Albert Barnes Commentary 1 John 2:18

"Little children, it is the last hour: and as ye heard that antichrist cometh, even now have there arisen many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last hour." — 1 John 2:18 (ASV)

Little children. (See 1 John 2:1).

It is the last time. This refers to the closing period or dispensation, the one in which the affairs of the world are ultimately to be concluded. The apostle does not, however, say that the end of the world would soon occur, nor does he indicate how long this dispensation would last. That period might continue through many ages or centuries and still be the last dispensation, or the one in which the affairs of the world would be finally closed. (Acts 2:17; Hebrews 1:2).

Some have supposed that "the last time" here refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the Jewish religious and national system; but the more natural interpretation is to refer it to the final dispensation of the world, and to suppose that the apostle meant to say that there were clear indications that this period had arrived.

And as you have heard that antichrist shall come. The word antichrist occurs in the New Testament only in these epistles of John (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7).

The proper meaning of anti (anti) in composition is:

1. Over against, as in antitattein.
2. Contrary to, as in antilegein.
3. Reciprocity, as in antapodidomi.
4. Substitution, as in antibasileus (in the place of the king) or anthypatos (proconsul).

The word antichrist, therefore, might denote anyone who either was or claimed to be in the place of Christ, or one who, for any cause, was in opposition to Him. Furthermore, the word would apply to one opposed to Him, on whatever ground the opposition might be—whether it were open and avowed, or whether it were only in fact, resulting from certain claims that were adverse or inconsistent with His.

A vice-functionary or an opposing functionary would be the idea that the word would naturally suggest. If the word stood alone, and nothing further was said to explain its meaning, we would think, when the word antichrist was used, either of one who claimed to be the Christ, and who thus was a rival, or of one who stood in opposition to Him on some other ground.

John, who alone used the word, himself stated the characteristics of antichrist. In 1 John 2:22, he writes, Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. In 1 John 4:3, And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not of God; and this is that spirit of antichrist. And in 2 John 1:7, For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. From this it is clear that John understood the word to mean all those who denied that Jesus is the Messiah, or that the Messiah has come in the flesh.

If they held that Jesus was a deceiver and not the Christ, or if they maintained that, though Christ had come, He had not come in the flesh (that is, with a proper human nature), this showed that such persons had the spirit of antichrist. They arrayed themselves against Him and held doctrines that were in fact in complete opposition to the Son of God.

It would appear then that John does not use the word in the sense it would bear if denoting one who set up a rival claim or who came in the place of Christ, but rather in the sense of those who were opposed to Him by denying essential doctrines regarding His person and advent. It is not certainly known to what persons he refers, but it seems not improbable that he refers to Jewish adversaries (see Suicer's Thesaurus, voc.) or to some forms of Gnostic belief. (See 1 John 4:2).

The doctrine concerning antichrist, as stated in the New Testament, may be summarized in the following points:

1. That there would be those, perhaps in considerable numbers, who would openly claim to be the Christ, or the true Messiah (Matthew 24:5, 24).
2. That a spirit would manifest itself early in the church, strongly tending toward some great apostasy under a single head or leader, or a concentration on an individual or a succession of individuals, who would eminently possess the spirit of antichrist, though for a time the development of that spirit would be hindered or restrained (See 2 Thessalonians 2:1 and following).
3. That this would ultimately be concentrated in a single leader—"the man of sin"—and embodied in some great apostasy, at the head of which would be that "man of sin" (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 8-10).
4. That, in the meantime, and before the elements of the great apostasy would be concentrated and embodied, there might be many who would partake of the same general spirit and be equally opposed to Christ in their doctrines and aims; that is, who would embody in themselves the essential spirit of antichrist, and by whose appearing it might be known that the final dispensation had come.

It is to this that Paul particularly refers; this is the view he took of this apostasy, and it is this which he particularly describes.

It is to these that John refers, and these he found in his own age. Paul focused on future times, when the spirit of antichrist would be embodied in a distinct and mighty organization; John focused on his own time and found then essentially what had been predicted would occur in the church.

John here says that they had been taught to expect that antichrist would come during the final dispensation. It is implied that it could be determined that it was the last time from the fact that the predicted opposer of Christ had come. The reference is probably to the Savior's words that before the end would be, and as a sign that it was coming, many would arise claiming to be Christ and, of course, practically denying that He was the Christ.

For example, Matthew 24:5 states, Many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Verse 24 adds, And there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. It is probable that the apostles had referred to this prediction wherever they had preached, so that there was a general expectation that one or more persons would appear claiming to be the Christ, or maintaining opinions inconsistent with the true doctrine that Jesus was the Messiah. Such persons, John says, had then in fact appeared, by which it could be known that they were living in the closing dispensation of the world referred to by the Savior. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:2 and following).

Even now are there many antichrists. This means there are many who have the characteristics that it was predicted antichrist would have. That is, as explained above, there are many who deny that Jesus is the Messiah, or who deny that He has come in the flesh. If they maintained that Jesus was an impostor and not the true Messiah, or if, though they admitted that the Messiah had come, they affirmed (as the Docetists did, see 1 John 4:2) that He had come in appearance only, and not really in the flesh, this was the spirit of antichrist.

John says that there were, in fact, many such persons in his time. It would seem from this that John did not refer to a single individual, or to a succession of individuals who should come prior to the conclusion of the world's affairs, as Paul did (2 Thessalonians 2:2 and following). Instead, John understood that there might be many at the same time who would demonstrate the spirit of antichrist.

Both John and Paul, however, refer to the expectation that before the Savior's coming to judge the world, there would be prominent adversaries of the Christian religion, and that the end would not come until such adversaries appeared. Paul goes into more detail, describing the characteristics of the great apostasy at greater length (2 Thessalonians 2:2 and following; 1 Timothy 4:1 and following; 2 Timothy 3:1 and following). John, however, says not that the appearance of these persons indicated that the end of the world was near, but that they had such characteristics as to show that they were living in the final dispensation.

Paul so describes them as to show that the end of the world was not to be immediately expected (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1 and following). John, without referring to that point, says that there were enough of that character then to prove that the final dispensation had come, though he does not say how long it would continue.

Whereby we know it is the last time. Such people have the characteristics that it was predicted many would have before the end of the world would come. The evidence that it was "the last time," or the closing dispensation of the world, derived from the appearance of these persons, consists simply in the fact that it was predicted that such persons would appear during the Christian, or final, dispensation (Matthew 24:5; Matthew 24:24–27).

Their appearance was to precede the Savior's coming, though it is not said how long it would precede that. However, at any time, the appearance of such persons would be an indication that it was the closing dispensation of the world, for the Savior, in His predictions concerning them, had said that they would appear before He would return for judgment.

It cannot now be determined precisely to what classes of persons there is reference here, because we know too little of the religious state of the times to which the apostle refers. No one can prove, however, that there were not persons at that time who so fully corresponded to the Savior's predictions as to be a complete fulfillment of what He said, and to demonstrate that the last age had truly come.

It seems probable that there may have been reference to some Jewish adversaries who denied that Jesus was the Messiah (Rob. Lex.), or to some persons who had already introduced the doctrine of the Docetists—who, though they thought Jesus was the Messiah, believed He was a man in appearance only and had not really come in the flesh. Classes of persons of each description abounded in the early ages of the church.