1 A nd we ask you, brethren, in regard to the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of our gathering together unto him,

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

2 t hat ye be not quickly shaken in mind, nor be troubled, neither through spirit, neither through word, neither through letters as through us, as that the day of Christ hath arrived;

do 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.

3 l et not any one deceive you in any manner, because -- if the falling away may not come first, and the man of sin be revealed -- the son of the destruction,

Do 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.

4 w ho is opposing and is raising himself up above all called God or worshipped, so that he in the sanctuary of God as God hath sat down, shewing himself off that he is God --.

He 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.

5 D o ye not remember that, being yet with you, these things I said to you?

Do you not remember that while I was with you, I told you this?

6 a nd now, what is keeping down ye have known, for his being revealed in his own time,

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

7 f or the secret of the lawlessness doth already work, only he who is keeping down now -- till he may be out of the way,

For 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.

8 a nd then shall be revealed the Lawless One, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the manifestation of his presence,

Then 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.

9 w hose presence is according to the working of the Adversary, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders,

Satan 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.

10 a nd in all deceitfulness of the unrighteousness in those perishing, because the love of the truth they did not receive for their being saved,

Those 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.

11 a nd because of this shall God send to them a working of delusion, for their believing the lie,

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

12 t hat they may be judged -- all who did not believe the truth, but were well pleased in the unrighteousness.

They 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

13 A nd we -- we ought to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, beloved by the Lord, that God did choose you from the beginning to salvation, in sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth,

Christian 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.

14 t o which He did call you through our good news, to the acquiring of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ;

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

15 s o, then, brethren, stand ye fast, and hold the deliverances that ye were taught, whether through word, whether through our letter;

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

16 a nd may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and our God and Father, who did love us, and did give comfort age-during, and good hope in grace,

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

17 c omfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work.

May He give your hearts comfort and strength to say and do every good thing.