The New Testament
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Devotional
Weekly Bible Devotion By Books
Jan.1- 6 2024
Enter the presence of the Lord-
(All) Jesus, tell us, what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?
(Men) this kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, then the world will come.
(women)then will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.
(Men) As the lightening comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
(women) 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 heaven, and heh power of heaven will be shaken.
(Men) Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man,
(Women) and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn,
(All) they will see the Son of Man coming from the clouds of heaven with power and great glory
(Men) He will send out his angel with a loud trumpet call.
(Women) and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
(Men)But Father only knows that day and hour of Jesus’ coming.
(All) Then, what do we do now?
(Men) The one who endures to the end will be saved.
(Women) Pray that those tribulation days will be cut short.
(Men) Let no one will be deceived by the rumors and false claim.
(Women) Watch! Stay awake. And Be ready.
(All) O. Lord, come, come!
(Matthew 24: 14, 21, 27, 29-31; 13, 22, 43; Revelation 22:17, NIV)
Confession
Christ Jesus, we confess that we often live a life without having the view of your returning. We are not clear about the truth of your returning. We are discouraged by the sufferings around the world. Lord, forgive us. Your words remind us that we have your Gospel mission to do. We need to live responsibly before you. More importantly, we need to let the people know the truth of your returning. Help us endure amid the suffering and be wise amid rumors and false teaching about your returning. Help us to live a responsible life for ourselves, also for your glory. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Scripture Reading 2 Thessalonians (NIV)
1:6-7 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
1:11-12 11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2:1-4, Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
2:7-10 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
2:15-17 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
3:11-15 We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and good. 14 Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed. 15 Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer.
Thoughts to Share: The Truth of Christ’ Return- The Day of the Lord
Reading through the second epistle to the Thessalonian Christ believers and followers, we’ll notice that its content is very similar to the first epistle’s. But there is a clear topic standing out in the second epistle. We see that Paul highlighted the understanding concerning the truth of Christ’s return.
It appears that the expectation for the return of Christ was rather real and eager among believers during that time. The return of Christ will be a time when all believers will be gathered together to him. This time is often referred as “the Day of the Lord”. This Day had been prophesied by many old testament prophets and Jesus himself in his earthly ministry. What we know about this day is that it will be a wonderful time for Christ followers. It will be a time to straighten the injustice and give the justice for the people who were wrongly treated. The Thessalonian believers were in much suffering. The hope for Day of the Lord sustained them for all difficult time they endured and were to endure.
It was in such expectation, many rumors about the return of Christ were circulated around them and false teachings came to them. There were doubts and attacks on the return of Christ. So, Paul addressed this issue in the context that Thessalonian believers were situated. He intended to use this teaching to comfort them and strengthen them. Paul taught-
1) Be calm.
Do not be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming from Paul and his team about the saying “the Day of the Lord has come”.
2) Use discernment:
Let no one deceive you in any way. There will be two significant signs: the rebellion come first. And then the man of lawlessness is revealed.
3) Recognize the characteristics of the “man of lawlessness”, the son of perdition and destruction.
1)The man will oppose and exalt himself against every so-called god or object of worship (2) He will take his seat in the temple of God to proclaim himself to be God (3) His work is already present at the present time (4) It is not clear who this man of lawlessness is now because he is restrained. (5) He will be fully revealed again at the time when Jesus returns. (6) He will be very active with false power, signs and wonders (7) He will deceive those who refuse to love the truth and so be
4) Know the basic nature of the “man of lawlessness” and his final fate
The “man of lawlessness” is to align with Satan behind all his activities. He will be destroyed by returned Jesus with the breath in his mouth.
In the light of this truth, Paul restated what he had said in the first letter to Thessalonian Christians. He warned them of the false teachers among them and from outside. He praised their good work. He exhorted them to continue to mind their work, do good, and live godly living. He prayed for the eternal comfort and good hope through the grace of Jesus Christ be with them. He admonished them how to live the life here and now.
As a matter of fact, we continue to hear the news about Christ’s return from time to time. For Christ’s followers, we surely need to know the biblical truth on this topic so that we will be able to discern and learn how to live with the time between present suffering and the glory of return of Jesus Christ. The letter is very instructive to us today.
Prayer Suggestions
Dear God, as we are celebrating the birth of your son Jesus Christ, we are also looking forward to his second return. Thank you for the truth of his return so that we know how to discern and how to live our present life. Yes, lots of suffering are going now in our world. Comfort us, help us, and strengthen us through the grace of Jesus Christ in our life journey. Thank you for sustaining us through all in this past eventful year. Be with us in the new year. Amen, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Benedictions
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. (3:16)
Prayer Request
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