2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
From the time that Christianity became a belief system, the adversary has been working hard to counteract it. While we who have faith in Christ have been made aware that the enemy of Christ will not succeed in the end, this knowledge does not keep us from being assailed by the enemy’s attempts to thwart Christ’s teachings. Gnosticism is an example of this attempt to defeat Christ that was put in place by the adversary to shake the believers of John’s day loose from their faith. That is why John felt it necessary to write 1,2, & 3 John when he did. The lessons within these little books, written when John was an elderly man, apply to us today, just as they did to the Christians of his day.
Today’s subject is 1JN 2: 18-23, which is the first part of a passage addressing itself to the subject of Christ’s enemy, the antichrist. “My children, the end is near! You were told that the antichrist would come; and now many false prophets have already appeared, and so we know that the end is near. These people really did not belong to our fellowship, and that is why they left us; if they had belonged to our fellowship, they would have stayed with us. But they left so that it might be clear that none of them really belonged to us (19). But you have had the Holy Spirit poured out on you by Christ, and so all of you know the truth. I write you, then, not because you do not know the truth; instead, it is because you do know it, and you also know that no lie ever comes from the truth (21). Who, the, is the liar? It is anyone who says that Jesus is not the Messiah. Such a person is the enemy of Christ-he rejects both the Father and the Son. For whoever rejects the Son also rejects the Father; whoever accepts the Son has the Father also (23).”
John has joined a long list of Scripture writers in agreeing that the time for the end is near. While we are not to know the exact date, the message is clear-we must not procrastinate in the task of getting our spiritual houses in order. Christ Himself spoke about this in MT 24: 36, “No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come-neither the angels in heaven nor the Son; the Father alone knows.” So did Paul in 1 THESS 5: 2-3, “For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. When people say, ‘Everything is quiet and safe,’ then suddenly destruction will hit them! It will come as suddenly as the pains that come upon a woman in labor, and people will not escape.” It is significant to consider Christ’s own prophetic statements about what will happen just before the arrival on the scene of the antichrist and the destruction of the temple in MT 24: 4-5, 9-14 in light of the world as we know it today. (4-5) “Jesus answered, ‘Watch out, and do not let anyone fool you. Many men, claiming to speak for Me, will come and say, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will fool many people.” (9-14) “Then, you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and be put to death. All mankind will hate you because of Me. Many will give up their faith at that time; they will betray one another and hate one another. Then many false prophets will appear and fool many people. Such will be the spread of evil that many people’s love will grow cold. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved. And this Good News about the Kingdom will be preached through all the world for a witness to all mankind; and then the end will come.’ “ It should be noted that the people described in 1JN 2: 19 fit perfectly into the construct that Christ reveals to us in the Parable of the Sower in MT 13: 18-23, which I hope you will review.
True believers have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. That is an important gift of God’s grace made available to us. It is the reason why John could make the statement that he does in 1JN 2: 20-21 about writing to this group of early Christians because they know the truth. It is because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we can read and understand accurately the great truths of the Scriptures, giving us the ability to recognize the truth from a lie. From RO 1: 18-20, we learn that those who are false prophets are in the business of suppressing the truth without excuse for doing so. “God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known. God punishes them, because what can be know about God is plain. Ever since God created the world, His invisible qualities, both His eternal power and His divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. So those people have no excuse at all!” We also know the nature of the truth from HE 4: 12. “The word of God as alive and active, sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together It judges the desires and thoughts of man’s heart.”
JN 8: 19 & 42 expresses the concepts discussed in 1JN: 22-23. JN 8: 19, “ ‘Where is Your Father?’ they [the Pharisees] asked Him. ‘You know neither Me nor My Father.’ Jesus answered. ‘If you knew Me, you would know My Father also.’ “ JN 8: 42, “Jesus said to them [the Pharisees], ‘If God really were your Father, you would love Me, because I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on My own authority, but He sent Me.’ “ JN 10: 14-15 is an apt description of the relationship that true believers have with Christ, one that surely isn’t demonstrated by those who walk away from their faith in difficult times or who are false prophets trying to appear like Christ. “I [Christ] am the Good Shepherd. As the Father knows Me and I know the Father, in the same way I know My sheep and they know Me. And I am willing to die for them.” Further elaboration on this issue is given in JN 10: 25-28, “Jesus answered, ‘I have already told you, but you would not believe Me. The deeds I do on My Father’s authority speak on My behalf; but you will not believe, for you are not My sheep. My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they never die. No one can snatch them away from Me.”
PRAYER: O Lord, just we learned in EZK 3: 16-17 that you appointed Ezekiel to be a watchman over for the nation of Israel, You gave Christ the authority to be the Savior of His sheep. The verses we have seen today are ample proof that Your Son has carried out His duty responsibly to warn us of the shortness of the time we have to learn to trust and obey Him and of the proliferation of false prophets to deceive us as the end draws near. Once again, we are reminded of the unbreakable bond that exists between You and Him. We are blessed when we live “in Christ,” because when we do, that same bond exists between us and You. When our faith is real, what Paul teaches in RO 8: 38-39 that “nothing can separate us from Your love which is ours through Christ Jesus” is in force. That is why we can endure in faith to the end, even though it might not be easy for us. Christ further carries out his “Watchman” responsibility when he puts people on notice that when they reject Him, they are also rejecting the Father; as such these people will be lost and not saved from the consequence of their sins. That You commanded Christ to issue these warnings and that He obeyed You perfectly is a demonstration of Your magnificent love for us all. We thank, adore, praise, worship, honor, glorify, and magnify You for Who You are in our lives. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at the rest of this powerful message to those tempted to abandon their faith which appears in 1JN 2: 24-29. Never has there been such a blessed people as those who are willing to endure in their faith in Jesus Christ. I’m privileged to be a part of that group with you. Peter and I send you our love today and always.
Grace Be With You,
Lynn