Provoking Thoughts From 1 John (7 Of 16)

So far we have taken:

I. THE ATTITUDE TEST

II. THE ACTION TEST

III. THE AFFECTION TEST

IV. THE ACTUALITY TEST

V. THE ADULTERERS TEST

But today we want to look at the SIXTH test which is

VI. THE ANTICHRIST TEST

These will be men who will claim to know God and some of them even claim to be God, but John said those who claim these things are liars.

Let me show you four things about the Antichrist test that we need to consider.

A. THE PERIOD

Look at verse 18. We read, “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.”

Again, notice that John affectionately refered to the saints of God as little children. He more than likely did this for two reasons:

(1) Because he was the elder statesman and he could talk to them as a spiritual father, giving them advice about things he cared about.

(2) Also, because he saw them as spiritual little children living in a very DANGEROUS PERIOD for he knew that little children can be so easily deceived.

Illus: Did you know that you can tell a child almost anything and he will believe it?

Also, John knew that a spiritual infant can see a man walk out in front of a congregation with a Bible in his hand and he will believe everything he says.

It is astounding to Bible preachers across this land to have people walk into their churches that believe everything they hear from some of these television preachers. For example.

Illus: You can listen to some of these “hucksters” and in one week you will hear them claim to have had more miracles that they were involved in than the apostle Paul had in his whole lifetime. Without any documentation, they spill this stuff out on the airwaves and these spiritual infants, who are so vulnerable, swallow it hook, line and sinker.

John was concerned about this kind of problem - a child will believe anything!

And, in the last days the church is going to be bombarded with these antichrists. He refers to THIS PERIOD of time as the “...last time...”

The words “last time” are the two Greek words, “eschate hora,” which mean: “The last hour.”

From the day of Pentecost until the coming of Christ is considered to be “the last days.”

John said THIS PERIOD of time will be marked by the fact that the church will be threatened with

• FALSE TEACHINGS

• FALSE TEACHERS

• FALSE MESSIAHS

This is so evident today.

Look again at the word “antichrists.’ It is not singular, but plural.

John is saying that in THIS PERIOD of time the church is going to be bombarded with false teachers and preachers as it has never been bombarded before.

Illus: “There have been over 1,100 religious leaders in different parts of the world in the last fifty years who have claimed to be Christ, and the Savior of the world. Most of these “false Christs” have risen in Africa, in India, or in the Orient and have spread into the West.” Paul Lee Tan, “Signs of the Times pages 407-408

That is, one reason we know that we are living in the last days is because of the many false teachers that will be around.

Look again at verse 18. We read, “...even now are there MANY ANTICHRISTS; whereby we know that it is the last time.”

Look at the words, “...many antichrists....” That simply means that the charlatans will be everywhere.

Illus: Once we consider what the Bible teaches about the last days, we should not be shocked when we turn our television sets on and hear the false teachers, lined up like ducks one behind the other, preaching their damnable teachings.

Illus: We all have fire alarms to warn us in the event of a fire.

We need, in churches across America, to sound out a spiritual alarm to warn the people of God of the dangers of this PERIOD of time in which we live. All over this nation we have...

• Some denying the deity of Christ - denying that He is literally the Son of God.

• Some denying the sinlessness of the Son of God.

• Some denying His death, burial, resurrection and ascension.

• Denying that He is literally going to return again to execute judgment upon everyone who has ever lived.

• Television preachers preaching that the Jews were saved by the sacrifices they offered in the Old Testament.

• Television preachers preaching complete sermons that it is God’s will for everyone to be rich.

• Churches exalting entertainment over the preaching of God’s Word.

Churches across this nation should be sounding out the ALARM for this dangerous PERIOD in which we live. Not only are the air waves filled with false teachings, many people in “churches” around the world are being taught false teachings.