Paul refuted claims that the “Day of the Lord” was already underway in his second letter to the Thessalonians. That day would not come until the “Apostasy” occurred and the “Man of Lawlessness” was unveiled in the House of God. When Jesus “arrives” on that final day, he will gather his elect to himself and destroy the “Lawless One.”
Continue readingThessalonians
The Final Onslaught
The New Testament warns believers that before Jesus returns his Church will be under assault from within by deceivers, “false anointed ones,” and “false prophets,” and it does so repeatedly. Before the “Day of the Lord” begins, his disciples will be confronted by the “Man of Lawlessness,” a figure linked to the final “Apostasy,” the final great “falling away” from the true faith.
Continue readingRumors and Disinformation
Rumors about the Day of the Lord caused alarm and confusion in the Thessalonian congregation – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2.
Paul addressed rumors and false claims that the “Day of the Lord has set in” in his second letter to the Thessalonians. Incorrect information about the return of Jesus had disrupted the Assembly. This disinformation was attributed either to a “spirit,” word (logos), or a letter “as if from” the Apostle Paul and his coworkers.
Continue readingSummoning Disciples
Disciples of Jesus are called to leave everything behind, if need be, and dedicate their entire lives to his mission of proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom throughout the Earth. Though the story as recorded in the synoptic gospels is brief, we already begin to glimpse the true cost of discipleship. Jesus began to build his new covenant community in “Galilee of the Nations” by inviting four fishermen to leave their livelihoods and follow him “on the way” which would lead inevitably to his death in Jerusalem.
Continue readingTribulation vs Wrath
The terms “tribulation” and “wrath” are NOT synonymous in Paul’s letters or the Book of Revelation. “Tribulation” is what the disciples of Jesus endure for his sake. “Wrath” is the horrific fate that awaits the wicked at the final judgment. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul writes that God did not appoint them to “wrath.” Yet, in the same letter, he states that believers are appointed to “tribulation.”
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