2 John 1:7
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.
Tag: It is AntiChrist to not Confess Christ
We often water-down those around us who do not believe in Christ. We simply refer to them as unbelievers. That is a true title, but it lacks what we see the braveness of their situation that John points out in the above text. John is in the midst of educating his readers in this house-church to beware of traveling false teachers. He will later tell them to not even help them on their way or give them a place to rest their heads at night:
2 John 1:10-11
If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.
To John these are not just “unbelievers” or “false-teachers.” To John ANYONE who does not CONFESS Jesus Christ is the Son of God in the flesh, he/she is not simply and unbeliever living next door, he/she is a “deceiver” and the “antichrist.” John is not saying the are THE antichrist (as referred to in his book, The Revelation). He is saying, however, that anyone who does not confess (that means believe) that Jesus is the Son of God, who came in the flesh and died for our sins (the Gospel message) is a deceiver and anti everything that is Christ. In the beginning verses of this little book John refers to “truth” multiple times. Here he is saying that those who do not believe in the truth of Christ are to be warned against and to be understood in the context of antichrist. Few believers in churches today would go to this extent in their neighborhoods, communities and workplaces to refer to those around them as antichrist. But, one only has to listen to the news and the entertainment media to realize we truly do live among antichrist. John is warning us. Be warned.
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