Old Testament reading: Deuteronomy 32
“They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God” (Rev 15:3). Deuteronomy 32 is where this song is first heard. In this inspired hymn are found the declarations of God’s love and righteousness alongside the condemnation of Israel’s subsequent disobedience. One of the greatest statements about God is found in verse 39, “Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me. I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.” This statement alone should cause us to stand in awe of the one true God of heaven. He must be regarded with the utmost respect and reverence. Moreover, He is not to be trifled with. At the end of the chapter, God instructs Moses to go to Mount Nebo. It is at this place that God would show Moses the Promised Land and also where Moses would die.
New Testament reading: 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy 1-3
Only a year or so after writing the first epistle, Paul again affirms the certainty of the Lord’s second coming. Whereas 1 Thessalonians contains several individual references to the second coming, HALF of the verses in 2 Thessalonians speak regarding the second coming of Jesus. There is also a different emphasis in each epistle concerning the second coming. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul assures the brethren the second coming will indeed happen and that the death of those in Christ will not hinder or in any way negate a reunion with Jesus when He comes again (1 Thes 4:13-18). The second epistle is written in response to heretics who had taught that the resurrection was already past (2 Thes 2:1-2). Paul not only rebuts that error, but goes on to let the Thessalonians know that the second coming is not imminent. That is, there are still some things that must occur before the second coming can take place (2 Thes 2:3).
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