2 Thessalonians 2:1–17

The Great Apostasy

2Now, brethren, ^aconcerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ ^band our gathering together to Him, we ask you, ^2cnot 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. ³Let 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, ⁴who 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.

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

Stand Fast

¹³But 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, ¹⁴to which He called you by our gospel, for ^wthe obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵Therefore, brethren, ^xstand fast and hold ^ythe traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our ⁸epistle.

¹⁶Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, ^zwho has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and ^agood hope by grace, ¹⁷comfort your hearts ^band ⁹establish you in every good word and work.