"And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come" - 1st Thessalonians 1:10 (KJV)The belief in the return of God, or a Messiah, is as old as history. The Jews called it the day of the Lord and said it will be a dreadful time (Mal 4:5). Isaiah called it the day of desolation (Isa 10:3), a day of judgment, vengeance, and wrath.
An editor said he could reduce the Bible down to four (4) sentences:
He came.
He went.
He's coming back.
He won't be happy when he gets here!
Other religious groups also have beliefs in a coming person to bring judgment to the earth.
The New Testament doesn't dispute this, but it adds a wonderful detail - the one coming has a name, Jesus, who has delivered (note the past tense) us from the wrath (of God) to come.
The Bible says his return will cause distress to the nations (Revelation 6:16), but to those who are part of his secret society anyone can join, it will not be a distress but a joy! The one coming is not going to be our enemy, but our Savior and friend, who has already delivered us by his work on the cross!
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ReplyDeleteBJ