THE APOSTLE OF THE RECONCILIATION

filling up the measure of their sins. The third reference (5:9) links the deliverance from wrath with the second

coming in correspondence with 1:10.

While the 2nd epistle does not use the word wrath, yet seeing that it amplifies the teaching of the earlier epistle it

must not be omitted from the list.

`The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with the mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them

that refuse to know God, (Rotherham) and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be

punished with aionion destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power, whensoever

He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be wondered at in all that have believed in that day, because

our testimony to you was believed' (2 Thess. 1:7-10 Author's translation).

The epistle proceeds to give fuller particulars of that awful day. It is a day of apostasy, `the falling away'; it will

be the day of the revelation of the man of sin, the son of perdition; in other words, the world reverts to Babel, and on

Babylon the wrath of God falls. The student of the book of the Revelation will realize this very fully. The

connection between the day of wrath of Romans and Thessalonians and the Apocalypse is further strengthened by

the revised reading of 2 Thessalonians 2:2, `The day of the Lord is at hand'. The echo of Romans 1 is heard in that

day, as indicated in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 :

`... they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved ... who believed not the truth, but had

pleasure in unrighteousness'.

Romans 1:18,21,25,28, speaking of the original apostasy of the nations, is parallel:

`Those who held down (katecho) the truth in unrighteousness' (Author's translation).

`... when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful'.

`Who changed the truth of God into the lie' (Author's translation).

`... even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge'.

The quotations make it abundantly clear that those spoken of did know God and His truth. The great outward

sign of the apostasy indicated in Romans 1 is idolatry:

They `changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and

fourfooted beasts, and creeping things'.

`Who changed the truth of God into a (the) lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator,

who is blessed for ever. Amen' (1:23,25).

That idolatry is yet to find a central place in the religious apostasy of the last days the book of the Revelation

makes clear. The awful accompaniment of this idolatry is a fact both in the past and in the future:

`Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own

bodies between themselves' (Rom. 1:24).

This is again spoken of as `vile affections' and `leaving the natural use'. Here is a parallel with `the strong

delusion to believe the lie' of 2 Thessalonians 2:11, and the uncleanness which everywhere accompanies the

idolatrous apostasy spoken of in the book of the Revelation. The moral effects are tabulated in the closing verses of

Romans 1, and so parallel are they with Paul's own prediction of the last days, that we must set them out together.

all

`This know that in the last days

perilous times shall come. For

men shall be lovers of their own

selves,  lovers  of  money,

maliciousness;  full  of  envy,

evil

murder,  strife,  deceit,  evil

to

detractors,  haters  of  God,

parents, unthankful, unholy,