43 1 2 Through the Bible with Les Feldick Paul's Glimpse Of Prophecy: II Thessalonians 1:1 - 2:4

Now back to II Thessalonians chapter 1, where we left off at verse 8. We discussed at the close of the last lesson how Paul comes the closest to bringing in a little bit of the Old Testament prophecy concerning the wrath and the vexation, or the Day of the Lord as we pointed out several programs back. Remember we went back all the way from Isaiah up through the Old Testament, and all those references using the "Day of the Lord." And the Day of the Lord is awful, the Day of the Lord is the wrath, and the judgment of God upon Christ-rejecting mankind. Upon empires and governments and kings, and presidents and so forth, who have been flaunting the things of God. So here in verse 8 Paul is alluding to that Old Testament format of the Day of the Lord, when He will come and take vengeance on them that don't know God. II Thessalonians 1:8-9 "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;" That's their eternal doom. Now someone just called early this morning before we left home, and their question on the phone was, "Does Paul ever teach Hell fire, or the lake of fire as we see it in Revelation?" No. Paul doesn't use the term explicitly, but he certainly warns people over and over of their lost estate and the doom that's awaiting them. Just because he doesn't use the language, the lake of fire, doesn't mean that he has now superceded it somehow or other, and here's a good example of that. II Thessalonians 1:9a "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,...