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Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
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Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Thanksgiving and Prayer
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.
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Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
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All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
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God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you
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and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
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He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
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With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.
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We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
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He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
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And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.
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For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
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For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie
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Stand Firm
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
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May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,
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Request for Prayer
As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.
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But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
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May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
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Warning Against Idleness
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.
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For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
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And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.
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I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write.
