2 Thessalonians 2

Events prior to the Lord's Second Coming

1 Now, dear brothers and sisters,s let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.2 Don't be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don't believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us.3 Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessnesss is revealed—the one who brings destruction.s4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
  5 Don't you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you?6 And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes.7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.
  9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.

Believers Should Stand Firm

13 As for us, we can't help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the firsts to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.14 He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  15 With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.
  16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope,17 comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

2 Thessalonians 3

Paul's Request for Prayer

1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters,s we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord's message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you.2 Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer.3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.s4 And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you.5 May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

An Exhortation to Proper Living

6 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believerss who live idle lives and don't follow the tradition they receiveds from us.7 For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you.8 We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you.9 We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow.10 Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: "Those unwilling to work will not get to eat."
  11 Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people's business.12 We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living.13 As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.
  14 Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed.15 Don't think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister.s

Paul's Final Greetings

16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.
  17 Here is my greeting in my own handwriting —Paul . I do this in all my letters to prove they are from me.
  18 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

1 Timothy 1

Greetings from Paul

1 This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope.
  2 I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith.
  May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.

Warnings against False Teachings

3 When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth.4 Don't let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations,s which don't help people live a life of faith in God.s
  5 The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.6 But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions.7 They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don't know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently.
  8 We know that the law is good when used correctly.9 For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders.10 The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders,s liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching11 that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.

Paul's Gratitude for God's Mercy

12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him,13 even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief.14 Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.
  15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"—and I am the worst of them all.16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.17 All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.

Timothy's Responsibility

18 Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord's battles.19 Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.20 Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God.