¹² And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. ¹³ For such people are false apostles,^(A) deceitful^(B) workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.^{(C) 14} And no wonder, for Satan^(D) himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.^(E)

⁸ He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.^(A)

²⁹ I know that after I leave, savage wolves^(A) will come in among you and will not spare the flock.^(B)

⁹ The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan^(A) works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders^(B) that serve the lie, ¹⁰ and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.^(C) They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.^{(D) 11} For this reason God sends them^(E) a powerful delusion^(F) so that they will believe the lie^{(G) 12} and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.^(H)

⁵⁷ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him,

⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city^(A) and began to stone him.^(B) Meanwhile, the witnesses^(C) laid their coats^(D) at the feet of a young man named Saul.^(E)

The Beast out of the Earth

¹¹ Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth.^(A) It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.^(B)

¹⁴ Because of the signs^(A) it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived^(B) the inhabitants of the earth.^(C) It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.^{(D) 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^(E) the image to be killed.^{(F) 16} It also forced all people, great and small,^(G) rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,^{(H) 17} so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark,^(I) which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.^(J)

¹³ Then I saw three impure spirits^(A) that looked like frogs;^(B) they came out of the mouth of the dragon,^(C) out of the mouth of the beast^(D) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.^{(E) 14} They are demonic spirits^(F) that perform signs,^(G) and they go out to the kings of the whole world,^(H) to gather them for the battle^(I) on the great day^(J) of God Almighty.

¹⁶ Then they gathered the kings together^(N) to the place that in Hebrew^(O) is called Armageddon.^(P)