Teaching Notes II THESSALONIANS 1 to 3

Teaching Notes II THESSALONIANS 1 to 3

Hugh Wood, Atlanta, Georgia

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The first Quarantine in the USA since 1918 continues.  It is Day 27 or something.  

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"The grass withers and the flower [fades], but the word of [the Lord] endures forever.”  Isaiah 40:8."

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This Book almost certainly written by Paul.  It is addressed to the church in Thessalonica, in modern-day Greece.  It is likely the second of Paul's letters to the Church at Thessalonica, probably written by the end of AD 51 or 52.   So scholars attributing a latter date include possible assistance in the writing by Timothy.   However, the timing of the document points to the early 50s. AD.

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II THESSALONIANS'

Further Instruction: about the Lord’s Coming

Written, probably about 52 AD, only a few weeks. or months,

after the First Epistle. In that Paul had. spoken of the Lord's

Coming. as being sudden and» unexpected. In this he explains

that it will not be till after the Apostacy.

Chapter 1. The Day of the Lord

The particular feature of the Lord's Coming emphasized in this

chapter is that it a day of terror for the disobedient.

In I Thess Paul had said that He [the Lord] would descend from heaven,

and. at the shout of the archangel, the Church would be caught

up to be forever with the Lord.

Here he adds that the Lord will be accompanied with. “the

angels of his power in flaming fire", 7, rendering vengeance to

the disobedient. Jesus had spoken of. “eternal fire", Mt 25:41, and

“unquenchable fire", Mk 9:43. In Heb 10:27 "devouring fire” is

connected with the day of judgment. In II Pet 3:7,10- it is stated

that the destiny of the earth is to be burned with “fire".

Chapter 2. The Apostasy

The express purpose of this Epistle was to caution the Thessa-

lonians that the Lord's Coming was not immediately” at hand:

that it would net be till after the Apostasy.

What is the Apostasy? It is called the “falling away", in which

a person called the “man of sin", in the temple of God professes

himself to be God, and exalts himself against God, 3,4. A False

Church headed by an Impostor.

The early fathers unanimously looked for a Personal Antichrist,

to be manifested after the fall of the Roman Empire.

In your own times. after 2,000 years of church history; there

Is still wide difference of opinion. There are many who think it

refers to a period immediately before the Lord's Coming.

The spirit of the thing was already at work in Paul's day, 7.

The story of the Church as a whole, even to this day, makes a

sorry looking picture. Taking a broad general view, of the visible

Church, as it has existed from the first century to the present

time, it is not inaccurate to call it an Apostate Church.

What the final culmination is to be is yet to be seen.

“That which restrains” was generally understood by the

early fathers to have been the Roman Empire. Some take it to

mean the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s Ideas of the Second Coming. It is quite common among

a certain class of critics to say that Paul “had to reconstruct his

ideas about the Lord’s Second Coming", that his “earlier and

cruder view" contradicts his later view. This is absolutely not

true. Paul’s earlier view was his only view, first, last and always.

These 2 books to the Thessalonians are his  earliest extant writings.

In The Thessalonians to them he specifically states that he did NOT

expect the immediate appearance of the Lord, and that it would not

be till after the Apostasy, which in his day was only beginning to work.

It may not have been revealed to Paul what the Apostasy would be.

But whatever his idea of it, it did not preclude the possibility that

the Lord would come in his own lifetime, evidenced by the

expression “we that are alive”, I Thess 4:15; I Cor 15:52.

First and last Paul looked for the Lord‘s Coming as a glorious con-

summation, meanwhile anticipating the eventuality of, in death,

"departing to be with Christ", Pps 1:23; it not being any great

matter whether he was in the body or out of it at the time of

the Coming. In his last written word, II Tim 4:6,8, at the time

of  his “departure", his mind was  on the “appearing" of the

Lord.

Chapter 3.  The Disorderly

“Pray for Us", 1-2, that we may be delivered from ”unreason-

able and evil men". At that very time Paul was in trouble in

Corinth. Their prayer was answered, Acts 18:9-10.

The Disorderly, 6-15, were lazy people who, taking advantage

of the charitable disposition of the church, I Thess 4:9-10, and.

making their expectation of the immediate appearance of the

Lord an excuse for abandoning their ordinary occupations, were

claiming the right to be supported by the brethren who had

means.

Paul, though he was an ardent advocate of charity toward those

who were really in need, and though he spent a good deal of

time gathering offerings of money for the poor, yet he spared

no words in condemning the able-bodied who could but would

not work. In these verses he positively forbids the brethren to

support such people; even commands the church to withdraw

fellowship from them.

There is nothing in the teaching of Paul, or of Christ, or any

where in the Bible, to encourage charity to able-bodied lazy

men whose profession is begging.

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From The Bible Project (c) 

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2 Thessalonians 1 New International Version (NIV)

1 Paul, Silas[a] and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters,[b] and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. 

This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[c]

Footnotes:

2 Thessalonians 1:1 Greek Silvanus, a variant of Silas

2 Thessalonians 1:3 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 2:1, 13, 15; 3:1, 6, 13.

2 Thessalonians 1:12 Or God and Lord, Jesus Christ

2 Thessalonians 2 New International Version (NIV)

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

Stand Firm

13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits[b] to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings[c] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

Footnotes:

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Some manuscripts sin

2 Thessalonians 2:13 Some manuscripts because from the beginning God chose you

2 Thessalonians 2:15 Or traditions

2 Thessalonians 3 New International Version (NIV)

Request for Prayer

3 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. 2 And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. 

3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. 

5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Warning Against Idleness

6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching[a] you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. 

10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

11 We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

14 Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed. 15 Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer.

Final Greetings

16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

17 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write.

18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Footnotes:

2 Thessalonians 3:6 Or tradition

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No Papyri available.  Folio 288 Codex Sinaiticus

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New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Some content adapted from Halley, Henry H., Bible Handbook, Grayson Publishing, Minneapolis, MN.  © 1927 - 1959, 1964

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Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia

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