1 John says many antichrists have come and connects this to people who went out from the community. It also ties antichrist to denying the Father and the Son. See 1 John 2:18–19 and 1 John 2:22.
In 1 John 2:18–23 the writer warns the community that a decisive period has arrived, shown by the appearance of “many antichrists.” These people once belonged to the group but have left, exposing that they were never truly aligned with it. The readers, however, are told they possess an “anointing” that enables them to know the truth. This unit sits inside a larger section that contrasts faithful continuity with deceptive teaching and urges the readers to remain in what they have heard from the beginning.
This passage treats a community crisis: some people who were once part of the group have left and are now identified as serious opponents. The writer reads their departure as revealing something about them: they did not truly “belong” in the way that matters for this community’s identity (explicit in verse 19).
A common mistake is to treat this as trivia. Names, places, numbers, and sequence details often carry memory, covenant identity, or narrative movement in the biblical story.
Start with 1 John 2:18-19, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
18Little children, these are the end times, and as you heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen. By this we know that it is the end times.
19They went out from us, but they didn`t belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have continued with us. But they left, that they might be revealed that none of them belong to us.