The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians

⭑ Literal Standard Version :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 2 -

And we ask you, brothers, in regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of our gathering together to Him,

that you are 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 the LORD has arrived;

do not let anyone deceive you in any way, because if the departure may not come first, the man of lawlessness may [not] be revealed—the son of destruction,

who is opposing and is raising himself up above all called god or worshiped, so as for him to have sat down in the temple of God, proclaiming that he is God.

Do you not remember that, yet being with you, I said these things to you?

And now, you have known what is restraining, for his being revealed in his own time,

for the secret of lawlessness already works, only the [One] now restraining [will do so] until He may come out of [the] midst,

and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the LORD will consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and will nullify at the appearance of His coming,

whose coming is according to the working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders,

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

and because of this God will send to them a working of delusion, for their believing the lie,

that they may be judged—all who did not believe the truth, but were well pleased in the unrighteousness.

Stand Firm

And we ought to give thanks to God always for you, brothers, beloved by the LORD, that God chose you from the beginning to salvation, in sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth,

to which He called you through our good news, to the acquiring of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ;

so, then, brothers, stand fast, and hold the traditions that you were taught, whether through word, whether through our letter;

and may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who loved us, and gave continuous comfort, and good hope in grace,

comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work.

Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, we ask you

not to be quickly shaken in your mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter as if from us, saying that the day of Christ has already come.

Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be unless the rebellion(a) comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction.

He opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God.

Don’t you remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things?

Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.

For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way.

Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the manifestation of his coming;

even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Because of this, God sends them a powerful delusion, that they should believe a lie,

that they all might be judged who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Stand Firm

But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth,

to which he called you through our Good News, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So then, brothers, stand firm and hold the traditions which you were taught by us, whether by word or by letter.

Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,

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

Footnotes

(a)2:3 or, falling away, or, defection