The second and third letters of John are personal and brief. In
them, no direct reference is made to the future return of Jesus and the issue
was not relevant to the situations of the Christians addressed.
There is a reference to active deceivers in 2 John 7-8 that
denied the genuine humanity of Jesus. John labels them “deceivers”
and “antichrist,” as in his first letter (1 John 2:18-22, 4:1-3).
His reference to “many deceivers” echoes the warning of Jesus from his
‘Olivet Discourse’ about coming deceivers who are intent on deceiving the “elect”
(Matthew 24:4-5, Mark 13:5-6).
John declared that “it is the
last hour,”
the period elsewhere called the “last days.” That period had already
begun by the time John wrote this letter (1 John 2:18-22). The New Testament
often links the commencement of the “last days” to the Death and the Resurrection
of Jesus (e.g., Mark
1:15, Acts
2:15-22, Galatians
4:4, Ephesians
1:10, 1
Timothy 4:1, Hebrews
1:1-2, 1
Peter 1:20, 2
Peter 3:1-3).
As evidence of the end times, John points to the many deceivers
that had arisen from within his churches, just as previously predicted (“even
now many antichrists have come whereby we perceive that it is the last
hour” [Matthew 24:4-5, Mark 13:5-6, Luke
21:8, 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 3:1). Their
activities demonstrated that Christians even then were living in “the last
days.”
John calls these false teachers “antichrists.” They were
not pagan deceivers from without the church but false teachers within; “they
went out from among us.” They were identifiable by their denial “that
Jesus is the Christ” (verse 22; 1 John 4:1-3).
In this epistle, John did not coordinate the “antichrists”
or the coming “antichrist” with the return of Jesus or other final events (1
John 4:1-3). His emphasis was on the present deceiving
activities of deceivers within his congregations. But their activity evidenced
that the “last days” were underway.
(1 John 2:28 – 3:3) - “And now, dear children, abide in him in order that, when he may be
made manifest we may have boldness and not be shamed away from him at his
coming. If ye know that he is righteous ye perceive that whoever does
righteousness has been born of him. Behold, what manner of love the Father has
bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God, and such we are!
Therefore, the world understands us not because it understood not him. Beloved!
Now are we children of God; and not yet has it been made manifest what we shall
be. We know that if it should be made manifest, we will be like him, because we
shall see him just as he is. And whoever has this hope on him is purifying
himself, just as He is pure.”
John exhorted his congregations to “abide” in Jesus so that
“when he may be manifested we may have boldness and not be
shamed away from him at his coming.” This was a call to holy
living in light of the impending arrival of Jesus and the expected rewards he
would bring.
“Manifested” translates the Greek verb phaneroō or
“manifest, appear, make known, become visible.” The Apostle Peter
used the same verb for the coming of Jesus in 1 Peter 5:4 where
a similar idea is expressed: “when the chief Shepherd is manifested you
will obtain the unfading crown of glory.”
The Apostle Paul also used it to describe what would happen to believers
when Jesus arrived from heaven. Christians must not judge “before the
Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness
and will make manifest the purposes of the heart” (1
Corinthians 4:5). All Christians “must appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according
to what he has done in the body” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Paul also used a related compound noun five times to refer to the
arrival of Jesus or epiphaneia, which means “appearance,
manifestation.” The compound noun is built on the same verbal stem as phaneroō or phan-.
Note the following passages where epiphaneia is used:
(2 Thessalonians 2:8) – “And then the
lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath
of his mouth and destroy him by the appearance of his coming.”
(1 Timothy 6:14) – “I charge you to keep
the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearance of
our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(2 Timothy 4:1) – “I charge you in the
presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearance and his kingdom.”
(2 Timothy 4:8) – “Henceforth there is
laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge,
will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved
his appearance.”
(Titus 2:13) – “Awaiting our blessed
hope, the appearance of the glory of our great God and our
Savior Jesus Christ.”
“Coming” in 1
John 2:28 translates
the Greek noun Parousia or “arrival.” This
is the only instance where John uses this term in his letters. This same Greek
verb occurs in Matthew’s version of Christ’s Olivet Discourse when he refers to
the future “coming” of the Son of Man (Matthew
24:3, 24:27, 24:37-39).
Possibly this is John’s source for this use of the term. More
significant, Paul applies parousia to the coming of Jesus
seven times (1
Corinthians 15:23, 1
Thessalonians 2:19, 3:13, 4:15, 5:23, 2
Thessalonians 2:1, 2:9. See also James
5:7-8, 2
Peter 1:16, 3:4, 3:12).
The world did not understand Jesus; therefore, it does not
understand those who follow him (1 John 3:1). For now, Christians look
no different than other human beings to the surrounding society although their
conduct may strike many as nonconformists and strange. Despite
present appearances, believers are the very “children of God,” though
what they will become has not yet been “made manifest.” When Jesus is
manifested, however, Christians will be transformed, be “like him,” and
they will see him “just as he is” (cp. Hebrews 9:28).
Implicit in John’s words is that when Jesus comes believers will
undergo a transformation that brings them into conformity to him. Those with
this hope “purify themselves” in preparation (cp. Colossians 3:4; 1
Corinthians 15:49; Philippians 3:21).
John exhorted believers to “abide
in Jesus” so
they would be able to stand in boldness rather than shame at Christ’s “coming.” Christians are the “children
of God” and,
consequently, constitute a people distinct from the rest of the world.
The reality of things will be made clear to all when Jesus is “manifested.”
At that time, true believers will find themselves “like
him.” Considering
this hope, it behooves Christians to live pure and holy lives.
John does not explain in detail what he envisions about future
events and the “coming” of Jesus. However, the terms he uses for
Christ’s coming (phaneroō, parousia), as well as his basic
concepts correspond to what Jesus and the other apostles taught about the
return of Jesus.
John uses two different Greek words for the coming of Jesus, but he
applies both to the same event; he refers only to one future coming of Jesus,
not two (or more).
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