³² When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him, but others said, “We’d like to hear from you again about this.”

Resurrection Essential to the Faith

¹² Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead,^(A) how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”?^{(B) 13} If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; ¹⁴ and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith.^{[a] 15} Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses^(C) about God, because we have testified^(D) wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Now concerning the coming^(A) of our Lord^(B) Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him: We ask you, brothers and sisters, ² not to be easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy^[a](C) or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord^[b](D) has come.^(E)