But there is one entreaty we would make of you, brethren, as you look forward to the time when our Lord Jesus Christ will come, and gather us in to himself.✻

Do not be terrified out of your senses all at once, and thrown into confusion, by any spiritual utterance, any message or letter purporting to come from us, which suggests that the day of the Lord is close at hand.

Do not let anyone find the means of leading you astray. The apostasy must come first; the champion of wickedness must appear first, destined to inherit perdition.✻

This is the rebel who is to lift up his head above every divine name, above all that men hold in reverence, till at last he enthrones himself in God’s temple, and proclaims himself as God.✻

Do not you remember my telling you of this, before I left your company?

At present there is a power (you know what I mean) which holds him in check, so that he may not shew himself before the time appointed to him;✻

meanwhile, the conspiracy of revolt is already at work; only, he who checks it now will be able to check it, until he is removed from the enemy’s path.

Then it is that the rebel will shew himself; and the Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth, overwhelming him with the brightness of his presence.

He will come, when he comes, with all Satan’s influence to aid him; there will be no lack of power, of counterfeit signs and wonders;

and his wickedness will deceive the souls that are doomed, to punish them for refusing that fellowship in the truth which would have saved them. That is why God is letting loose among them a deceiving influence, so that they give credit to falsehood;

he will single out for judgement all those who refused credence to the truth, and took their pleasure in wrong-doing.

We must always give thanks in your name, brethren whom the Lord has so favoured. God has picked you out as the first-fruits in the harvest of salvation, by sanctifying your spirits and convincing you of his truth;✻

he has called you, through our preaching, to attain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Stand firm, then, brethren, and hold by the traditions you have learned, in word or in writing, from us.

So may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, so may God, our Father, who has shewn such love to us, giving us unfailing comfort and welcome hope through his grace,

encourage your hearts, and confirm you in every right habit of action and speech.