Reject the Enemies of Christ

¹⁸ My dear children [2:1], ·these are the last days [^Lit is the last hour; ^Csuggesting urgency, though not claiming the end was near]. [^LJust as] You have heard that the ·enemy of Christ [^Lantichrist] is coming, and now many ·enemies of Christ [^Lantichrists; ^Cfalse teachers; 2:22; 2 John 7] are already here. This is how we know that ·these are the last days [^Lit is the last hour]. ¹⁹ ·These enemies of Christ were in our fellowship, but they left us [^LThey went out from us; ^Cprobably to form a rival fellowship]. They never really belonged to us [^LBut they were not of us]; [^LFor] if they had been a part of us, they would have ·stayed [remained; abided] with us. But they left, ·and this shows [or so that it would be shown] that none of them really belonged to us.

²⁰ You have the ·gift [^Lanointing; ^Cprobably the Holy Spirit and/or the spiritual gift of the Word of God applied to their hearts; v. 24; 1 Sam. 16:13; Is. 61:1; John 16:13; 2 Cor. 1:21–22] that the Holy One gave you [^Lfrom the Holy One; ^Ca reference to God the Father (Ps. 71:22) or more likely Jesus Christ (Mark 1:24; John 6:69)], so you all ·know the truth^[a] [or have knowledge; ^Lknow].