Sunday, November 8, 2020
“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.” (1st John 2:18). Eschatology is that aspect of biblical doctrine dealing with the “last days.”
In this text, John describes the times in which he wrote as “the last hour”, evidencing that he, as vital Christians in every generation, both lived in immediate anticipation of Christ’s Second coming and saw his era as one in which the present evidence seemed to agree that his was possibly the concluding generation. This is not an unhealthy attitude. Christ Jesus desires that people expectantly anticipate His return (Matt. 25:1-13; 2 Tim. 4:8).
John not only addresses the lateness of the hour of history, as he views it; he also addresses the subject of Antichrist, a commonly discussed theme when eschatology is studied. The spirit of antichrist, the rapture of the church, the Great Tribulation, the restoration of national Israel, and the millennial reign of Christ on Earth are all among the many subjects the Bible describes as “last things.”
The bible clearly says these things shall occur. However, it is not clear about the exact time; and in many cases it does not conclusively give the sequence or exact manner of the fulfillment of each event. However, this should not hinder us in our walk … we need only walk as if He will return today.
You are Loved, Pastor Don
Cornerstone Worship Center 