1 John 2:18 – 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.
The first letter of John gives a look inside one of the problems that Christians faced in those early years after the resurrection of Jesus and the birth of the early church. One of the problems that erupted immediately was incorrect doctrine being spread by false teachers who John referred to as antichrists. Exposing the error of their doctrine was what John’s first letter was all about. John gave us a litmus test in regard to exposing those John called antichrists. He said that the key was recognizing that Jesus has come to the earth as a man. He taught us that the humanity of Jesus was essential, it was through His death and resurrection that we gained power to overcome all of the works of the enemy. Here is how the Christ Centered Exposition Commentary describes this.
“John says at the beginning and the end of verse 18, “it is the last hour.” It is crucial that we understand what this term means if we are to develop a proper eschatology. Note that John said it was the last hour almost 2,000 years ago. The phrase signifies the entire period of time between the first and second comings of Christ. This is a consistent teaching of the New Testament. The last hour evokes the sense of imminence and urgency in which those who follow Christ must live in throughout any and every age. We live in a time when antichrists (plural) are active. This activity will increase until “the Antichrist” comes at the end of the last hour. Jesus Himself warned us of all of this in Matthew 24:4-5,24-25. As the gospel spreads, so will false teaching. As Christ’s missionaries go out to the nations, so will Satan’s missionaries called “antichrists”! We are engaged in a global conflict for the souls of men. Interestingly, there could be no antichrists if there was not a true Christ. Even their coming is a witness concerning His coming!”
So we live in the last hour and just like in John’s day many ‘antichrists’ are among us. John taught us about acknowledging the deity of Christ as a key to exposing false teaching. Another sure sign is found in the name antichrist itself. Antichrist literally means against the anointing. These two things easily expose error, does the teacher acknowledge the deity of Christ and is he resistant to the anointing? Seeing we live in the last hour it is imperative that we expose the spirit of antichrist.