¹³Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
¹⁴Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
¹⁵Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

— Matthew 7:13-15 (KJV)

⁵Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you -- unless indeed you fail the test?

— 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB)

We pray that the Lord give us strength and wisdom to spread His Word. We pray that this section be used to spread the Truth of the Bible, and that our defense of faith be done with grace. It is our intent to bring people out of cults, spiritism, false doctrine, and lukewarm faith, and into a knowledge of the truth and the light of God's Word, the Bible. Most important, it is our intent, and deepest prayer, that those involved in heretical movements come into a personal relationship with the Lord and Saviour Jesus, the Christ:

Cults: Introduction

This Christian internet ministry is intended to bring us closer, in fellowship and Truth, to the Lord and His ways. Our relationship to God, and His Son, and the Holy Spirit, is the oldest question since questions began. To understand His ways, and have a personal relationship with Him, and know that you will grow in knowledge and love for Him and with Him, forever, is the fruit of life. This is the reason we defend the faith. The Lord has asked us to spread His Word and keep it in Truth. To defend the faith, we have to look into God's Word, the Bible, and compare it to the writings of other belief systems.

In the search for God and His Truth, we can easily come up with 1000's of world religions. And of course, each person has their own individual relationship to God, even if they don't acknowledge it. Of all the religions in the world, since the beginning of the world, there is only one that has a 100% "track record", and that is Biblical Christianity. Welcome to Apologetics.

This section of our site is focused on cults, apologetics, and false doctrine. A major focus of this section is the study of those religions which claim to be Christian, but preach a different Gospel, or a different Jesus. For example, the mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), which believe that the "book of mormon" is more reliable than the Bible, or the Jehovah's Witnesses, which deny the Deity of Christ.

²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

— Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)

---

This section is devoted to defending the faith, and bringing people out of the cults and into Salvation through the Blood of the Cross. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. (Galatians 5:1 NIV)

In the American Heritage Dictionary, the word "Cult" is defined as follows:

Cult:

1. A system or community of religious worship.
2. Obsessive devotion to a person or ideal.

In the Websters Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary, the word "Cult" is defined as follows:

Cult:

1. A particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2. An instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: a cult of Napoleon
3. the object of such devotion.
4. a group or sect bound together by devotion to or veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociol. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion that is considered or held to be false or unorthodox, or its members.
7. any system for treating human sickness that originated by one usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods generally regarded as being unorthodox and unscientific.

---

We will be publishing excerpts from several different documents in this section, including the Bible, dictionaries, mormon and watchtower publications, other cult literature, and false prophecy. We pray that it will lead us all closer to the Lord, as we learn about Him, and grow in grace, knowledge, and love.

For those involved in the false church, such as Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others, we pray that this site will lead you to the Truth, that Jesus is the incarnate God, and salvation comes through Him, and only Him. If this applies to you, we would be glad to help find somebody to pray with you, and help you discover the Truth available through the Holy Spirit, and God's inerrant Word, the Bible. We are not called to unity in Christ at the expense of false doctrine or luke-warm faith, but rather, we are called to unity in Christ on matters of essential Christian doctrine. This unity acknowledges that brothers and sisters in the Lord are united through core beliefs like the deity of Christ Jesus, Salvation by grace, and belief in the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), even though we may differ on issues like perseverance of the saints, limited atonement, and dispensationalism.

It is out of love for the Truth that we defend the True Gospel against the spirit of error being spread by the false church. It is out of love for those involved in cults and the false church that we point out the errors in their teachings and doctrine... "for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. The Lord wants us all to defend the faith against the attacks of the enemy.

---

Below we have listed some "denominations" and "belief systems" that are clearly outside of the mainstream Christian church, and comprise the "false church", or world of the cults. We pray that those involved in these organizations come to know the Lord Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. The list is by no means exhaustive. Please consult your Christian bookstore for more information on cults and the false church. For convenience, we are making some books available through Amazon.com:

• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (mormons)
• Jehovah's witnesses
• scientology
• swedenborgianism
• christian science
• unification church (moonies)
• unitarians
• freemasonry
• wicca
• astrology
• ... unfortunately, the list is very long ...

Are we being Judgmental?

A frequent question is "Aren't you being judgmental when you describe other religions as cults or the false church?"

The answer to this question, is that the clear message of scripture is that we are called to righteous judgment and defense of the faith. By pointing out doctrinal errors in the false church, we are exercising the Biblical standard of right judgment, as commanded by our Lord. The Lord never intended Matthew 7 to be used as a weapon to stop those in the Church from defending the faith. This is precisely what is being done by those outside the Church! It is common practice to use Matthew 7 to rationalize sinful behaviour and false doctrine. Unfortunately, many Christians also believe this - that it is unbiblical to speak out against sin and false doctrine.

²⁴Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

— John 7:24 (KJV)

²Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
³Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

— 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 (KJV)

¹⁶All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

— 2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)

¹BELOVED, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
²By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;
³and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
⁴You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
⁵They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.
⁶We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

— 1 John 4:1-6 (NASB)

¹"Judge not, that you be not judged.
²For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.
³Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
⁴Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye?
⁵You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
⁶"Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you.
⁷"Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

— Matthew 7:1-7 (RSV)

Is this a Message of Hate and Intolerance,
... or a Message of Love?

We have received a large volume of mail about our comments on cults and the false church. A common criticism is that we are preaching a hate message of intolerance, and being judgmental.

Let us now address the issue of hate and intolerance. When you scold your children (if you are a parent), and point out the error of their ways, are you doing it out of hate, or out of love? I love the mormons and Jehovah's witnesses enough to point out the serious error of their ways, and pray that some of them will be saved. I too am a sinner, and appreciate it when somebody points out my errors in doctrine. However, the whining "can't we all just get along" spirit, that says that any twisted belief is ok, as long as it uses the name "Jesus", is not what the Lord has called us to.

As mentioned in an earlier section, it is out of love for the Truth that we defend the True Gospel against the spirit of error being spread by the false church. It is out of love for those involved in cults and the false church that we point out the errors in their teachings and doctrine... for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat". The Lord wants us all to defend the faith against the attacks of the enemy!

In classic Christianity, we disagree on a large number of doctrinal matters, such as perpetuity of the gifts (are all the gifts still active?), perseverence of the saints (once saved always saved?), dispensational vs covenant theology, and modes of baptism. Although we may strongly disagree on these issues, we should not divide over them. However strongly we feel about these issues, we should still acknowledge that they are disagreements among brethren, as opposed to divisions in the body of Christ. We are called to be one body of believers, united in the essentials of our faith - essentials like the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ (rejected by Jehovah's witnesses) and belief in one God that has revealed Himself in three persons (mormons believe in many gods, and that they can become gods of their own planet).

It is not possible to "compromise" in doctrinal issues routinely taught by the cult movemenets, and "agree to disagree" (what fellowship has light with darkness?).

As mentioned on the main page of our site, "We are not called to unity in Christ at the expense of false doctrine or luke-warm faith, but rather, we are called to unity in Christ on matters of essential Christian doctrine". When a group of people unites under a belief system that does not agree with scripture, we are called upon by the Lord to defend our faith - and spread the truth of the gospel. When this group labels itself as Christian, and teaches things contrary to the teachings of the Bible, it is incumbent on every believer to speak out and warn others about the heretical teachings of the group. Such groups constitute the "false church" or world of the cults. For those in mainstream Christendom, our mission is twofold:

• Defend the true Church against the false teachings of the cults. There can be no compromise with false teachings. God did not compromise in the ten commandments (these were not the ten suggestions!), He did not compromise in His messages to the prophets, and of course He did not compromise when He sent His Son to the cross. The Church should not modify its doctrine to make it acceptable to those with other beliefs. It makes no sense to fill the pews by building a lukewarm Church with "anything goes theology".
  
  
• Witness, in Spirit and in Truth, to those in the false church. It is vital that those involved in the cults be convinced to LEAVE the cult, and be brought into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. This means they need to get into fellowship with the mainstream body of believers, and begin attending a Church that is well grounded in Biblical doctrine.

---

A very common error among those outside the body, (and some new believers), is the belief that Jesus was a bland, milk toast, luke warm "prophet", that held no controversial opinions, and spoke only of peace. Consider the following scriptures, and remember that Jesus was so outspoken that He was nailed to a cross:

⁴⁹I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?
⁵⁰But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!
⁵¹Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
⁵²For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
⁵³The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

— Luke 12:49-53 (KJV)

³⁴Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
³⁵For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
³⁶And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
³⁷He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
³⁸And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
³⁹He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

— Matthew 10:34-39 (KJV)

¹³But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
¹⁴Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
¹⁵Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
¹⁶Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
¹⁷Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
¹⁸And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
¹⁹Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
²⁰Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
²¹And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
²²And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
²³Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
²⁴Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
²⁵Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
²⁶Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
²⁷Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
²⁸Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
²⁹Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
³⁰And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
³¹Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
³²Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
³³Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

— Matthew 23:13-33 (KJV)

²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

— Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)

---

Does the above sound like Somebody preaching "anything goes in the name of peace and unity" ? Remember, this was Jesus. Now consider the words of Apostle Paul, and remember that the Whole Bible is the Word of God:

¹⁴Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
¹⁵And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
¹⁶And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

— 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 (KJV)

Verses About Cults and the False Church

We will close out this section with a few verses from the Word of God about cults and the false church. Since the Bible is the ultimate source of authority and truth in matters of faith, we encourage you to spend time every day in the study of God's Word.

God bless you,
Job.

---

³¹"`Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

---

⁴Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
⁵And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

---

¹³«You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.
¹⁴«You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you,
¹⁵for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.
¹⁶«You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.

---

¹⁰There shall not be found among you any one who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, any one who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer,
¹¹or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
¹²For whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD; and because of these abominable practices the LORD your God is driving them out before you.
¹³You shall be blameless before the LORD your God.
¹⁴For these nations, which you are about to dispossess, give heed to soothsayers and to diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you so to do.
¹⁵"The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brethren--him you shall heed--
¹⁶just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, or see this great fire any more, lest I die.'
¹⁷And the LORD said to me, 'They have rightly said all that they have spoken.
¹⁸I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
¹⁹And whoever will not give heed to my words which he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.
²⁰But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.'
²¹And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?' --
²²when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you need not be afraid of him.

---

¹⁶Thus says the LORD of hosts, «Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the LORD.
¹⁷«They keep saying to those who despise Me, "The LORD has said, «You will have peace»'; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, They say, "Calamity will not come upon you.'
¹⁸«But who has stood in the council of the LORD, That he should see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and listened?
¹⁹«Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest; It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.
²⁰«The anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; In the last days you will clearly understand it.
²¹«I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied.
²²«But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds.
²³«Am I a God who is near,» declares the LORD, «And not a God far off?
²⁴«Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?» declares the LORD. «Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?» declares the LORD.
²⁵«I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, "I had a dream, I had a dream!'
²⁶«How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even these prophets of the deception of their own heart,
²⁷who intend to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal?
²⁸«The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?» declares the LORD.
²⁹«Is not My word like fire?» declares the LORD, «and like a hammer which shatters a rock?
³⁰«Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,» declares the LORD, «who steal My words from each other.
³¹«Behold, I am against the prophets,» declares the LORD, «who use their tongues and declare, "The Lord declares.'
³²«Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,» declares the LORD, «and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,» declares the LORD.

---

¹THEN the word of the LORD came to me saying,
²«Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own inspiration, "Listen to the word of the LORD!
³"Thus says the Lord GOD, «Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing.
⁴«O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among ruins.
⁵«You have not gone up into the breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the LORD.
⁶«They see falsehood and lying divination who are saying, "The LORD declares,' when the LORD has not sent them; yet they hope for the fulfillment of their word.
⁷«Did you not see a false vision and speak a lying divination when you said, "The LORD declares,' but it is not I who have spoken?»'»
⁸Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, «Because you have spoken falsehood and seen a lie, therefore behold, I am against you,» declares the Lord GOD.
⁹«So My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will have no place in the council of My people, nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, that you may know that I am the Lord GOD.

---

⁷"So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.
⁸If I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.
⁹But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
¹⁰"And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: 'Our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?'
¹¹Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?

---

¹⁰And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:
¹¹And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:
¹²And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:
¹³Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.
¹⁴And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.
¹⁵And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

---

¹Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.
²But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down."
³As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?"
⁴And Jesus answered them, "Take heed that no one leads you astray.
⁵For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray.
⁶And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet.
⁷For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places:
⁸all this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs.
⁹"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.
¹⁰And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another.
¹¹And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
¹²And because wickedness is multiplied, most men's love will grow cold.
¹³But he who endures to the end will be saved.
¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.
¹⁵"So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains;
¹⁷let him who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house;
¹⁸and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle.
¹⁹And alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days!
²⁰Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath.
²¹For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.
²²And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
²³Then if any one says to you, 'Lo, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it.
²⁴For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
²⁵Lo, I have told you beforehand.
²⁶So, if they say to you, 'Lo, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out; if they say, 'Lo, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it.
²⁷For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man.
²⁸Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

---

¹I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me!
²I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I betrothed you to Christ to present you as a pure bride to her one husband.
³But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
⁴For if some one comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough.
⁵I think that I am not in the least inferior to these superlative apostles.
⁶Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not in knowledge; in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.
⁷Did I commit a sin in abasing myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God's gospel without cost to you?
⁸I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you.
⁹And when I was with you and was in want, I did not burden any one, for my needs were supplied by the brethren who came from Macedo'nia. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way.
¹⁰As the truth of Christ is in me, this boast of mine shall not be silenced in the regions of Acha'ia.
¹¹And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
¹²And what I do I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do.
¹³For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
¹⁴And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
¹⁵So it is not strange if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

---

⁶I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
⁷Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
⁸But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
⁹As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
¹⁰For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
¹¹But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
¹²For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

---

¹I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
²with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love,
³eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
⁴There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call,
⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
⁶one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.
⁷But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

---

³As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer
⁴nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work--which is by faith.

---

¹Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
²through the pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared,
³who forbid marriage and enjoin abstinence from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
⁴For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving;
⁵for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
⁶If you put these instructions before the brethren, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the good doctrine which you have followed.
⁷Have nothing to do with godless and silly myths. Train yourself in godliness;

---

³If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching,
⁴he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions
⁵and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
⁶But godliness with contentment is great gain.

---

²preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching.
³For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings,
⁴and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths.

---

²³Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful;
²⁴and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
²⁵not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
²⁶For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
²⁷but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries.
²⁸A man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses.
²⁹How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace?
³⁰For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people."

---

¹Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
²For by it the men of old received divine approval.
³By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear.
⁴By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he received approval as righteous, God bearing witness by accepting his gifts; he died, but through his faith he is still speaking.
⁵By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was attested as having pleased God.
⁶And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

---

⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.
⁹Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is well that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited their adherents.

---

²Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials,
³for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
⁴And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him.

---

¹⁹You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder.

---

⁷Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

---

¹³Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is right?
¹⁴But even if you do suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,
¹⁵but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence;
¹⁶and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
¹⁷For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God's will, than for doing wrong.

---

²⁰First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,
²¹because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

---

¹But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
²And many will follow their licentiousness, and because of them the way of truth will be reviled.
³And in their greed they will exploit you with false words; from of old their condemnation has not been idle, and their destruction has not been asleep.
⁴For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of nether gloom to be kept until the judgment;
⁵if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven other persons, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
⁶if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomor'rah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example to those who were to be ungodly;
⁷and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the wicked
⁸(for by what that righteous man saw and heard as he lived among them, he was vexed in his righteous soul day after day with their lawless deeds),
⁹then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

---

³First of all you must understand this, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own passions
⁴and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation."
⁵They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago, and an earth formed out of water and by means of water,
⁶through which the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.
⁷But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist have been stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
⁸But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
⁹The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

---

¹Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
²By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
³and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already.
⁴Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
⁵They are of the world, therefore what they say is of the world, and the world listens to them.
⁶We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
⁷Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God.
⁸He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.
⁹In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins.
¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
¹²No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
¹³By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his own Spirit.
¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world.
¹⁵Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
¹⁶So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
¹⁷In this is love perfected with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so are we in this world.
¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love.
¹⁹We love, because he first loved us.
²⁰If any one says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
²¹And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also.

---

¹The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;
²For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.
³Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
⁴I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.
⁵And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
⁶And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
⁷For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
⁸Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
⁹Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
¹⁰If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
¹¹For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
¹²Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.
¹³The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.

---

¹³He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
¹⁴"And to the angel of the church in La-odice'a write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.
¹⁵"'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!
¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.
¹⁷For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
¹⁸Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.
¹⁹Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent.
²⁰Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
²¹He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
²²He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

---

¹And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
²In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
³And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
⁴And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
⁵And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
⁶And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
⁷Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
⁸And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
⁹Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
¹⁰And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
¹¹He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
¹²And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
¹³I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
¹⁴Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
¹⁵For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
¹⁶I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
¹⁷And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
¹⁸For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
¹⁹And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
²⁰He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
²¹The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.