Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Thessalonians 1-3.

Once again Paul begins one of his letters by talking about prayer.  First, he says that he feels like he ought to thank God for the Thessalonian Believers, which is praying.  Then a few sentences later he writes that he constantly prays for them.  We should follow Paul’s example and pray for the Believers whom we know.  And what does he pray for about them?  He prays that God might bring to fruition their desire for goodness and the deeds which their faith prompts them to attempt.  Paul did not pray for them to receive good things, he prayed that their desire for goodness would be fulfilled, that they would be good as they, in the Spirit, desired to be.  He also did not pray that all of their deeds would be successful, only those which their faith prompted them to perform.

Paul goes on to speak of Jesus’ return.  He writes that will not happen to “the man of lawlessness is revealed.”  He goes on to say that the lawless one will use signs and wonders to serve the lie and to use wickedness to deceive those who are perishing.  Those who are perishing are doing so because they refuse to love the truth and instead delight in wickedness.  I want to point out a connection between praying and a love of truth.  If we love the truth, we will pray to God that He will reveal it to us more fully.  As He reveals that truth to us, we will pray more.  Resulting in God revealing the truth yet more clearly.  And as we embrace the truth we will act on it.  The more we act on God’s truth, the more we will pray, leading us back to God revealing more of His truth.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Thessalonians 1-3.

Paul writes that there will be those who falsely claim that the day of the Lord has already come, but we should not allow them to alarm us.  Paul tells us that the day of the Lord will not come until the rebellion occurs.  He does not tell us how to recognize the rebellion, except that when it occurs the “man of lawlessness” will be revealed.  Paul tells us quite a bit about this man of lawlessness.  First, he tells us that he will oppose everything which is called God, or is worshiped, and he will exalt himself over those things.  In fact, the man of lawlessness will proclaim himself to be God.  Every time I read this, it makes me wonder if Paul is referring to a single individual, or to society in general.  I look at our society today and see it encouraging people to oppose God and to view themselves as God.  On the other hand, Paul does seem to be referring to an individual whom others will worship.  In any case, Paul warns us that the power of lawlessness is already working in our society, but is being held back.  When it is no longer held back, the lawless one will be revealed and will deceive those who refuse to love the truth.  Again, I look at our society today and see people who refuse to embrace the truth, who instead choose to embrace lies and falsehoods.  People refuse to accept the truth because they delight in wickedness.  So, if we love and embrace truth, we will not be deceived by the signs and wonders which promote and serve lies.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Thessalonians 1-3.

Once again in writing to the Thessalonian Believers Paul writes about Christ’s return.  In his previous letter to them, Paul had written that Christ’s return would be like a thief in the night.  From what he writes here it appears that some were telling the Believers that they had missed it.  After all, if Christ would return like a thief in the night, then some might miss His coming.  Paul tells them that they should not let such teachers deceive them.  The day of Christ’s return will not come until the man of lawlessness is revealed.  Most people read what Paul writes here as referring to a specific singular individual, the Anti Christ.  However, every where in the New Testament where the term antichrist is used, it suggests that the antichrist is not specific individual, but instead is an attitude possessed by many people.  My personal opinion on this is that we should be watching for an individual who matches Paul’s description here, while at the same time applying this verse as if it refers to a more general attitude among people in general.

So, what does Paul tell us about the man of lawlessness who must be revealed before Christ’s return?  He writes that he is destined for destruction.  further, Paul writes that the man of lawlessness will oppose and exalt himself over everything which is worshiped or called God.  Indeed, the man of lawlessness will declare himself to be God.  On the one hand, as I read what Paul writes here, he seems to be speaking about a singular individual who will appear shortly before Christ’s return.  On the other hand, Paul’s description of the man of lawlessness sounds a lot like what our society today promotes.  Our culture today opposes everything which is called God, except in cases where people set themselves up as their own gods.  It certainly looks as if the one who holds back the man of lawlessness has been taken out of the way.  Does that mean that an individual will soon arise who will fulfill Paul’s prophecy?  Or, has his prophecy already been fulfilled by the rise of a society of lawlessness?  In either case, we should be prepared for Christ’s soon return.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.