Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 134
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IMMERSE
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MESSIAH
2:1–3:1
Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.
Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the
Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have
had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t
be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great
rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one
who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that
people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple
of God, claiming that he himself is God.
Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you?
And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when
his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will
remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.
Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay
him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his
coming.
This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and
signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on
their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth
that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and
they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil
rather than believing the truth.
As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters
loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among
the first to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit
who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. He called you
to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and
keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person
and by letter.
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us
and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort
you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.
Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the
Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just
