From 2 Thessalonians 2: 1 As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God.5 Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? 13 But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, 17 comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.
"I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens!" So said comedian Woody Allen. It may reflect what a lot of people believe about death and last days. Yesterday's passage dealt with the Sadducees, who were openly negative toward resurrection and said flatly, "We don't believe in resurrection." When you die, you die. I've had people tell me that and they firmly believe it. They also believe there's no afterlife, nothing. You just cease to exist. Today's passage Paul is trying to address the fears of those who were now asking, where is this Jesus you said would come to take us soon? The arrival of Jesus was not as soon as some had hoped, and even Paul himself may have been surprised that the Lord had not come sooner. With this anxiousness started the rumors; this is going to happen, and that will happen later, and no one knew for sure. If you've ever worked for a company that was bought out by another one, you know the first thing to arrive before the new owner are the rumors about what's going to happen next and who's going to be fired. The same was happening with Jesus' return. Paul says simply, don't fall for anything; there's still a lot that has to happen before Jesus arrives. Paul mentions a rebellions and "the lawless one" who was yet to be revealed and then destroyed. Meanwhile, Paul says, I thank God for you and your faith. You were called by God to believe so don't abandon your belief for any reason. If anything, ask God to strengthen your hearts with the comfort that comes in knowing and trusting God.
Whatever uncertainty you may be having in your life today, be certain of one thing; God is still in control, and God will have the last word on all things. Don't fall for the worrisome nature of some who start sharing what they think is going to happen. Those are rumors and not to be trusted. The only thing to be trusted is the certainty of God's word shared with you and your faith. Stand firm on that.
PRAYER: Loving God, we sometimes do fall for rumors and other things when change occurs in our life. Help us during those unsettled hours to remain calm and trusting in You. You have shared Your word with us for a purpose and may it serve us in comforting and strengthening our hearts. This we pray in Christ Jesus Our Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
