1Jo 2:18 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.
There are many different ideas. One that works the best for me today I will offer below. My two cents..
The antichrist (singular )is Satan. Because he has come in the last days and especially in lieu of the first century reformation and the tribulation in regard to it that had come upon the world.This is where there was no longer any outward signs of Jewish identity in respect to the ceremonial law that were finished as shadows and types when Christ had defeated the fathers of lies. The veil was rent signaling the beginning of the reformation. The world in respect to the law of God, the scriptures and the new name he called His born again people, Christians, had begun.
Now that Satan, the serpent had fallen from heaven and no longer met before God with the angels that did not leave there first place of habitat , as did Satan, there are many antichrists (plural) . One of the keys is in the name something it seems many do not see or believe.. Christ is the anointing Holy Spirit of God. The antichrist would be another who would anoints the teaching of men as mimicking the Holy Spirit, also called the Spirit of Christ .Again it has to with anointing in respect to the teacher that we do abide in as he teaches us...
The many antichrists are men in whom the father of lies has seduced to believe they need a man to anoint us and therefore teach us .And therefore walking by faith (not seen) in respect to the true anointing Holy Spirit of God is taken out of the way. In the end because of the blasphemy, rendering the word of God the gospel of our salvation to no effect.
Verses 26 and 27 continue to add to the His motive of operation. It begins with “these things” in respect to the antichrist and the antichrists (verses 18) ,as two different entities. One not seen Satan, the one an only antichrist who has no form and deceived man that does has form ,and the antichrists.(the many) as those who have seduced to believe the lie.
Many today are looking for an antichrist (Hollywood style) who does have form , with horns, tails of scorpions, face like a man ,hair like a woman (etc) and would even try an accredit it (the antichrist)to one individual like the Pope. Who I think is one of the more successful antichrists (many) because the Catholic must walk by sight and not by faith . But he is not thee one and only antichrist, Satan. it is never accredited to men even though he uses men as antichrists( followers.)
These things have I written unto you concerning
them that seduce
you.But the “anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you,
and ye
need not that
any man teach you”: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and
is truth, and is
no lie, and even as it
hath taught you, “ye shall abide in him”. 1Jo 2:26
He is none other than the father of lies working to deceive men to believe they need men to anoint them by teaching them so that they can put their faith is something seen.(walking by sight) They in effect become the anointing ones, mimicking Christ the true anointing Holy Spirit of God. It is the serpents motive of operation he used in the garden when Satan who has no form spoke through a creatures to draw man away from God who has no form. It can also be viewed I believe by distinguishing the” things of God” from “those of men”. it is there that the antichrist(Satan) gets his foot into the door of the church mimicking God as if he was in the place of Christ the true anointing Holy Spirit of God. .
We can see the working of the antichrist (Satan) seducing antichrists (men) in action in Mathew 16. This is where Satan the father of lies according to his lies deceived Peter through the oral traditions of the fathers and tried to use Peter as one of the antichrists , or we could say disciple of the father of lies to try and make the gospel without effect by putting his lies on Peters tongue and rebuking the Lord of glory and commanding him that in respect to the gospel he would not allow Christ to finish the work of salvation . Knowing his time was short.
Then
Peter took him, and began to rebuke
him, saying, Be it far from thee,
Lord: this "
shall not be unto thee".But
he turned, and said unto
Peter, Get thee behind me,
Satan: "thou art an
offence unto me": for thou
savourest not "the things that be of God",
(not seen) but "those that be of men"
(as that seen) Mat 16:22
Note... above .
(purple in parentheses) my person opinion to try and help understand the point I am trying to make.
2Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight
2Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
