Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Year 8, Day 290: 2 Thessalonians 1-2


Theological Commentary: Click Here



Reading through the first 2 chapters of 2 Thessalonians is a study of contrasts.  The first chapter is all about God and His people.  The second chapter is primarily about those who abandon God and their time.  We get to see both perspectives in this chapter.



As we look at these contrasts, there are some important things to note.  The most important is our salvation comes so that the name of the Lord may be glorified.  We are saved, God has come to us, for the sake of His name.  To this end, god works within us.  God perfects us.  He does the work, we reap the benefit.



On the other hand, there is the time of lawlessness.  I love the words that Paul uses here.  In order for the Day of the Lord to come, there has to be a time of rebellion. In order for the glory of God to shine most brightly, humanity must go through its ultimate rebellion.



This makes a ton of sense.  Is not light the most bright in the midst of absolute darkness?  Which is more devastating, looking into a flashlight in broad daylight or looking into a flashlight in the utter darkness of the night?  It simply makes sense.  In order for the glory of the Lord to shine the most brightly, it must come in the midst of the greatest darkness that humanity can muster.  In order for the Day of the Lord to come, the human rebellion must come first.



What is the time of lawlessness?  This is a time when human beings exalt themselves up as though they are gods.  It will be a time of false signs and great deception.  It is a time when truth is rejected.  The weak will be deluded.



<><

No comments:

Post a Comment