REASSURANCE
Scripture Reading: II Thessalonians 2: 1-5
Paul now specifically aims at assuring his readers that they will not go through the day of the Lord. He had taught them, when personally with them, about this day from the Old Testament (vs. 5). Meanwhile false prophets claiming to speak "by the Spirit" (vs. 2) had entered in teaching that the day of the Lord had already come. A spurious letter, or letters, had arrived claiming Pauline authorship asserting that the Tribulation. was upon the Thessalonians. Had the Lord failed to come for His own?
It would be easy for the Thessalonians to conclude that the persecutions they were experiencing were what the prophets of old had predicted. This certainly disturbed their calmness. So much so, that many had even quit their daily occupations (3:10-12). Their lives had certainly been disrupted by eschatological teaching. Paul says that "that day shall not come except there come a falling away first" (KJV). "That day" refers back to the "day of the Lord" of verse two. All texts read "day of the Lord" not "day of Christ." The exact translation of verse three reads "for that day will not be except there come the apostasy first." What apostasy is Paul referring to that must precede the day of the Lord? If it is a general departure from the faith, how does that assure the Thessalonians (and us) that Christians will not go through the day of the Lord? How would we know when the apostasy begins? The basic and simple meaning of the word "apostasy" (verb, aphistemi) is simply departure. (Lk. 2:37; 4:13; 13:27; Acts 12:10; II Cor. 12:8; II Tim. 2:19 etc.). What "departure" had Paul previously taught the Thessalonians about? What departure guarantees them, and us, that believers will not go through the day of the Lord? The answer is in I Thessalonians 4:13-18. The departure of the church from the world satisfies our inquiry. So once again Paul is asserting a pre-tribulational rapture. We can be sure of our safety in this regard.
Daily Smile:
Three Gifts
Three sons left home, went out on their own and prospered.
They discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly mother.
The first said: "I built a big house for our mother."
The second said: "I sent her a Mercedes with a driver."
The third said: "You remember how our mother enjoys reading the Bible. Now she can't see very well. So I sent her a remarkable parrot that recites the entire Bible. It took elders in the church 12 years to teach him. Mama just has to name the chapter and verse and the parrot recites it."
Soon thereafter, their mother sent out her letters of thanks.
"Milton," she said, "the house you built is so huge. I live only in one room, but I have to clean the whole house.
"Gerald," she said, "I am too old to travel. I stay most of the time at home so I rarely use the Mercedes. And that driver is so rude! He's a pain!"
"But Donald," she said, "the little chicken you sent was delicious!"
In The News:
Ministry's App Makes Children's Bible Available in Closed Countries
Scandinavia Christian Publishing House has now made 85 children's Bibles available as apps that can be downloaded and read on iPhones and iPads, with Android and Kindle formats on their way, ASSIST News Service reports. The apps are being sold worldwide, even in closed Muslim and communist countries where the written Bible and other Christian books are not permitted. "We are able to monitor global sales of our apps daily," said Scandinavia's Jorgen Vium Olesen. "In just one day, 300 Bibles and biblical books were downloaded in approximately 60 countries. There were 94 books in the USA, 25 in China, 23 in Saudi Arabia, 19 in the United Arab Emirates, nine in Malaysia, seven in Russia and four in Egypt. Some days, up to 52 are downloaded in Saudi Arabia alone. ... We continue to see a high number of downloads in China. In Beijing in 2010 we were informed there are no restrictions on digital Bibles and children's Bibles in China. If this freedom remains, it will provide a great opportunity to legally get Bibles into China using digital means."
Egypt: Christians Flee Town After Death Threats from Suspected Islamists
Coptic Christian families have fled their homes in the town of Rafah in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, fearing for their lives after receiving death threats from suspected Islamic militants, CNSNews.com reports. According to a local priest, Islamic militants dropped leaflets on the doorsteps of shops owned by Copts in Rafah, ordering them to leave town within 48 hours and making an implicit warning of violence if they failed to do so. Two days later, masked militants on a motorcycle opened fire on one of the shops before speeding off. No one was hurt in the shooting. When Christians met Tuesday with the province's top government official -- who was recently appointed by Egypt's new Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi -- the governor promised to facilitate the Copts' move to the nearby city of el-Arish but did not offer to protect the community to ensure that it stayed in Rafah, the priest said. It is unclear how many Copts have fled Rafah, but the priest said the number of Coptic families in town had dwindled from 14 to two since the uprising that pushed longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak from power in February 2011.
Muslim Brotherhood Mobilizes for Overthrow of Jordan's King Abdullah
The ASSIST News Service reports that Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood has given King Abdullah II notice that he has until October to bow to their demand to transform the moderate nation into a constitutional monarchy -- or face Arab Spring street pressure for his abdication. Middle East sources report that Israeli and Saudi intelligence watchers are becoming increasingly concerned about the approaching climax of the conflict in Amman between Islamists and the throne. For Israel, an upheaval in Jordan "bodes the tightening of the Islamist noose around its borders -- Egypt and Libya to the south and Syria to the north, with unpredictable consequences with regard to Jordan's Palestinian population," according to DEBKAfile. The Muslim Brotherhood has already set a date for mass demonstrations against the king to start on Oct. 10, and has ordered its members to begin working to mobilize at least 50,000 demonstrators for daily protests until the king bows to their will. Abdullah is reported to soon be meeting with Brotherhood leaders to personally appeal for calm.
Colorado City Council Drops Prayer from Meetings
The city council in Pueblo, Colo., will now begin its meetings with a moment of silence instead of a prayer, CBN News reports. The change comes after a complaint from the Freedom of Religion Foundation, who sent a letter to council members arguing the opening prayer was unconstitutional. Council members said they believed a moment of silence would satisfy all sides. One Pueblo resident, Mary Beth Netherton, told the local TV station, "I'm really sad that they made that decision because for those of us who believe in God and the power of prayer I think prayer is very important." Another resident, George Starkgraf, told reporters, "Regarding the moment of silence, I actually find it to be more fair because it gives people who want to pray the option to do so but those who don't want to no longer have to."
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