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? ⁶ And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed when his time comes. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed.^{(E) 8} And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus^[c] will destroy^[d] with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming.^{(F) 9} The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders,^{(G) 10} and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.^{(H) 11} For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false,^{(I) 12} so that all who have not believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.^(J)

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^[e] for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.^{(K) 14} For this purpose he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.^{(L) 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.^(M)

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.^(N)

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)