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Tim Maas
In my opinion, those to whom John is referring by the word "them" in 1 John 4:4 are the false prophets that he previously mentioned in 1 John 4:1, as well as the spirit of antichrist mentioned in 1 John 4:3, which was motivating and empowering those false prophets, and which could be recognized by a refusal to confess Jesus as having been God incarnate (1 John 4:2).
Jack Gutknecht
The "them" refers to "the agents of the antichrist," "the false prophets," "the false teachers," "these spirits," "those prophets," "these people," " the antichrists/false teachers", "this spirit," "these false preachers." "those people," and "these spirits", which other translations have. E.g.: "But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world." 1 John 4:4 NLT
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