Kingdom Disciples

The righteousness of God refers to His faithfulness to fulfill His promises, and this is demonstrated by the salvation He has provided in Jesus . In Romans , Paul stresses the “ righteousness of God ” that is revealed whenever the Gospel is proclaimed. It is the “ power of God for salvation to everyone who believes .” In this message, His “ righteousness ” is proclaimed on the Earth to “ Jews and Greeks ” alike. Salvation is now available to all men through the “ faith of Jesus Christ ,” His “ Righteous One ” (“ From faith for faith… My Righteous One will live from faith ”).

Was the New Testament composed in Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, or another language? The evidence points to Greek . What was the original language of the documents that became the New Testament? For centuries, the scholarly consensus has been that it was the Koiné Greek dialect spoken widely in the Eastern Roman Empire. However, certain voices in the church are claiming that it was composed in the Hebrew or Aramaic language. What follows is a brief overview of the primary evidence for a Greek original.

Jesus will deal with the “ Lawless One ” at his “ arrival ” or  Parousia . In describing this, Paul employs language from Daniel’s vision of the “ little horn speaking great things ,” originally, an image representing the Seleucid ruler who attempted to destroy the Jewish faith and nation through deceit and persecution.

The “ day of the Lord ” will not commence until the “ Lawless One ” is “ revealed in the sanctuary of God .” His arrival coincides with the “ apostasy ,” and he will be characterized by his ability to deceive, especially with “ lying signs and wonders .” Satan himself will equip him to destroy as many saints as possible.

Paul has explained why the “ day of the Lord ” has not commenced. Neither the “ apostasy ” nor the “ revelation of the man of lawlessness ” has occurred. Next, he describes the “ mystery of lawlessness ” that is setting the stage for the “ arrival ” of the “ Lawless One .” He will be unveiled when this “ mystery of lawlessness ” completes its preparatory task.

Paul concludes his first  Letter to the Thessalonians  with a series of exhortations calling on the disciples of Jesus to pursue righteous living in the interim between their conversion and his “ arrival ” from heaven. He ends by summoning the congregation to pursue complete sanctification, an exhortation with verbal links to the preceding sections of the Letter.