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1 Now about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to be with him, we earnestly appeal to you, brothers,
2 that you not be easily shaken from your thoughts or troubled, either by a spirit or by a message, or by a letter that seems to be coming from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has already come.
3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not come until after the falling away comes, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. [[ Some important and ancient Greek copies read, " and the man of sin is revealed " . ]]
4 This is he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped. As a result, he sits in the temple of God and exhibits himself as God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was with you I told you these things?
6 Now you know what restrains him, so that he will be revealed only at the right time.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only there is someone who restrains him now until he is taken out of the way.
8 Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring him to nothing by the revelation of his coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one will be due to the work of Satan with all power, signs, and false wonders,
10 and with every kind of evil that deceives those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth and so be saved.
11 For this reason God is sending them a powerful delusion so that they will believe a lie
12 and so that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but instead took pleasure in unrighteousness.
13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved through the sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. [[ Some important and ancient Greek copies read, " For God chose you from the first for salvation " . ]]
14 He called you to this through our gospel, so that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold tightly to the traditions that you were taught, whether by word or by our letter.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.