²⁰ Timothy, guard what has been entrusted^(A) to your care. Turn away from godless chatter^(B) and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge,

²¹ which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.^(A)

Grace be with you all.^(B)

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,^(A) which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces^[a] of this world^(B) rather than on Christ.

On Denying the Incarnation

4 Dear friends,^(A) do not believe every spirit,^(B) but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.^{(C) 2} This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh^(D) is from God,^{(E) 3} but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,^(F) which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.^(G)

¹² It exercised all the authority^(A) of the first beast on its behalf,^(B) and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast,^(C) whose fatal wound had been healed.^{(D) 13} And it performed great signs,^(E) even causing fire to come down from heaven^(F) to the earth in full view of the people. ¹⁴ Because of the signs^(G) it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived^(H) the inhabitants of the earth.^(I) It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.^{(J) 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^(K) the image to be killed.^(L)