1Now we beg you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him,
2that ye be not soon shaken in mind, nor troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as if it were by us, as that the day of the Lord is present.
3Let not any one deceive you in any manner, because it will not be unless the apostasy have first come, and the man of sin have been revealed, the son of perdition;
4who opposes and exalts himself on high against all called God, or object of veneration; so that he himself sits down in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5Do ye not remember that, being yet with you, I said these things to you?
6And now ye know that which restrains, that he should be revealed in his own time.
7For the mystery of lawlessness already works; only there is he who restrains now until he be gone,
8and then the lawless one shall be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall consume with the breath of his mouth, and shall annul by the appearing of his coming;
9whose coming is according to the working of Satan in all power and signs and wonders of falsehood,
10and in all deceit of unrighteousness to them that perish, because they have not received the love of the truth that they might be saved.
11And for this reason God sends to them a working of error, that they should believe what is false,
12that all might be judged who have not believed the truth, but have found pleasure in unrighteousness.
13But we ought to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, that God has chosen you from the beginning to salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
14whereto he has called you by our glad tidings, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15So then, brethren, stand firm, and hold fast the instructions which ye have been taught, whether by word or by our letter.
16But our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us, and given us eternal consolation and good hope by grace,
17encourage your hearts, and establish you in every good work and word.