2 Thessalonians 2:2

ESV not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

NIV not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come.

NASB 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.

CSB not to be easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord has come.

NLT 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.

KJV That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

NKJV not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.

What does 2 Thessalonians 2:2 mean?

Paul urges his readers not to let false teachings about the day of the Lord upset them or cause them to be afraid. They were to reject false teaching, whether it came by prophecy, a report, or a letter. Paul had already explained truths about these things to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13–17; 5:1–11), but they were now experiencing doubts.

Some who taught error about the day of the Lord claimed to have received the teaching directly from God. Some said they heard it from one source or another. In addition, the church must have received the teaching from a letter that bore a counterfeit of Paul's signature. Specifically, the false teaching alleged that the day of the Lord had arrived.

In his first letter the apostle John urges believers not to "believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone into the world" (1 John 4:1). John's advice parallels Paul's advice to the Thessalonians. Today, we must compare religious teachings with the teaching of Scripture, if we wish to enjoy peace of mind and spiritual balance.

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