📖 Utangulizi wa Agano Jipya — Sehemu ya 9: 1–2 Wathesalonike: Siku ya Bwana📖 New Testament Survey — Unit 9: 1–2 Thessalonians: The Day of the Lord

I. Barua Mbili kwa Kanisa ChangaI. Two Letters to a Young Church

Paulo, Sila na Timotheo walianzisha kanisa la Thesalonike wakati wa safari ya pili ya kimisionari ya Paulo (Matendo 17). Paulo alikuwa amehubiri katika sinagogi kwa sabato chache tu kabla upinzani haujamfukuza kutoka mjini, akaacha nyuma kusanyiko changa lililokuwa chini ya shinikizo kubwa. Barua zote mbili za Paulo kwa Wathesalonike ziliandikwa muda mfupi baadaye, karibu wakati mmoja, kwa kanisa lililokuwa likiteseka kwa ajili ya imani yake na lililokuwa na wasiwasi kuhusu wakati ujao. Waraka wa Kwanza kwa Wathesalonike unaliimarisha kanisa linaloomboleza na kuteswa kwa tumaini la kurudi kwa Kristo; Waraka wa Pili kwa Wathesalonike unasahihisha mkanganyiko na uvivu uliotokana na matarajio yaliyopita kiasi kuhusu kurudi huko. Kwa pamoja ni barua zinazohusu kuishi kwa uaminifu macho yako yakiwa yameelekezwa upeo wa macho na mikono yako ikiwa kazini.Paul, Silas, and Timothy founded the church at Thessalonica during Paul's second missionary journey (Acts 17). Paul had preached in the synagogue for only a few Sabbaths before opposition drove him out of the city, leaving behind a young congregation under real pressure. Both of Paul's letters to the Thessalonians were written soon afterward, close together in time, to a church that was suffering for its faith and unsettled about the future. First Thessalonians steadies a grieving, persecuted church with the hope of Christ's return; Second Thessalonians corrects the confusion and idleness that an over-heated expectation of that return had produced. Together they are letters about living faithfully with your eyes on the horizon and your hands at work.

II. Wokovu wa Mtu Mzima — Waliogeuka Kuziacha SanamuII. Salvation of the Whole Man — Turned from Idols

Bwana Yesu Kristo alikufa juu ya msalaba wa Kirumi kati ya wezi wawili. Mmoja wao alimtazama Kristo kwa imani akalia, "Bwana, unikumbuke utakapokuja katika ufalme wako," naye Yesu akamjibu, "Leo hivi utakuwa pamoja nami peponi" (Luka 23:43). Mtu yule aliokolewa katika dakika za mwisho za maisha yake — lakini huo ni wokovu wa roho peke yake. Si wokovu wa mtu mzima. Aliokolewa — lakini fikiri alichokikosa: maisha yote ambayo yangeweza kumiminwa katika utumishi kwa Kristo. Alipata mbingu, lakini akapoteza maisha tele hapa duniani. Hiyo ndiyo tofauti kati ya wokovu wa roho na wokovu wa mtu mzima. Wokovu wa mtu mzima unajumuisha wokovu wa maisha pamoja na wa roho, na ndiyo sababu tunawasihi watu wajitoe kwa Kristo mapema. Akiwaandikia Wathesalonike, Paulo anaeleza hatua tatu za wokovu kamili: walimgeukia Mungu wakaziacha sanamu, walimtumikia Mungu aliye hai, wa kweli, na walimngoja Mwana wake kutoka mbinguni.The Lord Jesus Christ died on a Roman cross between two thieves. One of them looked up to Christ in faith and cried out, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom," and Jesus answered, "Today you will be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). That man was saved in the last moments of life — but that is the salvation of the soul only. It is not the salvation of the whole man. He was saved — but think of what he missed: a whole life that could have been poured out in service to Christ. He gained heaven, yet forfeited the abundant life on earth. That is the difference between the salvation of the soul and the salvation of the whole man. Salvation of the whole man includes the salvation of the life as well as the soul, and that is why we plead with people to give themselves to Christ early. In writing to the Thessalonians, Paul describes three stages of a complete salvation: they turned to God from idols, they served the living and true God, and they waited for His Son from heaven.

Kugeuka ndio mwanzo wa wokovu. Kila mtu anayetaka kuokolewa lazima ageuke — kutoka kwa nafsi yake na dhambi kwenda kwa Mwokozi. Wathesalonike walikuwa wamegeuka kutoka kwa sanamu kwenda kwa Mungu. Sasa, hakuna hata mmoja wetu aliyesujudia aina ya sanamu walizoziabudu wao, lakini sanamu ni kitu chochote kinachochaguliwa juu ya Mungu. Huwezi kamwe kuokolewa mpaka umekikataa kitu hicho na kumchagua Mungu badala yake. Wengine huabudu sanamu ya urembo au anasa; wengine sanamu ya fedha na usalama; wengine husujudu katika madhabahu ya mamlaka. Ikiwa sanamu fulani inaushikilia moyo wako leo, igeukie mbali uje kwa Mungu kwa imani katika Yesu Kristo. "Kugeuka kutoka" ndiyo hatua ya kwanza ya wokovu.Turning is the beginning of salvation. Everyone who wants to be saved must make a turn — from self and sin to the Savior. The Thessalonians had turned from idols to God. Now, none of us has bowed to the kind of idols they worshiped, but an idol is anything chosen above God. You can never be saved until you have turned that thing down and chosen God instead. Some worship the idol of beauty or pleasure; some the idol of money and security; some bow at the shrine of power. If some idol holds your heart today, turn from it and come to God through faith in Jesus Christ. A "turning from" is the first point in salvation.

III. Wokovu wa Mtu Mzima — Kumtumikia Mungu Aliye HaiIII. Salvation of the Whole Man — Serving the Living God

Matendo yetu hayatuokoi, lakini ikiwa tumeokolewa kweli tutamtumikia Bwana — "kwa matunda yao mtawatambua" (Mathayo 7:20). Utumishi ni mojawapo ya matunda ya wokovu. Tunawezaje kumtumikia vizuri zaidi? Kwanza, kwa jinsi tunavyoishi. Utumishi bora unaoweza kumtolea Mungu ni maisha ya Kikristo yaliyowekwa wakfu; hakuna anayeweza kupima kikamilifu mvuto wa maisha mema. Wakristo wa kwanza waliishi maisha mazuri kiasi kwamba majirani zao walisema, "Watu hawa wamekuwa pamoja na Yesu." Pili, kwa kumpa muda wetu. Wengi mno husema hawana muda wa mambo ya Kristo, huku wakitoa saa zao na nguvu zao kwa mambo ya dunia yatakayokufa jua linapotua. Tatu, kwa kumpa talanta zetu. Mungu ndiye anayetupa kila kipaji tulicho nacho, na kila kipaji kinapaswa kutumika kwa ajili yake; ikiwa huwezi kuhubiri wala kuimba, bado unaweza kuwa mwaminifu.Our works do not save us, but if we are truly saved we will serve the Lord — "by their fruits you shall know them" (Matthew 7:20). Service is one of the fruits of salvation. How can we serve Him best? First, by the way we live. The best service you can render God is a consecrated Christian life; no one can fully measure the influence of a good life. The early Christians lived so wonderfully that their neighbors said, "These people have been with Jesus." Second, by giving Him our time. Too many say they have no time for the things of Christ, while giving their hours and energy to the things of the world that will die with the setting sun. Third, by giving Him our talents. God gives every talent we have, and every talent ought to be used for Him; if you cannot speak or sing, you can still be faithful.

Nne, tunamtumikia Mungu kwa kuwaeleza wengine habari za Kristo. Dhamana kubwa kuliko zote ambayo Mungu ameiweka mikononi mwetu ni injili ya wokovu — ile habari ya zamani, ya kale, inayobadilisha maisha. Tunaweza kuieleza nyumbani ana kwa ana, na duniani kote kupitia matoleo yetu na maombi yetu. Tano, tunamtumikia Mungu kwa matumizi sahihi ya fedha zetu. Kiwango cha chini kabisa ambacho Mkristo yeyote anapaswa kutoa ni zaka, inayotolewa kupitia kanisa la mahali pake, na unapompa Mungu fungu lake la kumi, zile sehemu tisa zilizobaki hufika mbali zaidi. Fikiri kanisa limekufanyia nini — limekufundisha Biblia, limekuletea ujumbe wa wokovu, linakuombea unapokuwa mgonjwa, na linakufariji katika huzuni. Kila taasisi nyingine huuliza una nini cha kutoa; kanisa hufungua mikono yake kwa upana na kusema, "Haijalishi wewe ni nani, karibu ndani tukusaidie."Fourth, we serve God by telling others about Christ. The greatest trust God has placed in our hands is the gospel of salvation — the old, old story that transforms lives. We can tell it at home in person, and around the world through our gifts and our prayers. Fifth, we serve God by the right use of our money. The least any Christian ought to give is the tithe, given through the local church, and when you give God His tenth the other nine-tenths goes farther. Think of what the church has done for you — it taught you the Bible, brought you the message of salvation, prays for you when you are sick, and comforts you in sorrow. Every other institution asks what you have to offer; the church opens wide its arms and says, "No matter who you are, come in and let us help you."

IV. Wokovu wa Mtu Mzima — Kumngoja Mwana WakeIV. Salvation of the Whole Man — Waiting for His Son

Tunapaswa kugeuka tuziache sanamu, kumtumikia Mungu aliye hai, na kumngoja Mwana wake kutoka mbinguni. Siku moja tutasimama mbele ya Kristo, na tutakapokutana naye uso kwa uso tunataka kuweza kusema, "Bwana, nilikufanyia kadiri nilivyoweza." Wakati mmoja watu wa Martinique walituma wawakilishi kwenda kuukagua mlima wa volkano wa Pelée uliokuwa ukifuka moshi; taarifa zilizorudi zilikuwa za uongo, mji uliendelea kulala katika maovu yake, na mlima ulipolipuka hatimaye watu wapatao elfu arobaini waliangamia. Walisikia onyo wakiwa wamechelewa. Wapo leo wanaotoa taarifa za uongo kuhusu kuja kwa Kristo — wengine husema hatakuja kamwe, wengine kwamba atakuja tu baada ya dunia kujirekebisha yenyewe. Hizi ni taarifa za uongo. Kristo alisema, "Kesheni basi, kwa sababu hamwijui siku wala saa" (Mathayo 25:13). Usikutwe hujajiandaa. Uwe tayari parapanda itakapolia.We are to turn from idols, serve the living God, and wait for His Son from heaven. One day we will face Christ, and when we meet Him face to face we want to be able to say, "Lord, I did my best for You." The people of Martinique once sent representatives to the smoldering volcano Mount Pelée; the reports came back false, the city slept on in its vice, and when the mountain finally erupted some forty thousand people perished. They heard the warning too late. There are those today who give false reports about Christ's coming — some say He will never come, others that He will come only after the world reforms itself. These are false reports. Christ said, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour" (Matthew 25:13). Do not be caught unready. Be ready when the trumpet shall sound.

V. Ukweli Kuhusu Kuja kwa Pili — MakaburiV. Facts on the Second Coming — The Cemetery

Msisimko mkubwa umeibuliwa katika historia yote kuhusu nyakati za mwisho. Katikati ya ugumu wote huo, jambo moja la hakika ni kwamba kuja kwa Yesu si jambo letu kulipangia ratiba wala hata kulisoma kutokana na ishara, kwa maana kutatokea "kufumba na kufumbua" (1 Wakorintho 15:52). Kila mtu aliyetabiri tarehe amekosea. Kristofa Kolumbus alitabiri tarehe ya mwisho wa dunia, naye, kama wote wanaopanga tarehe, alikosea. Wathesalonike walikuwa na tatizo kuhusu Kuja kwa Pili: wakimtarajia Yesu wakati wowote, walikuwa na wasiwasi kuhusu waamini wenzao waliokwisha kufa, wakiogopa kwamba wangeukosa utukufu wa siku ile.A great deal of excitement has been stirred up through history over the end times. Amid all the difficulty, one certainty is that the coming of Jesus is not for us to schedule or even to read from signs, for it will take place "in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:52). Everyone who has predicted a date has been wrong. Christopher Columbus predicted a date for the end of the world, and he, like all the date-setters, was mistaken. The Thessalonians had a problem with the Second Coming: expecting Jesus at any moment, they worried about fellow believers who had already died, fearing they would miss the glory of that day.

Wanadamu siku zote wamejiuliza kuhusu maisha baada ya kaburi. Katika ulimwengu wa kipagani, watu walikabili kifo kwa kukata tamaa — mwandishi mmoja wa kale alisema, "Mtu akishakufa, hakuna ufufuo"; maandishi moja ya kaburini ya kusikitisha yalisomeka, "Sikuwako; nikawako; sipo; sijali." Lakini Wakristo wa kwanza walichagua neno zuri kwa ajili ya mahali pa kuwazika wafu wao. Neno letu la Kiingereza "cemetery" (makaburi) linatoka katika neno hilo, nalo lina maana ya mahali pa kupumzika, mahali pa kulala. Ninapolazimika kuwa mbali na nyumbani na kukaa katika mji wa mbali, familia yangu haihuzuniki, kwa maana wanajua kwamba baada ya muda mfupi nitaondoka mahali pale pa kulala na kurudi nyumbani. Paulo anasema hatuhuzuniki kama wengine wanavyohuzunika, kwa sababu wapendwa wetu walio katika Kristo wamelala tu mahali pa kupumzika.Men have always wondered about life beyond the grave. In the pagan world, people faced death with despair — one ancient writer said, "Once a man dies, there is no resurrection"; a grim epitaph read, "I was not; I became; I am not; I care not." But the early Christians adopted a beautiful word for the burying place of their dead. Our word "cemetery" comes from it, and it means a resting place, a sleeping place. When I must be away from home and stay in a distant city, my family does not grieve, for they know that in a little while I will leave that sleeping place and come home. Paul says we do not grieve as others grieve, because our loved ones in Christ are only asleep in a resting place.

VI. Ukweli Kuhusu Kuja kwa Pili — Kuja KwakeVI. Facts on the Second Coming — The Coming

Tena na tena Biblia inatuambia kwamba Yesu anarudi. Wapo watu ambao wangependa kukifafanua Kuja kwa Pili hadi kisibaki kitu, kama vile wengine wanavyofanya kuhusu ufufuo au kuzaliwa na bikira — wengine husema ni kuja kwa "kiroho" tu. Lakini katika Matendo 1:11 tunaambiwa kwamba atarudi jinsi ile ile alivyopaa kwenda mbinguni (Matendo 1:11): yeye mwenyewe, kwa kuonekana, kwa kweli halisi. Kuja kwake kutakuwa angani, kukiambatana na sauti nyingi — mwaliko wa Bwana (sauti kuu), aina ile ya kelele ya amri aliyoitoa nje ya kaburi la Lazaro; sauti ya parapanda, ambayo katika ulimwengu wa Kirumi ilitangaza kuwasili kwa mtu mkuu; na sauti ya malaika mkuu, kwa kuwa hata majeshi ya malaika wanashiriki katika ushindi.Again and again the Bible tells us that Jesus is coming back. There are those who would explain away the Second Coming just as others explain away the resurrection or the virgin birth — some say it is only a "spiritual" coming. But in Acts 1:11 we are told that He will come back in the same way He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:11): personally, visibly, actually. His coming will be in the air, accompanied by many sounds — the Lord's shout, the kind of shout of command He gave outside the tomb of Lazarus; the sound of a trumpet, which in the Roman world announced the arrival of a great person; and the voice of the archangel, as even the angelic hosts share in the victory.

Tena kuja kwake kutakuwa kwa ghafula na bila kutarajiwa — Paulo anasema siku ya Bwana yaja "kama mwivi ajavyo usiku" (1 Wathesalonike 5:2). Miaka mingi iliyopita, Rais Eisenhower alipokuwa likizoni huko Denver, alisoma habari za mvulana aliyekuwa karibu kufa ambaye alitamani kukutana na Rais, naye akaamua papo hapo kulitimiza ombi hilo. Gari kubwa la kifahari lilisimama nje ya nyumba, na baba wa mvulana akafungua mlango akiwa amevaa nguo kuukuu za kazi na ndevu za siku nzima, akishangaa kumwona Rais ghafla namna ile. Hakusahau kamwe jinsi alivyokuwa hajajiandaa mtu yule mkuu alipofika. Ndivyo itakavyokuwa Yesu atakapokuja tena — wengi watakutwa maisha yao yakiwa hayako sawa na roho zao zikiwa hazijawa tayari.And His coming will be sudden and unexpected — Paul says the day of the Lord comes "as a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Years ago, when President Eisenhower was vacationing in Denver, he read of a dying boy who wished to meet the President, and he decided on the spot to grant the request. The big limousine pulled up outside the home, and the boy's father answered the door in old work clothes and a day's growth of beard, amazed to see the President so unexpectedly. He never forgot how unprepared he was when the great man arrived. So it will be when Jesus comes again — many will be caught with their lives out of order and their souls unready.

VII. Ukweli Kuhusu Kuja kwa Pili — BadilikoVII. Facts on the Second Coming — The Change

Kuja kwa Pili kutakuwa kwa mapinduzi makubwa kiasi kwamba kutabadilisha kila kitu katika sayari hii. Mojawapo ya mabadiliko hayo kutakuwa katika miili ya wale waliolala. Dunia hii huitwa nchi ya walio hai, lakini ingefaa zaidi kuitwa nchi ya wanaokufa. Hata hivyo Paulo anaweka wazi kwamba fahamu zetu hazilali — roho huenda mara moja kuwa pamoja na Bwana. Yesu alimwambia yule mwizi, "Leo hivi utakuwa pamoja nami peponi," naye Paulo alisema, "kutokuwa katika mwili, na kukaa pamoja na Bwana." Mungu atawaleta pamoja naye wale waliolala; hawezi kuwaleta isipokuwa tayari wako pamoja naye. Si roho inayolala, bali ni mwili.The Second Coming will be so revolutionary that it will change everything on this planet. One of those changes will be in the bodies of those who have fallen asleep. This world is called the land of the living, but it might better be called the land of the dying. Yet Paul makes it clear that our consciousness does not sleep — the soul goes immediately to be with the Lord. Jesus told the thief, "Today you will be with Me in Paradise," and Paul said, "absent from the body, present with the Lord." God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep; He cannot bring them unless they are already with Him. It is not the soul that sleeps, but the body.

Yesu atakaporudi ataileta roho pamoja naye, na "waliokufa katika Kristo watafufuliwa kwanza" (1 Wathesalonike 4:16). Hii haimaanishi kwamba mwili ule wa zamani unaunganishwa upya — waamini wengine walizikwa baharini, wengine wameyeyuka kuwa mavumbi — bali kwamba tunapokea miili mipya, iliyotukuzwa, kama mwili wa ufufuo wa Kristo, ambaye alikula, alipita katika kuta, na alitokea na kutoweka. Kunyakuliwa huku kwa waamini wakati mwingine huitwa Unyakuo, na siku ile kutakuwa na utengano mkubwa: ni wale tu walio mali ya Kristo watakaochukuliwa. Wengi wataachwa nyuma — wengi ambao hawakusikia kamwe, wengi waliosikia lakini wakaahirisha uamuzi wao, na wengi waliokuwa washiriki wa makanisa lakini hawakuwa wake kweli. Atakapokuja, itakuwa imechelewa mno kutubu. Lifikirie jambo hili kwa makini, uwe tayari.When Jesus returns He will bring the soul with Him, and "the dead in Christ will rise first" (1 Thessalonians 4:16). This does not mean the old body is reassembled — some believers were buried at sea, some dissolved to dust — but that we receive new, glorified bodies like the resurrected body of Christ, who ate, passed through walls, and appeared and disappeared. This taking up of believers is sometimes called the Rapture, and on that day there will be a great separation: only those who belong to Christ will be taken. There will be many left behind — many who never heard, many who heard but delayed their decision, and many who were members of churches but did not truly belong to Him. When He comes, it will be too late to repent. Let that sink in, and be ready.

VIII. Msimzimishe RohoVIII. Quench Not the Spirit

Wakristo wote wameuhisi ugumu wa kujaribu kumwelewa Roho Mtakatifu. Hatuwezi kumweleza kikamilifu kutokana na uzoefu wa kibinadamu, kwa sababu yeye ni roho mtupu na sisi sivyo — ni kama kujaribu kuchora picha ya roho ya mtu au kuipa hisia umbo. Biblia inaposema juu ya Roho, mara nyingi inaeleza kazi yake: kutuambia habari za Yesu, kutufikisha kwenye ukomavu, kutufariji, na kutupa karama za kiroho. Lakini leo tunatafakari mojawapo ya mawazo mazito kuliko yote katika Biblia — dhambi dhidi ya Roho Mtakatifu. Ya kwanza ni kumzimisha Roho. Katika 1 Wathesalonike 5:19 Paulo anasema, "Msimzimishe Roho" (1 Wathesalonike 5:19). Kuzimisha maana yake ni kuzima, kupunguza nguvu, kuuzima kabisa moto. Mara nyingi Roho anafananishwa na moto, na tunapomzimisha tunauzima moto huo. Paulo alikuwa akiandika dhidi ya kanisa lililokuwa likipoteza bidii yake, furaha yake, na roho yake. D. L. Moody aliwahi kusema kwamba alihudhuria kanisa lililokuwa baridi mno kiasi kwamba ungeweza kuteleza juu ya barafu katika njia za kati ya viti. Roho anapozimishwa kanisa limekufa — huenda mazishi hayajafanyika, lakini hakika mwili umelazwa tayari kwa kuagwa.All Christians have felt the difficulty of trying to understand the Holy Spirit. We cannot describe Him fully from human experience, because He is pure spirit and we are not — it is like trying to draw a picture of the soul or give shape to an emotion. When the Bible speaks of the Spirit, it often describes His work: to tell us about Jesus, to bring us to maturity, to comfort us, and to give us spiritual gifts. But today we consider one of the most serious ideas in the Bible — sins against the Holy Spirit. The first is quenching the Spirit. In 1 Thessalonians 5:19 Paul says, "Quench not the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19). To quench means to put out, to dampen, to extinguish. The Spirit is often pictured as a fire, and when we quench Him we put that fire out. Paul was writing against a church losing its enthusiasm, its joy, and its spirit. D. L. Moody once said he had attended a church so cold you could skate down the aisles. When the Spirit is quenched the church is dead — the funeral may not have been held, but the body is surely lying in state.

Kuna njia mbili za kuzima moto. Ya kwanza ni kuondoa kuni: kanisa lipo ili kumtumikia Mungu, na tunapoanza kulichukulia kuwa ni letu badala yake, tunakata kuni. Ya pili ni kuumwagia maji au udongo: dhambi ya makusudi inaweza kulisonga kanisa linalokua. Sasa tazama upande wa pili — alama za kanisa lililojaa Roho katika mistari ya 16 hadi 19. Ni kanisa lenye furaha, lililojaa shangwe, kwa maana Mungu ameahidi uzima tele sasa na uzima pamoja naye milele. Ni kanisa lenye shukrani — "shukuruni kwa kila jambo" (1 Wathesalonike 5:18) — kwa maana hata katika siku zenye giza kuliko zote kuna baraka za kuhesabu; tukilielekea jua, vivuli huanguka nyuma yetu. Ni kanisa linaloomba, lisiloacha kuomba. Na ni kanisa linalohubiri ambalo halidharau karama ya unabii — wale wanaotangaza ujumbe wa Mungu, walimu na wahubiri wanaofafanua Maandiko. Mambo mawili yaliyopita kiasi yanapaswa kuepukwa: wengine hudhoofisha mahubiri na kuuzima moto, na wengine huwa washupavu kupita kiasi na kuuacha moto uteketeze kila kitu. Jim Jones alikuwa na moto, lakini ulimpeleka kwenye uharibifu. Moto usio na nuru ni hatari. "Jaribuni mambo yote" (1 Wathesalonike 5:21) — kila jambo analosema mhubiri lipimwe kwa Maandiko.There are two ways to put out a fire. The first is to take away the fuel: the church exists to serve God, and when we begin to think of it as ours instead, we cut off the fuel. The second is to throw water or dirt on it: willful sin can smother a growing church. Now look at the opposite — the marks of a Spirit-filled church in verses 16 to 19. It is a happy church, full of joy, for God has promised abundant life now and life with Him forever. It is a thankful church — "in everything give thanks" (1 Thessalonians 5:18) — for even on the darkest days there are blessings to count; if we face the sun, the shadows fall behind us. It is a praying church, never ceasing in prayer. And it is a preaching church that does not despise the gift of prophecy — those who forth-tell God's message, the teachers and preachers who interpret the Scriptures. Two extremes must be avoided: some undermine preaching and put the fire out, while others grow fanatical and let the fire burn everything up. Jim Jones had fire, but it led to destruction. Fire without light is dangerous. "Prove all things" (1 Thessalonians 5:21) — let everything a preacher says be tested by the Scriptures.

IX. 2 Wathesalonike 1 — Yuko Pamoja Nasi Katika DhorubaIX. 2 Thessalonians 1 — He Is With Us in the Storm

Jambo la kwanza analofanya Paulo katika barua ya pili ni kuwafariji watu wanaoteswa. Kwa kweli, huu ndio ujumbe ule ule unaopita katika kitabu chote cha Ufunuo. Waamini wa huko walikuwa wakikabili mateso makali kwa ajili ya imani yao, nao walijiuliza yote hayo yangeisha lini. Yohana mwenyewe alikuwa amefungwa katika kisiwa cha Patmo. Ujumbe wake haukuwa kwamba mateso yalikuwa madogo, bali kwamba Kristo alikuwa pamoja nao ndani yake — na kwamba mateso hayo yasingedumu milele.The first thing Paul does in the second letter is comfort a persecuted people. This is, in fact, the same message that runs through the book of Revelation. The believers there were facing severe persecution for their faith, and they wondered when it would all end. John himself was imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos. His message was not that the suffering was small, but that Christ was with them in it — and that the persecution would not last forever.

Ikumbuke siku ile wanafunzi walipokumbwa na dhoruba huku Yesu akiwa amelala ndani ya mashua. Waliogopa sana, wakalia, "Mwalimu, hujali kwamba tunaangamia?" Akaamka, akasema, "Nyamaza, utulie!" (Marko 4:39). Kwa Wakristo wa kwanza, na kwetu pia, faraja ya sura hii si ahadi kwamba atatuliza dhoruba kila mara pale pale tunapoomba. Faraja ni kwamba yuko pamoja nasi katika dhoruba. Mungu hajapoteza udhibiti, naye atayanyoosha mambo yote.Remember the day the disciples were caught in the storm while Jesus slept in the boat. They were terrified, and they cried out, "Master, do You not care that we are perishing?" He rose and said, "Peace, be still" (Mark 4:39). For the early Christians, and for us, the comfort of this chapter is not a promise that He will always still the storm the moment we ask. The comfort is that He is with us in the storm. God has not lost control, and He will set all things right.

X. 2 Wathesalonike 2 — Mungu Bado Anaudhibiti Mfuatano wa MatukioX. 2 Thessalonians 2 — God Is Still in Control of the Timeline

Baadhi ya watu huko Thesalonike walikuwa wametikiswa na habari kwamba Siku ya Bwana ilikuwa imekwisha kufika. Jibu la Paulo linaleta utulivu: msidanganyike. Mungu bado anaudhibiti mfuatano wa matukio. Matukio ya mwisho yatatokea kwa ratiba ya Mungu, si kwa kufuata hofu ya mtu yeyote au barua yoyote ya kughushi. Paulo anazungumza juu ya "yule mtu wa kuasi" atakayekuja, nasi tunapaswa kuwa waangalifu hapa. Yohana anatukumbusha kwamba "hata sasa wapinga Kristo wengi wamekuwako" (1 Yohana 2:18). Katika karne nyingi watu wengi wametajwa kwa uhakika kuwa ndio Mpinga Kristo — mapapa, Hitler, na wengine wengi — na wale waliowataja kwa uhakika kwa jumla wamethibitika kuwa wamekosea, kama vile kila mtu aliyepanga tarehe ya mwisho amekosea. Roho ya uasi ni halisi na hujirudia; kazi yetu si kuipa jina, bali kubaki waaminifu.Some in Thessalonica had been shaken by a report that the Day of the Lord had already come. Paul's answer is steadying: do not be deceived. God is still in control of the timeline. The events of the end will unfold on God's schedule, not according to anyone's panic or any forged letter. Paul speaks of a coming "man of lawlessness," and we should be careful here. John reminds us that "even now there are many antichrists" (1 John 2:18). Across the centuries many figures have been confidently identified as the Antichrist — popes, Hitler, and many others — and the confident identifiers have generally been proven wrong, just as every person who has set a date for the end has been wrong. The spirit of lawlessness is real and recurring; our task is not to pin a name on it but to stay faithful.

Nyuma ya sura hii kuna matarajio ya Agano la Kale kuhusu Siku ya Bwana — kuingilia kati kwa Mungu kwa uamuzi katika historia, kunakoleta hukumu na wokovu pia. Ni dhamira inayopita katika vitabu vya manabii. Wayahudi waliuona wakati wao wa sasa kuwa enzi ovu isiyo na tumaini, nao waliitazamia Siku ya Bwana iliyokuwa ikija kama enzi ya dhahabu. Ujumbe wa ndani kabisa ni huu: sisi wanadamu hatuwezi kuurekebisha uovu wa dunia hii sisi wenyewe. Mungu lazima aingilie kati. Fikiri juu ya kuinuka kwa Hitler. Uovu ule ulipokuwa ukiongezeka, wengi wa viongozi wa dini wa siku zile — Walutheri na Wakatoliki pia — walinyamaza. Dietrich Bonhoeffer alipaza sauti, na jambo hilo likamgharimu maisha yake. Dhuluma za dunia mara nyingi hubaki bila kujibiwa katika maisha yetu, na hiyo ndiyo hasa sababu lazima kuwe na Siku ya Bwana. Mungu hataziacha hesabu bila kusawazishwa milele.Behind this chapter lies the Old Testament expectation of the Day of the Lord — God's decisive intervention in history, bringing both judgment and salvation. It is a theme that runs through the prophets. The Jews saw their present as an evil age without hope, and they looked for the coming Day of the Lord as a golden age. The deepest message is this: we humans cannot correct the evil of this world ourselves. God must intervene. Think of the rise of Hitler. As that evil gathered, most of the religious leaders of the day — both Lutheran and Catholic — remained silent. Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke up, and it cost him his life. The world's injustices often go unanswered in our lifetimes, and that is precisely why there must be a Day of the Lord. God will not leave the books unbalanced forever.

XI. 2 Wathesalonike 3 — Uwe Tayari, Si MvivuXI. 2 Thessalonians 3 — Be Ready, Not Idle

Siku zote kumekuwa na watu wanyoofu waliokuwa na hakika kwamba wanajua Bwana atarudi lini. Wachungaji wengine wamekuwa na uhakika mno kiasi kwamba waliwaongoza makusanyiko yao kuuza mali zao na kuketi wakingoja. Walikuwa wanyoofu — na walikosea. Yesu mwenyewe alipoulizwa atarudi lini, alisema kwamba hakuijua siku ile; ni Baba peke yake anayeijua. Funzo liko wazi: tumeitwa kuwa tayari, si kulipangia ratiba Kuja kwa Pili.There have always been sincere people who were sure they knew when the Lord would return. Some pastors have been so certain that they led their congregations to sell their possessions and sit down to wait. They were sincere — and they were wrong. When Jesus Himself was asked when He would come back, He said that He did not know the day; only the Father knows. The lesson is plain: we are called to be prepared, not to schedule the Second Coming.

Na kuwa tayari hakumaanishi kuketi bila kazi. Mwanadamu aliumbwa kwa ajili ya kazi. Kabla ya Anguko, Adamu tayari alikuwa na kazi — kuitunza bustani. Baada ya Anguko, kazi yake ilipoteza furaha yake safi; sasa alifanya kazi kati ya michongoma na miiba (Mwanzo 3:18). Lakini kazi yenyewe haikuacha kamwe kuwa jambo la heshima. "Siku sita fanya kazi" (Kutoka 20:9), Mungu alisema, na kazi ya uaminifu tunayoifanya inatolewa kwake. Mwamini anayemtarajia kweli Bwana kurudi si yule anayeacha kazi na kungoja, bali ni yule anayekutwa akifanya kazi kwa uaminifu.And being prepared does not mean sitting idle. Mankind was created for work. Before the Fall, Adam already had a job — to tend the garden. After the Fall, his labor lost its sheer joy; now he worked among thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:18). But work itself never stopped being a noble thing. "Six days you shall labor" (Exodus 20:9), God said, and the honest work we do is offered up to Him. The believer who truly expects the Lord's return is not the one who quits and waits, but the one found faithfully at work.

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