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preparing a retribution, he establishes for them that judgment, in which the retribution is altogether just, whether of evil things, or of the opposite. Because our testimony to you was believed in that day. This truth, he says, which we now testify 95.921 to your faith and endurance, will be believed in that day. For which also we pray always for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling. Since he said that the testimony concerning them is a matter of faith, and these things being about great matters; For in faith, he says, and endurance, and persecutions; so that they might not, becoming careless from this, lose what they have accomplished, for this reason he says, that 'We pray for this without ceasing,' making them anxious. For we pray, he says, that he may make you worthy of the calling. And he says this, not as taking away what is from us, but that we may not think great things of ourselves, but also for these very things which we work out of forbearance, we may call God as a helper, since if we should be confident in ourselves, all our labor is immediately dissolved. And fulfill every good pleasure of his goodness. He shows that they are not yet perfected. For perfection is only then, when the time of the contest has passed; but while one is contending, let him fear lest he fall; for because of this it has also been said: 'Do not call blessed before the end.' And the work of faith with power. So that they may be strengthened, to show faith by work. So that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Similar to what was said by the Lord: 'Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.' And this shows that they have from the grace of God the ability to become so great in splendid works. For even if someone is perfect, he says, among the sons of men, lacking wisdom from you, he will be counted as nothing. CHAPTER 2. Now we ask you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a word, or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of Christ has come. Let no one deceive you in any way; for unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, as God, proclaiming himself to be God. He has come to the subject at hand. And this is not to be led astray by the deceit of false teachers, who say that the second coming of the Lord has drawn near. Let no one, therefore, disturb you, neither one who seems to speak by a spirit of revelation, nor one who alleges that I have said this. For it is impossible for the second coming to occur without the 95.924 son of perdition having first been revealed; he means the Antichrist, who, he says, energized by Satan, will come in all deceit of apparent signs Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things, and you know what is restraining now, so that he may be revealed in his own time. He reminds them of the earlier teaching made concerning these very things. For on account of the deceit from these, the Apostle himself taught many times, and the Lord often commanded in the Gospels, 'If anyone says to you, saying: "Behold, here is the Christ," or "Behold, there," do not go out.' For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. He says the mystery of lawlessness is the teachings of the heresies, and their false doctrines. For they go before that one, preparing the way for him, and providing a time of deceit; and the heresies had already gone out from the time of the apostles. Therefore John the evangelist also says similar things, 'As you have heard that Antichrist is coming; and now there are many antichrists,' speaking about the heretics. Only he who now restrains until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed. He means the Roman empire. For when this is fulfilled, the Antichrist comes. Whom the

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ἀνταπόδοσιν κατασκευάζων, ἐκεῖνο αὐτοὺς τὸ κριτήριον ἵστησιν, ἐν ᾧ πάντως δικαία ἡ ἀνταπόδοσις, εἴτε κακῶν, εἴτε τῶν ἐναντίων. Ὅτι ἐπιστεύθη τὸ μαρτύριον ἡμῶν ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ. Ἡ ἀλήθεια, φησὶν, αὕτη, ἣν μαρτυροῦμεν νῦν 95.921 τῇ πίστει ὑμῶν καὶ ὑπομονῇ, ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ πιστευθήσεται. Εἰς ὃ καὶ προσευχόμεθα πάντοτε περὶ ὑμῶν, ἵνα ὑμᾶς ἀξιώσῃ τῆς κλήσεως ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν. Ἐπειδὴ εἶπε πίστιν εἶναι τὴν περὶ αὐτῶν μαρτυρίαν, καὶ ταῦτα οὖσαν περὶ μεγάλων· Ἐν πίστει γὰρ, φησὶν, καὶ ὑπομονῇ, καὶ διωγμοῖς· ἵνα μὴ ἐκ τούτου ὑπτιωθέντες ἀπολέσωσιν ἃ εἰργάσαντο, τούτου χάριν φησὶν, ὅτι Ἀδιαλείπτως περὶ τούτου προσευχόμεθα, ἐναγωνίους αὐτοὺς ποιῶν. Προσευχόμεθα γὰρ, φησὶν, ἵνα ἀξίους ὑμᾶς τῆς κλήσεως ποιήσῃ. Τοῦτο δέ φησιν, οὐχ ὡς ἀναιρῶν τὸ ἐξ ἡμῶν, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ μέγα φρονῶμεν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς αὐτὰ ταῦτα ἃ ἐργαζόμεθα ἐκ συγγνώμης, συλλήπτορα καλῶμεν Θεὸν, ὡς εἰ θαρσήσωμεν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς, ἅπας ἡμῶν εὐθὺς ἀναλυθῇ πόνος. Καὶ πληρώσῃ πᾶσαν εὐδοκίαν ἀγαθοσύνης. ∆είκνυσιν οὔπω τελειωθέντας αὐτούς. Τότε γὰρ μόνον ἡ τελείωσις, ὅταν ὁ καιρὸς παρέλθῃ τοῦ ἀγῶνος· ἐν ὅσῳ δέ τις ἀγωνίζεται, φοβείσθω μὴ πέσῃ· διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ εἴρηται· Μὴ μακάριζε πρὸ τοῦ τέλους. Καὶ ἔργον πίστεως ἐν δυνάμει. Ἵνα ἐνδυναμωθῶσιν, ἔργῳ δεῖξαι τὴν πίστιν. Ὅπως ἐνδοξασθῇ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐν αὐτῷ, κατὰ τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ὅμοιον τῷ εἰρημένῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου· Λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ τοῦτο δείκνυσιν ἐκ τῆς χάριτος ἔχοντας τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ δύνασθαι τοσούτους γενέσθαι ἐν ἔργοις λαμπροῖς. Κἂν γάρ τις ᾖ τέλειος, φησὶν, ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων, τῆς ἀπὸ σοῦ λειπόμενος σοφίας, εἰς οὐδὲν λογισθήσεται. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Βʹ. Ἐρωτῶμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοὶ, ὑπὲρ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡμῶν ἐπισυναγωγῆς ἐπ' αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ μὴ ταχέως σαλευθῆναι ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ νοὸς, μήτε θροεῖσθαι, μήτε διὰ πνεύματος, μήτε διὰ λόγου, μήτε δι' ἐπιστολῆς ὡς δι' ἡμῶν, ὡς ὅτι ἐνέστηκεν ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Μή τις ὑμᾶς ἐξαπατήσῃ κατὰ μηδένα τρόπον, ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ ἔλθῃ ἀποστασία πρῶτον, καὶ ἀποκαλυφθῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἁμαρτίας, ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας, ὁ ἀντικείμενος καὶ ὑπεραιρόμενος ἐπὶ πάντα λεγόμενον Θεὸν ἢ σέβασμα, ὥστε αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς Θεὸν καθίσαι, ἀποδεικνύντα ἑαυτὸν ὅτι ἔστι Θεός. Ἦλθεν εἰς τὸ προκείμενον. Τοῦτο δέ ἐστι τὸ μὴ ὑπάγεσθαι τῇ τῶν ψευδοδιδασκάλων ἀπάτῃ, λεγόντων ἠγγικέναι τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν δευτέραν. Μή τις οὖν ὑμᾶς θορυβείτω, μήτε δοκῶν πνεύματι ἀποκαλύψεως λέγειν, μήτε ἐμὲ τοῦτο εἰρηκέναι προφασιζόμενος. Ἀδύνατον γὰρ τὴν παρουσίαν τὴν δευτέραν ἐλθεῖν μὴ προαποδεδειγμένου τοῦ 95.924 υἱοῦ τῆς ἀπωλείας· λέγει δὲ τὸν Ἀντίχριστον, ὃν καὶ ἐνεργούμενον παρὰ τοῦ Σατανᾶ, φησὶν ἐλεύσεσθαι ἐν πάσῃ πλάνῃ δοκούντων σημείων Οὐ μνημονεύετε, ὅτι ἔτι ὢν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ταῦτα ἔλεγον ὑμῖν, καὶ νῦν τὸ κατέχον οἴδατε, εἰς τὸ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ καιρῷ. Προτέρας αὐτοὺς ἀναμιμνήσκει διδασκαλίας περὶ αὐτῶν τούτων πεποιημένης. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὴν πλάνην τὴν ἐκ τούτων καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἀπόστολος πολλάκις ἐδίδαξε, καὶ ὁ Κύριος πολλάκις ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις παρήγγειλεν, Εἴ τις ὑμῖν εἴπῃ, λέγων· Ἰδοὺ ὧδε ὁ Χριστὸς, ἰδοὺ ἐκεῖ, μὴ ἐξέλθητε. Τὸ γὰρ μυστήριον ἤδη ἐνεργεῖται τῆς ἀνομίας. Μυστήριον ἀνομίας τὰς τῶν αἱρέσεων διδασκαλίας εἶναί φησι, καὶ τὰ ψευδῆ αὐτῶν δόγματα. Ἐκείνου γὰρ προβαδίζουσιν ὁδοποιοῦντες αὐτῷ, καὶ καιρὸν ἀπάτης παρεχόμενοι· ἐξεληλύθεισαν δὲ ἤδη ἀπὸ τοῦ καιροῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων αἱ αἱρέσεις. Τὰ ὅμοια οὖν καὶ Ἰωάννης φησὶν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, Καθὼς ἠκούσατε, ὅτι Ἀντίχριστος ἔρχεται· καὶ νῦν εἰσὶν ἀντίχριστοι πολλοὶ, περὶ τῶν αἱρετικῶν λέγων. Μόνον ὁ κατέχων ἄρτι ἕως ἐκ μέσου γένηται. Καὶ τότε ἀποκαλυφθήσεται ὁ ἄνομος. Τὴν Ῥωμαίων βασιλείαν φησί. Ταύτης γὰρ πληρουμένης, ὁ Ἀντίχριστος ἔρχεται. Ὃν ὁ