Beware of Antichrist Deceivers (2nd John 7-11)

The Perversion of Truth –– John Phillips observed that the term deceiver identifies the false teacher as the enemy of man and the term antichrist identifies the false teacher as the enemy of God.

The word “deceiver” refers to a wanderer. John had in mind those who went out as missionaries spreading error. The devil has his missionaries too (2 Cor. 11:14-15)! In fact, John says he has “many” of them (2 John 7; cf. 1 John 4:1).

Verse 7: John MacArthur writes, “John gives limits for Christian hospitality. This is the centerpiece of John’s thought in this epistle. Since Satan comes as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11;13-15), believers must be on guard against error by having an intimate acquaintance with the Truth.”

A mark of these false teachers is that they do not testify or believe in the Deity of Christ. He is an “angel,” as the Jehovah’s Witnesses believe (the Archangel Michael.” (a created being.) He is the “spirit brother” of Lucifer in the Mormon theology. Not eternal, but created and conceived in the same way you and I were.

Verse 8: This passage calls for self-examination in the life of the believer. The Bible teaches us repeatedly look to ourselves or to examine ourselves (2 Cor. 13:5). In fact, one a weekly basis we are to examine ourselves before partaking of the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:28; Acts 20:7). We must realize that it is possible for us to err from the faith (Jam. 1:16) and/or to fall from grace (1 Cor. 10:12; Gal. 5:4).

Verse 9: If one does not abide in the “doctrine of Christ,” he or she is not a Christian.

One must hold to the fundamentals of the faith and the core teachings of the New

Testament. “Abide” implies a continual “walking in the truth.”

Verse 10: The fact that John spoke of someone not bringing this doctrine makes clear that these traveling teachers were desiring a place to stay that they might teach their error. The hospitality that is forbidden is that which would in any way help them in harming the church.

Verse 11: John makes clear that Christians are not to give the false teachers either a salutation nor a goodbye (God be with you). Someone has noted that a door has both a hinge and a lock. It has a hinge to open it to friends and a lock to close it to enemies.

Don’t give false teaching a foothold in your home. —-As Mark Twain noted, “A lie can travel half-way around the world while truth is still putting on her boots.”