Fear is a powerful emotion. Though some are more prone to it than others, all struggle with it. Fear can paralyze your ability to take action, and fear can cause you to forfeit what is good. However, the most destructive and dangerous reaction to fear is that it can cause you to lose your confident hope in God's promises and surrender your expectant joy in the kingdom of God.

The Thessalonians Christians were fearful that the persecutions they were enduring meant that they had missed the Second Coming of Christ and were thus experiencing the judgment of Christ on the wicked. Paul had written his first letter to the Thessalonians to assure them that Christ would rapture the church before the judgment of the wicked and to encourage them that they had not missed the rapture.

Paul writes this second letter to address this issue again. The church was enduring severe persecution. Additionally, there were false teachers who claimed that Christ had already returned. The pressures of persecution and the confusion caused by false teaching had caused the church to fear again that they had missed the rapture.

Paul writes this letter not to elaborate on all the details of the Second Coming and the particulars of the antichrist but as a pastor to his church, to encourage them to hold tightly to God's word with confident hope.

The main idea of this passage is: Do not be alarmed by false teachings or fearful of powerless threats but trust in the sovereignty, authority, and power of God.

Paul is not writing to rebuke the church or shame them for their fear but rather to warn them of the danger of being deceived and distracted by false teaching.

From both false teaching and biblical ignorance, many today struggle with fear and anxiety that steal their confident hope and joy in the Lord. So, how can you keep from being deceived and distracted by false teachings?

This passage provides three warnings to help you avoid being distracted by false teachings. Do not be alarmed by false teaching, fearful of the power of false prophets, or deceived by Satan.

Christians do not ignore God's coming judgment and wrath but, because of the redemptive work of salvation, have both a hopeful and sobering anticipation of the Day of the Lord.

The judgment of God is a terrible thing. For all the suffering and hardships of this world, nothing compares to being completely and eternally separated from God and His unrelenting wrath. It is unpleasant to think of such a terrible thing. It is unsettling to recognize that all those who have refused the Lord Jesus will fall under God's wrath. This unpleasantness and unsettling truth tempt some to ignore the reality of the coming of the Lord in judgment. However, the Day of the Lord is coming. God's judgment and wrath are sure, and though unpleasant, it is unwise and dangerous not to understand what the Bible teaches about these things.

How should Christians think about and respond to the coming Day of the Lord and God's judgment of the wicked? This passage teaches the church three ways to think about and respond to the coming Day of the Lord. Christians should think about and respond to the coming Day of the Lord by being confident in faith that the Day of the Lord is coming, live in preparation for the Day of the Lord, and be encouraged by what Jesus has done.

The Gospel of Luke records in the fourth chapter that just after beginning His ministry, Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth. He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, which was His custom. That day, by the sovereign providence of God, He was given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah to read to the congregation. He stood, took the scroll, unrolled it to where chapter 61 was written, and read the first verse and a portion of verse 2.

When He finished reading, He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. But Luke tells us that every eye in the building was still fixed on Jesus. He then spoke nine words that would forever change how we understand this verse. He said, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Isaiah 61 comes in the context of God proclaiming His righteous judgment to His rebellious people. But God's judgment is not focused on Israel's destruction but on her redemption and restoration. The prophet proclaims a hopeful word for us today as well. This is an encouraging word to help us persevere and a promise of the glory that is to come. Jesus declares that the prophet's word has been fulfilled, and this is good news that comforts us presently and gives hope for tomorrow.

In these final chapters of the book of Esther, we see how the Lord delivered His people from the murderous threats of Haman and provided for Esther and her cousin Mordecai. We see how God historically worked through the people and events of the day to bring about His will and provide for His people. This testimony gives us reason to rejoice in the present, knowing that God is equally working in our day. Evil is still present and dangerous, yet Christians do not fear, for we know that Jesus will return to once and for all defeat evil and perfectly establish His kingdom. These four chapters are not a perfect 1 to 1 testimony to what it will be like when Jesus returns, but they do bring us great encouragement. We can rejoice in the testimony that, like how God defeated the evil Haman and gave victory to the Jews over their enemies, so will God once and for all defeat evil when Jesus returns and gives His people perfect victory.