Man of Lawlessness 1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things ? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work ; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming ; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word. Isaiah 27:1-13 The Deliverance of Israel 1 In that day the LORD will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, With His fierce and great and mighty sword, Even Leviathan the twisted serpent ; And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea. 2 In that day, A vineyard of wine, sing of it! 3 I, the LORD, am its keeper ; I water it every moment. So that no one will damage it, I guard it night and day. 4 I have no wrath. Should someone give Me briars and thorns in battle, Then I would step on them, I would burn them completely. 5 Or let him rely on My protection, Let him make peace with Me, Let him make peace with Me. 6 In the days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout, And they will fill the whole world with fruit. 7 Like the striking of Him who has struck them, has He struck them? Or like the slaughter of His slain, have they been slain ? 8 You contended with them by banishing them, by driving them away. With His fierce wind He has expelled them on the day of the east wind. 9 Therefore through this Jacobs iniquity will be forgiven ; And this will be the full price of the pardoning of his sin : When he makes all the altar stones like pulverized chalk stones ; When Asherim and incense altars will not stand. 10 For the fortified city is isolated, A homestead forlorn and forsaken like the desert ; There the calf will graze, And there it will lie down and feed on its branches. 11 When its limbs are dry, they are broken off; Women come and make a fire with them, For they are not a people of discernment, Therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them. And their Creator will not be gracious to them. 12 In that day the LORD will start His threshing from the flowing stream of the Euphrates to the brook of Egypt, and you will be gathered up one by one, O sons of Israel. 13 It will come about also in that day that a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD in the holy mountain at Jerusalem. Isaiah 28:1-29 Ephraims Captivity Predicted 1 Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley Of those who are overcome with wine ! 2 Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent; As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction, Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters, He has cast it down to the earth with His hand. 3 The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trodden under foot. 4 And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley, Will be like the first-ripe fig prior to summer, Which one sees, And as soon as it is in his hand, He swallows it. 5 In that day the LORD of hosts will become a beautiful crown And a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people ; 6 A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, A strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate. 7 And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink : The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink ; They reel while having visions, They totter when rendering judgment. 8 For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place. 9 To whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message ? Those just weaned from milk ? Those just taken from the breast ? 10 For He says, Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there. 11 Indeed, He will speak to this people Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue, 12 He who said to them, Here is rest, give rest to the weary, And, Here is repose, but they would not listen. 13 So the word of the LORD to them will be, Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there, That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive. Judah Is Warned 14 Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers , Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, 15 Because you have said, We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception. 16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. 17 I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level ; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place. 18 Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand ; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place. 19 As often as it passes through, it will seize you; For morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night, And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means. 20 The bed is too short on which to stretch out, And the blanket is too small to wrap oneself in. 21 For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be stirred up as in the valley of Gibeon, To do His task, His unusual task, And to work His work, His extraordinary work. 22 And now do not carry on as scoffers, Or your fetters will be made stronger ; For I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts Of decisive destruction on all the earth. 23 Give ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my words. 24 Does the farmer plow continually to plant seed ? Does he continually turn and harrow the ground ? 25 Does he not level its surface And sow dill and scatter cummin And plant wheat in rows, Barley in its place and rye within its area ? 26 For his God instructs and teaches him properly. 27 For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, Nor is the cartwheel driven over cummin ; But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a club. 28 Grain for bread is crushed, Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever. Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually damage it, He does not thresh it longer. 29 This also comes from the LORD of hosts, Who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great. Psalm 118:1-29 Thanksgiving for the LORDS Saving Goodness. 1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good ; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2 Oh let Israel say, His lovingkindness is everlasting. 3 Oh let the house of Aaron say, His lovingkindness is everlasting. 4 Oh let those who fear the LORD say, His lovingkindness is everlasting. 5 From my distress I called upon the LORD ; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place. 6 The LORD is for me; I will not fear ; What can man do to me? 7 The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me. 8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes. 10 All nations surrounded me; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. 11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. 12 They surrounded me like bees ; They were extinguished as a fire of thorns ; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. 13 You pushed me violently so that I was falling, But the LORD helped me. 14 The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. 15 The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous ; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. 16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted ; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. 17 I will not die, but live, And tell of the works of the LORD. 18 The LORD has disciplined me severely, But He has not given me over to death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness ; I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD. 20 This is the gate of the LORD ; The righteous will enter through it. 21 I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, And You have become my salvation. 22 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. 23 This is the LORDS doing ; It is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day which the LORD has made ; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity ! 26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD ; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. 27 The LORD is God, and He has given us light ; Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I extol You. 29 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good ; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. New American Standard Bible
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 17:37:30 +0000