Section 8 of 192:18–271 John

Go to another section

Jump to a verse

King James Version1 John 2:18–27

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye 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 were 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 ye know not the truth, but because ye 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 acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

1 John 2:18–27

The Community Discerns Secessionist Denial and Abides in the Son

Antichrist here is denial of Jesus inside a painful split, not a modern smear.

The writer calls the moment a last hour because many antichrists have already appeared. People once associated with the community have gone out, and their departure is read as disclosing that they did not belong to the enduring fellowship. The lie is defined on the letter's own terms: denial that Jesus is the Christ, which is also denial of the Father and the Son. The remaining community is assured of an anointing, of knowledge of the truth, of the promise of eternal life, and of the call to let what they heard from the beginning abide in them.

In this letter, antichrist language names present Christ-denying rupture, not a named future tyrant, a politician, a pope, a Jew, a Muslim, a nation, a technology, a vaccine, a denomination, or a disliked neighbor. The secession does not prove that everyone who leaves a church was never genuine, may be harassed, or must be treated as an enemy. The anointing does not make readers omniscient, eliminate teachers, or lift interpretations above evidence. Messiah, Father, Son, and anointing are Jewish and early Christian speech; this dispute must not be recoded as Christianity against the Jewish people.

How this should shape us

Test claims by whether they confess Jesus as Messiah and Son and whether they stay with the received word. When people leave, tell the truth without stalking, conspiracy, or collective blame. Do not call a modern opponent antichrist. Abide in the Father and the Son; do not hunt a villain of the week.

Teach it back

Explain 1 John 2:18–27 in your own words. Include its place in 1 John's movement, one exact textual observation, one material uncertainty, and one use the complete unit rules out.

Explain the section in your own words

Your explanation stays in this browser. It is not sent or saved.

Go deeper

The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties

Where do careful interpreters disagree?

Best judgment: The opponents' beliefs and the relation of antichrist to later apocalyptic traditions are debated. Koester's historical analysis emphasizes that 1 John speaks of many present Christ-deniers and a battle of truth and love, not armies or a political tyrant. The text's polemic still requires caution about reconstructing the departed group.

How certain? probable

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.

1 John 2:18–27, pinned eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and variation markers used for original-language analysis.

Official SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/1John.txt, 2:18–27

NET Bible — 1 John with translators' and textual notes

Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and major interpretive alternatives.

NET Bible official 1 John PDF, 2:18–27 and attached translator, study, and textual notes

STEP Bible Data

Supports: Independent morphology, form, and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.

STEP Bible Data repository, TAGNT morphology and Greek lexical records for 1 John 2:18–27

1 John course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, and theological themes

Supports: Historical-critical orientation, anonymous authorship, Johannine relationship, community setting, opponents, structure, and theological themes.

Padgett and Johnson, Enter the Bible 1 John course, Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, and Theological Themes; applied to 1 John 2:18–27

1 John

Supports: A complete confessional evangelical check on literary flow, Greek details, theology, assurance, sin, love, atonement, opponents, and application.

Ray Van Neste, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, “1 John,” complete introduction and commentary on 1 John 2:18–27

Setting the Stage

Supports: Current scholarly framing of authorship, date, Johannine-literature relations, audience limits, community reconstruction, opponents, and unresolved questions.

R. Alan Culpepper, ‘Setting the Stage,’ in Communities in Dispute (SBL Press, 2024), printed pp. 3–15

The Antichrist Theme in the Johannine Epistles and Its Role in Christian Tradition

Supports: The plural and present antichrist language, Christological denial, secession, later reception, nonpolitical conflict, and safeguards against modern enemy mapping.

Craig R. Koester, ‘The Antichrist Theme in the Johannine Epistles and Its Role in Christian Tradition,’ in Communities in Dispute (SBL Press, 2024), printed pp. 187–196

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.

Exact location: 1 John 2:18–27, pinned eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus

Open source ↗

Greek textual evidence

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos

Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010

Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and variation markers used for original-language analysis.

Exact location: Official SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/1John.txt, 2:18–27

Open the 1 John Greek text file ↗

Translation and textual notes

NET Bible — 1 John with translators' and textual notes

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition

Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and major interpretive alternatives.

Exact location: NET Bible official 1 John PDF, 2:18–27 and attached translator, study, and textual notes

Open the official NET 1 John PDF ↗

Lexical and grammatical evidence

STEP Bible Data

Tyndale House Cambridge

Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026

Supports: Independent morphology, form, and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.

Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository, TAGNT morphology and Greek lexical records for 1 John 2:18–27

Open source ↗

modern scholarly book introduction

1 John course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, and theological themes

Alan G. Padgett; revised by Elisabeth Johnson

Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, 2024 revision

Supports: Historical-critical orientation, anonymous authorship, Johannine relationship, community setting, opponents, structure, and theological themes.

Exact location: Padgett and Johnson, Enter the Bible 1 John course, Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, and Theological Themes; applied to 1 John 2:18–27

Open the Enter the Bible 1 John course ↗

modern open commentary

1 John

Ray Van Neste

The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023 online edition

Supports: A complete confessional evangelical check on literary flow, Greek details, theology, assurance, sin, love, atonement, opponents, and application.

Exact location: Ray Van Neste, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, “1 John,” complete introduction and commentary on 1 John 2:18–27

Open the TGC 1 John commentary ↗

peer reviewed open access book chapter

Setting the Stage

R. Alan Culpepper

SBL Press, in Communities in Dispute: Current Scholarship on the Johannine Epistles, 2024

Supports: Current scholarly framing of authorship, date, Johannine-literature relations, audience limits, community reconstruction, opponents, and unresolved questions.

Exact location: R. Alan Culpepper, ‘Setting the Stage,’ in Communities in Dispute (SBL Press, 2024), printed pp. 3–15

Open the SBL Communities in Dispute volume ↗