1 John 2:18 ¹⁸Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore, we know that it is the last hour.

Children refers not to those young in age in the Johannine community or one of the groups from 2:14 but is used as a term of endearment to the whole community like 2:1. It indicates John’s close relationship with his readers. The word hour in the Bible can refer to an epoch or era of time, not just sixty minutes as we might think today. The last epoch began when Jesus ascended to heaven. Ever since, believers have been waiting his return. It is uncertain to what extent John or other early Christians expected Jesus to return in their lifetime. On the one hand, the call to evangelize the ends of the earth was powerful and sent the apostles to faraway places. On the other hand, they lived with a sense of urgency and expectancy, which has been modeled by every generation of believers since.

During this time, the devil is working double hard to cause problems for God’s people. The devil’s fate is sealed, and so he is out to deceive as many people as possible with desires for the world (verse 17). John points out one particular troublesome person as the antichrist. This word comes directly from the Greek and means someone “against Christ.”  It is unclear based on this verse alone if this verse is prophetic for someone of great influence to arise in the last days before Jesus comes. John describes this person further in 2:22; 4:3; and 2 John 7. As the epic nears its end, a great deceiver against the ways of Christ will arise, causing many people to fall away (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). This situation will be like the last gasp of a dying person.

Even in John’s day, many deceivers and people preaching false doctrines had arisen. Jesus warned against false teachers in Matthew 24:5, 11, 23–26; Mark 13:22, 23. The early church was aware of this growing problem, as indicated in Acts 20:29; 2 Timothy 3:1; 2 Peter 2:1. This verse serves as a warning for believers of any time or location. There are people all around us who love the world and would rather serve self and Satan, directly or indirectly, consciously or unconsciously. That this problem even exists helps us realize that there is power in Jesus’ name. We know there is truth in the gospel when the world hates us. We know the truth of Christ when we see antichrists around us. And so, we must be prepared!