1 ¶ Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the
church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We are
bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your
faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each
other aboundeth;
Paul sends this second letter to the Thessalonians
from Athens also, as tradition would have it. The same three persons’ greetings
are sent as in the first letter. Again he prays for grace and peace from God.
He is pleased that their faith and their active, tangible love, or charity for
each other is growing impressively. Charity toward brothers and sisters is the garment
by which faith is clothed. Faith is the bones, organs, and sinews while charity
is the skin.
James 2:14
¶ What doth it profit, my brethren,
though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and
destitute of daily food, 16 And one of
you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye
give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works,
is dead, being alone.
4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the
churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and
tribulations that ye endure: 5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous
judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which
ye also suffer:
The Thessalonian Christians must have been facing
terrible persecution early in the first century. The Roman historian,
Suetonius, mentions briefly imperial persecution against Christians during this
time, but, in all likelihood, this was local persecution. I’ve already
discussed some differences in the Greek and Roman world regarding religious and
civil duties in the comments on the first letter to the Thessalonians. Suffice
it to say, in matters of legal treatment, employment, and social acceptance
Christians in first century Thessalonica would have been under some pretty
extreme pressure to conform.
Paul says that their willingness to endure gives them
a testimony as being worthy of the kingdom of God. We can’t regard this
statement, “that ye may be counted worthy,” as indicating that their salvation
was based on their willingness to suffer persecution as that would be
inconsistent with other statements Paul made under the Holy Spirit’s
inspiration that indicate that saving an individual and keeping that individual
saved is an act of God, not of the person saved.
2Corinthians
1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with
you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22
Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our
hearts.
Ephesians
1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that
ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after
that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Also, in this passage is evidence that persecution
against Christians is a sign of God’s judgment on those doing the deed, as will
be seen in the next set of verses.
6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to
recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7 And to you who are troubled rest with us,
when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that
know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints,
and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was
believed) in that day.
A disturbing thought for most of us carnal minded
Christians is that we have to wait for justice regarding persecution. We may
never see any action against our persecutors in this life. Of course, we would
do well to make sure that the tribulation we suffer is not because of our rebellious
attitude as we use God as an excuse for our own lawlessness.
1 Peter
4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of
Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on
their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or
as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him
not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 17 For the time is come that judgment must begin
at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them
that obey not the gospel of God?
Important to understand is that judgment from God on someone
begins with permitting them to perform the evil in the way of maliciousness and
violence that is in their heart and then raining evil in the way of calamity
and catastrophe down on them.
Christ is returning from heaven with His mighty angels who,
by cross-referencing, are shown to be…
1Thessalonians
3:13 To the end he may stablish your
hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
1Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Christ’s “raptured” or Biblically speaking, “translated”
saints.
Revelation 19:11
¶ And I saw heaven opened, and behold a
white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and
he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in
blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed
him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
This is the translated church, the bride of Christ, which
follows Him from heaven.
Revelation 19:5 ¶ And a voice came out of the throne, saying,
Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and
great. 6 And I heard as it were the
voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice
of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give
honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made
herself ready. 8 And to her was granted
that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen
is the righteousness of saints. 9 And he
saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
10 And I fell at his feet to worship
him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of
thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony
of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Some commentators reference this Old Testament verse and say
it is a foretelling of that great day when Christ physically returns with His
church.
Zechariah 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the
mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives
shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and
there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove
toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Some commentators say this is a reference to the destruction
that is coming with God’s wrath.
Joel 2:1 ¶ Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an
alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the
day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of
clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great
people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any
more after it, even to the years of many generations. 3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them
a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them
a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. 4 The appearance of them is as the appearance
of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. 5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of
mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the
stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. 6 Before their face the people shall be much
pained: all faces shall gather blackness. 7
They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of
war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their
ranks: 8 Neither shall one thrust
another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the
sword, they shall not be wounded. 9 They
shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb
up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. 10 The earth shall quake before them; the
heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall
withdraw their shining: 11 And the LORD
shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is
strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very
terrible; and who can abide it?
The final judgment of a wicked world will come after a
thousand year reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem, but that study is for
another day. In the letters to the Thessalonians we have the translation or
rapture of the church consisting of called-out and saved persons who trust in
Christ’s righteousness alone and not their own and then Christ’s return with
them to defeat and conquer a world of wickedness. These are the promises made
by Paul to the Thessalonians given in trust to him, we believe, by God and with
inspiration, which is wisdom and understanding, from God. If you don’t believe
these promises you might as well just stay home on Sunday morning and watch FOX
News Sunday or some other fictional television. Christ is not reigning now over
the world of men including the U.S. government under either political party.
Satan is the god of this fallen world and has been ever since your first
ancestor turned it over to him.
2Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
But, things are going to change. So, put away your banners,
your dollar-store-political-slogans, your invitations to
turn-America-back-to-God rallies, etc. etc. Trying to deny or prevent what the
Bible says is going to happen is fruitless and a pointless waste of time.
Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were
great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
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