²⁶ How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back—those who prophesy lies and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart?

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.

¹⁴ And the Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name; I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.^(A)

¹³ suffering^[a] the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures^[b] while they feast with you.^{(A) 14} They have eyes full of adultery,^[c] insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! ¹⁵ They have left the straight road and have gone astray, following the road of Balaam son of Bosor,^[d] who loved the wages of doing wrong^{(B) 16} but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

³ For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound teaching, but, having their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires^(A)

⁹ The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders,^{(A) 10} and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.^{(B) 11} For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false,^(C)

¹⁰ and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?^(A)