- 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.
KING JAMES VERSION
2 JOHN 1
Read the chapter, follow a linked verse, and continue into related Watchman 33 teaching.
CHAPTER VISUAL
2 John 1 — The elder rejoices in those walking in truth and love, while warning the household not to assist deceivers who deny Christ.
About this illustration
A real household fellowship preserves the letter’s personal address while remaining compatible with the view that the elect lady may also represent a congregation. The doorway provides the chapter’s boundary between welcome and doctrinal complicity.
Scripture basis: 2 John 1:1–13King James Version · Standardized 1769 text with Strong’s numbering · Public domain outside the United Kingdom
EXPLORE THE MESSAGE
Related Watchman 33 Resources
Archaeological Evidence
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
sixth–seventh century AD, usually assigned to the seventh (palaeographic estimate)
Papyrus P74: Bodmer XVII Acts and Catholic Epistles
Papyrus Bodmer XVII, Gregory-Aland P74, is a seventh-century Greek papyrus codex preserving almost all of Acts and important fragments of James, Peter, John, and Jude.
Acts 1:2–11 · Acts 2:2–47 · Acts 9:17–22
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
Fifth or sixth century AD
Uncial 0232 (P.Ant. 12): A Small Leaf of 2 John
Uncial 0232 (P.Ant. 12): A Small Leaf of 2 John is the independently registered Greek New Testament witness GA 0232, controlled by its manuscript number, present shelfmark, physical form, and surviving biblical contents.
2 John 1:1–9
Sermons
The Garden and the Deceiver
Pastor Dean Odle uses the Garden of Eden to warn that the deceiver’s oldest lie still promises that sin carries no final consequence. Moving through Genesis 3, Titus 2, Hebrews 10, Jude, and other passages, he argues that salvation is God’s unearned gift while believers remain responsible to obey Christ, reject habitual sin, and continue in sound doctrine. He contrasts the Spirit’s transforming grace with teachings that excuse lawlessness, addresses contemporary religious deception and disputed end-times claims, and urges listeners to stay in Scripture, prayer, humility, and fellowship with Jesus. The message closes with a call to step away from the tree of sin, repent when one falls, and keep choosing Christ to the end.
Doctrine and DiscernmentChristian LivingApostasy and Deception
View sermon The Runaway Train to the Tribulation
Pastor Dean Odle warns that artificial intelligence, surveillance, economic instability, war, and spiritual deception are accelerating the world toward the tribulation described in Scripture. Moving from Matthew 24 and Revelation to the prophets and epistles, he argues that Christians should expect to endure tribulation rather than escape through a pre-tribulation rapture. He calls believers to reject lukewarmness, bring every thought into obedience to Christ, resist the mark of the beast, prepare wisely for disruption, and strengthen themselves through God’s Word. The sermon closes by urging repentance, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to spend eternity with Jesus.
Bible ProphecyApostasy and DeceptionChristian LivingDoctrine and DiscernmentSpiritual Warfare
View sermon The Reshaping of Christianity
In “The Reshaping of Christianity,” Pastor Dean Odle warns that Christianity can be counterfeited when biblical authority and personal devotion to Jesus Christ are replaced by religious ritual, institutional loyalty, political identity, occult spirituality, or a universalized “Christ” acceptable to every religion. Beginning with Israel’s golden calf in Exodus 31-32, he argues that people may retain the language of worship while fashioning a god from their own culture and imagination. He connects that pattern with Paul’s warning about “another Jesus,” “another spirit,” and “another gospel” in 2 Corinthians 11 and Galatians 1.
Apostasy and DeceptionRoman Catholicism and the PapacyMystery BabylonBible Prophecy
View sermon Showing 1–3 of 6 sermons
Music
Come Out of Her
A musical call to open Revelation 18, read the chapter in context, and consider its warning.
Believe It Not
An examination of hidden-return and past-millennium claims through the public signs Jesus and the apostles gave: cosmic upheaval, resurrection, gathering, judgment, and the visible reign of Christ. Context—not fascination—must govern prophecy.