Worshiping Other Gods

13 ^[a]If a prophet,^(A) or one who foretells by dreams,^(B) appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder,

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)

²⁵ “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies^(A) in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream!^(B) I had a dream!’ ²⁶ How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions^(C) of their own minds?^{(D) 27} They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget^(E) my name, just as their ancestors forgot^(F) my name through Baal worship.^{(G) 28} Let the prophet who has a dream^(H) recount the dream, but let the one who has my word^(I) speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord.

⁹ So do not listen to your prophets,^(A) your diviners,^(B) your interpreters of dreams,^(C) your mediums^(D) or your sorcerers^(E) who tell you, ‘You will not serve^(F) the king of Babylon.’

¹⁸ The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord:^(A) ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (But he was lying^(B) to him.)

False Teachers and Their Destruction

2 But there were also false prophets^(A) among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.^(B) They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord^(C) who bought them^(D)—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

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,