Day 612: 2 Thessalonians- Stand Firm

​Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,  2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Stand Firm13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
 
Meditation
God’s grace grips our hearts, giving security to not be shaken and ground to stand firm, holding hope in God’s sovereign promises. In a turbulent world God invites you to trust His sovereign grace.
 
Paul teaches the church to not “be shaken” or “alarmed” (2) and to “stand firm” (15), both prescriptions for a severely persecuted church. False teaching abounds. The truth of God’s strengthening salvation in Christ is greater!
 
The church was distressed in deliberation about the day of the Lord (1-12). Paul reminds them of events that will precede the promised return of Christ, displaying God’s sovereignty over history. A period of rebellion will include the rise of a lawless one who will be marked by false teaching and false signs and wonders. But the rebellion and lawlessness are not the end of the story.
 
Paul strengthens the saints with thanksgiving and prayer (13-17), reminding them of the security the church has from our calling in Christ. Christians are chosen as first fruits, fortified by the truth of the gospel and destined for glory. In this reality we are able to stand firm in struggle and have comfort for the future.
 
We are uncertain about how history will unfold but we can be certain about who holds History. The same God who is restraining the man of lawlessness is the One who will return to remove the enemy and undo His handiwork. Jesus Christ will return to redeem and restore the world! Therefore, let us stand firm and not be shaken.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Are you shaken or alarmed by the lawlessness of the world? Is it difficult to stand firm?
 
-Do you have anxiety about the present and discouragement concerning the future? What does this reveal about where your hope is held?
 
-The day of Jesus Christ, His return and restoration of all things, is promised by His resurrection. How does this promise provide renewed strength to stand firm and not be shaken?
 
Key Verses
15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.