Antichrists

I am writing to you, children, because your sins have been forgiven for his name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the Evil One. 

I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God remains in you, and you have conquered the Evil One. 

Do not love the world or the things of the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever. (1 John 2:12-17)

The author of 1 John obviously did not write to young women or mothers, at least not in this letter.  Perhaps because the author did not believe these women “conquered the Evil One.”  Perhaps because women were the source of “sensual lust and enticement for the eyes.”  They are “from the world.”  Actually, it can be argued that men are “from the world” and narrowly focus on just one thing: sex.  Whose to blame?  Men, of course.  Certainly not Eve or the serpent.

This John also said in his letter: “I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth. Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. No one who denies the Son has the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.”  Here we have the definition of “antichrist.” The word "antichrist" appears in just three passages in the Bible (in the New Testament letters known as 1 John and 2 John); it does not appear at all in the Book of Revelation. 

Perhaps the messages for today are every lie is alien to the truth, and we are surrounded by antichrists. And there is nothing wrong with that.  We live with Jews and Muslims and those of many other faiths.  They do not believe Jesus is the Christ, and that is fine and their right.  In fact, the true antichrists are liars and those who promote hate, division, and other behaviors contrary to Jesus’ commandments and love.   

Deacon David Pierce