¹⁸ Children, ^(A)it is the last hour; and just as you heard that ^(B)antichrist is coming, ^(C)even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. ^19 (D)They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, ^(E)so that ^[a]it would be evident that they all are not of us.

² By this you know the Spirit of God: ^(A)every spirit that ^(B)confesses that ^(C)Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; ³ and every spirit that ^(D)does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the ^(E)antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and ^(F)now it is already in the world.

^3 (A)No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the ^[a](B)apostasy comes first, and the ^(C)man of lawlessness is revealed, the ^(D)son of destruction, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above ^[b](E)every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, ^(F)displaying himself as being God. ⁵ Do you not remember that ^(G)while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? ⁶ And you know ^(H)what restrains him now, so that he will be revealed in his time. ⁷ For ^(I)the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only ^[c](J)He who now restrains will do so until ^[d]He is ^[e]removed. ⁸ Then that lawless one ^(K)will be revealed, whom the Lord will eliminate ^(L)with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the ^(M)appearance of His ^[f]coming; ⁹ that is, the one whose ^[g]coming is in accord with the activity of ^(N)Satan, with all power and false ^[h](O)signs and wonders,

³ I saw one of his heads as if it had been ^[a]fatally wounded, and his ^(A)fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth ^(B)was amazed and followed after the beast; ⁴ they worshiped the ^(C)dragon because he ^(D)gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “^(E)Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”

⁷ It was also given to him to ^(A)make war with the ^[a]saints and to overcome them, and authority was given to him over ^(B)every tribe, people, language, and nation. ⁸ All who ^(C)live on the earth will worship him, everyone ^(D)whose name has not been ^[b]written ^(E)since the foundation of the world in the ^(F)book of life of ^(G)the Lamb who has been slaughtered.

The Beast from the Earth

¹¹ Then ^(A)I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had ^(B)two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a ^(C)dragon. ¹² He ^(D)exercises all the authority of the first beast ^[a](E)in his presence. And he makes ^(F)the earth and those who live on it ^(G)worship the first beast, whose ^(H)fatal wound was healed.

⁵ A mouth was given to him ^(A)speaking ^[a]arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for ^(B)forty-two months was given to him.