Passage Read: 1 Thessalonians 5 - 2 Thessalonians 1
Meditation Verses: 2 Thessalonians 1:5-6
Thought
The Thessalonian believers are still suffering persecution, long after Paul has departed. They continue not only to believe in the Lord but they also have desires for goodness and works of faith, which Paul prays God would fulfill and empower. They haven't stopped trusting the Lord, and they have continued to grow in their understanding and obedience and love for their neighbors. Yet their neighbors continue to persecute them. They are a great example. But also a warning, as the following verse indicates. Paul is someone who knows suffering for Christ, so he also knows God's promises to those who suffer. Here he reminds the Thessalonians that "it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you." God repays with suffering those who cause suffering to His people. His people do what is good and right in the eyes of God, but the world hates them for it and they try to stop them, sometimes with violence, always with hostility and threats. And the Lord allows that, so that He can justly repay with suffering those who torment His people. The frightening thing about this reciprocity is the description of the wrath He intends to pour out on the last generation of men at Christ's return. It is worldwide judgment, which means there must be worldwide torment of Christians prior to that. This is more evidence that the rapture will not be before things get bad for all Christians, but after, so that God is just when He brings terrible affliction on all of unbelieving mankind.
Application
A persecuted church is actually a highly exalted church in the eyes of God. God is proud of their endurance in the face of incredible adversity. The church at peace is blessed, but only if they use their freedom and peacetime for God's purposes, not for their own selfish desires. The church under persecution is purified, so it is good in the eyes of the Lord for His people to suffer persecution. And so it must be as this age comes to a close. The church at large must undergo a widespread persecution, no longer isolated to a few countries or regions, but worldwide. So that God is just when He brings the afflictions of His wrath on all mankind. He often allows those most faithful to suffer at the hands of unbelievers, so I would be foolish to think that I can and should avoid suffering, especially the closer we get to the end. In fact, I need to consider how much have I compromised so as not to bring the wrath of unbelievers on myself. How much have I softened God's message so as to remain on friendly terms with those who want nothing to do with Jesus? The ability to be good friends with unbelievers is not something to be proud of. It is perhaps a warning that I have lost touch with Jesus Himself, who did no wrong, who spoke the truth from God, who drew many to faith in Him, but also drew the wrath of those who refused to believe to the point that they plotted and executed His crucifixion.