A Daily Walk

John Randall: Folks, if you're unaware of this, there is a growing desire among the nations of the world for all-out globalism. And the framework is being established for a one-world government, for a one-world currency, and a one-world religion of coexistence.

One way to achieve globalism is you have to remove the obstacles that stand in its way. And one of the obstacles that stands in the way is a system of absolutes. You have to remove the system of absolutes. Do you know of any systems of absolutes presently in the world? It's called the Church of Jesus Christ.

Guest (Male): Well, the Bible often refers to the last days or last hour. And one can't help but wonder, are we living in the last hour? And how do you know? Well, there are some signs to look out for, and we'll tell you about them today on A Daily Walk. Pastor John Randall is leading us through the Bible, and today we pay a visit to 1 John chapter 2. We're learning how to live in the last hour today.

John Randall: If you'd open with me to 1 John chapter 2 this morning. 1 John chapter 2, picking up in verse 18 as we consider together living in the last hour. 1 John chapter 2, beginning in verse 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.

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. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. 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."

Father, we ask now that You'd speak to us as we consider Your Word, Lord. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.

It was in 1996 that the US Treasury designed and redesigned the $100 bill with advanced features in order to combat counterfeiting. Today, bank tellers are trained to identify fake currency. They learn to look for watermarks, security threads, color-shifting ink, texture, and paper quality.

They also receive updates when new currency designs are released or new counterfeiting trends arise. They spend hours handling the real thing because the fake becomes obvious once you understand the genuine article.

Likewise, the Apostle John addresses a church facing counterfeit teachings, spiritual deception that came from the outside world and from within their own ranks. Some of the congregants had actually been infected with the Gnostic heresy. It caused confusion. It brought division.

And John's concern involved the rise of false teachers and the fact that some believers were being misled. This morning, we consider the third reason why it is that the Apostle John wrote this epistle. You remember from previous studies that the first reason was found in 1 John chapter 1, verse 4, when John said, "These things we write to you that your joy may be full."

The second reason for this letter, 1 John chapter 2, verse 1: "These things we write to you that you may not sin." And of course, the third reason now in some of our text this morning when we get to verse 26: "These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you." That's really what this whole section is about.

John is unmasking the deception that was facing the church. And the text actually begins with the Apostle raising awareness concerning the deception. Sometimes we just don't realize that it's out there. We're not aware that it's around us. It's so intertwined into the culture and even made its way into the church and we don't even recognize it. And so John raises awareness when he says, "Little children, it is the last hour. As you have now heard, the Antichrist is coming. Even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour."

John sounds the alarm and he warns concerning deception, and he actually highlights for us the timing of the deception. He refers to it as the last hour. The Bible's reference to the last hour and similar phrases like the "last days" or "end times" refers to an era of time. When Jesus died, rose again, and ascended, the last hour began.

The last era began and it will culminate at the second coming of Christ. You may recall from the book of Acts chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the believers on the Day of Pentecost as they were gathered there in the upper room. The manifestation of the work of the Spirit that day was called into question.

And Peter stood up very boldly, filled with the Spirit, and he declared to all those who were in attendance. He said in Acts chapter 2, verse 17, "It shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams."

Peter believed that in that moment what was happening was they were in the last days. They were in the last hours. Prophecy was being fulfilled as he spoke. The early church believed that they were in the last hour. The Apostles lived with a conscious awareness that Jesus could come at any time. And the Bible outlines for us characteristics and signs of this era of time known as the last hour, many of which are evident today. I want to highlight some of them for you.

How do you know that you're living in the last hour? We turn to Scripture. First of all, we know that it is the last hour due to the moral decline and celebrated rebellion against God. In 2 Timothy chapter 3, the Apostle Paul said, "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. Men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanders, without self-control, brutal, despisers of what is good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, and they will have a form of godliness, but they will deny the power thereof, and from such people turn away."

Paul says here's what it's going to look like in the last hour, in the last days. There is going to be an increase in moral decline and rebellion against God. And certainly, we are seeing that even at this moment. There is a cultural glorification of pride and a widespread attempt to normalize sin. The world promotes and celebrates what God calls evil by calling it good.

Another sign that we are in the last hour is a growing spiritual deconstruction. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 24 and verse 12 that the love of many will grow cold. In 2 Timothy chapter 4, Paul said there will be those that will not endure sound doctrine, sound biblical doctrine, but they will turn away from listening to the truth.

Tragically, many are walking away from the faith and deconstructing their belief. Some churches and denominations are actually abandoning Scripture, and biblical illiteracy is on the rise. The exposition of the Bible has been in some places replaced or overshadowed by other elements.

Some of the common trends in that regard are entertainment and performance over exposition of the Scriptures, where there is a focus upon emotional experience, musical performance, multimedia presentation over Scripture. Sermons being replaced by motivational talks or life coaching, which will avoid difficult biblical truths in order to keep the message comfortable.

There's also a widespread therapeutic self-help message filling many pulpits today. Instead of confronting sin or calling people to repentance and faith, messages emphasize personal fulfillment, self-esteem, practical life tips on what some would call feel-good theology. There is preaching without depth where we just get away from going through the Word of God and we only emphasize relationships, finances, stress.

There's limited or shallow engagement with the Scripture and we miss out on the full counsel of God's Word. I would also say that there is a cultural accommodation, and by that I mean an attempt to remain culturally relevant, you minimize biblical authority and you avoid controversial issues altogether. And that can lead to preaching that is vague, ambiguous, compromised.

And something else that I've observed in recent days is the overemphasis on community or social justice. While community and justice are essential biblical themes, these can become, if you're not balanced, an end in themselves, with little grounding in Scripture or the Gospel message of salvation in Christ. It's like we're just about this social thing or that political thing or this particular thing and we forget, wait a second, the power is in the Gospel. The power to change lives is in the Gospel, and it's important to remain balanced in that regard.

Another sign that we are in the last hour is the increase of global crisis and distress. The Bible talks about there will be famines, there will be earthquakes, wars, rumors of wars, Jesus said. We see ongoing wars around the world, global instability, food shortages, natural disasters, increasing frequency of extreme weather and environmental upheaval, even in this last week.

The other thing that's interesting concerning the last hour is a rapid technological advancement and surveillance. You know in Revelation chapter 13, it speaks of a system where no one will be able to buy or sell unless they have a mark. And for years, if you were in the 80s, for years people made fun of that. That is ridiculous. What in the world? Come on, 1984, what is this?

People made fun of it. Folks, there is today digital currency, biometric ID, global tracking technology, growing infrastructure for economic control through centralized systems. The ethical questions being raised now about AI, bioengineering, transhumanism, you name it, all of these things are advancing.

I've traveled throughout the world to various continents doing different types of ministry in different places. And you know, the one thing you try to bypass are the lines when you have to come back into the country. And so they have this thing called Global Entry. Perhaps you have it. If you don't, think about it. It's a great thing to have.

But when I got it years ago, I had to go for an interview. I had to go answer all these questions. I had to be approved, had to do a background check, had to get a card. And once I got the card, then when you enter back into the country, you just show them the card, you fill out this thing, you go through this whole process, you stare into the camera, you do this thing. It was even then faster than the line, I'm telling you. And you would just go through this process, it gets you through.

Now it is advanced to the point where I was prepared coming back into the country recently to show my card, I got my card, I got this, I got that. I came up, they said stand here. Somebody snapped the picture and I walked right into the country. It was that fast. I mean, it was seconds. Like, what happened in the last five years? Advancement of technology. They can recognize you, I mean, instantly.

What I'm saying is all of the scaffolding is being set for what's coming. Another thing concerning the last hour that is on the rise is the increased persecution of believers around the world. There is rising persecution in Africa, in Asia, in the Middle East, and you hear about it maybe for a second.

It's like 150 whatever or a thousand or more people were murdered in Syria. It's on the news, it's gone. Moving on. That's a lot of people that just got murdered for believing in Christ, but we don't talk about it. In some places, the most dangerous thing to be is a Christian. And that is on the rise. It's not being reported, but it's very real. A sign of the last hour, growing pressure to conform to secular ideologies. John tells us here, it is the last hour, and these are some of the signs of the last hour.

But John also mentions that in this last hour, there will be one individual who will be at the center of the devil's agenda. He will be Satan's greatest counterfeit of all time. And the Bible refers to this man as the man of sin, the lawless one, the son of perdition. John calls him the Antichrist. And he points out the arrival of the Antichrist. He said, "It is the last hour, as you have heard," notice this, "the Antichrist is coming."

When John, and by the way, he is the only one that uses the term Antichrist in Scripture. And the word "antichrist" is defined in two ways. One, it means "against Christ." And the second definition would be "instead of Christ." Anti-Jesus, Antichrist.

The Bible predicts that following the Rapture of the Church, that there will be one ruler who will rise to power in world history. And he will bring forth the satanic agenda that will end in the Battle of Armageddon in the Valley of Jezreel there in Israel. But in the book of Daniel, Daniel predicts, he prophesies of such a man who would rise to power.

Throughout his book, Daniel says there's a man whom he calls the "little horn," Daniel chapter 7, verse 8. He's called the "king of fierce countenance" in Daniel chapter 8. He's called "the prince that shall come," Daniel chapter 9 and verse 26. "The willful king" in Daniel chapter 11. But in Revelation chapter 13, he's simply called "the beast." And that is what he is.

The Bible states that this beast, this Antichrist, will receive power from the devil himself. And he will be granted complete and total supremacy and all authority from all of the other nations, and the world will follow him. He will address the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. He will establish a seven-year peace agreement with Israel. He will rebuild their temple there on Temple Mount.

Somehow, how that's going to be done we don't know, but the Bible predicts it. But in the middle of those seven years, he will go into that rebuilt temple, he will demand to be worshipped as God, declaring himself to be God, committing what is called the abomination that brings about desolation. Jesus referred to it. Paul mentions it. Daniel mentions it.

And when that happens, you enter into the last three and a half years of the greatest portion of the Tribulation period that will end in the second coming of Christ. Folks, if you're unaware of this, there is a growing desire among the nations of the world for all-out globalism. And the framework is being established for a one-world government, for a one-world currency, and a one-world religion of coexistence.

One way to achieve globalism is you have to remove the obstacles that stand in its way. And one of the obstacles that stands in the way is a system of absolutes. You have to remove the system of absolutes. Do you know of any systems of absolutes presently in the world? It's called the Church of Jesus Christ.

We believe in the absolute truth of God's Word. We stand by it. We defend it. We believe it with everything that's within us. But there's going to come a time when that stand or in that work of the Holy Spirit through the church is removed, and suddenly there is nothing holding back what is ready to be put into place. It's just a matter of time and the Bible points to it. And John even mentions it, "You know this," he says.

Now let me pause and say I am not looking for the coming of the Antichrist. I'm looking for Jesus Christ. That's who I'm looking for and I encourage you to do the same. However, at the same time, I'm not unaware of the deception that surrounds us and is encroaching even as we speak. Listen, although the Antichrist has not yet arrived, for I believe the church would say that's him.

And by the way, there are people who come up with various theories. As long as I've been a Christian, there's always somebody saying it's that person, it's that person, it's that person. And most of the time, it's not that person. But nonetheless, people talk about it. But we do know, and John says it here, that the spirit of, or the attitude of Antichrist, it's all around us.

Notice he says, "Even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it's the last hour." And notice what he says, and I'm going to emphasize it for us: "They," that is those who are of this spirit of Antichrist, "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."

The emphasis was my own, but it makes a point. Six times he mentions this group, the "they" that went out from us, this spirit of, this opposition to Christ, these counterfeits. Well, how do you know that they're counterfeits? Well, he says for one thing, they left. They left. They left relationship with God. They left the church. Those who were part of this who had come in and infiltrated the church, tried to deceive, disrupt, and divide, eventually they moved on.

John said they went out from us. And the fact that they went out from us should be an indication of what they were really all about. He's not talking about going from one church to another. He's talking about leaving Christ completely. They had an agenda. They separated themselves from the Apostle's doctrine. And their departure, John said, it actually revealed that they were not spiritually united with true believers.

John emphasizes that true believers remain in their walk with the Lord. And departures from the truth often reveal that they were never truly part of the body of Christ to begin with. Now in addition to their departure, their deception is seen in what they teach, which contradicts what God's Word says. That is how you know. One, there's a departure, but also there's a deception in what they teach.

Look at verse 22 as the Apostle John underlines some of the deceptive beliefs that they adhered to. He asks the question, "Who is a liar?" And then he answers it: "But he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son doesn't have the Father either. He who acknowledges the Son has the Father also."

You may recall that when Jesus was confronted by the religious leaders, He revealed who it is who is behind the lies. He said in John chapter 8 and verse 44, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning. He doesn't stand in the truth. There's no truth in him. And when he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."

Who is the father of lies? The devil. He's behind the deception. He is a liar, and he has been from the beginning. And one of the satanic lies that was confronting the church then was the Gnostic heresy, Gnosticism. And within this heresy, they denied the incarnation of Christ, that is where God became a man, clothed Himself in flesh, born of a virgin, came to this earth in order to be our Savior.

They denied the incarnation of Christ and they say that Jesus only seemed to have a human body. That Jesus was purely divine and he only appeared to be human, kind of like a ghost or a spirit in disguise. They also said that He didn't suffer or die in the flesh physically, that those events were simply illusions, which is a denial of Scripture.

But also, they denied the deity of Jesus, that He was God. They said Jesus is the Son of God, but he's not God. He's the Son of God, but not God. You know, there are other people that teach that today. They're called Muslims. They're called Mormons. They're called Jehovah's Witnesses. These are some of several cults that make this false claim that Jesus is not God, but only the Son of God. To strip Jesus of His deity is to make the Gospel of no effect. That's a false teaching.

Guest (Male): A false teaching that is very much still around today. You're listening to A Daily Walk and part of Pastor John Randall's message, "Living in the Last Hour." You can hear it again at adailywalk.org.

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Whether you are a pastor, a church leader, or a member of a congregation, this book will deepen your understanding of the heart of a shepherd and point you to the One who sustains us all. The cost is just $15, and you can order it right now at adailywalk.org. Get an extra copy for your pastor as well. Again, adailywalk.org, or call 877-242-0828 for all the ordering details.

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