The Great Apostasy

2 Now, brethren, aconcerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ band our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 cnot to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of 1Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come dunless the falling away comes first, and ethe man of 2sin is revealed, fthe son of perdition, 4 who opposes and gexalts himself habove all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits 3as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For ithe 4mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only 5He who now restrains will do so until 5He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, jwhom the Lord will consume kwith the breath of His mouth and destroy lwith the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is maccording to the working of Satan, with all power, nsigns, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among othose who perish, because they did not receive pthe love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And qfor this reason God will send them strong delusion, rthat they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but shad pleasure in unrighteousness.

Stand Fast

13 But we are 6bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God tfrom the beginning uchose you for salvation vthrough 7sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to which He called you by our gospel, for wthe obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Therefore, brethren, xstand fast and hold ythe traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our 8epistle.