1 John 2:18 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Little children, it is the last time— If these words are to be connected withthecontext,thenwe may consider them either as connected with the immediately preceding verses, and as containing one reason why those Christians were not to love the world; namely, that it was the last hour, and therefore the enjoyments thereof would continue but a little while; (See James 5:3.) or this verse may be connected with all that went before, and then the connection will stand thus: the apostle, having laid before the Christians some of the principal doctrines and duties of Christianity, takes care that the false teachers might not impose upon them, and draw them off from a steady adherence to these doctrines, and the faithful practice of the duties which he had been recommending. The word antichrist is in Scripture no where to be found but in this and in the second epistle of St. John. Some understand by it a false Christ, or one who unjustly assumed the character of the Messiah; others take it to signify an opposer of Christ. All those false prophets and corrupt teachers who arose before the destruction of Jerusalem, did not pretend to be themselves the Messiah or Christ: any person who opposes Jesus Christ, or corrupts the gospel, may be called an antichrist. See 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. The persons on whom St. John had his eye more particularly, denied that Jesus, who came in the flesh, was the Christ. See 1 John 2:22. Ch. 1 John 4:3. 1 John 4:2 John, 1 John 2:7. They were, most likely, of the number of the Docetae, who held that Christ only seemed to have flesh, and to suffer. When the false teachers were spoken of collectively, they were, in the singular number, called the antichrist; when distinctively, in the plural, they were called many antichrists. The Jewish Christians had heard, that many antichrists, or false prophets, and corrupt teachers, would appear a little before the destruction of Jerusalem: the apostles, without doubt, mentioned this to their converts, generally speaking, wherever they came; but the most famous predictions of that kind were delivered by our Lord himself, Matthew 24:1; Matthew 24:51.Mark 13:1; Mark 13:37. Luke 21:5; Luke 21:38. And St. John's putting them in mind that they had heard of these things, was in effect saying, "Take heed and beware, by attending to the admonitions which have been given you." See 2 John, 1 John 2:7-8. The strength of his argument lies here: Our Saviour had foretold, that just before the destruction of Jerusalem, antichrist would appear: a number of antichrists had accordingly appeared. Hence they might conclude, that it was the last hour; or that the desolation of the Jewish temple, city, and nation, was just at hand.