Prayer: Prayer and the Law of Believing (#909) We’ve been having a series on prayer our last several sessions and we’ll continue that today with a focus on the Law of Believing, a misunderstood thing in many circles. Many people have the idea that you just hope God will be nice to you, but it is totally up to Him. Other people think everything is random anyway. Other people however, go the other extreme, like we talked a few sessions ago, where you can just make up your mind and believe for anything you want, whether God says it is available or not. So we will work a little bit on the Law of Believing today, not to repeat what we did a few sessions ago, but to focus on the different sides of believing. And let’s start in Matthew chapter 9, verse 14…
Taught by Bruce Mahone, 20161211. All rights reserved. Verse Listing and Notes
Mark 9:14-27 If you can believe. Children:
Matt. 15:22-28 Canaanite woman believed for daughter. Demented persons:
Luke 4:33-36 Man with unclean spirit in synagogue. Dead people:
Acts 9:36-42 Peter prayed, Dorcas raised. Two types of believing:
Mat. 9:22 Woman with issue of blood healed.
Job 3:25 Fear brought disaster. Later, believing restored all. Synchronized life:
Mark 11:23-24 Do not doubt in heart.
(Mat. 12:34 Out of the abundance of the heart.)
Romans 8:35-39 Persuaded – confession (practical key).
Heb. 4:2 Mixed with believing.
II Cor. 10:3-5 Every thought to the obedience of Christ – Synchronized with God’s Word.
What we confess with our mouths will eventually make it into our hearts. What we believe in our hearts determines what we receive in our daily living. We need to synchronize our words, our actions, and our thoughts with God’s Word in order to walk in the deliverance to which God has called us. Teaching Prayer: Prayer and the Law of Believing (#909)
We’ve been talking about prayer for the several sessions and we’ll continue to do that for a while. And today we’re going to continue that discussion, and I think in a previous time we talked about prayer in general, then we talked about the importance of believing with prayer, then knowing what is available, and today we are going to go another step in that direction and talk about prayer with expectation. This is a topic we talk about from time to time; that what are we expecting, because God wants us to expect Him to follow through on what he said, is an aspect of believing — to simply have expectation that God will actually carry through on what He says. Expectations are a big thing to a lot of people: in business and in sales, management are very careful to do what they call managing peoples’ expectations, because if what people expect in a business deal, a job, or a sale or something they are buying — if they expect expect a certain thing and then they only receive half of it, they get mad, they get discouraged, they may threaten all kinds of trouble; but if they only expect a little bit and you give them twice as much then they are all happy, So expectations are a very, very big deal in all aspects of life. And God talks a lot about expectations and what we should expect from Him and if we know what we can expect from God, and then we expect it, we not only will receive the things we ask in prayer, but we’ll be much more happy and content because we will have a better idea of what expectations are realistic and what expectation are simply not realistic. So let’s start in Psalms 27….
Taught by Bruce Mahone 20161127
Verse Listing and Notes
Ps. 27:14 Wait (qawah – expect, look for) on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart.
Ps. 37:1-9, 34-37 Vs. 5: Commit thy way – “roll thy way upon” the Lord (vss. 9, 34: qawah – wait with expectation)The end of the perfect man is peace
Ps. 40:1-5 I waited (qawah – vs. 1) patiently (intently – waiting I waited) for the Lord, and he heard
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit (vs. 2).
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted. (NRSV)
Ps. 62:5-8 My expectation is from him (God), vs. 5
(Ps. 130) There is forgiveness with God (vs. 4), that he may be feared (revered). I wait (with expectation) for the Lord (vs. 5). Watch for the morning – would include guards, keepers
Isa. 40:28-31 They that wait (with expectation) upon the LORD shall renew their strength
Lam 3:21-26 The Lord’s compassions and mercies (lovingkindness) are new every morning
portion (vs. 23: share, possession)
wait (vs 25: qawah – wait with eager expectation) Teaching Prayer: Pray with Expectation (#908)
Prayer: Prayer with Believing (#907) Today we’ll continue our series on prayer; looking at prayer and believing. This has been a very interesting topic through the history Christianity, because as you all know from the various people you know, the classes you’ve taken, and the things you have experienced in your own life that there are two basic approaches to prayer; there are those that feel God is totally in charge of everything so that everything is predestined so you can pray, but it really doesn’t matter because God is going to do what He to do wants anyway. So there is that extreme, where we have virtually no control and then there is the other extreme, which I like to call the power of positive thinking approach where we can make up anything we want, and tell God you’ve got to do it. So that is the other extreme, that’s where you have two countries in a war and they both believe God is on there side and they both believe they’re going to win, but that doesn’t make much sense because it doesn’t make much sense for God to want them to annihilate each other (although there are a couple of records like that in the old testament, but that was a bunch of unbelievers killing each other off). So you have these two extremes and as usual the truth is in the middle. God actually gives us freedom of will, our lives are not predestined, yet we can’t tell God to do something He’s not willing to do. And I think you know this story that I’ve told from time to time about a wonderful believer, a sincere Christian woman about 30 years ago who was so fed up the political situation in Washington, which is not uncommon I realize, but she was so fed up with it that se was praying for a large crevasse to open up and swallow up the entire city of Washington and it would all go away, and her problems would be solved. And whether or not you believe that is a good idea and whether or not it would solve anything is one issue, but the bigger issue is what gave her the right to pray for something like that. Did she have any right to just make up her mind that she didn’t like the politics in Washington so everybody should be swallowed up in a great crevasse and disappear? We’ll as we’ll see in the scriptures today, we can pray, we should pray, we can believe to receive deliverance, but it has to be according to God’s will. And unless God gave this woman revelation that she could get rid of the city of Washington, she had no right to expect that of God, she could ask God for it, but to expect it or demand it, she had no right unless God told her that that was the thing that had to be done. And so the thing we’ll see is that we have to start with what God promises and then we have to pray and believe that God will do what He has said. And it is just that simple. Start with what God has said is available or what He wants you to do or what He says He will do for you, which can be summed up by saying what’s available and then you pray and believe that God will carry through on what He’s promised. But don’t pray, well you can ask God for anything you want, but for instance: I can walk into a Chevy dealer and ask if they’ll sell me a hamburger. There’s a very slight chance that it is customer appreciation day and they have a grill going out back and they will sell me a hamburger, but chances are I’m not going to get a hamburger at the Chevy dealer. Just like if I walked into to a hamburger joint and asked them to buy a new car; it is possible that someone on the staff has a car out back he’s selling that has a for sale sticker, then sure I can get a car there, but it’s not likely that I’m going to get a new car at a burger joint. You have to go for what is available. Burger joints have all kinds of burgers and occasionally some soups, salads, and milkshakes, but they’re a place to great burgers. Chevy dealers are a place to buy cars, but don’t try to buy a Ford there, they probably won’t have one, unless it is in the used car lot. That is just not the way things work. So we have to know what is available from God, we have to know what He’s promised, we have to know what He said He’s willing to do then we have to be absolutely firm in our prayer and believing that God will bring it to pass. So let’s get going here. Now that I’ve told you what I’m going to tell you, we’ll go see if the scriptures support what I said or if I made it all up. Please turn to I John chapter 5, verse 13… Taught by Bruce Mahone 20161113, All rights reserved. Verse Listing and Notes
I John 5:13-15 If we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us
James 5:16-18 He prayed earnestly that it might not rain
I Kings 17:1-18:1 The Word of the Lord – No Rain, Rain
John 5:24, 38, 44-47 He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life
John 9:35-38 Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
II Chron. 20 They prayed. God sent further information, and deliverance
Mat. 21:19-22 Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive
Mark 11:13-24 When ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them
Phil. 4:19 My God shall supply all your need Teaching 907 – Prayer – Prayer with Believing
Prayer: Prayer Instead of Care (#906) Today we are going to continue our series on prayer that we started last time. And the title of today’s teaching is Prayer Instead of Care. We all have a tendency to to have too much care, or in in a sense, be worried or anxious about things. And, we’ll probably mention this in every session on prayer, because it is just a big part of it. But today we’ll go into a little more detail about that care or anxiety and what it is we can do to alleviate it. So let’s start here in Matthew chapter 13 and in verse 1…
Taught by Bruce Mahone on 20161030. All rights reserved. Verse Listing and Notes
Mat. 13:1-9; 18-23 The care (merimna – anxiety, worry, care) of this world can choke God’s Word
Mat. 6:25-34 Take no thought [merimnao – to be apprehensive, have anxiety, be anxious, be (unduly) concerned ] for tomorrow
Luke 10:38-42 Thou art careful (merimnao) and troubled (agitated). One thing is needful
Phil. 4:4-9 Be anxious for nothing (moderation – gentleness, patience)
Don’t worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God, which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus – JB Phillips
Philippians 4:6-7 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. – NLT
I Peter 5:6-9 Casting all your mental distraction (merimna) on him, for is is aware (melo) of your needs
Psalm 1 Meditate on God’s Word
Prov 3:5-6 He shall direct your paths
Phil. 3:13-16 Reaching forth unto those things which are before Teaching 906 Prayer: Prayer Instead of Care
Prayer: Keep Asking (#905) Today we’re going to start a new series on Prayer. This will be the first session and the theme of today is simply: keep asking. Yes, Keep asking. We find this a lot in life and it reminds me of a guy I knew years ago who was a satellite salesman down South who said my job is to bug them until they buy. You can sell a lot of satellites that way. And if you didn’t keep asking, somebody else would ask them and they might buy their satellite. Although we’re not selling satellites or anything else, we are asking God, and God wants us to ask. There are things God just can give you; like air and water coming down from the sky and things like that, but there are other things that God says you should ask for. And a lot of it is because He give us freedom of will; He is not going to come in and invade your life and make things happen. But if you ask Him for help, He’ll be there to help. So that will be the theme today, and we’ll cover many other aspects of prayer in the weeks ahead. And some of what we’ll read today, we’ll review in later sessions. So let’s start in Luke 18:1…. Copyright Bruce Mahone 20161016. Verse Listing and Notes:
Luke 18: 1-8. Pray, don’t faint or lose heart.
James 5:17-18. Elias/Ejijah: prayed and walked by revelation.
I Kings 17:1-24. God’s will, Ahab, and no rain.
Phillipians 4:6. Go to God with prayer and b anxious for nothing.
Lamentations 3:22-26. Quietly wait. Teaching: Prayer: Keep Asking (#905)
Trusting God, Part 1 (#904) We’ll continue today with a number of sessions on trusting god. This is something we do every year at various times of the year, I just thought it was very appropriate as we come into the fall season. We’ll talk about thanksgiving, we’ll talk about God’s reliability, we’ll talk about prayer, we’ll talk about God’s loving kindness, and the importance of loving God and praying with believing. It will be a great series looking at these things. Some of these things we’ve read many times, others maybe a little new to you, but well just have a great time looking into some positive simple truths about trusting God and loving God. So it should be a great number of sessions over the next few months. Let’s start be looking at Ruth. A wonderful women, as we know. We have read that Ruth was a woman of Moab and she met some Judeans when they went from Judea to Moab because there was a famine in Judea. And while there, one of the Judeans met and married Ruth…
Taught by Bruce Mahone 20160925. All rights reserved. Verse Listing and Notes Trust God
Ruth 2:11-12 The Lord, under whose wings thou art come to trust
2 Sam 22:1-7,18-20 The God of my rock, in him will I trust
2 Kings 18:1-8 Hezekiah trusted in the Lord God of Israel
2 Kings 18:19-30 Rabshakeh tried to turn them from trusting God
Psalms 5:1-12 Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice
Psalms 9:9-10 Thou hast not forsaken them that seek thee
Psalms 18:2 The Lord is my rock, in whom I will trust Still Trust God
Psalms 28:6-7 My heart trusted in the Lord, and I am helped Teaching Trusting God, Part 1 (#904)
The Return of the Lord, Part 8 (#902) So here we are in part 8 of “The Return of the Lord,” we’ll finish that up today. Then in the coming weeks we’ll have a series on prayer and vision. Just going to God to get a vision for your life and then praying that God will help bring it all to pass. It should be a really fun number of sessions with some wonderful doctrinal verses, which are the ones where God tells us how to pray and what He’ll do for us. And then very inspirational records of men and women in the Bible records who actually do pray and do believe, and God does give them their vision and they accomplish great things not only to help their own lives, but to help so many others as well. So that will be a real fun series on prayer and vision. So, what we are going to do today in “The Return of The Lord, Part 8” is go over the final page of the notes, which you can get on the web site, which is the chronology of the final administrations. Everything we’ll read today we’ll have covered at one point or another in the class. But this will kind of pull together, not every detail of the class, but the chronological order of what occurs in the final administrations together. First of all, we are now in the administration of the Grace of God. Let’s go to Ephesians 3:2.
Taught by Bruce Mahone 20160828. All rights reserved. Verse Listing and Notes Chronology – Final Administrations 1.Administration of the Grace of God (Eph. 3:2)
– People can become born again (Rom. 10:9-10), obtaining eternal life (Rom. 6:23), never to perish (I Cor. 15:18), and are thus saved from the wrath to come (I Thes. 1:10)
– Ends with the gathering together – those born again (whether they wake or sleep) meet the lord in the air (I Cor. 15:51-58; I Thes. 4:13-18; II Thes. 2:1) 2.Appearing/Revelation Administration
– Starts with the gathering together, when Jesus Christ comes for his saints. Later, he comes with his saints to do battle, to judge, and to reign.
– Referred to as the “day of Christ” (Phil. 1:10, 2:16; II Thes. 2:2), “day of the Lord” (Acts 2:20; I Thes. 5:2; II Peter 3:10), “day of the Lord Jesus” (I Cor. 5:5; II Cor. 1:14), “Lord’s day” (Rev. 1:10) “day of God” (II Peter 3:12), and “day of God Almighty” (Rev. 16:14).
– Wrath, tribulation, antichrist, beast, false prophet – those who do not accept the mark of the beast are beheaded for the witness of Jesus (Rev. 1-19)
– Satan is bound and shut up in the bottomless pit for one thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3)
– First resurrection: those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus in Rev. 1-19 are raised to life. They live and reign with Christ and the previously gathered born-again ones during the thousand years that Satan is bound (Rev. 20:1-6).
– Satan is loosed for a season (Rev. 20:7-9)
– The devil (Satan) is cast into the lake of fire, joining the beast and the false prophet (Rev. 20:10). No one else is said to be tormented day and night forever.
– Ends with the second resurrection: the rest of the dead come to life and are judged according to their works at the great white throne judgment. Those whose names are written in the book of life go on to eternal life. Those whose names are not found written in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death. Death and hell (hades, the grave) are cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15; Rev. 21:7-8). 3. Final Glory Administration
– Former (second) heaven and earth melting with fervent heat (II Peter 3:10), being destroyed by fire (II Peter 3:12), passes away (Rev. 21:1)
– New (third) heaven and earth established (Rev. 21:1). New Jerusalem comes down from heaven – no tears, death, sorrow, crying or pain (Rev. 21:4).
– Paradise reestablished in the new Jerusalem with the tree of life (Rev. 2:7; 22:1-2, 14). So shall we ever be with the Lord! (I Thes. 4:17) Teaching The Return of the Lord, Part 8 (#902)
New Focus: Look to God (#903) Today we are going to continue a series we started before we took a break to look at “The Return of the Lord” for a number of sessions. We’re going to get back to a series I called “A New Focus” where you have to change your entire focus in life. We’ll start back with one on focus, called “Look to God.” And the point of every verse we’ll read today will be simply to not look at the circumstances around you — I mean, obviously you have to be aware of them and if you are crossing the street you have to be aware to know if there is a truck barreling down the road, but it is not your main focus in life, it is not the main thing you are concerned about, it is not the main thing that defines your life — the circumstances and the people around you is not your main focus. God is the one who is our strength, He is the one that is our deliverance, He is the one that gives us peace and supplies our needs and directs our paths. So our primary focus is on Him and all the other things in life: the people, the circumstances, the vehicles, the machines, the bank accounts, the hundreds of other things we all deal with; they are important, but they’re not the number one thing, The number one thing is to look to God. And then as we do, God will help all those other parts of life smooth out. And even if they all fall apart and from time to time those other aspects of our life do fall apart. God will still be there to take care of you; and whatever it is that you’ve lost, or missed or has gone wrong, or a tragedy, or a difficulty God will be there to provide and supply what you need. So let’s go to II Kings 6:8…
Taught by Bruce Mahone 20160911, All rights reserved. Verse Listing and Notes
II Kings 6:8-23 Chariots of fire – Raise your vision for your life
Ps. 60:11-12 Through God we shall do valiantly: for he shall tread down our enemies
Ps. 71:1-15 Thou art my hope (vs. 5), I will hope continually (vs. 14)
Psalm 91 1000, 10,000 shall fall, but it shall not come nigh thee (vs. 7)
Ps. 146:5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God
Ps. 147:11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy
Prov 16:3 Commit(roll) your works unto the Lord, and your thoughts shall be established
Prov. 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are bold as a lion
Prov 29:18 Where there is no vision (divine communication), the people perish (wander): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he
Jer 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope [4009 – mibtach – trust, confidence, refuge] the LORD is
Dan. 11:32 The people that do know their God shall be strong (stand firm) and do exploits (take action)
II Cor. 4:(1-)18 Look not at those things which are seen
Phil 3:3 Worship God in the spirit, rejoice in CJ, have no confidence in the flesh
Col 3:1-3 Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth (vs. 1)
II Tim 4:16-18 At my first answer [defense] no man stood with me.
The Lord stood with me … shall deliver me from every evil work. Teaching New Focus – Look To God (#903)
The Return of the Lord, Part 7 (#901) We’ll continue today with our series on The Return of the Lord, we are on part seven, where we’re are going to talk about the word paradise. A lot of people talk about going to paradise. In previous sessions we saw that there weren’t any indications of anybody being raised from the dead and going directly to heaven. People were raised from the dead, but they didn’t come back from paradise or heaven. Jesus Christ ascended into heaven later on, after his resurrection. And he’s the only one that has done that. But there is a paradise talked about in the Bible, but it has nothing to do with going to heaven today after you die. If you have a friend or family member who is a Christian and if they were to die today they would not ascended to heaven — that won’t come until the return of the Lord and they would not go to paradise, that’s not going happen either. And there isn’t any hot place called hell except for two things: one there’s the parable of Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom which as we talked about the previous session was really explaining something in terms of Pharisees’ believed because that’s what they thought it was a parable or a fable wasn’t true. And then later on the end of the book of Revelation there is a lake of fire read about last time and will read a little bit below but more about today we read about last time where there is a lake of fire where the devil and the beast and others go at the end, but that’s not some place where you hang around, like in the movies and fiction it’s just a place for people that don’t want to eternal life go to the second death. But paradise does exist in the Bible, it’s not mythical. There are many things that are mythical about it in fiction about it and many things in church tradition that aren’t biblical, but there is a paradise. The thing it’s different from much Christian theology is that paradise will only exist in the future paradise is used for two things the original paradise in the Garden of Eden which of course is gone long long ago and I doesn’t exist anymore. And then there will be a new paradise at the very end of the book of Revelation. So let’s start here in Genesis Chapter two verse eight and read about the original paradise…
Taught by Bruce Mahone, 20160814. All rights reserved. Verse Listing and Notes Paradise
Gen. 2:8-10 God planted a garden (Greek: paradise) eastward in Eden
(The word “paradise” appears in the Greek Septuagint version in Gen. 2:8, 9, 10, 15, 16; 3:1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 23, 24; 13:10; Num. 24:6; II Chron. 33:20; Neh. 2:8; Eccl. 2:5; Song of Solomon 4:13; Isa. 1:30; 51:3; Jer 36:5; Ezek. 28:13; 31:8, 9; Joel 2:3)
Gen. 3:22-24 He placed at the east of the garden (Greek: paradise) of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword…to keep the way of the tree of life
II Cor. 12:1-4 How that he was caught up (caught away – by a vision) into paradise (third heaven: cf. II Peter 3:5-13)
Rev. 2:7 I will give to eat of the tree of life…in the midst of the paradise of God
Rev. 22:1-2 On either side of the river, was there the tree of life
Rev. 22:14 That they may have right to the tree of life There is no record in scripture of anyone dying and going directly to heaven or paradise. Summary
Acts 26:22-23 That he should be the first that should rise from the dead
I Cor. 15:51-52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump
I Tim 1:1 Lord Jesus Christ our hope
Col 1:3-5 For the hope which is laid up (NIV: stored up) for you in heaven – vs. 5
I Pet 1:3-5 Begotten us again unto a lively hope be the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead – vs. 3 Teaching The Return of the Lord, Part 7 (#901)
The Return of the Lord, Part 5 (#899) Here we are continuing in our class today on the return of the Lord, which we covered in several sessions already; four previous sessions on Sundays and we’ll have the fifth today. All the recordings are on the website and you can also go back in hear the whole class in a continuous unit on the website that I taught several years ago. So the class starts with the question: Where are the dead? And the answer is simple, they have returned to dust. And are the dead conscious? and the answer is no, when they die, their thoughts perish. Will they always be there? No, everybody who has died will getup in the future. The next topic was do Christians die or perish? Because Jesus Christ said in John 3:16 whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life, that was said about Jesus Christ. And to die means simply to fall asleep as it said, breathe your last breath; there many terms used for in the Bible and in modern society. And when you die, your body returns to dust, your thoughts perish. But then in the future you get up again, but some who get up again will go on to eternal life and some will go on to what is called the second death and they will literally be abolished, they will cease to exist in any way. And that’s what the word of the Scriptures means when it says perish. So if the Lord tarries and does not return in our lifetimes, we will all die. But none of us will perish, we’ll get up with new bodies and live eternally. Are bodies will be changed. So Christians do not perish. Then we looked at some difficult verses, which people have used to claim that the dead are alive today and we found that in every case when you study the better translations in the context you find out that nobody whose died is alive today. so now get into the next topic which is Jesus Christ first coming and the it’s important to know this because his first coming had many aspects to it not just one, of his second coming will have many aspects to it as well. People often confuse the gathering together with the first resurrection with the second resurrection on but they’re distinct occurrences where different groups of people get up, and it’s very clear and simple once we read it in the Scriptures. So we’ll get started today and see how far we get . Jesus Christ first coming we start here in Matthew chapter 1 verse 18.
Taught by Bruce Mahone 20160711. All rights reserved. Verse Listing and Notes Jesus Christ’s First Coming
Mat. 1:18-20 Conceived by the Holy Ghost
Luke 2:6-7 Born of Mary
Luke 2:21 Circumcision, Taken to the Temple
Mat. 2:23 Dwelt in Nazareth
Luke 2:42 Taken to Jerusalem
Luke 4:14-21 Opened his Ministry in Nazareth
Luke 7:22-23 Brought Deliverance to God’s People
John 19:30 Died on the Cross
Luke 24:1-9 Raised from the Dead
Acts 1:9-11 Ascended into Heaven Jesus Christ’s Second Coming
Mat 24:3, 6 What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world [age]
For all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet The Gathering Together (Jesus Christ coming for his saints)
I Cor. 15:51-54 The dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed
I Thes. 1:1-10 To wait for his son from heaven
I Thes. 4:13-18 The dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds (vss. 16-17)
II Thes. 2:1-4 vs. 1: our gathering together unto him
2: day of Christ – cf. I Cor. 1:4-8; Phil. 1:1-10; 2:14-16; I Thes. 5:1-5; II Peter 3:9-10 (willing – wishing, perish – apollumi); Rev. 1:9-10.
Man=s Day – I Cor. 4:1-5 (by myself – against myself)