Written ~ 10-17-2023
1 John 2:18-23
18 Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. 19 These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.
20 But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you His Spirit, and all of you know the truth. 21 So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.
22 And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. 23 Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
The nearer the time approaches for Jesus to call His people home to Heaven the more and more we will see a turning away from the truth of the Bible. People may try to leave the truth because they think they have found something better. There may also be many who never embraced the truth of the Scriptures, maybe they were just going along with it for the sake of family or friends. But the time will come when division becomes more obvious. The time is here, right now, to choose. Will you align yourself as an antichrist? Or will you align yourself with the truth that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and Son of God?
Let’s dig into verses 2:21-22
21 So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies. 22 And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.
When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your eyes and ears are opened to the truth of the Scriptures. If you are contemplating right now whether to believe or remain as one who denies Christ, let me point this out… right now the Bible may seem like a bunch of nonsense, you have difficulty wrapping your head around the reasons anyone would believe the words written within its pages. But let me say this, if you are struggling to make the decision to believe, it’s directly because the enemy of Christ, Satan, does not want you to believe and he will do everything in his power to thwart your efforts to learn more about Christ and make the decision to follow Him. The enemy will point out the nonsense and make unreliable theories sound more plausible. Here in lies the dilemma, will you continue to listen to the lies of an antichrist, or will you listen to the truth of THE CHRIST? Zoom in on verse 2:22,
“…who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.”
Once your heart, your mind and your soul has reached the point of acceptance and you give your life to Jesus, instantaneously you will know the difference between the truth and lies! How do I know that? Because of what verse 2:20 says,
“…for the Holy One has given you His Spirit, and all of you know the truth…”
When Jesus takes up residence within your heart, so does the Holy Spirit of the Almighty God! The Holy Spirit is the One who will open your eyes and open your ears so you will know the truth, that’s one of the miracles of Salvation! Your outlook on life will be changed! And it’s a wonderful thing!
Alright fellow believers, this is our time to get the Good News of Christ out to those who are still living in darkness. A time of revival is at hand! The Holy Spirit is pouring out His Power on all who will embrace His presence in their lives! We can make a difference! By our actions, by our love for others, let’s help guide those who are living in a state of denial and bring them to the truth. This is not the time to be timid and cautious around our loved ones. No, it’s time to be courageous and bold. To proclaim the love of the Lord to everyone, to declare the truth of who Jesus Christ is! We know the truth! And guess what? It is our responsibility to spread the Gospel message to those around us. 1 John 2:28 says,
28 “And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when He returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from Him in shame.”
Let’s encourage one another, we know the truth of Jesus Christ, we are studying the Word of God… but some of us may still be fearful about speaking the Name of Jesus and spreading the Good News. Verse 2:28 says, “…remain in fellowship with Christ…” Do you know why that is so important? When we become complacent, relaxed, or detached from studying the Scriptures, our fellowship with the Lord can become weakened. But! When we discipline ourselves to study the Word of God to learn and grow and fill our hearts full of the truth of Jesus Christ, it can’t be helped that all you want to talk about is Jesus! I am an example of this very thing! When I do not spend time in the Word, or spend time in prayer and communion with my Lord, I pull away. I don’t have the confidence in my walk with the Lord as I should. My conversation almost recoils from talking about Jesus and the truth of Salvation through Him. Do you know why? Because I have allowed my fellowship with my wonderful Savior to diminish. I begin to pull away from the very thing that gives me life, that gives me courage, that gives me confidence.
So… Because I have made the decision to study the Scriptures, to pray with my whole heart laid out before my Father in Heaven, I can feel my confidence grow, and I feel the fellowship with my precious Savior being strengthened like never before. This is why my heart absolutely bursts with joy, it’s why I have been dedicating myself each day to write out what the Lord lays on my heart in these journal pages. This is why I encourage all those who I love so dearly to also dig into their Bibles, to learn, to grow. My heart yearns to see my family and my friends digging into the Scriptures, to know the truth without wavering.
The spirit of antichrist is going to rear its ugly head much more prominently as time draws nearer to Christ’s return. We need to be ready, we need to know the Scriptures and be ready when Christ calls us home! Don’t be one of the stubborn, hard-hearted people who fall in line with the antichrist spirit. Give Jesus a chance to show you His love and compassion. You may be waiting for that “miracle” in your life to happen before you make the decision to believe. But the Almighty God may be waiting on you to believe first, then that “miracle” can unfold. Jesus is calling! Will you go from unbelief and an antichrist spirit to knowing the truth and have the Holy Spirit of the Living God reside within you? If you’re ready, pray this simple prayer of Salvation and have your life transformed by the renewing of your spirit!
Dear Jesus, You know my heart, all the things I have done and said. Please forgive me for my unbelief. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse this heart of mine, white as snow. Help me not to doubt any longer and breathe life into me, fill me with Your light. Thank You Jesus! Amen.
If you solemnly prayed this prayer, tell at least one person, so they can share in your joy!! I rejoice with you! All the angels in Heaven rejoice with you! And just as Jesus said, “Peace be with you.”
It is very important to me that those who might be reading these journal pages of mine and don’t yet know the Lord Jesus Christ, that you make that decision. Today. Your heart and mind may not understand everything you have been reading, but if you open your heart to the truth of who Jesus is, you will be saved from sin and death. By the Power of the Holy Spirit you will be amazed at how quickly after giving your heart to the Lord your eyes and ears will be opened to the truth.
~AMEN~