Antichrists Shall Come in the Last Days

1 John 2:18; 18. The last time] To the Meridian Saints it seemed as though the last days were upon them because the apostasy destined to occur between the first and second comings of the Lord had already commenced. However, the last days during which their Lord would in fact return were not destined to come to pass until our day.

1 John 2:18; Antichrist shall come] As an outgrowth of the true Church of Christ established in the meridian of time, there shall come an apostate system of religion, whose professors are all corrupt, because they draw near to the Lord with their lips, but their hearts are far from him, and who "teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof." (Joseph Smith History 2:19.) In most graphic terms the Book of Mormon account sets forth the rise of this great church which was "most abominable above all other churches," and which was founded and guided by the devil. (1 Ne. 13.)

1 John 2:18; Many antichrists] "An antichrist is an opponent of Christ; he is one who is in opposition to the true gospel, the true Church, and the true plan of salvation. (1 John 2:19; 1 John 4:4-6.) He is one who offers salvation to men on some other terms than those laid down by Christ. Sherem (Jacob 7:1-23), Nehor (Alma 1:2-16), and Korihor (Alma 30:6-60) were antichrists who spread their delusions among the Nephites." (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., pp. 39-40.)

1 John 2:20; 20. An unction] An anointing. See 1 John 2:27-29.

1 John 2:21; 21. No lie is of the truth] Everything connected with the Lord's system of revealed religion is true. There is no intermixture of truth and error. It is not a matter of concensus or of mathematical probability. Truth is truth, and when God speaks truth alone flows forth.

1 John 2:21; Liar] "In the general dealings of men, those who knowingly utter or act out falsehoods are liars. This is also true in the gospel sense. But according to scriptural standards the sin of lying also branches out to include a much larger group of persons. Scripturally, anything that in its nature is untrue and is therefore designed to deceive is a lie. Those who believe in false doctrines are thus guilty of believing a lie, and those who propagate these untruths are guilty of lying.

1 John 2:21; "For instance: The creeds of apostate Christendom teach untruths about God, and the scriptures say that those who accept these creeds 'have inherited lies.' (Jeremiah 16:16-21.) Those who accept any of the doctrines of the apostate churches are said to 'believe a lie.' (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12.) The process of apostasy consists in changing 'the truth of God into a lie.' (Romans 1:25.) Alma taught that all who do not hearken to the voice of 'the good shepherd' are part of the devil's fold, and then he added, 'whosoever denieth this is a liar.' (Alma 5:38-40.) Sherem confessed, after being smitten, 'I have lied unto God; for I denied the Christ.' (Jacob 7:19; Alma 12:3.) False teachers are liars. (Revelation 2:2.) Conversely, Moroni concluded some of his expositions of the truth by saying, 'I lie not.' (Moroni 10:26-27.) In other words, to teach true doctrine is to tell the truth, and to teach false doctrine is to lie." (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., pp. 440-441.) See Commentary II, pp. 57-59.

1 John 2:23; 23. The Father and the Son go together; to believe in one is to believe in the other; to reject one is to reject the other; to love one is to love the other. "He that hateth me hateth my Father also." (John 15:23.)

1 John 2:24-25; 24-25. 'Continue to believe the everlasting gospel so that you shall inherit eternal life.'

1 John 2:25; 25. He hath promised us . . . eternal life] Every member of the Church has the promise of eternal life on the condition of obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. To those who are baptized and who then endure to the end, the Lord says: "Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:20.)

1 John 2:26; 26. Them that seduce you] Those who teach false doctrines and lead the saints away from the paths of truth and righteousness.