Mark mentions how the Pharisees observed “the traditions of the elders” (7:3, 5), one of which was the requirement to wash their hands carefully before eating, and another of which was cleansing themselves after returning from the marketplace. Those traditions were originally based on God’s commandments and were designed to put a hedge around them, so that by following the “fence laws,” there was no possibility of breaking God’s laws.

For example, the Mosaic law declared, “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk” (Ex. 34:26). This related to an occult fertility rite practiced by the Canaanites—whom the Israelites dispossessed after their deliverance from Egypt. God didn’t want His people practicing pagan superstitions. The Jews, however, ignored the spirit of that particular law and created fence laws to prevent anyone from getting anywhere close to breaking the letter of it.

For example, a person might, at the same meal, drink goat’s milk and eat goat meat. There was some chance—albeit a slim one—that the milk might be from the mother of the goat that was being eaten. Once mixed in the stomach and heated there, a “boiling” of sorts would occur, and one would be guilty of boiling a goat in its mother’s milk! So a fence law was established to prevent such a “transgression” from ever occurring. That law forbade the eating of any meat and dairy product together, because you never know if some goat’s meat may have mixed with some beef at the slaughter house, or if some goat’s milk may have been mixed with some cow’s milk at the dairy!

If one ate any meat product, he must wait a specified time for it to be fully digested before consuming any dairy product, and vice versa, lest they mix in one’s stomach. And all meat and dairy products should be kept in separate kitchens, lest there be any accidental mixing of the two. Moreover, completely separate dishes must be kept for eating meat and dairy products, because there was a chance that a small particle of cheese might remain on your plate from a previous meal. If that cheese was made from goat’s milk, and if you happen to eat some goat’s meat on that same plate, that goat’s meat might be from a goat whose mother’s milk was used to make the cheese, and thus when combined in your stomach, you’d be guilty of boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk! (It was because of these fence laws that I found it impossible to order a cheese pizza with pepperoni the last time I visited in Israel!)

There were at least 1,500 fence laws surrounding the single commandment that forbade working on the Sabbath. Walking across a field on the Sabbath was forbidden, because you might inadvertently cause a grain of wheat to separate from its stalk, thus making you guilty of reaping on the Sabbath. Your foot might also step on a grain that had fallen on the ground, and by stepping on it, you might cause the wheat to be separated from the chaff, making you guilty of threshing on the Sabbath. It was also possible that your garment could create a breeze that would cause the chaff to blow away, making you guilty of winnowing on the Sabbath. And if a bird saw that grain and swooped down to eat it, you would be guilty of storing grain on the Sabbath!

Eventually, all those fence laws came to be considered as binding as the Mosaic Law, and they were compiled into what is called the Mishna. If there was disagreement between the two, the Mishna, by its own testimony, actually superseded the Mosaic Law. This Jesus condemned, citing an example of how the scribes and Pharisees invalidated the fifth commandment, and by their tradition released people from responsibility of caring for their elderly parents. Their doctrines were “precepts of men,” which proved that their hearts were far from God.

The lesson for us? Beware of man-made doctrines. And if we understand the reasons behind God’s commandments, we’re less likely to be misled by those who want to saddle us with heavy burdens.

We also read about the Gerasene demoniac in Matthew’s Gospel, but I didn’t comment then knowing that Mark’s Gospel contains the most detailed report. Matthew reported two demon-possessed men (Matt. 8:28), whereas Mark and Luke reported only one. Keep in mind that Matthew was an eyewitness (Mark 3:18). If Mark and Luke knew there were two demoniacs, they may have simply focused on one of them. Some folks spotlight little discrepancies like these to prove the Bible can’t be trusted, but that seems quite foolish to me in light of the fact that 99% of what Matthew, Mark and Luke report harmonize perfectly. What real difference does it make if Jesus delivered one or two men that day?

Again we read of a demon who, animating himself through a man, bowed before Jesus, fearful of being tormented “before the time,” according to Matthew (Matt. 8:29). Demons have no hope of salvation, and apparently anticipate with terror the day when they will be cast into the lake of fire with Satan, whom Scripture tells us will be tormented there “day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10). How tragic it is that humans, who, unlike demons, have an opportunity to find forgiveness, choose instead to waltz through life, never once bowing before the only One who can save them from the lake of fire.

The legion of demons in this man made him supernaturally strong—enough to break chains. No doubt everyone in his region was terrified of him. The demon in him, however, was terrified of Jesus, begging not to be tormented! In light of this, what a dishonor it is to Jesus when Christians are fearful of demons. It is like elephants being afraid of mice! The truth is, demons are terrified of Christ who lives in us!

We can only speculate how this man became so possessed. I think it is safe to say, however, that he was not simply walking along one day, perfectly in his right mind, when suddenly a demon jumped inside of him and instantly turned him into a raving lunatic. Rather, it seems much more likely that the man began to entertain demonic thoughts, and he slowly became obsessed. Gradually, as he continually yielded, his condition grew worse, until his downward spiral took him beyond obsession to oppression and then possession. Satan gains entrance through people’s thoughts, and thus he can be kept at bay by simply following Paul’s admonition to dwell upon whatever is true, honorable, right, pure and so on (Phil. 4:8).

Apparently, at least 2,000 demons dwelled in that man, as that is how many pigs rushed into the Sea of Galilee. What a sight that would have been to see—2,000 pigs suddenly going berserk and committing suicide! It may seem rather unkind of Jesus to allow those demons to enter the pigs—unkind not only to the pigs, but also to the owners of those pigs, who lost a lot of money that day. Why didn’t Jesus forbid the demons to enter the pigs, especially in light of the fact that once those pigs were possessed, they were soon dead?

Some have speculated that, because pigs were considered unclean under the old covenant and Jews were forbidden to eat pork, Jesus was sending a strong message in that regard to the pig’s owners and everyone else. Personally, I don’t know. I do know, however, that the Son of God, maker of all things, not only owns “the cattle on a thousand hills” (Ps. 50:10), but all the pigs as well. He can do what He wants with them. I’ve noticed that the frequent natural disasters in the world, obviously permitted by God, regularly result in millions of dollars of losses. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away (Job 1:21). I do hope that stunning display of God’s power along the Sea of Galilee was enough to wake some sinners from their slumber! Better to lose your pigs and gain salvation than vice versa.

Although those demons had the sense to bow before Jesus, the people of the Gerasene region were not so wise, asking Jesus to leave them. He graciously complied, but left behind an evangelist with an amazing testimony.

We, of course, read Jesus’ Parable of the Sower and the Soils in Matthew’s Gospel three months ago. Let’s consider it a little more closely today. It is not a parable about heaven-bound Christians who are more or less receptive to their pastor’s sermons. It is a parable that explains why some people are saved and some are not. Describing the first soil, Jesus said, “the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12).

Notice that it was not the sower who determined which seeds germinated, grew, and bore fruit. The sower simply scattered the seed. Rather, it was each soil that determined if the sower’s seeds germinated, grew and bore fruit. I can almost hear a stampede of Calvinists running for the doors! Sorry my beloved Calvinist friends, I didn’t write the Bible! God wants everyone to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9), which is why Jesus died for everyone (1 John 2:2) and why He told us to preach the gospel to everyone (Mark 16:15). Yet some hearts are receptive, and some aren’t. That is why some are saved and others are not.

In the first scenario, some seed fell beside the road where the soil would have been hardened by foot and animal traffic. It was easy pickings for the birds. Similarly, hardened hearts make it easy for Satan to “take away the word which has been sown” (4:15).

God is grieved by people’s hardness of hearts (3:5; 16:14), which would make it quite odd if He was the one who was hardening their hearts. Calvinists are quick to point out a few verses that speak of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. Indeed, as an act of righteous judgment, God may further harden the heart of someone who has already hardened his own heart to the degree of sending away his day of grace. God is not, however, in the business of hardening the hearts of people who otherwise would have been receptive. That would make God worse than Satan and worthy to be spit upon, and Calvinists will not find a scriptural example of Him ever doing such a wicked, unrighteous thing.

In the second scenario, the seed fell on rocky soil. It germinated and sprouted, but because the soil was thin, when the sun rose the soil dried up and the plant withered, having no deep roots. Jesus said this represents those who initially receive the word with joy, but who fall away when affliction or persecution arises. According to Luke’s version of this parable, Jesus said that these are people who “believe for a while” (Luke 8:13). They are temporary believers. So these plants represent people who hear the gospel, happily believe it, experience new life (germination) and even begin to grow spiritually. Under persecution, however, they abandon their faith. Surely I’ve now started a stampede of “once-saved-always-saved” advocates who are running for the doors!

In the third scenario, the seed fell among the thorns. Those seeds also germinated, sprouted and began to grow, indicating that Jesus was describing new believers. Thorn bushes, however, choked the young plants. The thorns represent “the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things” (4:19) which, taking priority, prevent believers from bearing fruit, which is not a good condition to be found in at harvest time. So beware of worries, riches, desires, and anything that might take priority over serving God!

The fourth soil is the only good soil, representing, according to Luke’s account, “an honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15). It is the only soil that produces fruitful plants, which means it is the only soil that produces people who will ultimately be saved, since faith without works cannot save (Jas. 2:14). In spite of soothing sermons that assure us that God’s grace is sufficient to overpower the warnings of God’s word, Jesus never lies.

For this reason it is all the more important that we obey Jesus’ admonition to “take care what you listen to” (4:24). Satan is extremely generous when it comes to sharing his lies. Beware!

It would seem that Jesus’ healing of the man with the withered hand should be classified, not as a healing, but as a creative miracle. The man’s hand was not diseased, but disfigured. Bones and flesh were created as he obeyed Jesus and stretched out his hand, perhaps what was impossible for him to do from a natural standpoint. Meditate on that and let it build your faith in Jesus!

Almost equally amazing as the restoration of that man’s hand is the hardness of the hearts of the Pharisees, who, upon seeing that incredible miracle, immediately began conspiring how they might kill Jesus (3:6). The scribes, of equal hard-heartedness, declared that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Satan, an imbecilic statement to be sure, and one that Jesus exposed for its stupidity (3:22-27). It was in the context of those callous religious leaders that Jesus warned of the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and no wonder. Anyone who could witness such miracles, done by the power of the Holy Spirit, and call it the work of Satan, has a heart beyond redemption. More specifically, as Mark points out, the scribes were saying that Jesus was possessed by an unclean spirit (3:30). That is tantamount to calling the Holy Spirit a demon.

You may have heard that there is a website called “The Blasphemy Challenge,” where people can receive a free DVD that promotes atheism if they will upload a video to YouTube of themselves blaspheming the Holy Spirit. It is certainly interesting for a group that doesn’t believe in God to be quoting on their website Jesus’ warning in Mark 3:29 against blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and challenging people, as their website says, to “damn themselves to hell.” Why waste your time recording a video of yourself blaspheming the Holy Spirit if there is no God and no hell?

It reminds me of a story I heard years ago of a young Christian girl who lived in communist Russia. Her school teacher demanded that she stand in front of her class and curse God. Her response was full of simple wisdom: “Teacher, if there is a God, then I dare not curse Him. And if there is no God, there is no reason to curse Him, as there is no one to curse.”

Mark certainly conveys to us how overwhelmed Jesus was with people who wanted healing and deliverance (3:7-10, 20). At one point along the Sea of Galilee, the crowd was pressing in to such a degree that Jesus had His disciples make a boat ready. This indicates, as do other scriptures, that Jesus operated in His earthly ministry as a man anointed by the Holy Spirit with gifts of the Holy Spirit. Thus, He could not do a miracle, such as walk on water, any time He desired. Gifts of the Spirit operate as the Spirit wills (1 Cor. 12:11; Heb. 2:4). Jesus Himself testified of His limitations, saying “the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing” (John 5:19). That is why He did no miracles until after He was anointed by the Holy Spirit when baptized by John. Unless the Holy Spirit imparted a gift that made walking on the water possible, Jesus was limited like any other person. He had to use a boat.

I have never understood why the demons would shout through people in Jesus’ presence, “You are the Son of God!” (3:11). It would seem that they were defeating their own purpose. Mark says that the demons would fall down before Jesus at such times (3:11). It was almost as if they were compelled, in terror, to do it. Whatever their motivation, to me it is one more revelation of Jesus’ greatness. In His presence, demons are compelled to fall before Him and confess who He is. How amazing it is that while demons are so compelled, God has given human beings free wills whereby they can ignore Him or even spit on Him. In this regard, we might advise human beings that they could learn something from demons! Fear God!

Let us imagine what must have occurred as we consider Mark’s short rendition of the story of the paralytic in Capernaum.

First, the paralyzed man’s four friends must have discussed among themselves what to do when they heard that Jesus was back in town. Somebody came up with the idea to take him to Jesus, and it may well have been the paralyzed man himself. If not, he certainly had to at least agree with the plan of his four friends. So they picked him up on a pallet and headed towards the house where Jesus was teaching. All five had faith.

When they arrived, however, every door and window was blocked with people. I wonder why they didn’t just wait for Jesus to exit at the conclusion of the meeting. Perhaps they were afraid that Jesus, who was definitely in an elusive mode, might elude them! I also wonder why they didn’t attempt to persuade people to move out from the doorway to let them through. Perhaps they did, but no one was willing to give up his spot. If so, it may have just fueled their determination. I suspect that one of the four was the owner of the house, since only he would have had the right to destroy the roof of the house.

So they carried their paralyzed friend up on the roof—which would have been flat—probably by means of an outside stairway. The exterior roof of the house would have been the same as the interior ceiling, constructed of hardened clay and supported by timber rafters. Thus, Mark wrote that the four men had to “dig” an opening (2:4).

Digging an opening was not something that would have gone unnoticed inside. There would have been pounding and digging sounds reverberating through the house and pieces of clay falling from the ceiling. Dust would have begun to fill the air. Eventually the men would have broken through, and a shaft of light would have pierced the room. And how long might it have taken them to dig an opening large enough to accommodate a full-grown man lying horizontally?

I can’t imagine that some folks on the inside didn’t vocalize their disapproval, particularly as the interior atmosphere filled with dust. And since the opening that the four men dug was directly over Jesus, I can’t help but wonder if Jesus was able to continue His sermon in light of the distraction above Him. There is no record, of course, of Him shouting up through the ever-widening whole, “Hey, can’t you see you are disrupting our meeting and filling our lungs with dust?” Personally, I just imagine Him stepping back, folding His arms, and leaning up against a wall with a big smile on His face, as He enjoyed observing faith in action.

Eventually, there was a large opening in the ceiling above Him, and four faith-filled faces were peering over the edges. They were right on target! After more commotion on the roof, the opening suddenly darkened, and slowly, by means of four ropes, a paralyzed man on a pallet was lowered into the room—not an easy feat to accomplish without dumping the man off the pallet. One mistake, and he may have ended up even more paralyzed!

But finally, after what must have been at least a half-hour distraction, there was a man lying in front of Jesus. His faith was evident. Jesus assured him that his sins were forgiven (perfectly playing the part of God), and then told the man to get up. He could have responded, “I’d love to, but I’m paralyzed,” but he acted on his faith and found that he was able to do the impossible.

Wow, what a story! What can we learn? Primarily this: Believers aren’t quitters. So don’t quit!

Mark, like Matthew, also highlights the scribes’ and Pharisees’ growing animosity towards Jesus, who was not the least bit enthusiastic about their traditions which had no basis in God’s Word. They were like old, inflexible leather wineskins—unfit for the truth that bubbles like fermenting new wine inside those of us who believe! It makes us feel good on the inside and happy on the outside!

Our unique reading plan is designed so that we journey through the New Testament chronologically, with the exception that we are reading one of the four Gospels every quarter. Hopefully, it has been helpful to know that after two decades of the church’s existence, the New Testament consisted of only four epistles—James, Galatians, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians, the latter three being written for a limited readership. So it was not the epistles that were the central focus of teaching within the early church, but the teachings of Christ, orally passed along. The goal was to make disciples who obeyed all of His commandments.

Moreover, according to early church historian Eusebius, the Gospel of Matthew may well have been penned and begun its circulation among the churches as early as A.D. 42, about 12 years after Pentecost. Ultimately, of course, there were four Gospels. If each Gospel author was inspired to write his Gospel—and I believe each was—then that says something about what God feels is most important. And the redundancy of Matthew and Mark should serve to remind us of that fact. Taking a cue from God, I might be a little redundant myself as we work our way through Mark’s Gospel, the shortest of the four!

There was revival down at the Jordan River, but it wasn’t characterized by people acting drunk and testifying of strange visions, nor was it led by a slick evangelist in a silk suit telling stories and taking up offerings. Rather, it was characterized by the tears of people who were confessing their sins, and it was led by a man who was the epitome of simplicity, who wore rough clothing and ate locusts and honey. (I suspect he roasted the locusts and dipped them in honey sauce to make them go down a little easier!)

Take note that John was “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (1:4). That was God’s offer, and that has always been God’s offer. God forgives those who repent. That is why Jesus proclaimed, “Repent and believe in the gospel” (1:15). That is why Jesus told His disciples after His resurrection that “repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed…to all the nations” (Luke 24:47).

God forgives those who repent. Those five words sum up the true gospel and the true grace of God. God isn’t offering grace for people to continue sinning. He has never offered that kind of grace. He isn’t offering forgiveness for those who simply “accept Jesus,” or who “invite Jesus into their hearts,” or who tell God they are sorry for their sins. He forgives those who turn away from sinning. The call to holiness is part and parcel of the gospel, yet it has been all but lost from the modern American gospel.

How I would have loved to sit outside Peter’s home in Capernaum with a video camera the evening that “the whole city had gathered at the door” as Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons (1:33)! To see the miracles and the expressions on people’s faces would be pure ecstasy! And we could have made a movie and shown it to everyone in the world! So why didn’t Jesus wait to come to earth until after the invention of the video camera? Perhaps it was because He had something even better in mind—namely continued healing miracles and deliverances through His servants, just as we have read about in the book of Acts. Again our hearts cry today, Lord, restore Your power to Your true church! May true miracles be wrought through your true servants so that Your name is magnified!

After Jesus cleansed the leper whom we read about today, He told him to show himself to the priest as a testimony to them (1:44). I suspect the priest to whom he showed himself had to search through his scrolls to find out what to do, as this was most likely the first time any Israelite leper had been healed since the Law was given. The tradition of elders, held by the rabbis, stated that if any such miracle ever occurred, it would reveal the Messiah. Yet they still rejected Jesus.

If you’ve always heard that believers will be raptured well before the antichrist is revealed, you now know that what you’ve always heard has been wrong. Just as we learned in 1 Thessalonians 4-5 and in Matthew 24:29-31, today’s reading again affirms that the rapture of the church will occur during “the day of the Lord” (2:1-2). Moreover, Paul explicitly states that Jesus will not come, and we will not be “gathered together to Him,” until the “apostasy” takes place and the antichrist is revealed (2:3-4). It couldn’t be more clear.

What is the “apostasy” of which Paul wrote? To apostatize is to renounce one’s belief. Remember that Jesus foretold of an apostasy prior to His return:

Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name. And at that time many will fall away and will deliver up one another and hate one another (Matt. 24:9-10).

Under intense global persecution and the threat of death, many professing Christians will apostatize. Worse, those who do apostatize will betray those who don’t. Apostates will be handing over church membership directories to the authorities. Sheep who attended goat churches will surely regret it then!

Paul wrote that the antichrist would take “his seat in the temple of God, displaying Himself as being God” (2:4). When Paul penned those words, the temple in Jerusalem was still standing. It was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Romans, however, and has never been rebuilt. Yet, because many Jews in modern Israel hope to see the temple rebuilt, and because of what Paul wrote about the antichrist taking his seat in the temple of God, many Christians believe that the Jerusalem temple will be rebuilt.

Others, however, take a more figurative interpretation of Paul’s words, thinking that the temple of which Paul wrote is the church, as he did in other places (see 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 6:16). They maintain that the antichrist will “take his seat in the temple of God” by becoming a central figure in the apostate church, and that he will lead the global persecution against true believers, and thus we should not anticipate the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. However, if the temple of which Paul wrote in 2:4 is the true church and the antichrist is a central figure in the apostate church, it can hardly be said that he “takes his seat in the temple of God” (2:4). So I still think the temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem.

There are other debates as well. Some say that the “restrainer” of 2:6-7—who restrains the antichrist “so that in his time he may be revealed”—is also the church, interpreting 2:7b to say, “The church that now restrains the antichrist from being revealed will continue to restrain the antichrist until the church is taken away at the rapture.” That interpretation, however, flatly contradicts Paul’s previous words about the rapture not occurring until after the antichrist is revealed (2:1-3). Also, I wonder how the church has restrained the antichrist for 2,000 years, especially since the antichrist obviously was not even alive for at least 1,950 of those years!

All of that being so, I think the one who restrains the antichrist must be God, and I suspect that the first “he” of 2:7 refers to Him, and the second “he” of 2:7 refers to the antichrist, whom God will “take out of the way” when Jesus returns, just as Paul describes in the very next verse (see 2:8).

The antichrist will be empowered by Satan to perform signs and false wonders, but he will not be outside the control of God. In fact, Paul tells us that the antichrist will help to fulfill God’s plan to delude those who have already rejected the truth (2:11). Note that they are not people whom God sovereignly willed from eternity past to be deceived. Rather, they are people whom God gave opportunity to be saved yet who “did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness” (2:12). God has, however, “chosen…from the beginning” to save those who would have “faith in the truth” (2:13).

If you’ve ever wondered what is a good way to pray for evangelists, apostles, and missionaries, today’s reading offers some insight. Paul requested prayer “that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified…and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men” (3:1-2). Similarly, from a prison cell in Rome, Paul would later write, “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:19). Paul believed that the prayers of God’s people could make a difference in his circumstances.

Although he certainly had his share of persecution, prison time, and death plots, the Lord faithfully delivered Paul every time—at least until his martyrdom. Near the end of his life he would write to Timothy:

But you followed my…perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me! (2 Tim. 3:10-11).

In a sense, even martyrdom is not a failure on God’s part to provide deliverance. It is the ultimate deliverance, as Paul would confess in that same letter to Timothy:

The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever (2 Tim. 4:18).

The worst thing anyone can do to us is send us to heaven sooner than we expected! So never forget that if God wants you alive, no person can kill you. And if He wants you dead, no person can keep you alive. We’re in His hands!

Apparently, a problem that Paul addressed in his first letter still persisted among the Thessalonian believers. Some in the church were sponging off of others, a phenomenon that soon surfaces whenever charity is available. To love our neighbors as ourselves certainly includes meeting the pressing needs of fellow believers; in fact, our very salvation is authenticated by such acts of mercy (see Matt 24:31-46). On the other hand, to love our neighbors as ourselves also includes not being a burden to others, expecting them to meet our needs from their labor. Laziness and sponging off of others is a sign of selfishness. Thus, “If anyone will not work, neither let him eat” (3:10)

For this reason, we must be careful that our kindness doesn’t enable laziness or empower irresponsibility. Rather, we should focus on meeting the needs of those who cannot provide for themselves, such as widows and orphans.

I am not, however, speaking of wealthy widows or well-off orphans in Western nations, but of those in poorer places who have no one to care for them. Yet even compassion for poor widows can result in fostering laziness in widows who can work or serve. Paul would later write guidelines for charity towards widows that clearly addressed that very issue. No widow who “gives herself to wanton pleasure” should be supported by the church (1 Tim. 5:6). Only those widows who “continue in entreaties and prayers night and day” and who are “devoted…to every good work” are worthy of assistance (1 Tim. 5:5, 10).

Finally, notice how often the principle of discipleship is subtly mentioned today. Paul and his companions had set a good example before the Thessalonians of leading disciplined lives, working hard to provide for their own needs so as not to be a burden to anyone (3:7-9). Paul’s life was his greatest sermon.

One final thought: Pastors who must work “secular” jobs to support themselves because they serve small flocks are often looked upon as lesser pastors, but as we have just read, they have a biblical precedent. Similarly, Paul told the pastors/elders in Ephesus, “You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive'” (Acts 20:34-35). God bless all the hard-working pastors of little flocks!

It is assumed that Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians was also written when he was settled in Corinth for 18 months. Paul elaborates on some of the same issues as he did in his first letter, so this second letter may well have followed the first by just a few months.

Persecution had not abated in Thessalonica (1:4). Interestingly, Paul wrote that the “persecutions and afflictions” the believers were enduring were “a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment” (1:5). He was not saying that the persecution itself was a manifestation of God’s righteous judgment. Rather, the current persecution against God’s people vindicated His righteous and ultimate plan to punish persecutors and reward the persecuted. Such a plan is “only just” according to Paul (1:6), and those who scoff at the idea of future punishment and reward need to think again. A God who delays judgment upon sinners and pardons those who repent is merciful. A God who does not, however, ultimately punish unrepentant evildoers or reward the righteous is unjust. To claim that there is no such thing as ultimate future punishment and reward is to accuse God of injustice.

In light of these simple truths, it is astounding that so many professing Christians think that they can continue sinning with impunity once they have prayed a prayer to accept Jesus, and that holiness is unimportant since they are allegedly “covered in the blood of Jesus.” The New Testament solemnly warns against such “conversions”:

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries (Heb. 10:26-27).

In this same regard, notice that Paul wrote that the gospel was not just something to believe, but something to obey (1:8). It is the gospel of “our Lord Jesus” (1:8), and we must not overlook that word, Lord. The gospel calls everyone to turn from sin and bow their knee to the King of kings and Lord of lords.

It is those who patiently endure their persecutions who prove themselves “worthy of the kingdom of God” (1:5). If our faith does not cost us something, it is worthless.

The idea that everyone ultimately will be saved, even those who are cast into hell (known as Universalism), is debunked by Paul’s warning in 1:9: “And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” The destruction of the wicked is eternal. Incidentally, Paul’s words, “eternal destruction,” have been interpreted in at least two ways. Some see a never-ending cycle of destruction and reconstruction that will be suffered by the unrepentant in hell. Others, who consider eternal conscious punishment to be unjust, see a one-time annihilation of the wicked—with no hope of resurrection. Thus, it is a destruction that is eternal. Personally, I would prefer to believe that second interpretation of the phrase “eternal destruction,” but there are some scriptures that stand in my way.

Did Paul believe that Jesus would return twice, first to rapture His church, and then, seven years later, return once again to pour out His wrath on the world? If the answer to that question has not been clear before, it is today. Paul wrote that Jesus would “give relief” to the afflicted Thessalonian believers when He would be “revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God” (1:7-8). This, of course, harmonizes perfectly with what Jesus taught in His Olivet Discourse. Jesus will rapture His surviving remnant when He returns to pour out His wrath on “the day of the Lord” (see Matt. 24:29-31). This means that there will be a generation of believers who will face the persecution of the antichrist, as foretold by the prophets Daniel (see Dan. 7:21-25) and John (see Rev. 13:7).

Still not convinced? Wait until tomorrow’s reading!

In today’s chapter, Paul writes of “the day of the Lord,” a phrase that is found four other times in the New Testament and fourteen times in the Old. It always refers to a final day, one of cataclysmic wrath and terrible judgment, when God will punish the world for its evil (see Zeph. 1:14-18; 2 Pet. 3:10). On that day, Scripture repeatedly tells us that the sun and moon will turn dark and stars will fall from the sky (see Is. 13:6-11; Joel 2:1-11, 31; 3:14-16; Acts 2:20; Rev. 6:12-17). That is the day Jesus will return, as He told His disciples during His Olivet Discourse:

But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky….And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other (Matt. 24:29-31).

As you will recall when we originally read the Olivet Discourse, Jesus left His disciples with the clear impression that they could be alive to see that monumental day. They, however, would not suffer God’s wrath, but could expect to be gathered in the sky (as we just read).

Although it is popular today to believe that Jesus will return twice, first to rapture believers, and then, seven years later, to pour His wrath out on the earth, it isn’t easy to find support for such a view in Scripture. Keep in mind that there were no chapter divisions in Paul’s original letter to the Thessalonians. At the end of chapter four and the beginning of chapter five, Paul was clearly writing of Jesus’ return, the resurrection of deceased believers, the rapture of the saints who are alive at His coming, and God’s great judgment on the world (4:14 – 5:3), referring to that time as “the day of the Lord”(5:2). It is so obvious only a theologian could miss it! Jesus is not returning twice in the course of seven years! Just as He taught and Paul affirmed, He’s coming back once.

From the Olivet Discourse, Paul borrowed Jesus’ “thief in the night” analogy (Matt. 24:32-44). Paul similarly assured his readers that Jesus’ coming would be a surprise only to those in darkness. Destruction “will come upon them” (5:3), but “God has not destined us for wrath” (5:9). This is not to say, however, that Christ’s followers are not destined for persecution, which, according to Jesus, will grow quite severe just prior to His return.

Note that the Thessalonian church, although just a few months old, had leaders who were in charge and gave instruction (5:12-13). Obviously, none possessed years of seminary or Bible College training. I suspect they were born-again Jews who naturally would have had more biblical knowledge than Gentile believers. In any case, the biblical role of a pastor/overseer/elder is not nearly as complex as it has become in the modern church. In the New Testament, such men were responsible for discipling a few people who could all fit into one house, and obedience to Christ’s commandments was the simple goal. Note, also, that the burden of discipling was not solely the leaders’. Rather, it was everyone’s responsibility to “admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, [and] help the weak” (5:14).

How easy it is to “despise prophetic utterances” (5:20) when so many modern prophecies are products of the flesh rather than the Spirit. Nevertheless, we would do well to “examine everything carefully” and then “hold fast to that which is good” (5:21). I would encourage suspicion of any prophecy that doesn’t sound like Scripture, that caters to selfishness, or that leads one segment of Christ’s followers to think they are special.

What should be the church’s goal? Everyone’s entire sanctification through God’s help, so we’re all ready for Jesus’ return (5:23).