Book of Common Prayer

2 My brothers, we want to talk to you about the time when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again and we are taken to meet him.

² Do not let your minds be easily upset. Do not be troubled by a spirit, or a message, or a letter. Do not be troubled if you hear that the day of the Lord has already come. Some people will say it came from us.

³ Do not let anyone fool you in any way. Before the day of the Lord comes, many people will stop believing God. The Man of Evil will be seen. He is the evil one who will be destroyed for ever.

⁴ He will put himself against God. He will put himself above everything to do with God, and above everything that people worship. He will sit in God's holy place and tell people that he is God.

⁵ You remember that I told you these things when I was still with you.

⁶ And you know what is holding that evil man back. He will not be seen until it is his time to be seen.

⁷ The plan to make people wrong has already begun to work. But someone is holding back that plan. He will stop the law-breaker for a time.

⁸ Then that evil man will be seen. The Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath from his mouth. The coming of the Lord Jesus will be so bright and wonderful that it will put the evil man to an end.

⁹ The coming of the evil man is the work of Satan. He will come in great power with signs that are not true, and wonderful things.

¹⁰ And by his bad tricks he will fool people who are lost. They will not love the true message which would have saved them.

¹¹ That is why God lets them be fooled so that they will believe what is not true.

¹² They will all be judged. I mean the people who have not believed in the true message but who wanted to do what is wrong.

¹³ My brothers, the Lord loves you. We should thank God for you always. Here is why. From the beginning God chose you to be saved. You were saved because the Spirit made you holy and because you believed the true message.

¹⁴ God called you to be saved by the good news we brought you. He did this so that you would have some of the honour which the Lord Jesus Christ has.

¹⁵ So my brothers, be strong. Hold on to the things we taught you by our words or by letter.

¹⁶ God has loved us and made us happy through his kindness. He gave us everlasting comfort and good hope.

¹⁷ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, comfort your hearts and make you strong to do and say everything that is good.

7 Do not judge others, then you will not be judged.

² The way you judge others, that is the way you will be judged. How much you give to others is how much will be given to you.

³ `Why do you look at the spot of dust in your brother's eye? But you do not see a big stick in your own eye!

⁴ Why do you say to your brother, "Let me take the dust out of your eye"? And all the time you have that stick in your own eye!

⁵ You are not true to yourselves! First take the stick out of your own eye. Then you will be able to see to take the dust out of your brother's eye.

⁶ `Do not give what is holy to dogs. Do not throw your fine stones to pigs. They will walk all over them, and then turn and hurt you.'

⁷ `Ask, and you will get what you ask for. Look, and you will find what you look for. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.

⁸ Everyone who asks will get. The one who looks will find. And the one who knocks will have the door opened for him.

⁹ `If your son asks for bread, will any of you give him a stone?

¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will you give him a snake?

¹¹ You are wrong, and yet you know how to give good things to your children. Much more, your Father in heaven will give good things to those who ask him.

¹² `Do to other people what you want them to do to you. That is what the law and the writings of the prophets say.'