altoids... curiously strong

Have you ever had an altoid breath mint? They are small, powerful, and can be somewhat overwhelming. I thought about altoids this morning as I was reading 2 Thessalonians. In chapter 2 we see a picture of the strength and overwhelming nature of Jesus.

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.
2 Thessalonians 2:8

Two things in this verse cause me to stare in awe-some wonder at the conquering king, Jesus.

1. Jesus can kill people by merely breathing on them. Now, I am in NO way trying to be funny here. Think about this. In the surrounding scriptures the Apostle Paul is talking about a "man of lawlessness" who is doing some pretty bad stuff. I imagine the "man of lawlessness" to be a pretty bad dude. But, whatever strength this man might posses, though it might channel all the hosts of hell, it can not even stand up to one breath from the mouth of King Jesus. WOW! I love that.

2. Not only does one simple exhale of King Jesus kill his opponent, but the mere fact that he shows up on the scene will bring his opposition to nothing. I think of this in terms of the scripture that says, "the mountain melt like wax before him" (Micha 1:4). In the presence of mighty King Jesus, none can stand. His opposition is made to be no opposition at all.

To all those who have an image of Jesus that is weak, effeminate, and inadequate... Meditate on this verse and hail the king of all creation, the glorious and majestic, the powerful and mighty, the great and awesome... the conquering King Jesus!