To the Glory of God (Proper C27)

As a Pentecostal I am deeply excited about the imminent return of Christ, but let’s face it, as with most traditions, Pentecostalism has more than its fare share of flakes. We like to engage our emotions. That isn’t bad, but we have the same danger faced by the Thessalonians.

I grew up fearing the second coming because of the way it was used to evangelize. We would speculate about the meaning of current events with heated discussions around my Grandparents dinner table. Jack Van Impe had great sway with my Grandpa along with many people in our Pentecostal tradition. So often they missed the point rushing with emotion to conclusions about what eschatology was all about.

Paul says the Day of the Lord has not yet come. There is to be a mysterious evil, a Man of Lawlessness who would appear before Christ came, his point isn’t to figure out who this man is, indeed “many antichrists” have come, enough to keep every generation guessing.

In verse eight Paul declares, “And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming.” Paul is getting a really excited as he talks about this!

It is the Glory of God that is at the center of the Second Advent. It runs through every text this week.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
But we must always give thanks to God for you,brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ

Haggai Speaks of the Day of the Lord:

Haggai 2:6-9
For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts. The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the LORD of hosts.

Haggai has a beautiful apocalyptic quality to it. Hebrews echoes the refrain; “‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’n The words ‘once more’ indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain” (Hebrews 12:26,27 NIV).

Psalm 145:5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

The poetry of the psalmist is full of the awe of the Glory of God!

Running along with the blazing glory of God is the eternal steadfastness of life in him. Job’s determined cry longs for the permanence of that Life, “I know that my redeemer lives!”

Jesus answers those who would discount a resurrection, with an image of the glory of God (20:38) “Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive."