#086 Welcome to Episode #086 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our sixth of eight episodes in our eleventh mini-series entitled, Mystery of Christ | Galatians to 2 Thessalonians. On this episode, Man of Lawlessness, we’re going to overview the book of 2 Thessalonians.
2 Thessalonians is a short three-chapter follow-up letter Paul wrote shortly after 1 Thessalonians was received by the church. In this letter Paul encourages the church in their persecutions, explains the Day of the Lord, and exhorts the church to remain steadfast and not to stop working.
What we covered in our overview of 1 Thessalonians and what we’re covering today is something few in Christendom today are aware of and yet it is central to the teaching of the Bible. God’s desire from the beginning has been to dwell on the earth with humanity into eternity. The omni-everything God dwelling with mankind which he created in his own image and likeness for just this eternal purpose. But Adam fell…
Adam’s fall was God’s A-Plan to reconcile all things in heaven and on earth to himself through Jesus Christ. The punishment of sin of all mankind for all time was settled at the cross of Christ. Reconciliation and justification of mankind to God since the cross is through placing one’s faith in Jesus Christ. All that is clearly communicated in the Bible.
What is not clear to most Christians is what God is going to do about continued wickedness in the world. Some think the solution to wickedness is the spread of the gospel to all the world with the hope of everyone believing and wickedness ending. At that time, Jesus would return to establish his eternal kingdom on earth and rule a world already living at peace. That is not what the Bible says.
The Bible clearly says the world will continue in wickedness until the spiritual rebellion in heaven by Satan and his angels is dealt with once and for all. That will not happen until the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20 when the devil, his angels, death and hades are all thrown into the eternal lake of fire where they will remain forever into eternity. After which the eternal state with God dwelling with humans on earth starts.
In Genesis 11, God disinherited the nations because of their rebellion at the Tower of Babel. In Genesis 12, God chose Abraham through whom a descendant would bless people from all nations. God chose the descendants of the promise to Abraham, Israel, and covenanted with them to be a light for the nations. Through the line of Judah, and king David, Jesus was descended.
When deaf and blind Israel rejected Jesus as their Messiah and had him put to death on the cross God opened the door to salvation to people of all nations of the world through the faith of Abraham. By grace through faith anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
Once the full number of the Gentiles comes to faith along with believing Jews, then a great tribulation as never experienced before in the world will commence leading to the much-prophesied Day of the Lord. This what 2 Thessalonians is dealing with.
The Day of the Lord is a central focus of Old Testament prophetic texts. It is a day of God’s wrath when He will judge the world in righteousness. Paul makes it very clear in 1 Thessalonians, that Jesus is coming back before the great tribulation to take his bride (the church) to himself.
In 1 Thessalonians, Paul addressed the imminence of Christ’s return to get his bride, the church. He specifically mentions the return of Jesus it at the end of each chapter for a total of five times in the text. The purpose of Jesus’ return Paul was mentioning had to do with the church not suffering the wrath of God to come.
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 – For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and tr
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