Book of Common Prayer

¹⁸ Children, we are very near the end of time. You have heard that someone will come who is against Christ. Many who are against Christ have already come. That is how we know that we are very near the end of time.

¹⁹ They left us, but they did not belong with us. If they had belonged with us, they would have stayed with us. But they left us so that people could see that all of them did not belong with us.

²⁰ But the Holy One has given you a gift of understanding so that you all may know what is true.

²¹ I write to you, not because you do not know what is true, but because you do know. And you know that no lie is true.

²² Who then is the one who says what is not true? It is the one who says that Jesus is not the Christ. That person is against Christ, because he says there is no Father and there is no Son.

²³ Everyone who says Jesus is not the Son does not know the Father. And everyone who says Jesus is the Son knows the Father.

²⁴ So keep what you have heard from the beginning. If you keep what you have heard from the beginning, you too belong to the Son and to the Father.

²⁵ And he himself has promised us that we will live for ever.

²⁶ I have written these things to you about the ones who try to fool you.

²⁷ You have a gift of understanding from Christ. That gift stays with you. You do not need anyone to teach you. His gift teaches you about everything. It is true. It is not a lie. So stay with him as he has taught you.

²⁸ Now, my children, stay with Christ. Then we will not be afraid on that day when we see him again. We will not be ashamed to stand before him when he comes again.

²⁹ You know that he does what is right. So you know also that everyone who does what is right is his child.

3 Tiberius Caesar had been king for fifteen years. Pontius Pilate was the ruler of Judea. Herod was the ruler of Galilee. Herod's brother Philip was the ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis. Lysanias was the ruler of Abilene.

² Annas and Caiaphas were high priests. At that time God spoke to John in the desert. John was the son of Zechariah.

³ Then John went to all the country around the Jordan River. He told the people to stop doing wrong things, turn back to God and be baptised. And God would forgive them for the wrong things they did.

⁴ Isaiah, the prophet of God, wrote about him long ago in his book: `A man is calling out in the desert: "Make the way ready for the Lord. Make the road straight for him.

⁵ Every valley will be filled. Every big hill and every small hill will be cut down flat. Crooked roads will be made into straight roads. Bad roads will be made into good roads.

⁶ And all people will see that God can save." '

⁷ Many people came out to John to be baptised. He said to them, `You family of snakes! Who told you to run away from God's anger that is coming?

⁸ Do good things that will show you have stopped your wrong ways! Do not begin to say to yourselves, "We are Abraham's children. " I tell you, God can make children for Abraham from these stones.

⁹ The axe is ready to cut down the trees. Every tree that does not have good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.'

¹⁰ The people asked John, `What shall we do?'

¹¹ John answered them, `Any man who has two shirts should give one to a man who has none. Any man who has food should do the same.'

¹² Tax collectors also came to be baptised. They asked John, `Sir, what shall we do?'

¹³ He said to them, `Do not make people pay more money than you are told to.'

¹⁴ Some soldiers also asked him, `What shall we do?' He answered them `Do not force people. Do not tell lies about people. Do not want more pay than you get.'