2 Thessalonians 2

The Day of the Lord

1 Now regarding the arrivalt of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to be with him,t we ask you, brothers and sisters,t2 not to be easilyt shaken from your composure or disturbed by any kind of spirit or message or letter allegedly from us,t to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion comest and the man of lawlessnesss is revealed, the son of destruction.t4 Het opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seats in God’s temple, displaying himself as God.t5 Surely you recallt that I used to tell you these things while I was still with you.6 And sot you know what holds him back,t so that he will be revealed in his own time.7 For the hidden power of lawlessnesst is already at work. However, the one who holds him backt will do so until he is taken out of the way,8 and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lords will destroy by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival.9 The arrival of the lawless onet will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miraclest and signs and false wonders,10 and with every kind of evil deception directed againstt those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the trutht so as to be saved.11 Consequentlyt God sends on them a deluding influencet so that they will believe what is false.

12 And sot all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned.t

Call to Stand Firm

13 But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisterst loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginnings for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.14 He called you to this salvationt through our gospel, so that you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.s15 Therefore, brothers and sisters,t stand firm and hold on to the traditions that we taught you, whether by speech or by letter.t16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope,

17 encourage your hearts and strengthen yout in every good thing you do or say.t

2 Thessalonians 2

The Wicked One

1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to be with him: I beg you, my friends, 2 not to be so easily confused in your thinking or upset by the claim that the Day of the Lord has come. Perhaps it is thought that we said this while prophesying or preaching, or that we wrote it in a letter. 3 Do not let anyone deceive you in any way. For the Day will not come until the final Rebellion takes place and the Wicked One appears, who is destined to hell.

4 He will oppose every so-called god or object of worship and will put himself above them all. He will even go in and sit down in God's Temple and claim to be God.
5 Don't you remember? I told you all this while I was with you. 6 Yet there is something that keeps this from happening now, and you know what it is. At the proper time, then, the Wicked One will appear. 7 The Mysterious Wickedness is already at work, but what is going to happen will not happen until the one who holds it back is taken out of the way. 8 Then the Wicked One will be revealed, but when the Lord Jesus comes, he will kill him with the breath from his mouth and destroy him with his dazzling presence. 9 The Wicked One will come with the power of Satan and perform all kinds of false miracles and wonders, 10 and use every kind of wicked deceit on those who will perish. They will perish because they did not welcome and love the truth so as to be saved. 11 And so God sends the power of error to work in them so that they believe what is false.

12 The result is that all who have not believed the truth, but have taken pleasure in sin, will be condemned.

You Are Chosen for Salvation

13 We must thank God at all times for you, friends, you whom the Lord loves. For God chose you as the firstt to be saved by the Spirit's power to make you his holy people and by your faith in the truth. 14 God called you to this through the Good News we preached to you; he called you to possess your share of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 So then, our friends, stand firm and hold on to those truths which we taught you, both in our preaching and in our letter.
16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and in his grace gave us unfailing courage and a firm hope,

17 encourage you and strengthen you to always do and say what is good.