Introduction: I tend very much to avoid what I call “calendar theology” discussions. Why? Well, some folks can become rather heated and emotional regarding what they believe about when such-and-such will occur, and even about what has already occurred, and about ‘what’s next’ to unfold, etc. I am old enough to have witnessed countless prophecies of so-and-so being the antichrist, and about such-and-such being the mark of the beast. As just one example, I remember Harold Camping’s numerous predictions. Well, Harold has come and gone, of course, but his ilk has been replaced by more of the same. It’s a cottage industry in a way; it seems some in each generation are convinced their generation is special, that theirs is the one, that signs and wonders are there for the astute, and they can hear Gabriel licking his lips as he prepares to announce the next great event.

There are so-called Bible teachers and pastors who make a lucrative living off beating the calendar theology drum. Book after book is churned out about empires, about political figures, about the whore of Babylon, about personalities of the day, whether they be Barrack Hussein Obama, the various popes of Roman Catholicism, Bill Gates, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Elon Musk, et al. The list goes on. Some in each generation latch on, saying, “Yes, this is it.” Somehow passages from Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation find fulfillment in each generation’s calendar theologians.

Examples from 2 Thessalonians:

Even around A.D. 51 the apostle Paul was having to address calendar theology while the New Testament was still being written. Why? Because there was a lot of emotion, some persecution of Christians, and a falling away of many who professed to be believers but were revealed not to be. The first eleven verses of 2 Thessalonians 2 are clear in why Paul was so concerned for the recipients of his epistle. Folks were easily alarmed and often discouraged because their attention was fixed more upon political events than upon the gospel and the Lord Christ:

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Th 2:1-11 ESV).

Paul loved the people. So he encouraged them. How did Paul do that? Listen to his very next paragraph to them: “So then brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” (2 Th 2:15 ESV). Stand firm.

Examples from Ephesians:

It’s the same verb phrase he uses repeatedly in the New Testament:

“Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph 6:11 ESV)

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day” (Eph 6:13a ESV)

” . . . and having done all to stand firm” (Eph 6:13b ESV).

“Stand therefore . . .” (Eph 6:14a ESV).

And on and on it goes.

The apostle John gives the same reminder in Revelation after Christ reveals what must take place prior to Christ’s second coming in judgment:

 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. (Rev 1:9-11 ESV)

John writes that he was enduring persecution during a time of tribulation on Patmos for the sake of the gospel. The pattern seems so overt to me. Persecution is part and parcel of faithful Christian witness. Believers are not given a pass and removed from hardship. Try to sell the lies of the false prosperity gospel to Paul, or John, or Thomas, or Peter, or James, or Jeremiah, or David, or Hezekiah, or Josiah, or Moses, or Joseph, or Abraham, or Noah. Do you perhaps see a pattern?

Encouragement: David penned in Psalm 37:5, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.” And in verse 7, he reminds us of how to endure hardships: “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”

The world has been in travail since Genesis 3 and the fall, dear ones. God controls his calendar. Let us just be faithful daily, standing firm in the faith that conquers, tearing down strongholds of Satan, edifying the saints, and heralding the good news of the message that saves because it’s dressed in the robes of the God-man who walked out of his guarded grave.