The Daily Word of Righteousness

An Army of Judges, #2

See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (Isaiah 60:2,3—NIV)

When they appear with Christ, the saints will attract the meek of the earth who were never part of Antichrist's arrogant followers. The meek will see Jesus in them and be saved. Then the Lord's judges with the help of the angels will govern the nations of the saved for the thousand years.

You wouldn't want to be hiding in a mansion in Heaven while all this is going on, would you?

How about a passage that completely demolishes the present concept that the Lord is going to save His people by carrying them away to Heaven?

Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. 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. (II Thessalonians 1:4,5—NIV)

Can you see in the above passage that the saints in Thessalonica were suffering persecution and trials?

How will God deliver them, according to Paul? Will God catch them up to Heaven in a "rapture"?

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 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. (II Thessalonians 1:6,7—NIV)

No, God will not deliver them by catching them up to Heaven. Rather God will "pay back trouble" to the troublers and provide relief to the Thessalonians, and to the Apostle Paul as well.

God will provide relief, not by carrying them to Heaven but by attacking those who were harming the saints in Thessalonica.

Is this what the Scripture teaches?

But when will God relieve the saints in Thessalonica by attacking those who were harming them?

"This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels."

The suffering saints will be relieved when the Lord Jesus is revealed from Heaven.

This is what the Scripture teaches. And we saw previously in Colossians that when the Lord is revealed the deceased saints will be revealed with Him. This thought appears also in the fourth chapter of First Thessalonians in the famous "rapture" passage.

So we see two armies that will relieve the saints on earth. The army of saints who have come from Heaven, and the army of powerful angels who also have appeared from Heaven.

Is this or is it not clearly scriptural?

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 (II Thessalonians 1:8,9—NIV)

The wicked will perish in that day, as we read so many times in the Old Testament when the Day of the Lord is being described.

But when will the wicked perish?

To be continued.