The Deception of Idolatry and Heresy

Let men be condemned because they did not themselves pull down the idols on which they were led astray, but the deceiver did. The devil established these errors from the beginning, briefly turning men away from God and opposing his own worship, so that when he comes after these things, having found them led astray and outside the help of God, they are easily led to him.

Concerning the coming error of men, the Savior himself foretold that it will be difficult to find faith on the earth when he comes. The man of sin, that is, the antichrist, will come to Jerusalem as one rebuilding the temple, and will stand in the holy place proclaiming himself as God. The adversary, being called God above all things instead of being above all idolatry, and above all reverence instead of being above all heresy, which he set against the word of truth.

Just as a hook's sheath is, so heresies are a preparation for the devil among those called Jews and Greeks. And just as when a hook is gripped and takes its own construction the sheath is released, leaving only the hard hook, so the devil placed many heresies and the paths of error as a sheath, having prepared his own worship like a hook.

Through this he shows that the idolatry which the devil established, he himself, coming, overthrows. And every heresy which he set against the word of truth, he himself, coming, dissolves, so that in this also men may have judgment, that they did not pull down the things on which they were led astray, but the one deceiving them. For these errors, which the devil established in parts, turning men from God and opposing his own worship, so that when he comes after these things, having found them prepared, and having found men led astray and outside the help of God, he may easily succeed in his desire, that is, to be worshipped by them.