5 All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a
result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are
suffering. 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. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the
gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut
out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day
he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all
those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony
to you.
(NIV)
Who wants to make a deal? This was a show decades ago which offered
three curtains which contained three surprises - some good and some bad. If I remember correctly the contestant had to
make a choice between holding on to the money or prize
he or she already had, or trading it in to see what was behind one of the curtains. As the Thessalonians were presently holding
onto the Gospel they were going through suffering and persecution. Much of what they held dear was constantly in
danger of being ripped from them.
This can happen to us as well -
although usually not in the form of direct persecution. Our grandparents may die. Our houses may go through foreclosure. It is in the midst of this life where all we
hold is torn from us, God offers Himself to us behind curtains. Behind the curtain of the cross, He offers us
life and salvation. Behind the curtain
of baptism, the Holy Spirit enters us and pours the blood of Christ on us. Behind the curtain of the Lord’s Supper, the
blood and body of Jesus come pouring into our bodies assuring us of the
forgiveness of sins. If God wills it, we
are willing to trade all we have for these wonderful gifts of life and
salvation. Yet the world looks at it as
if we are being ripped off; as if these are empty and
powerless gifts. Sometimes we even
wonder about it as the reward seems so far off and so distant.
But then, after the curtains of Word
and sacrament are opened to us, Paul offers a third curtain to the
Thessalonians and to us. Behind this
curtain He promises a solid and lasting gift that we will be able to physically
enjoy. When this curtain is torn in two
on Judgment Day something different will happen. The God who revealed Himself within the skin
of a man will come out from behind the clothing of cross, water, wine and bread
to appear visibly with fire. Instead of
separating us from our Prophet as the chariot of fire did with Elijah, the fire
will bring us to our Prophet, Priest, and King on Judgment Day. There are no surprises about what is behind
curtain number three. It is clear,
physical, and lasting. It is a promise
made for people that are suffering; people that are tired of living in this
world; people that are burdened with guilt and sorrow. The third curtain is revealed so that
suffering Christians would -
Find Comfort in the
Coming Apocalypse
I. What is it?
It would be nice to just delve into
the comfort from the coming of Christ, but in today’s day and age many people
don’t even know what Judgment Day is about.
It is good for us to review the nuts and bolts of what it is. In today’s text Paul tells us what will
happen on Judgment Day. The revelation
is terrifying and awesome. He says, “the Lord Jesus is
revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.” Here we see the combination of Jesus coming
with fire and with powerful angels. God
came with fire throughout the Old Testament.
When Elijah had a showdown with the prophets of Baal the LORD sent fire
from heaven to consume both his altar and the altar of the prophets of
Baal. When the Israelites were wandering
through the desert the LORD revealed Himself in a pillar of fire by night. God’s enemies were warned that if they got
too close they would be burned. When God
gave Moses the Ten Commandments on the top of Mt. Sinai He was said to “descend on it in fire.” (Exodus 20:18) Fire seems to have been chosen
as an instrument of power and judgment.
The same will come true on Judgment
Day. Peter explains more of what the
purpose of fire will be on Judgment Day in 2 Peter 3:12, That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the
elements will melt in the heat. Now,
there is some debate as to whether this will be a complete annihilation of the
heavens and the earth or a recreation of the heavens and the earth after the
fire cleanses what we now have. I tend
to lean towards the latter. Either way fire is coming on the earth and the heavens to
wreak havoc and to destroy the world as we now know it. All of your favorite trophies; the house you
so meticulously saved for and built; the job that you spent years to advance
in; it will all burn in the fires of Judgment Day. Even the ocean creatures that live in the
depths of the ocean will not be able to escape this fire - that’s how hot and
consuming it will be.
Notice also that the angels will
come with Jesus. Jesus said in the
gospel of Matthew that they would serve the purpose of separating the wicked
from the righteous. Perhaps this Day
would be tolerable to think about for more people if we were to imagine that
the wicked were merely burned up in an incinerator - never to feel anything
again - just going up in a puff of smoke.
Yet this is far from the picture that Paul paints for the
Thessalonians. He also states, He will punish those who do not know God and
do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the
presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he
comes. Notice that Paul then talks
about an “everlasting destruction.” It
seems like a contradiction in terms.
Either something is destroyed or it is not. Yet God is able to keep this fire burning for
an eternity and keep the matter from dissipating - slowly wasting but never
away.
The last picture is worst than the
first - being shut out from the presence of the Lord. Eternal darkness away from
Jesus. Those who wanted to live
apart from Christ on this side of heaven will have their wishes granted eternal
on Judgment Day. When Jesus confronted
the man possessed with a Legion of demons they repeatedly begged Jesus not to
throw them back into the Abyss of hell.
When I think of an abyss I picture a deep and dark cavern - a bottomless
pit with no light at the end of the tunnel.
In hell there will be no beautiful sunrises or refreshing pools to
enjoy. Even the beautiful and gracious
God of nature will disappear from them.
There will only be darkness, weeping, and the fires of hell. Slowly and eternally people will rot under God’s
condemnation. The God who graciously
smiled on them with good health or tasty food will give them not one ounce of
comfort or enjoyment. The doors will be
shut on them eternally on Judgment Day.
No matter how loud they scream or how much they suffer or how long they
are there; they will be there eternally.
It is a terrifying picture. This
was not written for the Thessalonians to wring their spiritual hands with
eagerness over the destruction of their foes.
No. If they were to compare what
they were going through now under persecution to what the unbelievers would go
through in hell - it would make it seem minor and temporary. If they were to think about going back to the
other side; to return to where they once were for a few years of temporary
convenience, they would end up in an eternity of regret.
The picture of Judgment Day is not
only one of destruction, but also one of deliverance. Paul gives two pictures of comfort within
these verses for the suffering Thessalonians.
He will 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
. . . . on the day he comes to be glorified in his
holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. The first word Paul uses is “relief.” Do you remember the story of the Rich Man and
Lazarus? Lazarus was portrayed of a poor
beggar who had sores that nobody took the time or effort to bandage. He had no food but that which was thrown him
from the rich man’s gate. But then when
he died, God’s Word says in the KJV that the angels came and placed him in the
bosom of Abraham. The
man who went through so much suffering found rest and relaxation at the side of
his spiritual father Abraham. It
is a picture of rest and relaxation. The
same picture is drawn in Revelation
Isn’t this great to know? Even though we are not going through
persecution for our faith, we still feel the results of sin. After working over 40 hours a week, getting
up in the middle of the night with our children, putting up with our bosses, by
the time we are finally able to retire many are so tired and suffering from
just normal health problems that we’re worn out. Think about the burden of sin we still have
to deal with. Does it burden you as you
think and pray about your children and grandchildren? It can be exhausting to
try and fight against constant temptations of the flesh - flashes of anger,
temptations to watch things we know we shouldn’t, wanting to just sit around
and sleep when we know we should be worshiping or helping our spouse or
children. Even without persecution life
just naturally wears us out because of sin.
But here’s the comfort. You may
be tired of working and fighting for the faith.
But you will find rest from your labor in heaven. No more struggles. No more sorrow. No more pain!
No fires for you either! Instead
of being separated from the LORD, the angels will draw you to Him.
1 Thessalonians 4:16‑17
For the
Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of
the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will
rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be
with the Lord forever.
Think
about what a beautiful sight this will be.
When Jesus came the first time, John wrote in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his
glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from
the Father, full of grace and truth.”
If He was glorious in His humility, think about how much more glorious
He will be in His exaltation. When
Peter, James, and John were in the presence of Jesus on the top of the
It is good for us to review
this. How easy is it for us to forget
about the big picture.
Theology of today has so much focus on happiness and success for
today. It ignores the fact that this
world is under a curse of sin. With
quotations and quotations of Bible passages and human stories you are told, “you can do anything through God who gives you
strength.” The “anything” always ends up
being something like owning your own business or selling a bunch of product or
being influential in people’s lives. It
always focuses on the here and now. Yet
they forget that the Bible continually states that this world is under a curse
of sin and decay. It will all burn. Life
isn’t going to be easy. It is going to
be a life of crosses and difficult work that are often
times not very temporally rewarding.
Only in the future life is there eternal rest from our labors. Only in the face of the risen Christ after
Judgment Day is there eternal joy without sorrow; not before. Modern Christianity might say, “well, this is impractical!
What does it matter for the here and now?” It matters to the person who doesn’t have the
success. It matters to the person who
has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
It matters to the person who is exhausted from fighting with
temptation. It matters to the person who
wants to be rid of his sinful body.
There will be an end to it on Judgment Day. How could this not matter to you? How could you overlook this? If you know you’re
going to get in an accident in your car, would you rather put pin stripes on
the side or get it equipped with air bags?
Would you rather equip somebody to help them for a day, a week, a year,
or an eternity? We dare not and cannot
lose track of this Day.
II. Why is it?
But how do I know? How do I know? How can you speak to me and act as if I am
going to find that rest and relief? How
do I know I won’t be one of those ones who will be eternally separated from the
LORD? The Thessalonians must have
wondered this right? Couldn’t you
imagine them asking, “if God loves us so much, why is
he allowing us to suffer? Or is this
maybe just a foretaste of what kind of suffering we will go through in
hell? Is this instead God warming up the
fires of hell on me right now?”
The thing about faith - and the
difficulty of faith - is that we need to understand that God always seems to
work through paradoxes. What seems to be
one thing ends up being another. When God is suffering and dying under the
curse of the cross, He is fighting and winning the battle against sin, death,
and the devil. When the curse of God’s
law brings down it’s condemnation on Christ and He seems to have lost the fight,
the gospel of God’s love comes screaming forth as Jesus says, “it is finished.” So in life different crosses come crashing
down on God’s people. One may come in
the form of bad health. Another may be a
difficult child. Another may be as
pointed as an unbeliever ridiculing your faith.
In the midst of their sorrow and pain and seeming loss, Christians cry
out to God. As all of their wealth,
possessions, and reputations are lost, they have to look to a different place
for permanent wealth, possessions, and reputation. They are driven to cling solely to
Christ. So in the midst of sorrow and
suffering and despair, God works faith, joy and hope.
This is what Paul wanted the
Thessalonians to understand and remember.
So he reminds them of this in today’s letter. He writes, “All this”. All what? He explains in the previous verse. The Thessalonians had gone through
persecutions and suffering. In the midst
of this, they persevered and ended up growing in faith and expressing their
love for one another more than ever. God
used their suffering to strengthen their faith.
All this is what? It “is evidence
that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the
This is where many fall and earn
God’s wrath. Paul writes, He will punish
those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. There are many who imagine they know
God. Like the seven sons of Sceva the proclaim Christ at the top of their lungs and say
to everyone, “look at how we are chasing out demons in
the name of Christ!” Their version of God is one who enables them to chase out demons, heal
sicknesses, walk on water, and do whatever they set their minds to
through the power of God. Ironically,
God allows them to do all sorts of things.
The more they can do, the more they believe that God is on their side -
after all - why else would they be so blessed?
They feel that out of all of the Christian religions in the world - they
really KNOW God because of the power they have to speak in different tongues
and conquer their sins and have successful lives.
All of the while, the gospel of our
Lord Jesus - the message of suffering and the cross for the forgiveness of sins
becomes a by product. Why? Well, when you know God you don’t have to
suffer. When you really know God you
don’t have so many failures. You can
forget about the gospel of Jesus and just start focusing on the power of the
Holy Spirit working through you. The
message of suffering persecution, enduring hardship, confessing sin and beating
the body becomes medieval and dark doctrines of yesterday. Yet it is the Lord Jesus who says to us in
John 15:18‑20
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it
hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As
it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant
is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you
also.
The
gospel of our Lord Jesus shows us what our master went through. He didn’t have a pain free life. He had more than enough enemies - and all
for speaking the truth. He who created
the world allowed that creation to crucify Him.
He who had His own righteousness and holiness allowed Himself to be
buried in our sin and guilt! The gospel
of Jesus shows us that he did all forgiveness this so that we could freely have
His righteousness and holiness and be heirs of eternal life in heaven. It was this message that led Zacchaeus to immediately give half of his possessions to
the poor. It was the gospel which led
Paul to give us his prestige as a Pharisee and undergo shipwrecks and suffering
and even his own life to spread that gospel.
It was the promise of salvation that led Abraham to leave home and move
to a faraway country - living as an alien - in the hope of eternal life. It led
But so many do not
obey the Gospel. They trade in
the cross for the glorious way or the easy way.
One simple morning of worship a week is too much. An extra fifteen minutes of studying God’s
Word a day is just too great a sacrifice to make in an already busy day. The offering of their time or treasures to
help advance the gospel at church does not fit into their plans for a new house
or career. Their hearts that once vowed
to be faithful to the point of death now only follow to the point of
convenience. The Bible that used to
bring them comfort because of their sins only became a book to show them how to
feel good about themselves. How many
people like this will God condemn to the eternal fire on Judgment Day? Heaven only knows.
Perhaps then the Thessalonians were
wondering if they had really proven themselves.
Maybe some of them had complained more than they should have and shrunk
back from the faith? Would they too be
saved on Judgment Day if their obedience lacked? Perhaps you also are starting to wonder
because your obedience to the gospel has been lacking what it could be or
should be. If this concerns you, then
look again at who Paul says will marvel at Jesus - it is “among all those who have believed.” Again Paul assures them that, “This includes you, because you believed
our testimony to you.” The testimony
of Paul, Timothy and Silas was clear.
All of us are sinners even in the best of our days. From birth to death we only have one escape,
and that is through the blood of Christ who died as our substitute. Salvation on Judgment Day would not be theirs
because of their response to suffering or because of the crosses that they
bore, but because of the suffering of their Savior and the cross that HE
bore. Instead of looking at themselves, they were still looking to Christ - and it is
through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection that they would be saved on
Judgment Day. It is only through
continually looking to Christ and trusting in HIS righteousness that you also
will be counted as one of His holy people.
Obeying the Gospel at it’s heart and core
simply means admitting we are sinners who have free righteousness and holiness
in the sacrifice of the Savior.
Often times when someone dies in a
sudden accident the survivors will say, “well, at
least he didn’t have to suffer.” That’s
what everyone is worried about - “how much did they have to suffer?” Those who are diagnosed with cancer or
Alzheimer’s disease even sometimes commit suicide just so that they won’t have
to suffer. Others avoid having children
because of a fear of suffering. Some
avoid close relationships because they don’t want to suffer through another
breakup. The truth is that we can’t
avoid suffering any more than we can avoid sin in this world. Like it or not, it is a part of life. The Thessalonians knew this right well.
Instead of trying to avoid it, Paul
offers a different remedy by opening up the third curtain of Judgment Day. He points our eyes of faith to the direction
of God - who masterfully uses our suffering to draw us closer to Him and each
other. He uses suffering to also point
us to the skies - looking forward to a time of eternal relief. In the meantime, we obey the Gospel. We see that the cross of Christ reveals to us
our righteousness - and we submit to it.
We see that the way of the cross is our way to growth, and we live with
it, finding comfort in the coming apocalypse.
Amen.