Davidpt
Well-Known Member
Can you tell me how you interpret the following passage.
2 Thessalonians 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
Paul explicitly taught that when Jesus comes He will be "taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord". So, who are these people exactly that you think will survive His return and why exactly would they be allowed to survive? Obviously, believers will survive because we will be changed to put on bodily immortality at that time. But, who are these mortal unbelievers that you think will survive His return and why didn't Paul know anything about them? And why would Jesus not take vengeance on them when they would fit the description of those who Paul said Jesus will take vengeance on when He returns?
Both testaments are holy writ and I know you fully agree. The question then is, how to square both passages without contradicting anything.
The first thing to do per the passage you brought up, is to try and determine if there be can be any exceptions. And if we can find some why can't that mean there might be even more?
Take infants, for example. They obviously would not know God nor would they be obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ. One can't be a saved Christian if both of those things apply to someone. So what do we do here? Make an exception in this case? Or should we assume that verse 8 will be applied to infants when Christ returns, regardless?
Next let's consider someone mentally challenged that can't comprehend the simplest of things, let alone comprehend that there is a God. So what do we do here? Make an exception in this case? Or should we assume that verse 8 will be applied to the mentally challenged I just described when Christ returns, regardless?
What about someone living in a remote region that was never informed that there is a God? If they don't know about a creator God they for sure are not going to know about His Son. So what do we do here? Make an exception in this case? Or should we assume that verse 8 will be applied to this person I just described when Christ returns, regardless?
The point still being, if there can be exceptions, why can't there be other exceptions, thus making Zechariah 14:16 possible post that of 2 Thessalonians 1:8?
That's how I interpret the passage you submitted, that it depends on whether there can be exceptions. And if there can be, why can't there be other exceptions?
Speaking of Zechariah 14:16, that is clearly a prediction, a prophecy that begins with---and it shall come to pass. We need to ask our self this. Does the Bible have a track record of predicting things that come to pass that never actually come to pass, in any sense, be it a literal sense or some other sense, therefore, making it a false prophecy?
Maybe it comes across that I'm avoiding answering your question. Except I'm not. I'm just being careful here by trying to determine if there can be exceptions rather than there are no exceptions, case closed, Zechariah 14:16 can't be after 2 Thess 1:8, because to do so would contradict it. But since we both agree both testaments are holy writ, what about Zechariah 14:16 being contradicted if there are no mortal survivors after verse 12 has been fulfilled and that verse 12 is yet to be fulfilled? Why doesn't that contradiction count?