The three Johannine epistles are all anonymously written, as was the gospel of John. No one knows who any of these "Johns" were, but none of them was who believers have always  believed him to be: the apostle John, "the beloved disciple." The three epistles and the Gospel of John share enough features, however, that they are thought to have been written by members of the same community, and may have been written by the same non-John.

In them we learn that God is love and that we should shun non-believers.

"John" knew he was living in the last days since there were so many antichrists. And since there are a lot more now, we must be living in the latter-day last days.

The text and notes for this episode can be found here: https://skepticsannotatedbible.com/fewer-words/298.html

If you enjoy these podcasts, consider supporting us at https://patreon.com/BFW