TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
KJV (with Strong's)
Complete Jewish Bible
Children, this is the Last Hour. You have heard that an Anti-Messiah is coming; and in fact, many anti-Messiahs have arisen now — which is how we know that this is the Last Hour.
Berean Standard Bible
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour.
American Standard Version
Little children, it is the last hour: and as ye heard that antichrist cometh, even now have there arisen many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last hour.
World English Bible Messianic
Little children, these are the end times, and as you heard that the Anti-messiah is coming, even now many anti-messiahs have arisen. By this we know that it is the final hour.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Litle children, it is the last time, and as ye haue heard that Antichrist shall come, euen now are there many Antichrists: whereby we know that it is the last time.
Young's Literal Translation
Little youths, it is the last hour; and even as ye heard that the antichrist doth come, even now antichrists have become many--whence we know that it is the last hour;
In the KJVVerse 30,569 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on 1 John 2 verses 18–19
18 ¶ Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
Here is, I. A moral prognostication of the time; the end is coming: Little children, it is the last time, Jo1 2:18. Some may suppose that the apostle here addresses the first rank of Christians again; the juniors are most apt to be seduced, and therefore, "Little children, you that are young in religion, take heed to yourselves that you be not corrupted." But it may be, as elsewhere, a universal appellation, introductive of an alarm to all Christians: "Little children, it is the last time; our Jewish polity in church and state is hastening to an end; the Mosaic institution and discipline are just upon vanishing away; Daniel's weeks are now expiring; the destruction of the Hebrew city and sanctuary is approaching, the end whereof must be with a flood, and to the end of the war desolations are determined," Dan 9:26. It is meet that the disciples should be warned of the haste and end of time, and apprised as much as may be of the prophetic periods of time.
II. The sign of this last time: Even now there are many antichrists (Jo1 2:18), many that oppose the person, doctrine, and kingdom of Christ. It is a mysterious portion of providence that antichrists should be permitted; but, when they have come, it is good and safe that the disciples should be informed of them; ministers should be watchmen to the house of Israel. Now it should be no great offence nor prejudice to the disciples that there are such antichrists: 1. One great one has been foretold: As you have heard that antichrist shall come, Jo1 2:18. The generality of the church have been informed by divine revelation that there must be a long and fatal adversary to Christ and his church, Th2 2:8-10. No wonder then that there are many harbingers and forerunners of the great one: Even now there are many antichrists, the mystery of iniquity already worketh. 2. They were foretold also as the sign of this last time. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect, Mat 24:24. And these were the forerunners of the dissolution of the Jewish state, nation, and religion: Whereby we know it is the last time, Jo1 2:18. Let the prediction that we see there has been of seducers arising in the Christian world fortify us against their seduction.
III. Some account of these seducers or antichrists. 1. More positively. They were once entertainers or professors of apostolical doctrine: "They went out from us (Jo1 2:19), from our company and communion;" possibly from the church of Jerusalem, or some of the churches of Judea, as Act 15:1, Certain men came down from Judea, and taught the brethren, etc. The purest churches may have their apostates and revolters; the apostolic doctrine did not convert all whom it convinced of its truth. 2. More privately. "They were not inwardly such as we are: But they were not of us; they had not from the heart obeyed the form of sound doctrine delivered to them; they were not of our union with Christ the head." Then here is, (1.) The reason upon which it is concluded that they were not of us, were not what they pretended, or what we are, and that is their actual defection: "For, if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us (Jo1 2:19); had the sacred truth been rooted in their hearts it would have held them with us; had they had the anointing from above, by which they had been made true and real Christians, they would not have turned antichrists." Those that apostatize from religion sufficiently indicate that, before, they were hypocrites in religion: those who have imbibed the spirit of gospel truth have a good preservative against destructive error. (2.) The reason why they are permitted thus to depart from apostolical doctrine and communion - that their insincerity may be detected: But this was done (or they went out) that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us, Jo1 2:19. The church knows not well who are its vital members and who are not; and therefore the church, considered as internally sanctified, may well be styled invisible. Some of the hypocritical must be manifested here, and that for their own shame and benefit too, in their reduction to the truth, if they have not sinned unto death, and for the terror and caution of others. You therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things before, beware lest you also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, etc., Pe2 3:17, Pe2 3:18.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 18–19. Public domain.
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IrenaeusAD 202
Against Heresies Book III
Know ye therefore, that every lie is from without, and is not of the truth. Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is Antichrist.".
foreseeing by the Spirit those weak-minded persons who should be led astray.
Clement of AlexandriaAD 215
The Stromata Book 3
To those, on the other hand, who under a pious cloak blaspheme by their continence both the creation and the holy Creator, the almighty, only God, and teach that one must reject marriage and begetting of children, and should not bring others in their place to live in this wretched world, nor give any sustenance to death, our reply is as follows. We may first quote the word of the apostle John: "And now are many antichrists come, whence 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 remained with us."
TertullianAD 220
On Fasting
And how is it that he enjoins duties which belong to our God, and enjoins them to be offered to none other than our God? Either contend that the devil works with our God, or else let the Paraclete be held to be Satan. But you affirm it is "a human Antichrist: "for by this name heretics are called in John. And how is it that, whoever he is, he has in (the name of) our Christ directed these duties toward our Lord; whereas withal antichrists have (ever) gone forth (professedly teaching) towards God, (but) in opposition to our Christ? On which side, then, do you think the Spirit is confirmed as existing among us; when He commands, or when He approves, what our God has always both commanded and approved? But you again set up boundary-posts to God, as with regard to grace, so with regard to discipline; as with regard to gifts, so, too, with regard to solemnities: so that our observances are supposed to have ceased in like manner as His benefits; and you thus deny that He still continues to impose duties, because, in this case again, "the Law and the prophets (were) until John.
Hippolytus of RomeAD 235
Dubious and Spurious Pieces
And the apostles, who speak of God, in establishing the truth of the advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, have each of them indicated the appearing of these abominable and ruin-working men, and have openly announced their lawless deeds. First of all Peter, the rock of the faith, whom Christ our God called blessed, the teacher of the Church, the first disciple, he who has the keys of the kingdom, has instructed us to this effect: "Know this first, children, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. And there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies." After him, John the theologian, and the beloved of Christ, in harmony with him, cries, "The children of the devil are manifest; and even now are there many antichrists; but go not after them. Believe not every spirit, because many false prophets are gone out into the world." And then Jude, the brother of James, speaks in like manner: "In the last times there shall be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts. There be they who, without fear, feed themselves." You have observed the concord of the theologians and apostles, and the harmony of their doctrine.
CyprianAD 258
Epistle LIV
Nor ought it, my dearest brother, to disturb any one who is faithful and mindful of the Gospel, and retains the commands of the apostle who forewarns us; if in the last days certain persons, proud, contumacious, and enemies of God's priests, either depart from the Church or act against the Church, since both the Lord and His apostles have previously foretold that there should be such. Nor let any one wonder that the servant placed over them should be forsaken by some, when His own disciples forsook the Lord Himself, who performed such great and wonderful works, and illustrated the attributes of God the Father by the testimony of His doings. And yet He did not rebuke them when they went away, nor even severely threaten them; but rather, turning to His apostles, He said, "Will ye also go away? " manifestly observing the law whereby a man left to his own liberty, and established in his own choice, himself desires for himself either death or salvation. Nevertheless, Peter, upon whom by the same Lord the Church had been built, speaking one for all, and answering with the voice of the Church, says, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life; and we believe, and are sure that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God: " signifying, doubtless, and showing that those who departed from Christ perished by their own fault, yet that the Church which believes on Christ, and holds that which it has once learned, never departs from Him at all, and that those are the Church who remain in the house of God; but that, on the other hand, they are not the plantation planted by God the Father, whom we see not to be established with the stability of wheat, but blown about like chaff by the breath of the enemy scattering them, of whom John also in his epistle says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us." Paul also warns us, when evil men perish out of the Church, not to be disturbed, nor to let our faith be lessened by the departure of the faithless. "For what," he says, "if some of them have departed from the faith? Hath their unbelief made the faith of God of none effect? God forbid! For God is true, but every man a liar."
CyprianAD 258
Epistle LXIX
But it is to approve the baptism of heretics and schismatics, to admit that they have truly baptized. For therein a part cannot be void, and part be valid. If one could baptize, he could also give the Holy Spirit. But if he cannot give the Holy Spirit, because he that is appointed without is not endowed with the Holy Spirit, he cannot baptize those who come; since both baptism is one and the Holy Spirit is one, and the Church founded by Christ the Lord upon Peter, by a source and principle of unity, is one also. Hence it results, that since with them all things are futile and false, nothing of that which they have done ought to be approved by us. For what can be ratified and established by God which is done by them whom the Lord calls His enemies and adversaries? setting forth in His Gospel, "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth." And the blessed Apostle John also, keeping the commandments and precepts of the Lord, has laid it down in his epistle, and said, "Ye have heard that antichrist shall come: even now there are many Antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us." Whence we also ought to gather and consider whether they who are the Lord's adversaries, and are called antichrists, can give the grace of Christ. Wherefore we who are with the Lord, and maintain the unity of the Lord, and according to His condescension administer His priesthood in the Church, ought to repudiate and reject and regard as profane whatever His adversaries and the antichrists do; and to those who, coming out of error and wickedness, acknowledge the true faith of the one Church, we should give the truth both of unity and faith, by means of all the sacraments of divine grace. We bid you, dearest brethren, ever heartily farewell.
Didymus the BlindAD 398
COMMENTARY ON 1 JOHN
These things are not said of all who teach false doctrine but only of those who join a false sect after they have heard the truth. It is because they were once Christians that they are now called antichrists.
JeromeAD 420
SERMONS 91
Why is the lamb offered up in the evening and not during the day? The reason is plain enough, for our Lord and Savior suffered his passion at the close of the ages, which is why John called it the last hour.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
LETTERS 199.7
Let us recall how long ago it was that John said that it is the last hour. If we had been alive then and had heard this, how could we have believed that so many years would pass after it, and would we not rather have hoped that the Lord would come while John was still present in the body?
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Ten Homilies on 1 John 3
"Children, it is the last hour." In this lesson he addresses the children that they may make haste to grow, because "it is the last hour." Age or stature of the body is not at one's own will. A man does not grow in respect of the flesh when he will, any more than he is born when he will: but where the being born rests with the will, the growth also rests with the will. No man is "born of water and the Spirit, except he be willing. Consequently if he will, he grows or makes increase: if he will, he decreases. What is it to grow? To go onward by proficiency. What is it to decrease? To go backward by deficiency. Whoso knows that he is born, let him hear that he is an infant; let him eagerly cling to the breasts of his mother, and he grows apace. Now his mother is the Church; and her breasts are the two Testaments of the Divine Scriptures. Hence let him suck the milk of all the things that as signs of spiritual truths were done in time for our eternal salvation, that being nourished and strengthened, he may attain to the eating of solid meat, which is, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Our milk is Christ in His humility; our meat, the selfsame Christ equal with the Father. With milk He nourisheth thee, that He may feed thee with bread: for with the heart spiritually to touch Christ is to know that He is equal with the Father.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Ten Homilies on 1 John 3
But lest any be sluggish to go forward, let him hear: "Children, it is the last hour." Go forward, run, grow; "it is the last hour." This same last hour is long; yet it is the last. For he has put "hour" for "the last time;" because it is in the last times that our Lord Jesus Christ is to come. But some will say, How the last times? how the last hour? Certainly antichrist will first come, and then will come the day of judgment. John perceived these thoughts: lest people should in a manner become secure, and think it was not the last hour because antichrist was to come, he said to them, "And as ye have heard that antichrist is to come, now are there come many antichrists." Could it have many antichrists, except it were "the last hour"?
Andreas of CaesareaAD 614
CATENA
The antichrist will come at the end of the world, and the heresies have already announced his coming, for they are his friends and brothers, since they both blaspheme Christ.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on the Catholic Epistles
And as you have heard, that Antichrist comes, etc. He calls heretics Antichrists; but also those who, by perverse actions, destroy the Catholic faith which they profess, are rightly called Antichrists, that is, contrary to Christ; who all bear witness to that great Antichrist who will come at the end of the age, as to their head. Whence also Paul says of that one that the mystery of iniquity is already at work (II Thess. II).
BedeAD 735
Commentary on the Catholic Epistles
My little children, it is the last hour. The last hour, the last time of the age, which is now being carried out, he says, according to that parable of the Lord, where he narrates that workers in the vineyard are hired from the first hour, the third, the sixth, the ninth, and the eleventh. For at the first hour those who cultivated the vineyard of the Lord were serving the will of their Creator either by teaching or by living rightly from the beginning of the age. From the third hour, those from the times of Noah. From the sixth hour, those from the times of Abraham. From the ninth hour, those from the times the law was given. From the eleventh hour, those from the times of the Lord's Incarnation until the end of the age, are serving the heavenly commands: in which hour, both the coming of the Savior in the flesh and the future plague of the Antichrist, who would fight against the heralds of salvation, was marked by the prediction of the prophets. Whence it follows:
BedeAD 735
Commentary on the Catholic Epistles
Whence we know that it is the last hour. How do we know? Because many Antichrists have come. It can also be understood this way, that he says it was already then the last hour, because the persecution of that time, which was brought by heretics, had a great similarity to that last persecution which is to come just before the day of judgment, although this one only harassed the Church with foul tongues, that one will torment with fierce swords.
OecumeniusAD 990
Commentary on 1 John
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.
"it is the last hour." In this way, the discourse can be more easily understood: Since the Catholic Epistle is suited to each person regardless of the time, and there is no prescribed end of life for each individual, yet each one has an uncertain end, it is rightly applied to each one's end, so that, as the final time of life that threatens each individual, forethought and sobriety may follow: and thus a life irreproachable and pure may always be conducted in actions by Christians. Nor does any madman have a place for mocking this, if it has been said for so many years: it is the last hour, and yet until now it has not been measured or calculated that last moment. Indeed, if you compare the span of time from the creation of the world, how much has been elapsed from that time until now? I mean the time since Christ was born.
Furthermore, if anything is divided into three parts, namely the first, the middle, and the last, whatever follows from the middle can certainly be called the last without any absurdity. Certainly, if the Lord came according to the middle of ten thousand years (since His coming to earth was almost in the fifth millennium), whatever follows from this, as that which follows the middle, could be justifiably called the extreme and the last; for instance, from a hundred years, even the first, namely ten or twenty, and so on for the subsequent ones, could be called the last.
Therefore, here too, since the time of the Lord's coming had passed through the middle of the thousand years, whatever follows from this can rightly be called the last or extreme. This is therefore most true, even according to John Chrysostom [Easter Sermon]. The last or extreme can also be understood as the worst, as when we say: He has reached the extreme of evil. Therefore, since the world was then shaken by great evils, the Devil developing these things after the coming of that Savior, whether for the temptation of the good or for the confusion of those things which are better, so that no one could discern what was good and what was not good: for this reason, that time is called the last hour, as it brings forth that which is worst, when it has the character of the most foul and thickest waste.
However, it confirms that it is the last hour, or the worst, even according to the substance of time from the Antichrist. For if we expect the Antichrist, he says, in the last times, but now many antichrists are present in this life (he mentions Cerinthus and those like him), it is evident that the time of the end is imminent, while many antichrists precede one and prepare the way for him. Then John adds to this saying whom the antichrists have come, namely that they are from among us, etc.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
The Apostle John tenderly addresses believers, declaring that they are living in "the last time," an era inaugurated by Christ's first coming and leading to His return. He reminds them of the expected coming of a singular "antichrist" but immediately clarifies that the spirit of opposition to Christ is already actively at work through "many antichrists," whose very presence serves as undeniable proof that humanity is indeed in this final, decisive period of redemptive history.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
John employs several effective Literary Devices in this verse. The most prominent is Direct Address, utilizing the tender and affectionate term "Little children" (paidíon), which establishes a paternal tone and fosters a sense of intimacy and trust between the author and his audience. This gentle address contrasts sharply with the grave warning that follows. There is also significant Repetition of the phrase "the last time" and the word "antichrist," which emphasizes the urgency and central importance of these concepts. The repetition of "the last time" frames the declaration, reinforcing its significance, while the repetition of "antichrist" highlights both the singular future figure and the plural present manifestations. Furthermore, John uses Contrast by juxtaposing the singular "antichrist" (whom they "have heard that... shall come") with the immediate reality of "many antichrists" who are "even now" present. This contrast serves to ground the eschatological expectation in the contemporary experience of the church, making the abstract future threat concrete and immediate.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse profoundly shapes our understanding of eschatology, moving it from a purely future event to a present reality. John asserts that the "last time" is not merely a distant future but the very epoch in which believers now live, inaugurated by Christ's first coming. The presence of "many antichrists" is not a deviation from God's plan but a divinely ordained sign confirming the nature of this age. Theologically, it underscores the ongoing spiritual warfare and the necessity of discerning truth, particularly concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ. It teaches that the spirit of antichrist is fundamentally a denial of Christ's true identity, whether as God incarnate or as the Son of the Father, and this denial is a hallmark of the end times.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
John's declaration that "it is the last time" is not meant to incite fear or speculative date-setting, but to instill a profound sense of urgency and discernment in believers. It reminds us that the spiritual battle is not a distant concept but an ever-present reality. The "many antichrists" of John's day, denying the incarnation of Christ, serve as a timeless warning against any teaching or ideology that diminishes the person and work of Jesus. For us today, this means we must be vigilant against all forms of spiritual deception, whether they come from overt opposition to Christ or subtle distortions of His truth within religious or secular thought. We are called to be rooted in the foundational truths of the gospel, to exercise spiritual discernment, and to cling to the authentic revelation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God who came in the flesh. Our steadfastness in sound doctrine and our active love for one another are crucial defenses in this ongoing spiritual climate.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the difference between "the Antichrist" and "many antichrists"?
Answer: John's use of both terms in 1 John 2:18 is significant. "The Antichrist" (singular) refers to a specific, prominent individual who is expected to emerge at the culmination of the "last time" to embody ultimate opposition to Christ, as also described in passages like 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10. "Many antichrists" (plural) refers to individuals or groups who, even in John's own day and throughout history, exhibit the spirit of antichrist. These are false teachers, deceivers, or systems of thought that deny the true nature of Jesus Christ (especially His incarnation, as seen in 1 John 4:2-3) or seek to usurp His authority. Their presence is a sign that the "last time" is already underway.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The declaration of "the last time" in 1 John 2:18 finds its ultimate fulfillment and meaning in Christ. It is not merely a chronological marker but a theological reality inaugurated by the advent of Jesus. His first coming, His perfect life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection marked the decisive turning point in human history, ushering in the final age of God's redemptive plan. The "antichrist" and "many antichrists" are defined precisely by their opposition to Jesus, who is the Christ, the Son of God come in the flesh (1 John 4:2). The very existence of those who deny Him underscores His unique and indispensable role as the Messiah. Christ is the true Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), the one in whom all the promises of God find their "Yes" and "Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20). While antichrists seek to deceive and draw people away, Christ is the Truth (John 14:6), the faithful and true witness (Revelation 3:14), who has overcome the world and its spiritual forces (John 16:33). The believer's victory over the spirit of antichrist comes through faith in Him (1 John 5:4-5).