So we have the spirit of the world manifested as "lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life." And this is in opposition to the Spirit of God that was also manifested in flesh as Jesus Christ, and, as John comes to say later in chapter 4, in our lives.
Antichrist was said to come, and the readers of 1 John knew it was to come. John informed them that it had already come in their day, 2000 years ago. He says this antichrist that was to come was a SPIRIT in chapter 4.
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1 John 2:18 KJV Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
1 John 4:3 KJV And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
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One spirit, but many people acting in that spirit.
And this is where things get wonderful!
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1 John 2:19-20 KJV They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. (20) But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
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Notice how John contrasted the antichrists who went OUT FROM the church? He contrasted them with the readers of his epistle WHO HAVE AN UNCTION FROM THE HOLY ONE.
What is an unction?
It comes from the same word ANOINTING, which literally meant a smearing of oil upon a person. It is a special endowment. In this case, the UNCTION or ANOINTING is the INFLUENCE OF GOD UPON FLESH. This influence is a MANIFESTATION OF GOD that FLESH can experience. This brings us to why John contrasted the antichrists with the church members who have an "unction". Antichrist denies GOD MANIFESTS IN FLESH.
Quote:
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1 John 4:3 KJV And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
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The reason those who became antichrists were FROM the church, is because they once proposed Jesus/God came/manifested in flesh, but ceased proposing this truth. They lost the faith. They denied he came in flesh. But the ones who HAD AN UNCTION were people who KNEW GOD WAS MANIFESTED IN FLESH since the UNCTION was a form of God manifesting in THEIR FLESH! When you have an unction, or anointing, you have a direct influence of God's Spirit upon and in YOUR FLESH!
So John spoke of these ones who denied God manifests in flesh and contrasted them with the believers who HAVE AN UNCTION.
In other words, THE BELIEVERS KNOW BETTER than what the antichrists were saying! They KNOW Jesus manifests in flesh because THEIR UNCTION was living proof that God manifests in flesh!
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