¹⁷ Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war^(A) against the rest of her offspring^(B)—those who keep God’s commands^(C) and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.^(D)

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ^(A) and our being gathered to him,^(B) we ask you, brothers and sisters, ² not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter^(C)—asserting that the day of the Lord^(D) has already come.^{(E) 3} Don’t let anyone deceive you^(F) in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion^(G) occurs and the man of lawlessness^[a] is revealed,^(H) the man doomed to destruction. ⁴ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God^(I) or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.^(J)

⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed,^(A) whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth^(B) and destroy by the splendor of his coming.^{(C) 9} The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan^(D) works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders^(E) that serve the lie, ¹⁰ and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.^(F) They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.^{(G) 11} For this reason God sends them^(H) a powerful delusion^(I) so that they will believe the lie^{(J) 12} and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.^(K)

¹³ For such people are false apostles,^(A) deceitful^(B) workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.^{(C) 14} And no wonder, for Satan^(D) himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.^(E)

¹⁸ For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears,^(A) many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.^(B)