Warnings Against Denying the Son

¹⁸ Dear children, this is the last hour;^(A) and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming,^(B) even now many antichrists have come.^(C) This is how we know it is the last hour.

²² Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.^(A)

³ but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,^(A) which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.^(B)

⁷ I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ^(A) as coming in the flesh,^(B) have gone out into the world.^(C) Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.^(D)

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ^(A) and our being gathered to him,^(B) we ask you, brothers and sisters, ² not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter^(C)—asserting that the day of the Lord^(D) has already come.^{(E) 3} Don’t let anyone deceive you^(F) in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion^(G) occurs and the man of lawlessness^[a] is revealed,^(H) the man doomed to destruction. ⁴ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God^(I) or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.^(J)

The Two Witnesses

11 I was given a reed like a measuring rod^(A) and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. ² But exclude the outer court;^(B) do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.^(C) They will trample on the holy city^(D) for 42 months.^{(E) 3} And I will appoint my two witnesses,^(F) and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,^(G) clothed in sackcloth.”^{(H) 4} They are “the two olive trees”^(I) and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”^{[a](J) 5} If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.^(K) This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.^{(L) 6} They have power to shut up the heavens^(M) so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying;^(N) and they have power to turn the waters into blood^(O) and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

⁷ Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast^(P) that comes up from the Abyss^(Q) will attack them,^(R) and overpower and kill them. ⁸ Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city^(S)—which is figuratively called Sodom^(T) and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified.^(U)

² The beast I saw resembled a leopard,^(A) but had feet like those of a bear^(B) and a mouth like that of a lion.^(C) The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.^{(D) 3} One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed.^(E) The whole world was filled with wonder^(F) and followed the beast. ⁴ People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like^(G) the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

⁵ The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies^(H) and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.^{(I) 6} It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.^{(J) 7} It was given power to wage war^(K) against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.^{(L) 8} All inhabitants of the earth^(M) will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life,^(N) the Lamb^(O) who was slain from the creation of the world.^[a](P)

⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(Q)

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness^(S) on the part of God’s people.^(T)

The Beast out of the Earth

¹¹ Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth.^(U) It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.^{(V) 12} It exercised all the authority^(W) of the first beast on its behalf,^(X) and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast,^(Y) whose fatal wound had been healed.^{(Z) 13} And it performed great signs,^(AA) even causing fire to come down from heaven^(AB) to the earth in full view of the people. ¹⁴ Because of the signs^(AC) it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived^(AD) the inhabitants of the earth.^(AE) It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.^{(AF) 15} The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship^(AG) the image to be killed.^{(AH) 16} It also forced all people, great and small,^(AI) rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,^{(AJ) 17} so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark,^(AK) which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.^(AL)

¹⁸ This calls for wisdom.^(AM) Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.^[d](AN) That number is 666.