²⁰ and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and concerning the other horn that came up and before which three others had fallen—the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke arrogantly and that seemed greater than the others.

13 ¹ And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names.^(A)

³⁶ “The king shall act as he pleases. He shall exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god and shall speak horrendous things against the God of gods. He shall prosper until the period of wrath is completed, for what is determined shall be done.^(A)

¹⁶ And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the whore;^[a] they will make her desolate and naked; they will devour her flesh and burn her up with fire.^{(A) 17} For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by agreeing to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.^{(B) 18} The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”^(C)

¹² And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.^{(A) 13} These are united in yielding their power and authority to the beast;

³ So he carried me away in the spirit^[a] into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.^(A)

³ Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns and seven diadems on his heads.^(A)

False Asceticism

4 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later^[a] times some will renounce^[b] the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,^{(A) 2} through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. ³ They forbid marriage and abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.^(B)

³ Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one^[a] is revealed, the one destined for destruction.^{[b](A) 4} He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God.^{(B) 5} Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? ⁶ And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed when his time comes. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed.^{(C) 8} And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus^[c] will destroy^[d] with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming.^{(D) 9} The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders,^{(E) 10} and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.^(F)