Tuesday, May 04, 2010

A Proof of HIS Righteousness

2 Thessalonians 1:5 KJV
Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

Gill
the meaning of the words is this, that whereas good men are afflicted and persecuted in this life, they have now their evil things, and bad men prosper and flourish, and have their good things, so that justice does not seem to take place; which seeming inequality in Providence has been sometimes the hardening of wicked men, and the staggering of the righteous, which should not be; this is now a manifest token, and a clear case, that there will be a righteous judgment, in which things will be set aright, and justice will take place

Barnes
The general sense seems to be, that the fact that they were thus persecuted was an evidence that there would be a future judgment, when the righteous who were persecuted would be rewarded, and the wicked who persecuted them would be punished. The manner in which they bore their trials was an indication also of what the result would be in regard to them. Their patience and faith under persecutions were constantly showing that they would “be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which they were called to suffer.”.... the sense is, that the endurance of affliction in a proper manner by the righteous is a proof that there will be a righteous judgment of God in the last day"

The Word of God here says that one of those manifestations that God's judgment (on this world) is righteous is that Christians are persecuted and they have demonstrated faith and patience while they have been persecuted.

Our reaction to persecution, oppression and trials on this planet are more important than what we might believe. They go to the glory of God and serve as an enduring testimony to the unbeliever that indeed our faith is genuine.

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