2 Thessalonians 2

1Now, brothers and sisters, we want to talk about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the time when we will be gathered to be with him.

2Please do not let your minds be upset or worried by any message — whether by a spirit, a word, or a letter that claims to be from us — saying that the day of the Lord has already come.

3Do not let anyone fool you in any way. That day will not come until two things happen first: many people will turn away from God, and the man of sin will appear — the one who is headed for destruction.

4This man will fight against everything that people call God or worship, and he will lift himself above it all. He will even sit in God's temple and claim to be God.

5Don't you remember? I told you about all this while I was still with you.

6And now you know what is holding this man back, so that he will appear only at his proper time.

7The secret power of sin is already at work. But the one who holds it back will keep holding it back, until he is taken out of the way.

8Then the man of sin will appear. But the Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of His mouth, and will wipe him out by the brightness of His coming.

9This man of sin will come by the power of Satan, with all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders,

10And with every evil trick. These tricks will fool the people who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth that would have saved them.

11For this reason God will let a powerful lie fool them, so that they believe what is false.

12Then all who refused to believe the truth, and were happy to do evil, will be judged.

13But we must always thank God for you, brothers and sisters whom the Lord loves. From the beginning God chose you to be saved, by the Holy Spirit making you holy and by your belief in the truth.

14God called you to this through the good news we preached, so that you could share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm. Hold on to the teachings we gave you, whether we spoke them or wrote them in a letter.

16May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us comfort that lasts forever and a good hope,

17Comfort your hearts and make you strong in every good thing you do and say.