Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
Little children—same Greek as I John 2:13; children in age. After the fathers and young men were gone, "the last time" with its "many Antichrists" was about to come suddenly on the children. "In this last hour we all even still live" [BENGEL]. Each successive age has had in it some of the signs of "the last time" which precedes Christ's coming, in order to keep the Church in continual waiting for the Lord. The connection with I John 2:15-17 is: There are coming those seducers who are of the world (I John 4:5), and would tempt you to go out from us (I John 2:19) and deny Christ (I John 2:22).
as ye have heard—from the apostles, preachers of the Gospel (for example, II Thessalonians 2:3-10; and in the region of Ephesus, Acts 20:29-30).
shall come—Greek, "cometh," namely, out of his own place. Antichrist is interpreted in two ways: a false Christ (Matthew 24:5, Matthew 24:24), literally, "instead of Christ"; or an adversary of Christ, literally, "against Christ." As John never uses pseudo-Christ, or "false Christ," for Antichrist, it is plain he means an adversary of Christ, claiming to himself what belongs to Christ, and wishing to substitute himself for Christ as the supreme object of worship. He denies the Son, not merely, like the pope, acts in the name of the Son, II Thessalonians 2:4, "Who opposeth himself (Greek, " ANTI-keimenos") [to] all that is called God," decides this. For God's great truth, "God is man," he would substitute his own lie, "man is God" [TRENCH].
are there—Greek, "there have begun to be"; there have arisen. These "many Antichrists" answer to "the spirit of lawlessness (Greek) doth already work." The Antichristian principle appeared then, as now, in evil men and evil teachings and writings; but still "THE Antichrist" means a hostile person, even as "THE Christ" is a personal Saviour. As "cometh" is used of Christ, so here of Antichrist, the embodiment in his own person of all the Antichristian features and spirit of those "many Antichrists" which have been, and are, his forerunners. John uses the singular of him. No other New Testament writer uses the term. He probably answers to "the little horn having the eyes of a man, and speaking great things" (Daniel 7:8, Daniel 7:20); "the man of sin, son of perdition" (II Thessalonians 2:3); "the beast ascending out of the bottomless pit" (Revelation 11:7; Revelation 17:8), or rather, "the false prophet," the same as "the second beast coming up out of the earth" (Revelation 13:11-18; Revelation 16:13).
Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing 1 John 2:18:
Daniel 7:8
2 Thessalonians 2:3
2 Thessalonians 2:4
2 Thessalonians 2:7
1 Timothy 4:1
Hebrews 13:24
1 John 2:12
1 John 2:14
1 John 2:20
1 John 2:26
2 John 1:7
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