⁷ Woe to the world because of ^[a]offenses! For ^(A)offenses must come, but ^(B)woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

Jesus Warns of Offenses^(A)

17 Then He said to the disciples, ^(B)“It is impossible that no ^[a]offenses should come, but ^(C)woe to him through whom they do come!

²⁴ The Son of Man indeed goes just ^(A)as it is written of Him, but ^(B)woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^(C)It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

¹⁹ For ^(A)there must also be factions among you, ^(B)that those who are approved may be ^[a]recognized among you.

⁴ For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord ^[a]God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Great Apostasy

4 Now the Spirit ^[a]expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed ^(A)to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, ^2 (B)speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience ^(C)seared with a hot iron, ³ forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

¹⁵ They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of ^(A)Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; ¹⁶ but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

^17 (B)These are wells without water, ^[a]clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness ^[b]forever.

Perilous Times and Perilous Men

3 But know this, that ^(A)in the last days ^[a]perilous times will come: ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ unloving, ^[b]unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, ^4 (B)traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ^5 (C)having a form of godliness but ^(D)denying its power. And ^(E)from such people turn away!

³ Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come ^(A)unless the falling away comes first, and ^(B)the man of ^[a]sin is revealed, ^(C)the son of perdition, ⁴ who opposes and ^(D)exalts himself ^(E)above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits ^[b]as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. ⁷ For ^(F)the ^[c]mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only ^[d]He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, ^(G)whom the Lord will consume ^(H)with the breath of His mouth and destroy ^(I)with the brightness of His coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is ^(J)according to the working of Satan, with all power, ^(K)signs, and lying wonders, ¹⁰ and with all unrighteous deception among ^(L)those who perish, because they did not receive ^(M)the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹ And ^(N)for this reason God will send them strong delusion, ^(O)that they should believe the lie, ¹² that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but ^(P)had pleasure in unrighteousness.