:4-10 ESV “4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 ¶ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”
If we abide in Him, He promises each of us eternal life:
1 Corinthians 15:1-19 KJ21 “1 ¶ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which you also have received, and wherein ye stand, 2 by which ye also are saved if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you—unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He arose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve, 6 and that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 And last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all—yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed. 12 ¶ Now if Christ is preached, that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 and if Christ be not risen, then our preaching is vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found to be false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up, if so it be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is Christ not raised; 17 and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”
1 Corinthians 15:19 COMMENTARY ROBERTSON’S NT WORD PICTURES If our hope is limited to this life, we have denied ourselves what people call pleasures and have no happiness beyond. The Epicureans [people who believe that the only happiness is eat, drink, and be merry] have the argument on us. Paul makes morality turn on the hope of immortality. Is he not right? Witness the breaking of moral ties today when people take a merely animal view of life.

According to the lesson anyone who does not the will of God is an antichrist. Therefore people which do not know God's will could indeed be acting as antichrists without even realizing it.

As flawed human beings we do not serve God perfectly in the sense that we could be committing errors be it in the way we serve despite our good intentions. Does that mean that we are antichrists? God is good and will forgive us and show us the proper way to serve Him.

I think we are behaving as antichrists when we stop trusting God even when we as christians want to better serve God by relying on our capacities and power only. In other words, the moment we do not take God in consideration in our life we are taking the wrong path.

Really? I mean this in a thoughtful manner.

There are a lot of people that haven't learned to trust in Him. There are folks that trusted in Him but when they took their eyes off of Christ, they began to flodder about in the mire. I do not think that this makes them 'antichrists'.

Perhaps I have a different sort of concept than most people. I see Christ is a leader and the only Son of the Most Holy. An antichrist would be a leader but one to direct the eyes, hearts, and thoughts away from the real article.

I find this discussion interesting!

John explains that if you hate your brother you walk in darkness (blind). We are known by Him if we keep his Commandments. If we keep His word, the love of God is perfected. Loving the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is of the world. If you commit sin you are of the Devil. So John describes many things related to our connection with God, but he doesn't call them antichrist.

But (1 John 2:18) John says there are many antichrists; (whereby we know it is the last time.) Here John says that they are the ones who 'went out from us,but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

Although I haven't studied this lesson in depth yet, I read in II John (verse 7), that many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist."

It seems to me that 'antichrists' are not Christians who sin, or people who don't know about Jesus - but rather people that don't believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, and that He is really God. (1 John 4:2 "Hereby know ye that Spirit of God; Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, were of ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."