1 John 4:5

They. This pronoun is emphatic in the Greek. Compare the emphasis on the pronoun “ye” in verse 4 (see comment there). The reference is to the false prophets through whose deceitful teachings Satan seeks to gain control of the Christian church.

Are of the world. Literally, “are out of the world.” Compare the contrasting phrase “of God,” literally, “out of God” (verses 1, 2). Although the false teachers claim to speak for God and to have a message for the church, the source of their inspiration is Satan and their manner of working is typical of the ruler of the fallen world.

Speak they of the world. Literally, “out of the world they speak”; not that they speak about the world, but the source of their inspiration is the world. Because they themselves are a part of the world, and have been brought up in actual enmity toward God, they cannot but speak “out of the world.” Only when they are completely born again and belong to the family of God rather than the family of the world can they be expected to speak in any other way.

Heareth them. Naturally enough, the world readily listens to those who are one with it, and finds the words of the false prophets very much to its taste. To hear philosophies expounded that conform to and support one’s own thinking is generally gratifying.