The Blessed Hope Podcast -- with Dr. Kim Riddlebarger

Episode Synopsis:As Paul comes to the end of his second Thessalonian letter, he still has much to say to the Christians in Thessalonica.  But the most important thing the apostle does when concluding his second letter, is to remind the Thessalonians of his prayer of thanksgiving on their behalf.  Paul hopes this will be of great encouragement.  The apostle reminds them that God has graciously rescued these Gentile pagans from the guilt and power of sin, and points out to his readers that they will share in the glory of Jesus Christ through the gospel which has been preached to them.  But Paul also asks for their prayers on his behalf–that the same word which he preached to them, might continue to spread and that many more would be brought to faith in Jesus Christ.Paul also exhorts them to stand firm in the things which he has taught them–that tradition (or teaching) proclaimed to them by the apostle.  He prays for their comfort and assurance in Christ, that God’s word be honored, and that God would see fit to deliver them from evil men–those who drove Paul from their city and who seek to keep the gospel from spreading.  Paul reminds them that the Lord is faithful in keeping his promises, but he also warns some in their midst not to be idle so as to be a burden on others.  He mandates that those who will not work, should not be given a handout.  Yet, he also cautions the Thessalonians that this “tough love” approach is to be done for the purpose of restoring such a person.Paul concludes his second letter by praying for God’s blessings upon the congregation, he attaches his signature to this letter to confirm its authenticity, and then closes by reminding these brothers and sisters that the Lord is always with them.  So there is much here to discuss–election and its connection to the gospel, election as the basis for our sanctification and its connection to the Word of God, the role and authority of tradition, and finally what to do about the idle (the application of church discipline).For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis:Soon after Paul sent his first letter to the Thessalonian Christians, the apostle received word that someone in the congregation was teaching that the day of the Lord had already come.  Composing his second Thessalonian letter to correct this error, Paul makes it abundantly clear that anyone spreading such a rumor is flat-out wrong.  Paul declares that two things must occur before the day of the Lord can come.  First there will be a great apostasy, and only then comes the revelation of a figure Paul identifies as “the man of sin”– an individual often associated with the Antichrist.  But Paul also tells the Thessalonians that a mysterious “restrainer” is currently preventing the man of sin from being revealed.  He informs the Thessalonians that at some point this restrainer (a “who” or a “what”) will cease to restrain the man of sin, who will then appear (in connection with the apostasy) only to be destroyed by Jesus Christ when the day of the Lord does come to pass.In part two of our study of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, we will discuss this mysterious restrainer in some detail, identify to whom or what Paul is referring, and then wrestle with the question of the timing when all of this will come to pass.  Is Paul referring to the events of AD 70 and the destruction of the Jerusalem temple–which are still future to him, but long in the past for us?  Or is he predicting an end-times Antichrist, who will appear at the end of the age immediately before Jesus returns?For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis:There is little doubt that one of the most interesting, controversial, and a constant source of on-going speculation is the doctrine of the Antichrist.  Indeed, there has been so much written about the Antichrist by Christians–both ancient and modern–and so many references made to the Antichrist in film and popular culture, it is vital that we go back to the biblical accounts of this mysterious and evil figure to separate biblical fact from speculative fiction.  What does the Bible actually say about the Antichrist?Paul tackles the subject head on in his second Thessalonian letter.  Soon after completion of his first Thessalonian letter, Paul received news that someone in the Thessalonian congregation was teaching that the day of the Lord had already come.  If true, this meant that all of Christ’s promises to his people have already been realized.  It also reminds us that Bible prophecy pundits and speculators have been around for a long time.  Paul exhorts the Thessalonians not to listen to such wild speculation because the day of the Lord had not yet come.  Two things need to happen first.  One is a great apostasy, and only then comes the revelation of a figure whom Paul identifies as “the man of sin.”  Either the apostasy creates the conditions necessary for the man of sin to be revealed, or the apostasy is closely connected to the man of sin’s appearance.  But Paul is clear that the day of the Lord has not come because these two things have not yet occurred when he writes his second letter.  Paul also tells the Thessalonians that something is preventing the appearance of the man of sin, a mysterious “restrainer” who, at some point, will cease to hold back the revelation of the man of sin (the Antichrist), who then will be destroyed by Jesus when the Lord returns.  Join us then, in this, part one of our discussion of the “man of sin,” as we tackle 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12.For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis:Paul has already written one letter to the Thessalonians to clear up the confusion in their midst about the Lord’s return on the last day.  Paul has instructed the congregation that should anyone die before the Lord’s return, they will not miss out on any of the benefits secured for them by Jesus Christ (including eternal life) as some feared.  Paul also told them that since the Lord will return as a thief in the night (suddenly and unexpectedly), there should be no speculation among them about the date or timing of Christ’s return.But not long after the first letter was sent, additional news came to Paul that someone in Thessalonica had been teaching that the day of the Lord had already come.  So, Paul writes a second letter to the Thessalonians to inform them that the day of the Lord had not come since two as yet future event must occur before Jesus returns.  First, there will come a time of great apostasy, and then will come the revelation of the man of sin–a figure often spoken of as the Antichrist.  Furthermore, these things cannot happen until a present and mysterious restraining power is lifted so that the man of sin is revealed, only to be destroyed by the Lord Jesus at his return.Paul opens this second letter by reminding the Thessalonians that when Jesus returns he will bring about God’s righteous judgment–when all accounts are settled and everything will be made right.  But Christians need not fear this day because the coming day of God’s wrath, vengeance, and vindication is their day of deliverance when God is glorified in his saints.  Paul also writes to these Christians to encourage them to persevere against the opposition they were facing, and reveal the content of his prayers for them.  There is much here, so get out your Bible and join us for a look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 1.For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis:Since the Lord will return suddenly and unexpectedly, what are the Thessalonians to do until Jesus’s return?  Paul has already encouraged them earlier in his letter, telling them that they are doing well despite the persecution and on-going threats they were receiving from Jews and Greco-Roman pagans in Thessalonica.  But Paul knows there is always the possibility that things might go south.  Therefore, he uses his closing remarks to urge the Thessalonians to be at peace among themselves and respect those who labor among them.  Paul also takes the opportunity to urge them to encourage any strugglers and malingerers in their midst, to do good, to pray without ceasing, and to avoid evil.  He reminds them that the Lord will deliver them from their enemies and right all wrongs on the day of judgment.  Paul urges the Thessalonians not to quench the Spirit, nor despise prophecy.  He prays that God will sanctify them so that they might be blameless on the day of the Lord’s return.  He then instructs the brothers to make sure his letter is read aloud in the churches, so any questions the congregation had about the Lord’s return might be answered.As we have come to see from Paul, there is much practical wisdom here, which is as much a benefit to Christians now as it was to Thessalonicans who first heard this letter read in their churches.For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Date-setting has been a problem for God’s people since the days of the apostles.  Church history is full of the accounts of those who, for whatever reason, attempted to figure out when Jesus will return, set dates, and then miserably failed to predict the unpredictable.  Two recent examples should suffice.  Edgar C. Whisenant predicted the Lord’s return in 1988 in his booklet, “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988.”  When that failed, he went for 1989.  When that failed he picked 1993.  And when that failed, he went for 1994.  He died in 2001, preventing any future date-setting.  The first book created quite a stir, and sold lots of copies (4.5 million of them).  Although the later volumes (each with a revised date of Christ’s return) drew less of an audience, Whisenant’s reach was still far larger than anything than any sound theologian has written on the end times before or after.And there was Harold Camping–a CRC elder–who, in 2005, predicted that Jesus would return on May 21, 2011.  According to Camping, those who were saved would be taken to heaven while five months of fire, brimstone, and plagues will strike the earth, with millions dying under the divine onslaught.  Following his own time-line Camping concluded that on October 21, 2011 (five months after the rapture), final destruction would come upon the world.  When none of this materialized, Camping was completely discredited, his radio empire nearly collapsed, and in response, he called upon Christians to leave their churches because they had all become apostate! By that I take Camping to mean that Christians stopped listening to him and churches were calling him out for his date setting.  So, they were at fault not Camping.When we turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 of Paul’s Thessalonian letter, and carefully consider what Paul teaches about the Lord’s parousia, (coming) it does not take long to realize that according to Paul, Christ’s return will be like “a thief in the night.”  The Lord’s return will be sudden and unexpected, and will bring about sudden destruction (i.e., final judgment) upon those who do not expect it because they are blissfully indifferent to the awful fate which awaits all those apart from faith in Jesus Christ. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis:As a baby boomer, I grew up during the Cold War, when the threat of nuclear war was real and constant.  In 1948, Israel became a nation and many Jews began returning to their ancient homeland.  The “Six Day War” of 1967, fought between Israel and a confederation of Arab states, sure made it seem as though the dispensational expectation of the rapture of the Gentile church, followed by a seven-year tribulation period in which antichrist would make a peace treaty with Israel, only to turn upon the nation leading to the Battle of Armageddon, was at hand.  Fear and uncertainty among God’s people during this time created a huge and eager audience as well as  perfect timing for Hal Lindsey to release his blockbuster book, the Late Great Planet Earth which was the best-selling book in the United States during the 1970's, selling some 28 million copies by 1990.  Lindsey put into popular terms how current events were unfolding as the fulfillment of God’s plan to redeem his people, save Israel, and usher in the millennial age.  But what was to come next on this time line?  The “rapture.”  The rapture became the main hope of vast numbers of Bible-believing Christians.  Jesus will return to rapture believers before any nuclear holocaust thereby sparing believers from such horrors, and the removal of the Gentile church will allow God to return to dealing with Israel, the apple of his eye.  Everything centered upon the “rapture.”But when Paul discusses the meaning of Jesus Christ’s parousia (or his coming) in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, does the apostle actually teach anything like the end-times scenario as taught by dispensationalists and popularized by the likes of Hal Lindsey?  In this ninth episode of season two of the Blessed Hope Podcast in which are working our way through Paul’s two Thessalonian letters, we will consider Paul’s discussion of the Lord’s return.  While Paul is certain of the Lord’s return to raise the dead, judge the world and make all things new, he knows nothing of the “rapture” in the form embraced by so many.  What does Paul teach about the Lord’s return?  Stay tuned.For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis:The greatest event in all of human history was the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The most hoped for event in humanity’s future is Jesus Christ’s return when he will raise the dead, judge the world, and bring about the new creation.  Since the moment Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and the attending angels told his disciples that he would return in the same manner in which he departed, his people have longed for Jesus to return.  Our greatest hope is to be that generation still living when the Lord returns so that we need never taste death.  Along with the first Christians we cry out, “Maranatha!  The Lord come!”  Like many of us, the Thessalonians had questions about details of the Lord’s return–what it means and when it will happen.  When they first heard Paul’s teaching and preaching they gladly accepted this wonderful truth that Jesus’s resurrection and ascension guaranteed our Lord’s bodily return at the end of the age.  But some of them wondered, “what happens to those who die before our Lord comes back?”  Do they miss out on the benefits of the resurrection?  Others were asking “how soon will the Lord return?”  They took Paul to be saying the Lord would return very soon.    Do the signs of Jesus’ return of which Paul had spoken, give Christians the tantalizing clues from which we can figure out when the Lord will return?Paul addresses these questions in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11.  We’ll talk about all of this in the next three episodes of the Blessed Hope Podcast as we consider Paul’s answers to the questions about Christ’s second advent put to him by the Thessalonians.For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis:In chapter four of his first Thessalonian letter, Paul addresses the issues surrounding what it means to turn from idols to serve the true and living God.  Paul is concerned with how these new Christians in Thessalonica “walk in the Lord” – that is, how they ought to live the Christian life in contrast to the way they lived before when they served idols.  In verses 3-8 of chapter four, Paul takes up the matter of Christian sexual ethics.  Those to whom Paul is writing knew nothing of the sexual purity God expects from his people before Paul arrived and preached the gospel to them.  All they have known is a pagan sexuality which is often libertine (anything goes since the pagans understood sexual relations apart from personal morality).  Greco-Roman men commonly had wives who raised the children and kept the home, but saw nothing wrong with premarital or extra-marital sexual relationships.  In this episode of The Blessed Hope, we will consider Paul’s exhortation to avoid sexual immorality, and to live quiet lives, minding our own business, and not being dependent upon others.For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis:Paul was forced out of Thessalonica after three short weeks among them.  Paul truly desires to return (he’s writing to the Thessalonians from Corinth) but so far has been prevented from doing so.  Paul attributes this unfortunate circumstance to the activity of Satan and so explains why he sent Timothy instead of coming in person.  Paul boasts in the fact that despite all that has happened, the Thessalonians are standing firm.  Paul reminds them that Christian hope is grounded in the certainly of Christ’s parousia (his second coming), a term which the apostle introduces for the first time in this letter.  Paul then discusses the inevitability that those who follow Jesus will be persecuted and that Jesus himself will ensure that his people persevere to the end.  All of these topics are important and thinking about them properly goes a long way to living a healthy Christian life.  So, there is important content here for us as we work our way through the balance of chapter two and the whole of chapter three in Paul’s first Thessalonian letter.For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/