Isaiah 1:21-31
Psalms 5, 6, 10, and 11
1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Luke 20:9-18
Thessalonians 2:8
And then the lawless one will be revealed
whom the Lord Jesus will destroy….
All through today’s readings run themes of fear, of destruction and
salvation. Just how literally these should be taken is hard to know as, like
much of the bible, they reflect contradictions in ideas and in timing. Before
Jesus brought the new covenant it seems to me that the Jews were a people
living constantly in fear of destruction if they did not obey the law. The New
Testament is much more understandable in its theme of repentance and
forgiveness. Yet in Thessalonians 2 the writer, presumably Paul, talks of Jesus
destroying the lawless ones. As this letter is said to be one of the earliest
writings of Paul I can only conclude that there is still a strong carry over of
Old Testament thought and also that the writer is influenced by his recent
escape from persecution in Thessalonica. He warns the Christians in
Thessalonica to be extra wary of falling into sin in a hostile and Godless
country.
So I conclude this must be the message for us. As the world around
us seems to become more secular we must remember both the forgiving message of
Jesus and at the same time not forget that the alternative to an eternal life
in the presence of Jesus is “destruction” which I take to mean some spiritual
existence without the presence of Jesus and our loved ones.
Surely we can look forward to commemorating the birth of our Savior
with renewed enthusiasm as we read Paul’s warning and hear his message.
Ron Merrett