1 O ur Lord Jesus Christ is coming again. We will be gathered together to meet Him. But we ask you, Christian brothers,

¶ Now we beseech you, brethren, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together unto him,

2 d o not be troubled in mind or worried by the talk you hear. Some say that the Lord has already come. People may say that I wrote this in a letter or that a spirit told them.

that ye not be easily shaken in understanding or be troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us, as if the day of Christ is at hand.

3 D o not let anyone fool you. For the Lord will not come again until many people turn away from God. Then the leader of those who break the law will come. He is the man of sin.

¶ Let no one deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,

4 H e works against and puts himself above every kind of god that is worshiped. He will take his seat in the house of God and say that he himself is God.

opposing and exalting himself against all that is called God, or divinity, so that he as God sits in the temple of God, making himself appear to be God.

5 D o you not remember that while I was with you, I told you this?

Remember ye not, that when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6 Y ou know the power that is keeping the man of sin back now. The man of sin will come only when his time is ready.

And ye know what impedes this now, that he might be revealed in his time.

7 F or the secret power of breaking the law is already at work in the world. But that secret power can only do so much until the One Who keeps back the man of sin is taken out of the way.

For the mystery of iniquity is already working, except that he who dominates now will dominate until he is taken out of the way.

8 T hen this man of sin will come. The Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of His mouth. The coming of Christ will put an end to him.

And then shall that Wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth and remove with the clarity of his coming:

9 S atan will use this man of sin. He will have Satan’s power. He will do strange things and many powerful works that will be false.

that wicked one, who shall come by the working of Satan with great power and signs and lying miracles,

10 T hose who are lost in sin will be fooled by the things he can do. They are lost in sin because they did not love the truth that would save them.

and with all deception of iniquity working in those that perish because they did not receive the charity of the truth, to be saved.

11 F or this reason, God will allow them to follow false teaching so they will believe a lie.

Therefore, for this cause, God shall send the operation of error in them, that they should believe the lie;

12 T hey will all be guilty as they stand before God because they wanted to do what was wrong. You Belong to Those Who Believe the Truth

that they all might be condemned who did not believe the truth, but consented to the iniquity.

13 C hristian brothers, the Lord loves you. We always thank God for you. It is because God has chosen you from the beginning to save you from the punishment of sin. He chose to make you holy by the Holy Spirit and to give you faith to believe the truth.

¶ But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to saving health through the sanctification of the Spirit and faith in the truth,

14 I t was by our preaching the Good News that you were chosen. He chose you to share the shining-greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

unto which he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 S o then, Christian brothers, keep a strong hold on what we have taught you by what we have said and by what we have written.

Therefore, brethren, stand fast and retain the doctrine which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle.

16 O ur Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father loves us. Through His loving-favor He gives us comfort and hope that lasts forever.

¶ Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God, even our Father, who has loved us and has given us eternal consolation and good hope through grace,

17 M ay He give your hearts comfort and strength to say and do every good thing.

comfort your hearts and confirm you in every good word and work.