Today, Monday July 19
“Know That It Is the Last Hour”
1 John 2:18-21 Children, 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.
John is now warning us about a third conflict: the conflict between truth and error. It is not enough for a believer to walk in the light and to walk in love; he must also walk in truth. Remember yesterday we were reminded it is not enough to be sincere! We must realize that we are living in the “last hour” or “last times” and we must also know the difference between the truth and the lies of the “antichrist”. We are living in an hour of crisis and must guard against the errors of the enemy.
"The last hour" (or "the last time") is a term that reminds us that a new age has dawned on the world. "The darkness is past, and the true light now shines" (1 John 2:8). Since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God is doing a "new thing" in this world. All of Old Testament history prepared the way for the work of Christ on the cross. All history since that time is merely preparation for "the end," when Jesus will come and establish His kingdom. There is nothing more that God must do for the salvation of sinners.
"The last hour" began back in John's day and has been growing in intensity ever since. There were ungodly false teachers in John's day, and during the intervening centuries they have increased both in number and in influence. "The last hour" or "the last times" are phrases that describe a kind of time, not a duration of time. "The latter times" are described in 1 Timothy 4. Paul, like John, observed characteristics of his time, and we see the same characteristics today in even greater intensity.
In other words, Christians have always been living in "the last time"—in crisis days. It is therefore important that you know what you believe and why you believe it. God works above time and Peter reminds that a day with God is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day (2 Peter 3:8). The first century Christians believed in the imminent return of Jesus Christ, meaning He could come at any moment. The only reason Jesus hasn’t come back is described in 2 Peter 3:9 where it says that, “He is longsuffering toward us sinners and is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance”.
Are you ready for His coming? Jesus might come back today!!!!!!
God bless!
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