17 The world and the desires it causes are disappearing. But if we obey God, we will live for ever.
18 Children, this is the last hour. You heard that the enemy of Christ would appear at this time, and many of Christ's enemies have already appeared. So we know that the last hour is here.
19 These people came from our own group, yet they were not part of us. If they had been part of us, they would have stayed with us. But they left, which proves that they did not belong to our group.
20 Christ, the Holy One, has blessed you, and now all of you understand.
21 I did not need to write to you about the truth, since you already know it. You also know that liars do not belong to the truth.
22 And a liar is anyone who says that Jesus isn't truly Christ. Anyone who says this is an enemy of Christ and rejects both the Father and the Son.
23 If we reject the Son, we reject the Father. But if we say that we accept the Son, we have the Father.