¹ About the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, brothers, and our being gathered to him:

² please do not be too easily thrown into confusion or alarmed by any manifestation of the Spirit or any statement or any letter claiming to come from us, suggesting that the Day of the Lord has already arrived.

³ Never let anyone deceive you in any way. It cannot happen until the Great Revolt has taken place and there has appeared the wicked One, the lost One,

⁴ the Enemy, who raises himself above every so-called God or object of worship to enthrone himself in God's sanctuary and flaunts the claim that he is God.

⁵ Surely you remember my telling you about this when I was with you?

⁶ And you know, too, what is still holding him back from appearing before his appointed time.

⁷ The mystery of wickedness is already at work, but let him who is restraining it once be removed,

⁸ and the wicked One will appear openly. The Lord will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and will annihilate him with his glorious appearance at his coming.

⁹ But the coming of the wicked One will be marked by Satan being at work in all kinds of counterfeit miracles and signs and wonders,

¹⁰ and every wicked deception aimed at those who are on the way to destruction because they would not accept the love of the truth and so be saved.

¹¹ And therefore God sends on them a power that deludes people so that they believe what is false,

¹² and so that those who do not believe the truth and take their pleasure in wickedness may all be condemned.

¹³ But we must always thank God for you, brothers whom the Lord loves, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved by the Spirit who makes us holy and by faith in the truth.

¹⁴ Through our gospel he called you to this so that you should claim as your own the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ Stand firm, then, brothers, and keep the traditions that we taught you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who has given us his love and, through his grace, such ceaseless encouragement and such sure hope,

¹⁷ encourage you and strengthen you in every good word and deed.