No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
1 John 2:23

1. To be in the last days means that Christ has ___________ all things and we are to be __________ for His return.

2. A sign to warn us that we are in the last days is the rise of ________________, that is, those who deny Jesus is the Christ.

3. John warns us of these attacks and prepares us for them by:

    a. Declaring we are already _____________.

    b. Exhorting us to _____________ in ___________.


Scripture Readings
Ezekiel 2:1-5
1 John 2:18-27
Mark 6:1-13

Take It With You!

As we spend our Summer growing in the love of God, it will be helpful for everyone to be reading through 1 John daily. Here helpful insights will be offered to aid in your study.

Matthew 7:15-20 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

[We] confess that hypocrites and evil people are mixed together in the church and that the sacraments are efficacious even though they may be dispensed by evil ministers, because the ministers act in the place of Christ and so do not represent their own person. This accords with that passage [Luke 10:16], 'Whoever listens to you listens to me.' The ungodly teachers must be avoided because they no longer act in the person of Christ but are Antichrists. Christ says, [Matt. 7:15], 'Beware of false prophets,' and Paul says [Gal. 1:9], 'If anyone proclaims a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!'
Apology to the Augsburg Confession X: The Church

We conclude that the sing of the antichrist, like the other signs of the times, is present throughout the history of the church. We may even say that every age will provide its own particular form of antichristian activity. But we look for an intensification of this sign in the appearance of the antichrist whom Christ himself will destroy at his Second Coming.
Anthony Hoekema, The Bible and the Future.