2 Thessalonians

2* But we beg you, brothers, as to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, 2* not to shake right out of your senses nor be disquieted either by an inspiration or by an argument, or by a letter as being by us, with the idea that the Day of the Lord is upon us. 3* Do not let anybody deceive you in any way, because unless the apostasy comes first and the Man of Wickedness is disclosed, the man bound for destruction, 4* he who is in opposition to every so-called god or object of worship, so that he seats himself in God’s temple, declaring himself to be a god— 5 do you not remember that while I was still with you I told you all this? 6* and you know now what is holding him back to be disclosed at his own time. 7 For the Secret of Wickedness is already at work; only he who is now holding things back—until he gets out of the way, 8** and then the Wicked One will be disclosed, whom the Lord will consume by the breath of his mouth and will supersede by the intervention of his presence; 9 whose presence is as is proper for Satan’s working, in all power and tokens and wonders of untruth 10 and in all deceitfulness of wrong for those who are perishing, inasmuch as they did not accept the love of the truth so that they should be saved, 11 and for this reason God is sending them a working of delusion so that they shall believe the untrue, 12 that all may be judged who have not believed the truth but have been satisfied with wrong.

13* But we are bound to thank God always for you, brothers loved by the Lord, that God from the first chose you for salvation in sanctification of spirit and faith in truth, 14 to which same thing he called you through our gospel message, for preservation in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold on to the propositions you were taught by either word or letter of ours. 16 And may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and graciously gave us an eternal encouragement and a good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and fortify them in every good work and word.