The Third Sunday in Lent (NT)

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, 

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 

² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

³ We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. ⁴ Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. 

⁵ This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— ⁶ since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, ⁷ and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels ⁸ in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, ¹⁰ when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. ¹¹ To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, ¹² 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. 

The Lord Jesus Christ will rain fire upon the earth and inflict vengeance upon those who disobey.  They will all suffer eternal destruction, and burn in the fires of hell. This is why it is necessary for you to believe in the testimony of St Paul.  This is the command of Christ that you may avoid the fire and hail storm awaiting us.

The problem I have is that St Paul writes, "on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus."  What is meant by obedience to the Gospel? Is this a bad translation? "and to the ones not obeying the good news of our lord Jesus." Well the translation doesn't look wrong.  So I guess we need to obey the gospel! We need to listen to the words concerning Jesus Christ so that we can hear what Christ has done for us.

St Paul definitely draws us a picture of death and destruction for those who do not believe. There is the certainty of death and destruction for those who are not found in the Gospel of Christ. There are many people who will follow the rules of the Law and believe they will find salvation, but it is only through the power of God and the grace of God that we are saved.

Christ will come with his angels and reveal suffering and eternal destruction, for all people. He has come and he has suffered for all people.  Christ our Lord has died upon the cross so that you may be free.  He has suffered on your behalf so that you may come into his presence and receive his glory.  This is the Good News and you believe it.