1 JOHN 2:18–23 THE LAST HOUR AND THE TEST OF TRUTH
18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared. From this we know that it is the last hour.
19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us. But they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.
21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.
23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.
John now speaks with urgency, saying, “it is the last hour,” pointing to a decisive period already unfolding. Here is a present reality the readers are living in. The sign he gives is not political upheaval or outward events, but the rise of “many antichrists.” The focus is on spiritual opposition, especially in the form of false teaching that challenges the truth about Christ.
He explains that these individuals “went out from us,” showing that the danger is not only external but can arise from within the visible fellowship. They had been among the believers and shared in the life of the community, yet their departure exposed a serious break with the truth they once stood in (1 John 2:19). John does not present their leaving as something insignificant, but as a warning that remaining is essential. The fact that they did not continue shows that perseverance in the truth is not automatic or guaranteed, but something that must be maintained.
The emphasis, then, is not on proving they were never in any real sense connected, but on showing that abiding is the evidence of genuine faith. A person may stand in the fellowship for a time, yet if he turns away from the truth of Christ, he demonstrates that he is no longer walking in what he once received (1 John 2:24). The call throughout the letter is not to assume security apart from faithfulness, but to “remain in Him,” because life and fellowship are found in continuing, not in a past profession alone (1 John 2:27).
In this way, John presses the reader toward vigilance and endurance. The line is clear: it is not enough to begin; one must continue. Truth must remain in the believer, and the believer must remain in the truth. Where that abiding is abandoned, the separation is real, and it shows that fellowship with God is tied to a present and ongoing walk, not a moment that cannot be altered (1 John 2:19, 1 John 2:24).
It is also important to recognize that John is very likely speaking especially of false teachers and deceptive leaders, not merely ordinary believers who struggle. The context speaks of “antichrists” and those who deny that Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:18, 22), which points to individuals who were spreading error and drawing others away. Their departure was tied to doctrinal corruption. In that sense, their going out exposed them as false guides who had occupied a place within the assembly but did not remain faithful to the truth. This strengthens the warning, because it shows that even those who appear established—even teachers—must be tested by whether they continue in the teaching of Christ.
In contrast, John reassures his readers: “you have an anointing from the Holy One.” This speaks of a given ability to recognize truth, not through personal brilliance, but through what has been received from God. He says, “you all know,” not meaning they know everything, but that they have been grounded in the essential truth about Christ. This is why he writes—not to introduce something entirely new, but to reinforce what they already understand.
He makes this even clearer: “I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it.” The purpose is strengthening, not replacing. Truth is consistent, and “no lie is of the truth.” There is no mixture between the two. Even a subtle distortion does not belong to truth, and this becomes the basis for recognizing lies.
John then defines the central issue plainly: “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?” The heart of the problem is not secondary matters, but the identity of Jesus. To deny Him as the Christ is to reject what God has revealed. This denial is what John identifies as “the antichrist,” not limited to one figure, but describing anyone who stands against the truth of who Jesus is.
He then shows how serious this denial is: “the one who denies the Son does not have the Father.” There is no way to separate the two. A person cannot claim to know God while rejecting the Son. At the same time, the positive side is just as clear: “the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.” Right confession is not merely verbal, but aligned with truth, and it brings a person into real relationship with God.
This section calls for clarity and steadiness. Truth is not hidden, and it is not constantly changing. It has been revealed, and it can be known. Those who remain in it show that they belong to it, and those who turn from it reveal something else. The believer is not left uncertain, but equipped to recognize what is true and to remain in it.
BDD
