18 Children, (A)it is the last hour; and just as you heard that (B)antichrist is coming, (C)even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 (D)They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, (E)so that [a]it would be evident that they all are not of us. 20 [b]But you have an (F)anointing from (G)the Holy One, and (H)you all know. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but (I)because you do know it, and [c]because no lie is (J)of the truth. 22 Who is the liar except (K)the one who denies that Jesus is the [d]Christ? This is (L)the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 (M)Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, see that what you heard (N)from the beginning remains in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also (O)will remain in the Son and in the Father.

The Promise Is Eternal Life

25 (P)This is the promise which He Himself [e]made to us: eternal life.

26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to (Q)deceive you. 27 And as for you, the (R)anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing (S)teaches you about all things, and is (T)true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, [f]you remain in Him.

28 Now, (U)little children, remain in Him, so that when He (V)appears, we may have (W)confidence and (X)not [g]draw back from Him in shame [h]at His (Y)coming. 29 If you know that (Z)He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness also (AA)has been born of Him.

Children of God Love One Another

See [i](AB)how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called (AC)children of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because (AD)it did not know Him. (AE)Beloved, now we are (AF)children of God, and (AG)it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He (AH)appears, we will be (AI)like Him, because we will (AJ)see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this (AK)hope set on Him (AL)purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and (AM)sin is lawlessness. You know that He (AN)appeared in order to (AO)take away sins; and (AP)in Him there is no sin. No one who remains in Him (AQ)sins continually; no one who sins continually has seen Him or [j](AR)knows Him.

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 2:19 Lit they would be revealed
  2. 1 John 2:20 Lit And
  3. 1 John 2:21 Or you know that no lie
  4. 1 John 2:22 I.e., Messiah
  5. 1 John 2:25 Lit promised us
  6. 1 John 2:27 Or remain in Him (a command)
  7. 1 John 2:28 Lit be put to shame from Him
  8. 1 John 2:28 Or in His presence
  9. 1 John 3:1 Lit what kind of love
  10. 1 John 3:6 Or has known

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