Deceptions of the Last Hour

^18 (A)Little children, ^(B)it is the last hour; and as you have heard that ^(C)the^[a] Antichrist is coming, ^(D)even now many antichrists have come, by which we know ^(E)that it is the last hour. ^19 (F)They went out from us, but they were not of us; for ^(G)if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out ^(H)that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

² By this you know the Spirit of God: ^(A)Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess ^[a]that Jesus ^[b]Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

³ Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come ^(A)unless the falling away comes first, and ^(B)the man of ^[a]sin is revealed, ^(C)the son of perdition, ⁴ who opposes and ^(D)exalts himself ^(E)above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits ^[b]as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. ⁷ For ^(F)the ^[c]mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only ^[d]He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, ^(G)whom the Lord will consume ^(H)with the breath of His mouth and destroy ^(I)with the brightness of His coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is ^(J)according to the working of Satan, with all power, ^(K)signs, and lying wonders,

³ And I saw one of his heads ^(A)as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And ^(B)all the world marveled and followed the beast. ⁴ So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ^(C)“Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

⁷ It was granted to him ^(A)to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And ^(B)authority was given him over every ^[a]tribe, tongue, and nation. ⁸ All who dwell on the earth will worship him, ^(C)whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain ^(D)from the foundation of the world.

The Beast from the Earth

¹¹ Then I saw another beast ^(A)coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. ¹² And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, ^(B)whose deadly wound was healed.

⁵ And he was given ^(A)a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to ^[a]continue for ^(B)forty-two months.