We left off with the apostle Paul teaching a new church in Corinth during his second missionary journey (see Second Missionary Journey of the Apostle Paul).
At that time, (~ 50 A.D.), he wrote two letters, with the help of Silas (also called Silvanus – a prophet and elder in the church in Jerusalem), and Timothy (a Christian acolyte whom Paul was mentoring). These letters would become the biblical books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
Paul wrote the first letter in response to a report from Timothy that indicated the church of Thessalonica was confused about Christ’s second advent. The congregants feared that if they died before Jesus’ return, their salvation would be forfeit.
The church was also concerned about the secular persecution that they were currently experiencing.
The apostle begins his first letter by commending the church for their exemplary walk in Christ:
…what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you! 1 Thess. 2:19 NLT
Then, Paul addresses their persecution and reminds them of their calling:
…we sent Timothy to visit you. He is our brother and God’s co-worker in proclaiming the Good News of Christ. We sent him to strengthen you, to encourage you in your faith, and to keep you from being shaken by the troubles you were going through.
But you know that we are destined for such troubles. 1 Thess. 3:2, 3. NLT
Jesus told us that we’d be hated for following Him. We are a ‘peculiar people’ in this world, who have chosen to walk the singular path that leads to eternal salvation.
Next, Paul tells them how to walk that path:
God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor – not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways…Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. 1 Thess. 4:3 – 5 & 8. NLT
After the ‘don’ts’, Paul reveals the right road:
…honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peaceably with each other.
…warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Jesus Christ. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil. 1 Thess. 5:12 – 22. NLT
Now, Paul shifts to the main event, which is to remove the confusion in the church over the return of Jesus Christ:
…we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 1 Thess. 4:13 – 15. NLT
Paul now tells us when heaven beckons:
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thess. 4:16, 17. NLT
How cool is that? God is saying that we needn’t worry about those who have died before Jesus returns, because they are the first ones Jesus will rally to Himself. Those who are still alive at the second advent then become airborne to join the eternal throng.
Jesus’ second coming, the second advent, the ‘Day of the Lord,’ will be a wondrous event for the followers of Christ; but it will be decidedly disastrous for those who have shunned Him:
For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.
But you aren’t in the dark about these things…and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and clearheaded.
Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. 1 Thess. 5:2 – 8. NLT
For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive, when he returns, we can live with him forever. 1 Thess. 5:9, 10. NLT
God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful. 1 Thess. 5:24 NLT
A ‘false teacher’ had infested the church in Corinth and was circulating a fabricated letter – supposedly from Paul, saying that the ‘day of the Lord’ had already come and gone. This prompted the apostle, (again with help from Silas and Timothy), to repudiate the false teaching with a second letter (2 Thessalonians).
Paul begins by telling the church to endure in the face of persecution. Then, he tells them that the day of Jesus’ return will be a day that cannot be mistaken for any other. It is the day that heaven beckons:
And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.
And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus.
They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people – praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him. 2 Thess. 1:5 – 10. NLT
The apostle is talking about the ‘great sifting.’ That’s definitely the time to be on the side of Christ.
He then tells the church not to place any faith in that counterfeit letter – stressing that the day of the Lord has not yet come:
Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed – the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. 2 Thess. 2:3, 4. NLT
What Paul is saying is that there will be unmistakably distinct events that presage the second coming of Christ. One of those will be the revelation of the identity of the ‘lawless one’, (the Antichrist) – who will be worshiped by most of humanity as a god. We will extensively dig into these events in our future study of the book of Revelation. However, the apostle drops us a few teasers now:
And you know what restrains him now [from being revealed]; it is so that he will be revealed at his own [appointed time]. For the mystery of lawlessness [rebellion against divine authority and the coming reign of lawlessness] is already at work; [but is restrained] only until he who now restrains it is taken out of the way. 2 Thess. 2:6, 7. AMP
Who is this ‘restrainer’ that does not allow the Antichrist to reveal himself until God’s appointed time? (It’s obvious that Paul’s listeners do know). There is some controversy about this. Some biblical scholars say that God will use the Roman government, others say it is the Holy Spirit, and yet others make a fairly strong case for the archangel Michael (see Dan. 10:13 & 21; 12:1; Mt. 24:15; Rv. 12:7 – 12.)
What you can take home from the aforementioned Scripture, is that there is already a force of evil at work in this world:
Then the lawless one [the Antichrist] will be revealed and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth and bring him to an end by the appearance of His coming. 2 Thess. 2:8 AMP
This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing in the truth. 2 Thess. 2:9 – 12. NLT
Thus, the Antichrist will be empowered by Satan himself to work false miracles – brining him the adulation and worship of a rebellious world. It is then that Jehovah will begin the extraction process of those who have pandered to themselves. They separated themselves from the children of God.
We also see that when Christ comes, the curtain falls for the Antichrist.
Finally, Paul changes his focus to encourage the church to remain steadfast in their faith:
…God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation – a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ…stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you… 2 Thess. 2:13 – 15. NLT
God chose you before you took your first breath.
…the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you [setting you on a firm foundation] and will protect and guard you from the evil one. 2 Thess. 3:3 AMP
If we remain at the side of God, the ‘day of the Lord’ is something that we can look forward to with rapt expectation…