The Last Hour

Scriptures: 1 John 2:18-25 

“18 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. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 

Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to [c]deceive you. 27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you ]will abide in Him.

We have heard and read from the Scriptures talking about ‘in the last days’ there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God ( 2 Timothy 3: 1-5) then another Scripture found both in the Old Testament ( Joel 2:28) and in New Testament (Acts 2:17) “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,   your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” Looking into these scriptures, we are indeed living in the last days because just as the Bible describes it, all these indicators are happening now.  In Matt. 24: 4-14  talks about “Signs of the End Times” but in this particular passages it does not say days, not even a day but “ the Last Hour” it was even much closer and less time. 

We also have to understand that when the Scriptures mentioned last days and last hour it does not mean the days and hours in our manners of time. 2 Peter 3:8 “A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. It is a figure of speech, called a simile, to teach that God is outside of time. The hour was also unknown to us when is that particular hour/ hours, as Jesus mentioned in Acts 1:7 “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” But one thing for sure what God has spoken surely it will come to pass, that the days and the hour is coming, that these end times are upon us whether it will be in our lifetimes or not it will come to pass. 

Three important elements that we can know from these scriptures 

1. Antichrist is coming and many antichrists have come, a significant indicator that it is the last hour. 

Who/ What is the Antichrist? In verse 22 it says 22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son

• 1 John 4:3 “Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
• 2 John 7 “I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
• Daniel 7:25 “He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws.
• The man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12.
• Revelation 13:1-8 “as the “beast coming out of the sea” (Revelation 13:1), who acts as a puppet of Satan (13: 4), makes war against Christian believers (13:7), and causes the unbelievers to worship him (13:8). 

In the recent event of the opening ceremony of World Summer Olympics 2024 held in Paris this year watched by millions if not billions of people around the world many was shocked and questioning the relevance of one particular performance by the group of drag queens showing a parody of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, a very antichrist act of mockery. 

1. Anointing from the Holy One –Anointing here speaks not just about spiritual gifts to perform signs and wonders and authority over demons rather it is closely related to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).

As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit — just as it has taught you, remain in him.” (1 John 2:26-27)

In John 14:16 and 15:26 Jesus talks about this Anointing as the Holy Spirit sent by the Father as the “Helper”, The Spirit of Truth that abides in us forever. 

• Abiding in the Truth –  Remain with Jesus 

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. John 15:4 

In this time of the last hour, amidst all of the deception as it was written in Mark 13:22 “ For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” 

You see, abiding in the Truth is the part that we should act and decided to do so. As we heard the truth act upon it, James 1:22 “ But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves”.   How and what shall we do to abide in the Son (Jesus) and the Father? 

• Praise God –  Psalm 100 :4 “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. In everything give thanks 

When I watched that parody, and listening to all the comments of people how they were offended, some are worried about on how much evil is prevalent in this generation and scared of the  coming judgment of God and as I  examined myself of how should I respond on this ,   I was praising God for all of His goodness, His mercies and grace for He could have done something instantly to defend His Name, and yes there is a consequences of every wicked thing we do in this Earth, whatever we sow we reap! I praise God, for He is slow to anger, full of compassion not slow in His promises but patiently waiting for all men to repentance even those people who are mocking Him. 

Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Luke 21:28 

• Pray- Luke 21:36 “36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may [i]be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

– But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,- Jude 1:20

• Pursue Righteousness of God and be Prepared! Not for the coming Antichrist but for the coming back of the Messiah, Jesus! 

1 John 1: 27-28 “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

And while waiting and preparing —-

• Proclaim the Gospel – Matthew 24:14 “14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come Jude  1:22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire.

Acts 20:24 “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

• Perseveres and Pressing On towards the Goal 

13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Matthew 24:13 

Philippians 3:14 ‘I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ