Episode 290: God will send them strong delusion

2 Thessalonians 1-3

Greetings and Salutations!

1 ¹ Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church in Thessalonica.

Jesus will come in flaming fire (to take vengeance on nonbelievers)

⁶ It is a righteous thing for God to punish those who trouble you.

^7-18 Jesus and his mighty angels will come in flaming fire to take vengeance on those who don't know God and disobey the gospel.

^9-10 They will be punished with everlasting destruction, when he comes to be glorified by his saints and admired by all who believe (because of our preaching).

Don't be fooled - Jesus isn't coming soon

2 ² Don't be fooled by those who claim to have received a letter from us saying that Jesus has already returned.

^3-4 Don't let anyone deceive you. That day won't come until many stop believing, and a man of sin, the son of perdition, is revealed, who will exalt himself above God, and will be worshiped as God in the temple.

⁶ Now you know that he'll be revealed in his time. His iniquity is already at work, but someone is holding him back.

⁷ And he won't be revealed until that person is taken out of the way.

⁸ When the wicked one appears, the Lord will kill him by breathing on him.

⁹ He will come after the all-powerful Satan appears with all his signs and wonders.

God will send then strong delusion (so they believe a lie and be damned)

^11-12 God will send them strong delusion, that they believe a lie, so that they all will be damned.

¹³ But we thank God for you, because God chose you for salvation from the beginning.

¹⁴ He called you to believe our gospel, and thereby obtain the glory of Jesus.

¹⁵ So hold on to the traditions that you've been taught, by word, or from our letter.

Whoever doesn't work, shouldn't eat

3 ⁶ We command you to shun those who don't accept the teaching that you've received from us.

⁷ Because you know how well behaved we were with you.

⁸ We worked night and day, so you wouldn't have to provide for us.

⁹ We did this to set an example for you.

¹⁰ When we were with you we commanded you, that whoever refused to work, should not eat.

¹¹ We hear that there are some lazy people among you who don't work but are busybodies.

¹² We command them to work to pay for their own food.

Shun those who refuse to obey Paul

¹⁴ If any refuse to obey our words in this letter, note who they are, and shun them so they will be ashamed.

I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand (like I always do)

¹⁷ I, Paul, am signing this letter with my own hand, as I do with every letter that I write.

¹⁸ Amen