⁴ I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments.

¹⁴ We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming;^(A)

⁷ Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist!^(A)

Testing the Spirits

4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.^(A)

¹⁸ For such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites,^[a] and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded.^{(A) 19} For your obedience is known to all; therefore, I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil.^(B)

²² False messiahs^[a] and false prophets will appear and produce signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.^(A)

⁴ Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray.^(A)

⁸ and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, in order to gather them for battle; they are as numerous as the sands of the sea.^(A)

¹⁰ There are also many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision;^{(A) 11} they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it is not right to teach.^(B)

¹³ But wicked people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived.^(A)