The Second Epistle of John "Warning Against Deceivers, and Transgressors Rejecting Christ's Teaching." This Bible Study is written by Roger
Christopherson, and made available with written
permission by http://www.theseason.org John was gentle, while at the same time he could be tough when it was needed. John was bold, and he spoke directly where you could understand his subject, especially in the Greek. What John said, he meant and it was to the point. II John 1 "The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;" John was the elder writing here, and the elect lady being the whole Israel, all the tribes, not just Judah. her children are those that are within all Israel, both houses of God's elect. You can't help but love that nation, Judah, that God set aside to bring forth Jesus Christ. II John 2 "For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever." It is important that you study God's truth, and make it part of your life, because it is going to be with us, here on earth forever. God's Word is not going to change. This earth age will pass away very shortly, and we will enter into the Millennium age and into the eternity, but God's Word will be with us even after the flesh age, and it will never change nor pass away. II John 3 "Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love." Again John is giving us his credentials of his first hand observations of seeing the manifestation of the Son of God, here on earth. In the process of John's teaching, he is setting the foundation for all those that will believe. John is telling you that he was there and witnessed it. II John 4 "I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father." That is the commandment from the Father, that we walk in the truth. The truth is important, because it is God's instruction to you, one of God's children, as to how we should live in our flesh bodies to have peace of mind, and forgiveness from our sins. The Scriptures instruct us how to obtain all things that matter to our body, soul and spirit. It instructs us how to prosper if we are doers of His Word. That is God's promise. II John 5 "And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another." John is telling us that there is nothing new about what he is going to write, for it is the same commandment that God gave from not only the beginning of this earth age, but the age that was. That commandment is that we love one another. When God is in each of us, then you are a family of God, and that is what is called the "oneness in Christ". When one has the Spirit of Christ in them, they become a joy to be around, and you can't help loving them. II John 6 "And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment, that, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it." The commandment of love that is from the beginning, includes all the commandments that God has given to us. They were just as true when they were given as what they are today, and into eternity. This commandment that John is now giving us, is the same as old, that we keep the commandments. These commandments cover Christ's teaching, the laws that God gave Moses, and even in the Garden of Eden, that applied to Cain and Abel. It even applies back in the first earth age, that caused Satan the adversary to fall. II John 7 "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist." Who are they talking about here? Usually they are talking about religions other then Christianity. However in today's religious systems, many so called Christian would fall into this realm. There are many people that fill the pulpits of so-called Christian churches in this nation that just don't believe that Christ was born a divine birth. They just don't believe it. They don't believe in the immaculate conception of Christ virgin birth to Mary. Why would any person want to call themselves a man of God, and try to teach the Word of God, when they don't believe that which is necessary to believe and have salvation. These are the deceivers of the people, and they come in the spirit of antichrist. When one starts to teach doctrines that are of men, rather then the Word of God [those one verse pastors], they fill the minds of their followers with hours of nothingness. They give nothing from God's Word, but only poetry of worldly trot. It is nothing more than an act of entertainment, and the playing with peoples emotions for money. The true teacher teaches God's Word chapter by chapter and verse by verse, and make that enjoyable to those leaking the truth. John said that those deceivers are out there in his day, and they are certainly there today. To understand what John meant when he called them antichrists; in the Greek it is given "instead of Christ". Those false teachers are teaching a "instead of Christ". They may even be teaching you to ready yourself for the first supernatural messiah that appears on earth, and that messiah is the "instead of Christ, the Antichrist. John is talking about the great apostasy of II Thessalonians 2. II John 8 "Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward." John is telling you that how you enter and what you have when you appear before the Father is up to you. Your works for Him while on earth in the flesh establish the type of garment that you will wear in the Millennium and eternity. It is your righteous acts of following His Word, and doing that which we are instructed to do. II John 9 "Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." Did you get that? We must abide, or live our lives in the doctrine of Christ. The doctrines are the teachings that Jesus Christ taught while He was on earth, and those that He gave the prophets. John is saying that if you don't have the doctrines of Christ, you do not have God, nor His Son, nor His Spirit. It is shocking today, when you hear the church systems of today bringing forth doctrines that are not the doctrines of Christ. They get their doctrines from the traditions of men. It is time to seek after a teacher that presents the doctrines of Christ, and to know the love that comes from those doctrines. When you have those doctrines, you have the Father and the Son, as well as God's Spirit dwelling within you. Who know the doctrines of Christ by studying the things that Jesus taught and are written in the Scriptures. The doctrines simply means the truth and method that Jesus taught, as He taught it. Not watered don but from the Word itself. II John 10 "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:" This is a very direct statement, and it is given as a warning. II John 11 "For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." There are many that are leading people into the apostasy, to be deceived by the instead of Christ, the Antichrist, and if you wish them well, or give to their ministry, you are part of that ministry. You have become partakers of their evil deeds, by merely wishing them well in what they are doing. They are teaching people to become that woman that is first taken in the field, in Matthew 24:40, "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. They are teaching them to fly at the coming of the first supernatural power to come to earth, who is the instead of Christ, the Antichrist. You will be a partaker of those evil deeds of leading people to the false messiah, when you give your support through your tithes, and support to such a teaching. God will hold you accountable because you know better. This is directed to the elect. You tithe to where you are taught, and if you know them to be false, then you are held more accountable then then those false teachers will. II John 12 "Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full." John is telling them that there are things that he would like to tell them, that he will not even write down. This is what the pleasure of fellowship is all about. II John 13 "The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen." Amen means that this is exactly the way that it is.
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