Beloved,do not believeeveryspirit,but testthe spiritsto see whetherthey are from God,becausemanyfalse prophetshave goneout into the world.
But examineeverything[carefully]; hold fastto that which is good;
But false prophetsalsoaroseamongthe people,justas there will alsobe false teachersamongyou, whowill secretly introducedestructiveheresies,evendenyingthe Masterwho boughtthem, bringingswiftdestructionupon themselves.
But the Spiritexplicitlysaysthat in latertimessomewill fall awayfrom the faith,paying attentionto deceitfulspiritsand doctrinesof demons,
For manydeceivershave goneout into the world,thosewho do not acknowledgeJesusChrist[as] comingin the flesh.Thisis the deceiverand the antichrist.
The naivebelieveseverything,But the sensiblemanconsidershis steps.
Let twoorthreeprophetsspeak,and let the otherspass judgment.
Children,it is the lasthour;and justas you heardthat antichristis coming,evennowmanyantichristshave appeared;from thiswe knowthat it is the lasthour.
"And whydo you not evenon your owninitiativejudgewhat is right?
And He said,"Seeto it that you are not misled;for manywill comein My name,saying,I am[He],' and, 'The timeis near.'Do not goafterthem.
But evilmenand impostorswill proceed[from bad] to worse,deceivingand being deceived.
I knowyour deedsand your toiland perseverance,and that you cannottolerateevil men,and you put to the testthosewho callthemselvesapostles,and they are not, and you foundthem [to be] false;
and to anotherthe effectingof miracles,and to anotherprophecy,and to anotherthe distinguishingof spirits,to another[various] kindsof tongues,and to anotherthe interpretationof tongues.
"I knowthat aftermy departuresavagewolveswill comein amongyou, not sparingthe flock;
"And thenifanyonesaysto you, 'Behold,hereis the Christ;or, 'Behold,[He is] there;do not believe[him];
The prophetsprophesyfalsely,And the priestsruleon their [own] authority;And My peopleloveit so!But whatwill you doat the endof it?
Nowthesewere more noble-mindedthan thosein Thessalonica,for they receivedthe wordwith greateagerness,examiningthe Scripturesdaily[to see] whetherthese thingswere so.
He saidto him, "I alsoam a prophetlikeyou, and an angelspoketo me by the wordof the LORD,saying,'Bringhim backwith you to your house,that he may eatbreadand drinkwater.'"[But] he liedto him.
Then the LORDsaidto me, "The prophetsare prophesyingfalsehoodin My name.I have neithersentthem norcommandedthem norspokento them; they are prophesyingto you a false vision,divination,futilityand the deceptionof their own minds.
Thussaysthe LORDof hosts,"Do not listento the wordsof the prophetswho are prophesyingto you. They are leadingyou into futility;They speaka visionof their own imagination,Not from the mouthof the LORD.
do not despiseprophetic utterances.
that you not be quicklyshakenfrom your composureorbe disturbedeitherby a spiritora messageora letteras iffrom us, to the effectthat the dayof the Lordhas come.
Beloved,I am not writinga newcommandmentto you, but an oldcommandmentwhichyou have hadfrom the beginning;the oldcommandmentis the wordwhichyou have heard.
Beloved,do not imitatewhat is evil,but what is good.The one who does goodis of God;the one who does evilhas not seenGod.
