³⁶ For ^(A)before these days Theudas rose up, ^(B)claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.

Simon the Magician Believes

⁹ But there was a man named Simon, ^(A)who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, ^(B)saying that he himself was somebody great.

² And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth ^(A)will be blasphemed.

⁵ And on her forehead was written a name of ^(A)mystery: ^(B)“Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.”

¹⁶ These are grumblers, malcontents, ^(A)following their own sinful desires; ^(B)they are loud-mouthed boasters, ^(C)showing favoritism to gain advantage.

^3 (A)Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, ^(B)unless the rebellion comes first, and ^(C)the man of lawlessness^[a] is revealed, ^(D)the son of destruction,^{[b] 4} who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, ^(E)proclaiming himself to be God. ⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. ⁷ For ^(F)the mystery of lawlessness ^(G)is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.

⁶ And from those ^(A)who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; ^(B)God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential ^(C)added nothing to me.

³⁸ Are you not ^(A)the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out ^(B)into the wilderness?”

³ And ^(A)he carried me away in the Spirit ^(B)into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on ^(C)a scarlet beast that was full of ^(D)blasphemous names, and ^(E)it had seven heads and ten horns.