2 Thessalonians 2:2-3 KJV
That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
• As the day of the Lord is at hand
• That day shall not come
The focus of the passage is the day of the Lord. But the apostle's point is that the day hasn't come already. That seems opposite of his usual message that the day of the Lord is imminent.
There is a difference in the attitude of the one who believes that day could happen at any moment versus the one who believes it has already come.
• The one is hopeful
• The other is desperate
The Christian position concerning the day of the Lord is as important as any Christian doctrine. Eschatology, the doctrine of last things - the day of the Lord - is as vital as any truth in the word of God.
Vital enough that we must be careful that no one deceives us concerning it.
That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
• As the day of the Lord is at hand
• That day shall not come
The focus of the passage is the day of the Lord. But the apostle's point is that the day hasn't come already. That seems opposite of his usual message that the day of the Lord is imminent.
There is a difference in the attitude of the one who believes that day could happen at any moment versus the one who believes it has already come.
• The one is hopeful
• The other is desperate
The Christian position concerning the day of the Lord is as important as any Christian doctrine. Eschatology, the doctrine of last things - the day of the Lord - is as vital as any truth in the word of God.
Vital enough that we must be careful that no one deceives us concerning it.
Thanks for this post. I appreciate you giving voice to the fact that the New Testament exhorts to Godliness constantly from an eschatological perspective! Even Jesus' evangelism in Matthew has more than a hint of eschatology in it—"repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!"
ReplyDeleteHave you read "Living for the Kingdom: Eternal Significance as Motivation for the Christian Life" by Kenneth B. Quick? It's about the exact same topic, and looks pretty fascinating.
I have not read the book. But thanks for the suggestion.
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