“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:”
King James Version (KJV)
Jesse's comment on 2020-06-25 08:15:21:
Chris,
That is a great quote from a great man. It paints a picture of so many things in my mind. Our focus should not be on the horizontal, but the vertical. I am going to print this quote out and put it up in my office. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Chris's comment on 2020-06-25 01:26:34:
Jesse, when I saw your mention of: "the Holy Spirit is using creation as a testimony to people's hearts" & "through nature, through creation, God has manifested Himself that He is real and that there is God", I immediately remembered a quote from Abraham Lincoln written in the margin of my Bible at Psalm 19:1-6. It is:
"I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how a man could look up into the heavens and say there is no God."
Shouldn't the beauty & majesty of Creation provoke mankind to search out the Living God & He is ever waiting to hear that call (Jer 29:13). And even the Gospel of Christ comes with the same Glory, yet the value of the Gift of God is deemed weak by many because they prefer to try and earn their way into Heaven.
Jesse's comment on 2020-06-24 15:13:05:
Sheila,
This is my understanding of 2 Thessalonians 1:8: It says "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:"
In flaming fire taking vengeance on (two kinds of non-believers): on them that do not know God, and those that do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
There is a difference. The second ones are people who just reject the truth when they hear the gospel. The first ones about knowing God, are those people that have had it revealed to them, as Paul calls it in Romans Chapter 1 that through nature, through creation, God has manifested Himself that He is real and that there is God.
They might not have ever heard the gospel, but Paul says in Romans Chapter 1 that the testimony of God is in every person's heart that enters into this world, so that no one can stand before Him with an excuse.
Even if they never hear, the bible says that the Holy Spirit is using creation as a testimony to people's hearts. So both kinds of non-believers will be judged with vengeance from God.
I hope this helps!
Sheila Hyatt's comment on 2020-06-24 06:57:49:
In 1 Thess 1:8 what does it mean to "obey the Gospel..."?
Rhonda Carter's comment on 2015-02-15 16:30:32:
Does the word teach us Jesus will return in a flame of fire or on a white horse?
Angela I Holder's comment on 2014-01-23 11:10:11:
This verse means simply what it says. There is no need for interpretation, for the LORD JESUS allowed Paul to write it in specifics, not parable. The mystery is unfolded for us. If you do not believe on the LORD JESUS than this is the end of the reign of your grace.
emma nicolas's comment on 2012-07-06 16:11:38:
In flaming fire will those who donot know God and those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.. Means not knowing that He is ONE, never a 3 person, not god the son not god the holy spirit. Not obeying the Gospel which is written in 1 corinthians 15:1-4. not accepting to be baptize in Jesus name and being ashame of the Gospel.