Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to him, we ask you not to be quickly shaken in your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as from us, saying that the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the departure comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God. Don’t you remember that, when I was still with you, I told you these things? Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way. Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth, and destroy by the manifestation of his coming; even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Because of this, God sends them a working of error, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be judged who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth; to which he called you through our Good News, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm, and hold the traditions which you were taught by us, whether by word, or by letter.
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good work and word.
Questions
- Does the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ trouble you? Why?
- Does the world try to deceive us in making us believe that this coming is imminent? How about other believers?
- Do you agree that we should be mindful of this second coming? How do we do so without “freaking out”?
- Do you believe that a “departure” has occurred? Do you believe that a man is coming who will attempt to set himself up as God?
- Paul talks about this “man of sin” as being someone he was aware of—someone in his own generation. How does that affect your faith?
- Would it trouble you or affect your thinking to consider that Jesus returns to this earth multiple times to judge his people? Read Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Who threatened to remove the candlesticks of the seven churches?
- What does sanctification mean to you?
- What does it mean to stand firm?
- How should we hold on to the traditions that Paul and his fellow evangelists passed on to the Thessalonians?
- Does God comfort your heart? Is he established you in every good work and word?
