John has already warned them of the dangers from “out there.” He’s just exhorted them not to love the world — not to esteem how it thinks, not to covet what it offers, not to be molded by how it is motivated (1Jn. 2:15-17). There’s deception and destruction out there — don’t fall for it, John says.

But what about from “in here”? Especially “in here” during the “last days”? How do we recognize and deal with the deception sourced within the walls of our fellowship? John deals with that next.

Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.

(1John 2:18-19 CSB)

It’s the last hour. Jesus has come, died, risen, and ascended. So, what’s left is for Jesus to come again. It’s the last hour. But before Jesus comes again in power and might, first comes the anti-Jesus in opposition and misrepresentation. While we wait for the Jesus from heaven there will be an uptick in anti-Jesus sentiment on earth, fueled by anti-Jesus influences from hell. And some of this “went out from us.”

Enemies of the cross robed in fake garments of righteousness, once singing from the same hymnal (off the same large screen), once present at the same communion table. They looked like a duck, talked like a duck, but they weren’t no duck. And eventually, they left us. Yet, they still talk to us that they might enlighten us. They still pursue us, promising us a better way. They still end up in our social media feeds as they use enough of our words to make it into our algorithms. They didn’t remain with us, but they remain attached to us. So how you gonna recognize these imposters? How you gonna discern that their better way is really an anti-Jesus way? Cue the anointing.

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.

(1John 2:20 CSB)

It’s gonna take some effort to recognize what’s false, but you have an anointing . . .

We have a chrisma, an unction, a smearing. We’ve been covered, head to toe, inside and out. At the moment we responded to the call of God the Father and believed in God the Son, we were anointed with God the Spirit. And because of that, all of you know the truth.

Not that we were given full and perfect knowledge concerning all things. But we were given all we need to share in the divine nature (2Pet. 1:3). And the includes the tools necessary to discern what is true and what is false, what is pro-Christ and what is antichrist. With the word of God in hand and the Spirit of God within, all of you know the truth.

Ours is to mature in the word as we practice applying the word so that our “senses” will be “trained to distinguish between good and evil” (Heb. 5:12-14). And that is only accomplished through our anointing, by the One in us who will guide us into all truth (Jn. 16:13).

Thus, in order to know the truth we seek to cultivate the supernatural dynamics of our anointing. Aware of the Spirit on us and in us, we purpose to “walk by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16), “live by the Spirit” , “keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25), and “sow to the Spirit” (Gal. 6:8). We don’t want to “grieve the Spirit” (Eph. 4:30), nor “quench the Spirit” (1Th. 5:19), so that, without hindrance, we might be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18b).

Then will this Anointing enable us to know the truth. To discern when these antichrists who were once with us are now just wanting to deceive us. To take the word we have read and the word we have been told and infuse within as a supernatural filter to sift the veracity of what we’re being sold.

We have an anointing. We know the truth.

Amen?

By His grace. For His glory.