II Thessalonians 2:13-3:18 Dear RTB’ers, I have a problem with food – I eat more than I need. Mostly it’s not a problem at mealtimes; the bigger problem is between meals when I am being lazy or when I’m bored, when I’m just sitting around not doing much. But contrast, when I am outside working …
Category Archives: RTB 2024 – Search the Scriptures, Part 1
August 2 / II Thessalonians 2:1-12
II Thessalonians 2:1-12 Dear RTB’ers, So, what’s going on in today’s reading? Paul’s complex sentence structures often make it difficult to follow his intended teaching; repeated reading will help our understanding of what he is saying. Here’s my shortened take on today’s reading. There is a “man of lawlessness” who has not yet been revealed, …
August 1 / II Thessalonians 1
II Thessalonians 1 Dear RTB’ers, Many Bible scholars maintain that II Thessalonians was written not long after I Thessalonians (maybe six month or so). Presumably Paul had sent Silas and Timothy to Thessalonica with his first letter; then when they returned (with more questions!) he wrote this second letter. The “end-times” dominates this second letter. …
August 2024 Readings
Date Reading(s) Verses 01-Aug II Thessalonians 1 12 02-Aug II Thessalonians 2:1-12 12 03-Aug II Thessalonians 2:13-3:17 22 04-Aug Joshua 1 18 05-Aug Joshua 2 24 06-Aug Joshua 3-4 41 07-Aug Joshua 5-6 42 08-Aug Joshua 7 26 09-Aug Joshua 8 35 10-Aug Joshua 9 27 11-Aug Joshua 10 43 12-Aug Joshua 11-12 47 13-Aug …
July 31 / I Thessalonians 5
I Thessalonians 5 Dear RTB’ers, First, a bit of clarification… The words “sleep and asleep” occur four times in today’s reading (I Th. 5:6, 7, 10) and three times in yesterday’s reading (I Th. 4:13-15). In chapter 4 Paul was clearly using “sleep” as a metaphor for death referring to those believers who had died. …
July 30 / I Thessalonians 4
I Thessalonians 4 Dear RTB’ers, For this is the will of God, your sanctification… (v. 3a, NASB). This word, “sanctification” occurs twice more in the next four verses in the NASB; the ESV has “holiness” in verses 4b and 7b. It was a new concept to me that I picked up on only a few …
July 29 / I Thessalonians 3
I Thessalonians 3 Dear RTB’ers, Reminder: The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea… (Acts 17:10) Paul had spent only three weeks in Thessalonica. That was enough time to win a few converts and to begin relationships, but his sudden, unexpected departure put an end to his teaching and created in …
July 28 / I Thessalonians 2
I Thessalonians 2 Dear RTB’ers, I posted yesterday on a bit of the background to the Thessalonian letters. Paul mentions in today’s second verse a bit that I had left out, that Paul had come to Thessalonica from Philippi where he and Silas had been badly treated, not by the Jews this time, but by …
July 27 / I Thessalonians 1
I Thessalonians 1 Dear RTB’ers, Today we go in a new direction in our walk through the Bible –the first of Paul’s epistles. Although our Bibles have (in order) seven epistles before we get to I and II Thessalonians, most scholars agree that I Thessalonians was the first epistle that Paul wrote – in fact, …
July 26 / Psalms 28-29
Psalms 28-29 Dear RTB’ers, Psalm 28. …who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts. (v. 3b) These words struck me today, by way of condemnation! So often I find myself in two-faced conversation – speaking words and listening to what is being said while my mind is way off somewhere else …