December 11 2005 2 Thess 2
December 11, 2005 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
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2 Thess. 2:1-4, 7-10 “As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God...For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders, and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.”
Years ago, I was fortunate enough to make the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I spent enough time in Israel and experienced the awe of its history. The Old Testament came to life! But what, physically, do we have on this planet to make the verses of the New Testament, such as these from 2 Thessalonians, come to life? Scholars and all sorts of folks constantly search for clues to “prove” the existence of a “ lawless one,” and the various counterfeit miracles and signs, all in an effort to try to pin down the date - - the important date when He will come again.
He will come when He will come.
Are you ready?
When I was a little girl, my grandmother read a Bible story to meet every night at bed time. If I’d been naughty, our was in a foul mood, she always reminded me that I needed to be ready in case Jesus came in the night. She would say, “If Jesus comes in the night, will he take you with him, or will you wake up in the morning to find that you are the only one here. Alone and all by yourself?” It would scare the Dickens out of me! I’d usually bring my sister into it, making Grandma see that surely my sister would be left behind too if I were! But grandma would never leave the room until my soul was at peace (lest you all think I went to sleep every night trembling under the covers)!
I don’t think there have been too many nights that I’ve gone to bed without asking myself, “am I ready?” Though I only lived with my grandparents for a few years, they were years that were blessed with goodness. In those years I learned every lesson a child needs to learn to be a successful and a happy, responsible adult. And I learned them in the loving home and arms of my grandparents, and in our church.
My grandfather passed away last year. He believed that the Lord would come during his lifetime. My grandmother just turned 86. She too always believed that our Lord would come during her lifetime. The one thing they never doubted, however was that they were ready.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the love of my grandparents. Their wisdom, love, and witness of faith by example have been the greatest gifts in my life. Show us all the path to your door, Lord, so that no matter what the date, it doesn’t matter to us; We’ll be ready. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
Contributed by Linda Welch
Click here for today’s podcast!
2 Thess. 2:1-4, 7-10 “As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God...For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders, and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.”
Years ago, I was fortunate enough to make the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I spent enough time in Israel and experienced the awe of its history. The Old Testament came to life! But what, physically, do we have on this planet to make the verses of the New Testament, such as these from 2 Thessalonians, come to life? Scholars and all sorts of folks constantly search for clues to “prove” the existence of a “ lawless one,” and the various counterfeit miracles and signs, all in an effort to try to pin down the date - - the important date when He will come again.
He will come when He will come.
Are you ready?
When I was a little girl, my grandmother read a Bible story to meet every night at bed time. If I’d been naughty, our was in a foul mood, she always reminded me that I needed to be ready in case Jesus came in the night. She would say, “If Jesus comes in the night, will he take you with him, or will you wake up in the morning to find that you are the only one here. Alone and all by yourself?” It would scare the Dickens out of me! I’d usually bring my sister into it, making Grandma see that surely my sister would be left behind too if I were! But grandma would never leave the room until my soul was at peace (lest you all think I went to sleep every night trembling under the covers)!
I don’t think there have been too many nights that I’ve gone to bed without asking myself, “am I ready?” Though I only lived with my grandparents for a few years, they were years that were blessed with goodness. In those years I learned every lesson a child needs to learn to be a successful and a happy, responsible adult. And I learned them in the loving home and arms of my grandparents, and in our church.
My grandfather passed away last year. He believed that the Lord would come during his lifetime. My grandmother just turned 86. She too always believed that our Lord would come during her lifetime. The one thing they never doubted, however was that they were ready.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the love of my grandparents. Their wisdom, love, and witness of faith by example have been the greatest gifts in my life. Show us all the path to your door, Lord, so that no matter what the date, it doesn’t matter to us; We’ll be ready. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
Contributed by Linda Welch
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