Good morning once again and join
me in 1st John, in 1st John chapter 2. Let me get there. 1st John chapter 2. We're gonna read from verse 18
to 24, and we're gonna call this time, looking into this passage,
it is the last time. And 1 John 2, starting with verse
18, it says, little children, it is the last time, and as you
have heard, that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many
Antichrists, whereby we know that it is the last time. They
went out from us, but they are 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.
But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because
you know not the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie
is of the truth. Who is a liar, but he that denieth
that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist that denieth
the father and the son. Whosoever denieth the son, the
same hath not the father, but he that acknowledges the son
hath the father also. Let that therefore abide in you
which you have heard from the beginning. If that which you
have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also
shall continue in the son and in the father. And this morning,
looking at a couple of, just a couple of thoughts, this passage,
we're gonna be in these verses for at least one more lesson
and maybe a couple more. There's quite a few things in
here that we need to consider and to look at. It starts out,
little children, it is the last time. and you have heard that
Antichrist shall come. Even now are there many Antichrists
whereby we know that it is the last time. And I'd like to start
by, first of all, the word last and last time here, it's from
a Greek word that we have that in last is from eschatos or eschatos,
depending as how you pronounce that. that in the Greek means
farthest, final, end of, last, latter end, lowest, uttermost. And it's used in all those terms
in the scripture and in the New Testament here in the Greek. And I think it's used about 50-some
times, if I remember, in the New Testament under one or another
of these definitions. And final, end of, latter part,
latter end, time. And the last times that is also
word used, I'm going to tell you that. We're
going to be on it a little later. But that word, let me find it here, comes from that same word. And I think maybe that's going
to be on, next time, but the last time, and that's used several
words, the last day, Christ uses the words the last day, which
translates the same way as final, end of, latter part, and we're
going to look at a couple of those. In John chapter 6, In John chapter six, just a minute. All right. In John chapter six and. This passage, starting with verse
35, John chapter six, a passage that we've looked at and very
familiar to us. It says quite a bit to us in
different parts of this, but I'd like to read that. In fact,
and down some from that. And Jesus said, verse 35, John
chapter six, Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life.
He that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth
on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you that ye also
have seen me and believe not. And all that the Father giveth
me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out. For I came down from heaven not
to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which
he hath given me I should lose nothing, but I should raise it
up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that
sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on
him may have everlasting life. And I will raise him up at the
last day. And then the Jews murmured, verse 41,
then murmured at him because he said, I am the bread which
come down from heaven. And then in verse 44, No man can come unto me, the
Lord says, except the Father which hath sent me, draw him,
and I will raise him up at the last day. And then down to verse
54. And all through this, he's speaking
about the living bread in him, and 54 says, Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh
my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last
day. And these references here speak obviously
to, in the latter end, and not just the last times, but in the
time when we pass from this life to the other. and to eternal
life, and with him. When we're absent from this body,
we're gonna be with him. And then one more spot in chapter
12, verse 12, or chapter 12 of John, verse 48. And it says,
any man, verse 47, Hear my words, and believe not,
I judge him not, for I came not to judge the world, but to save
the world. In verse 48, he that rejected
me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judges him. The
word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last
day. And again, it's speaking of the
last day that he uses that term. not as in 1 John, where we are,
in 1 John chapter two, it's in verse 18, it is the last time. Obviously when he was speaking,
he's not speaking the same word and context as when Christ was
using that word in the last day and with eternal life with him.
that's a different last time. That is the last time for us,
and as far as that goes, the Lord shall return. The last time,
we're gonna look at a couple of places where that word is
used, but I'd like to read a quote from Henry Mahan that speaks
about the last times as spoken not the last day, the last Trump
and the Lord shall come again, but in the latter times. And
he says, all things are accomplished. Nothing is prophesied, typified,
or promised concerning redemption that is not fulfilled in Christ.
Nothing remains except the coming of Christ to gather his own.
This is indeed the last dispensation or the last age, the last time. And as he said, nothing that
has been prophesied or typified about redemption that has not
been fulfilled in him. And when Christ himself said,
it is finished, it didn't just mean, well, they finally got
me and they got me on the cross. It is finished. He had accomplished
all that the father sent him to do to purchase our redemption
and to purchase the redeemed ones and to be that propitiation. And it was accomplished. And
so he says, all those things that were promised and prophesied
and foretold concerning our redemption has been fulfilled in Christ.
Other than him gathering, nothing remains, it said, except the
coming of Christ to gather his own, and it is finished. In that verse, turn to John 19,
John 19, and see where that, passages, the Lord says that
in chapter 19. Let's go down here. Verse 28. 28 and 29, John, and 30 of John
chapter 19. It says, after this, Jesus, knowing
that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled,
saith I first. Now there was said a vessel full
of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar and put it on a
hyssop and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received
the vinegar, he said, it is finished. And he bowed his head and gave
up the ghost. Both these things together though,
not just that he said it's finished, it was finished, but up here
where it says in verse 28, Jesus, knowing that all things were
now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst. And then he said, it is finished.
So he knew that all things were accomplished, as it says here,
all things were accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled.
And that, at that time, and then that taking
place, and indeed his death, burial, and his resurrection,
fulfilled all that was required, all that was needed for us, and
all that was foretold, and all that the scripture said concerning
that. And then in, not turning to that, but in Luke 24, where
we have the two on their road to Emmaus and on from that, the
Lord opened the scripture to them, all things concerning himself. And all the Old Testament that
they had in their hands at that time, spoke of him, to him, and
about him, and about that which he would do for his people in
coming. In the Old Testament, when someone
was coming, speaking of that, they were coming to take care
of the problem. The one that was coming was going
to redeem his people, redeem a people. That was what he opened their
eyes to the scriptures, it said a little farther on there, and
opened their eyes to the scripture about himself and about what
had been accomplished and what had been fulfilled and done. In his high priestly prayer there
in John, he speaks about coming to do the will of the Father,
that he's done, and all that he had been sent to do, he had
done, he had taken care of. So in that regard, from that
point on, as we saw, that from that point on, It was the last
times, the last dispensation, and that word's been used and
misused and translated and put to all kinds of things, but the
last dispensation or period of time till the end is after Calvary. There is nothing more to be done
in that regard. We are in the last times. At least from that time on. Before
that, there might be something to discuss about and what means
the last time. That is, and I think the rest
of scripture holds that forth the same, that
he came to do that, it was taken care of, and so that marked the
time when, and we looked at in the, and we've seen before that
the Old Testament said someone is coming. pointing to the Messiah,
pointing to the one that was the consolation of Israel, the
one that the hope was in, and the one that God, by faith, put
his people's hope in. And in the gospel, someone is
here. At that time, he was there himself, physically and literally,
and someone is here. And then from that point on,
after it was finished, From that point on, someone is coming again.
Someone is coming, returning, and we look to that. We look
to him coming again, and at his coming to us. And that, one more,
before we move from this thought for today, it is finished there
in John 19. is a word T-E-L-E-O, teleo, or
however you might want to say it, teleo, and that word from
the Greek is translated various times as to end, to complete,
execute, conclude, discharge as a debt, and I find that very
interesting too, when he said it's finished, the debt was discharged. as a debt, accomplish, make an
end, expire, and finish. Those different terms and it's
that same word is used under those various terms throughout
the New Testament. And I think it's a very, obviously
a very fitting word to speaking about it is finished, that is
accomplished, all that he, as he said, all that he was set
to do and sent to do was taken care of and was done. In the book of 1 Peter, and just, in the book of 1 Peter, A couple
of thoughts here, a couple of verses in 1 Peter, in chapter
one, and let's see. On the thought of the last
time, 1 Peter chapter one, It says, and I'd like to start
with the first verse to tie this thought in with what he's speaking
about. Peter says, Verse 1, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to
the strangers scattered throughout Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia,
elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification
of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ, grace unto you and peace be multiplied. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away reserved
for you in heaven, who are kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. in the last
time, it says here. And I think as going on in what
Peter says in the first and second Peter about some of the things
that they were going to face and that were among them, that
speaking of being delivered by God, being born again from above
by God and kept by God, not only to the last day, to the very
end, but through the times that they were gonna see. And we saw
as we went through the book of Jude that the problems they had
with those that were heretics amongst them, that had come in
amongst them, and that there was those times that were that
were times to be beware and be careful and that they were warned of and
what to do about that, that those times were not the last day,
but they were their last times in the latter times. And here
it speaks about salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
And whether the latter part of our, as our life is the last
time or last days, or the last day, the coming of the Lord,
that is, however you want to look at this, this applies. This
is, it shows in these verses, first of all, who he's speaking
about are those that God has has elect and has delivered and
has given life to, and then it's, that are kept by the power of
God to ready to be revealed in the last day of the last time. And then down to verse 20, it talks about, Verse 18, it
says, for as much as you know that you were not redeemed with
corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation
received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious
blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but was manifest in these last times for you." And that here
again reminding them and reminding us of the position we were in by nature
and by His doing and His redemption, and redeemed by the precious
blood of Christ, it says, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot, and was manifest these last times for you. And
that goes back to what he had to say there in Luke 24. He was,
as it says here, was foreordained as we were, but he was foreordained
before the foundation of the world to this position, to redeem
us by him, redeem us, but was manifest in the last time physically. Someone's coming, someone's here.
And I think both physically that way and spiritually, those could
say back in Abel's day, Abel and onward, they'd seen him. He had been manifested to them
by faith. They saw him that latter days,
they could see him in the flesh. And then again, in our day, by
faith, he reveals these things to us. He'd been manifest to
all people that he have redeemed. He's been manifest to them. And
it's not just a, yeah, we know the plan of salvation, but he
reveals himself to each of his own. And that's manifest in these
last times for you. both physically and spiritually,
and most importantly, spiritually to his people, to his own. And
then a couple of thoughts in the book of 2 Peter, while we're here. And we're gonna be back
in this area as we, Look, the next lesson or two also about,
it corresponds with 1 John in several
ways, but in 2 Peter chapter three, let me get the right chapter
here. Okay, verse three and following. Back at verse one, chapter three,
second Peter, verse one. This second epistle, beloved,
I now write unto you in both which I stir up your pure minds
by way of remembrance, that you may be mindful of the words which
were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandment
of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior." Putting them in,
reminding them of what the, what the, it said, the holy, spoken
of by the holy prophets and of the commandments of us, the apostles. Knowing this first, verse three,
knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers
walking after their own lusts and saying, where is the promise
of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep,
all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
For this, they willingly are ignorant of, ignorant of that and that by
the word of God, the heavens were of old and the earth standing
out of the water and in the water, whereby the world that then was
being overflowed with water perished. But the heavens and the earth,
which are now by the same word are kept in store, reserved under
fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day
is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as
one day. The Lord is not slack concerning
his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering
to usward, not willing that any should perish, but all should
come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night. in the which the heavens shall
pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat. The earth also and the works
that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these
things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to
be in all holy conversation and godliness? Looking for and hastening
unto the coming day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall
be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.
Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens
and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved,
seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may
be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless, and account
that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation. even as our
beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him
hath written unto you as also in all his epistles speaking
in them of these things in which are some things hard to be understood
which they that are unlearned and unstable rest as they do
also other scriptures unto their own destruction. Ye therefore,
beloved, seeing you know these things before, beware lest ye
also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from
your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, verse 18,
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to
him be glory. both now and forever. Amen. And he speaks here in this passage
of quite a few things he talks about, but he talks about what
has taken place over time and it appears that things people
try to pigeonhole times and events and things, and a couple things
that are, I think, to keep in mind, and it says, one day is
with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day,
and that We chop things down into time
as we would like to divide them and whether it be the last days
or the last day, it's all of one with the Lord. As he said several times, I am. He's not God in the past, came
as Jesus on the earth and on in the future. It's all as one
thing and seen as one, one thing in him and for us. So it's not divided into time-wise
as we recognize it as God doesn't. view that our way and that way
of seeing it. And that to remember those things.
And then here in the last couple of verses, verse 17 and 18, where
it says, therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things
before, Beware lest ye also, being led away with the error
of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be glory, both now and forever. Amen. And I think that
the key to a lot of these placed passages in areas that can be
made difficult and can be made difficult and interpreted as
difficult, that we keep in mind and that it's all one view from
God's side of it, and we see it in years and time, and that,
as it says here, beware because we know the truth. We have the
truth. And in John, he says, he says, uh, the truth shall
make you free. And if you breathe free in him,
you shall be free indeed. And that is the, that is to keep
in mind. And he says here, uh, beware
of, uh, being led away from the steadfastness of what we know
and what we've been taught and, and, and known. but grow in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And
I think that is a goal or something that we strive,
as he puts the desires in us, that we do that. And that is
done by being in the word. not only knowing the words of
it, but being in the word and him teaching us what that means
to us and what that means about him. And so I think that people
can get tangled up in a lot of semantics or in thoughts of how
they interpret last times or last days, especially, and it
can be an issue. Changing, Changing thoughts just a little
bit in 1 John, or in 1 John chapter two again, back to where we were
looking, and moving on to a thought that
we're gonna be in for some time in 1, 2, and 3 John somewhat,
and verse 18 once again, little children, It is the last time, and then
this thought that's coming up here, it says, and as you have
heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many Antichrists
whereby we know that it is the last time. And we're gonna spend
a little time with this thought. in since Calvary, it appears
that from that time onward till the last day that he's speaking
about, till the coming of the Lord, it would be the last time,
and that antichrists are and have been with us all along,
not as in a singular person, but the spirit of all that oppose
Christ, natural sinful man. And I think back to Cain and
Abel, that people see it as a sacrifice thing. Abel did the prescribed
sacrifice, Cain didn't. It was more than that. Abel had
a heart given of God to do that, and the sacrifice might have
been the prescribed one, but it was for a purpose. God to reveal to his people,
and that was pointing to the antitype of that lamb, the Lord
himself, and where the hope is in. And Cain, not
in that. And it's not just that Cain brought
something that was good but different, it was the hope and that was
placed in that was it's good enough. And we're gonna read
a quote just a bit that addresses that, that any person, doctrine,
system of religion, or any other thing opposed to the gospel of
Christ is anti-Christ. Not with a big A. People, and
there are places where that is there, but I firmly believe that
the Antichrist is speaking about is anything is contrary to what
the scriptures say about Christ and about redemption in him. And I don't believe, now there
have been times where I'm sure that there were times in Rome
and other places that they saw whoever was in charge there as
the Antichrist, because he was coming down pretty hard on them.
But not the Antichrist as a singular person. It may have been an institution
at different times, it may be now, but it's any of those things
that are contrary to the scripture and contrary to what we know
of salvation in and by Christ and for his people. And there's
a quote. from a commentator, and sometimes
I don't place a lot of store by this commentator, and I realize
that probably much more learned than I am, but this I appreciate
a lot, and I think it gets right to it. A man named Adam Clark,
and he said, Every man who opposes the spirit of the gospel and
every teacher and writer who endeavors to lower the gospel
standard to the spirit and taste of the world is a genuine antichrist,
no matter among whom he is found. So it doesn't matter if he's
in a group that we think is a great group of people, anything that,
and I like this a lot, Endeavors to lower the gospel standard
to the spirit and taste of the world. That is done by most religions. All religions, I guess I would
say, all religious systems and that standard can't be compromised. There's some things that cannot
be compromised. We can meet on whatever day we
might agree to. There's different ways that the
Lord's Supper can be approached and be carried out and done. Those things are are not written
in stone how they are done, but there are some things that are
written in more than in stone. And when the standard, and that
gospel standard can be lowered many ways. And one of the greatest ways
it's lowered is God puts this out there, and if you want to
take advantage of it, You know, by your deciding to do this,
you can do it. Salvation is not of, it says,
not by the will of man and others, it's by God's doing. So I appreciate
this. And also where it says, no matter
among whom he is found, if we find it in our own midst, we
have to The scripture is the standard to go by, and if it
does not adhere to that, whether it's whoever or however it comes
about, when it's exposed to the scripture, it's gonna stand out
as error. And then it will be God's people will say, well,
here's where the scripture is. We've been saying this, we've
gotta square up with that. And I appreciate that quote by
him. And we must say and believe that
all who oppose his reign in the world, in others, or in themselves
is an antichrist. God reigns amongst the armies
of heaven and inhabitants of the world. So all sinners by
nature are anti-Christ. We must be born from above. We're
not neutral to what the scriptures say or to the Lord himself. We are anti what he stands for
and who he is. We're going to spend some time
with several passages that speak to
this. In 2 Thessalonians, the book of 2 Thessalonians. Okay, 2 Thessalonians chapter
2. I'd start with the first verse
of chapter 2 of 2 Thessalonians. It says, now we beseech you,
brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our
gathering together unto him, that you be not soon shaken in
mind or be troubled neither by spirit nor word nor letter as
from us as the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive
you by any means, for that day shall not come except there come
a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed, the son
of perdition. opposeth and exalted himself
above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that
he is as God, sitting in the temple of God, showing himself
that he is God." And I think a couple of thoughts
from that. This is not, again, it's not
a person. This is natural man's nature. This is not a special person
that has got a corner on sinful thought or sinful actions. This is what the natural man is. And they were
gonna have some bad times, and they're told that, and then I'd
like to Just with a couple of thoughts
to disconnect for today and pick
up next time. But it's down in verse 13 of
chapter two, second Thessalonians, it says, verse 12, that they all might
be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto he called you
by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ. And I think through these things
that we're going to get into a little deeper and a little
more next time, that no matter what is ahead, as they saw Him,
or as we see Him, remember who hath from the beginning chosen
us to salvation in Him, and have sanctification of the Spirit
and belief of the truth. And God will not lead His people
into error. find ourselves in error, but
he's gonna square that away with us. And we're not gonna ever
choose the error over what the scriptures have to say. And we're
gonna look at that. Like I say, we've got more to
say and more to look at about this in days ahead. So thank
you again for your attention and being here and be free.