1 JohnSampel

In this passage, the writer of 1 John is giving a warning to its readers (which we see amongst other warnings) about antichrists. The name Antichrist is important to understand: the prefix anti can mean “the opposite of” or “instead of.” The Antichrist is the “opposite Jesus,” or the “instead of'' Jesus. The Bible talks about the Antichrist by name several different times (1 John 4:3, 2 John 1:7), but the idea and prophecy about the Antichrist are throughout scripture (Daniel 7:8, 8:23, 9:26, 11:36-45, John 5:43, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 2:8). Essentially, the Antichrist (which the writer talks about with a capital “A”) is a player in the earth's final days: a person or system who takes the place of God. However, the writer also talks about the spirit of the antichrist (lowercase “a”) and warns readers about it. The spirit of the antichrist is a person, thing, ideology, or anything that offers a false substitute for Jesus in our lives. Although at an initial glance this passage gives us a piece of information, direction, and warning about the end times, the truth is that as humans, we are prone to constantly have things in our life that can take the place of God. These things (even good things) can become ultimate things—the things we give our attention, focus, and priority to. These things can easily take the place that God should have in our lives, and when this happens, we can become broken, discontent, and completely reliant upon ourselves for everything we need. This warning from 1 John 2 is a quick reminder to examine our hearts and what we worship the most. It’s a warning against the things (family, career, money, future, success, influence/power, relationships/marriage, kids, etc.) that can easily become the most important things to us—the things we desire instead of or in place of God. It’s a great moment to examine our hearts and realign with God being the most important thing in our lives. Prayer Points * Take a moment to ask God to show you anything in your life that has potentially taken the place of Him as the first priority in your life. * Ask God to forgive you for making that thing an idol in your life (something that takes the place of or is more important than him). * Ask God to retake the place as your first priority. * Spend time worshiping God and thanking him for everything he’s done in your life.