¹⁵ on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month.

The Future Glory of the Temple

In the second year of King Darius, 2 ¹ in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: ² “Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say: ³ Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing?^{(A) 4} Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts,^{(B) 5} according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear.^{(C) 6} For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land,^{(D) 7} and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts.^{(E) 8} The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. ⁹ The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts, and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.”^(F)

Psalm 145

The Greatness and the Goodness of God

Praise. Of David.

The Man of Lawlessness

2 As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters,^{(A) 2} not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.^{(B) 3} Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one^[a] is revealed, the one destined for destruction.^{[b](C) 4} He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God.^{(D) 5} Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you?

Chosen for Salvation

¹³ But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits^[a] for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.^{(A) 14} For this purpose he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.^{(B) 15} So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.^(C)

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.^(D)

The Question about the Resurrection

²⁷ Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him^{(A) 28} and asked him a question: “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no children, the man^[a] shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.^{(B) 29} Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman and died childless; ³⁰ then the second^{[b] 31} and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. ³² Finally the woman also died. ³³ In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.”

³⁴ Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage, ³⁵ but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. ³⁶ Indeed, they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection.^{(C) 37} And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.^{(D) 38} Now he is God not of the dead but of the living, for to him all of them are alive.”^(E)