Man of Lawlessness

2 Now we ask you, ^(A)brothers and sisters, regarding the ^[a](B)coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our ^(C)gathering together to Him, ² that you not be quickly shaken from your ^[b]composure or be disturbed either by a ^(D)spirit, or a ^[c](E)message, or a ^(F)letter as if from us, to the effect that ^(G)the day of the Lord ^(H)has come. ^3 (I)No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the ^[d](J)apostasy comes first, and the ^(K)man of lawlessness is revealed, the ^(L)son of destruction, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above ^[e](M)every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, ^(N)displaying himself as being God. ⁵ Do you not remember that ^(O)while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? ⁶ And you know ^(P)what restrains him now, so that he will be revealed in his time. ⁷ For ^(Q)the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only ^[f](R)He who now restrains will do so until ^[g]He is ^[h]removed. ⁸ Then that lawless one ^(S)will be revealed, whom the Lord will eliminate ^(T)with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the ^(U)appearance of His ^[i]coming; ⁹ that is, the one whose ^[j]coming is in accord with the activity of ^(V)Satan, with all power and false ^[k](W)signs and wonders, ¹⁰ and with ^[l]all the deception of wickedness for ^(X)those who perish, because they did not accept the love of ^(Y)the truth so as to be saved. ¹¹ For this reason ^(Z)God ^[m]will send upon them ^[n]a ^(AA)deluding influence so that they will believe ^[o]what is false, ¹² in order that they all may be ^[p]judged who ^(AB)did not believe the truth, but ^[q](AC)took pleasure in wickedness.

³ I saw one of his heads as if it had been ^[a]fatally wounded, and his ^(A)fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth ^(B)was amazed and followed after the beast; ⁴ they worshiped the ^(C)dragon because he ^(D)gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “^(E)Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”

¹² He ^(A)exercises all the authority of the first beast ^[a](B)in his presence. And he makes ^(C)the earth and those who live on it ^(D)worship the first beast, whose ^(E)fatal wound was healed. ¹³ He ^(F)performs great signs, so that he even makes ^(G)fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the presence of people. ¹⁴ And he ^(H)deceives ^(I)those who live on the earth because of ^(J)the signs which it was given him to perform ^[b](K)in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the ^(L)wound of the sword and has come to life. ¹⁵ And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even ^[c]speak and cause ^(M)all who do not ^(N)worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ And he causes all, ^(O)the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, ^[d]to be given a ^(P)mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the ^(Q)mark, either ^(R)the name of the beast or ^(S)the number of his name.

¹⁸ Children, ^(A)it is the last hour; and just as you heard that ^(B)antichrist is coming, ^(C)even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.

²² Who is the liar except ^(A)the one who denies that Jesus is the ^[a]Christ? This is ^(B)the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.