2 Thessalonians 2:3–17

³Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy ^fcomes first and the man of lawlessness ^gis revealed, the son of destruction. ⁴He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god ^hor object of worship, ⁱso that he sits ^jin God’s sanctuary, ^kpublicizing that he himself is God.

⁵Don’t you remember that when I was still with you I told you about this? ⁶And you know what currently restrains him, so that he will be revealed in his time. ^l7For the mystery of lawlessness ^mis already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way, ⁸and then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of His mouth ⁿand will bring him to nothing with the brightness of His coming. ⁹The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan’s working, with all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders, ^o10and with every unrighteous deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth in order to be saved. ^p11For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe what is false, ¹²so that all will be condemned ^q—those who did not believe ^rthe truth but enjoyed unrighteousness.

Stand Firm

¹³But we must always thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning ^sGod has chosen ^tyou for salvation through sanctification ^uby the Spirit and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴He called you to this through our gospel, so that you might obtain the glory ^vof our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵Therefore, brothers, stand firm ^wand hold to the traditions you were taught, ^xeither by our message or by our letter.

¹⁶May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved ^yus and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace, ¹⁷encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word.