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18Children, 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.
19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. (1 John 2:18–19 ESV)
Are you interested in religious matters? Some people are, and many aren’t. No matter which category you fall into, let me bring your attention to one subject, that is, antichrist.
The Apostle John
One of the eminent disciples of Jesus Christ is John. Since John was one of the numerous eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, with the guidance of God’s Spirit, he wrote down the authentic life account and the teachings of his Lord and Saviour. He wrote the Gospel of John, the letters of 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and the book of Revelation.
The Appearances of Many Antichrists
As an elder and pastor of God’s Church, the Apostle John warned his congregation about the final appearance of the antichrist. He reminds the believers that the antichrist will for sure come, but before it happens, many antichrists have already appeared in numerous congregations then.
In 1 John 2:18–19, John pointed out one of the traits of these antichrists. He stated that these people originally belonged to some Bible-believing local churches, but they finally departed from these congregations. These former so-called believers were in fact false Christians. Not only they departed from the orthodox teaching of the Christian faith, they also devised distorted views on Jesus Christ and salvation. The saddest thing is that these false Christians go around and spread their corrupt beliefs. No wonder John identified these false believers as antichrists.
God’s greatest enemy
Satan was once an archangel, but because of his selfish pride, he was not willing to submit to God. As a result, the Devil has become God’s greatest enemy. Although Satan knows that his doom is certain and imminent, he still wants to go against God. One of the numerous tricks that Satan is using is to distort the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Due to Satan’s unrelenting work, people fell prey to a corrupt form of Christianity. No wonder throughout church history, fake believers, distorted theologians and crooked preachers have appeared and continue to appear in uncountable numbers.
The Appearances of Fake Gospel
It’s understandable that there are false Christians around. Unfortunately, some people have misunderstood or did not understand the Gospel, but they still claimed to be Christians. Other well-meaning people were being misled by false pastors.
When I was a new Christian, I wanted to learn the Christian faith as much as I could. As a result, I came to comprehend many fundamental tenets of the Bible. Moreover, I discovered so many theologians who deviated from the biblical truth. In a nutshell, many pastors and theologians preached a different Christ, instead of the historical and biblical Jesus. In other words, they are the advocates of false Christianity.
The Authentic Gospel
So, who is Jesus Christ, and what does the authentic Gospel teach?
Please refer to John 20:30–31, Romans 3:21–23, 1 John 4:14 and Ephesians 2:8–9 and let me summarise the key points afterwards.
30The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. 31But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name. (John 20:30–31 NLT)
21But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (Romans 3:21–23 NLT)
14Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. (1 John 4:14 NLT)
8God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8–9 NLT)
The Bible is unequivocal in declaring that Jesus Christ is God (John 20:30–31) and He is the Messiah and the Saviour of the world (1 John 4:14). As all human beings are tainted with sins, they need God’s forgiveness and saving grace. Since no individual can attain salvation by good works, a believer can only be saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9).
Dear friends, are you a Christian? If not, may I encourage you to consider to commit yourself totally to Jesus Christ as the Saviour and the Lord of your life.
Kenneth Thumb Ministry 譚約珥事工 