Text -- 2 Thessalonians 1:8 (NET)

1:8 With flaming fire he will mete out punishment on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Robertson: 2Th 1:8

Rendering ( didontos ).

Genitive of present active participle of didōmi , to give, agreeing with Iēsou .

Robertson: 2Th 1:8

Vengeance ( ekdikēsin ).

Late word from ekdikeō , to vindicate, in Polybius and lxx.

Robertson: 2Th 1:8

To them that know not God ( tois mē eidosin theon ).

Dative plural of perfect active participle eidōs . Apparently chiefly Gentiles in mind (1Th 4:3; Gal 4:8; Rom 1:28; Eph 2:12), though Jews are also guilty of wilful ignorance of God (Rom 2:14).

Robertson: 2Th 1:8

And to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus ( kai tois mē hupakouousin tōi euaggeliōi tou kuriou hēmōn Iēsou ).

Repetition of the article looks like another class and so Jews (Rom 10:16). Both Jews as instigators and Gentiles as officials (politarchs ) were involved in the persecution in Thessalonica (Act 17:5-9; 2Th 1:6). Note the use of "gospel"here as in Mar 1:15 "believe in the gospel."

Vincent: 2Th 1:8

In flaming fire ( ἐν πυρὶ φλογός )

Lit. in a fire of flame . Comp. 1Co 1:13; 2Pe 3:7.

Vincent: 2Th 1:8

Taking vengeance ( διδόντος ἐκδίκησιν )

Lit. giving or rendering . Vengeance is an unfortunate rendering, as implying, in popular usage, personal vindictiveness. See on 2Co 7:11. It is the full awarding of justice to all parties.

Vincent: 2Th 1:8

On them that know not God - obey not the gospel ( τοῖς μὴ εἰδόσι θεὸν - τοῖς μὴ ὑπακούουσιν τῷ εὐγγελίῳ )

To know God is to know him as the one, true God as distinguished from false gods; to know his will, his holiness, his hatred of sin, and his saving intent toward mankind. Two words are used of such knowledge, εἰδέναι and γινώσκειν . Both are applied to the heathen and to Christians, and both are used of the Jews' knowledge of God. Ἑιδέναι , of heathen, Gal 4:8; 1Th 4:5; 2Th 1:8. Γινώσκειν of heathen, Rom 1:21; 1Co 1:21. Ἑιδέναι , of Christ and Christians, Joh 7:29, Joh 8:19, Joh 8:55; Joh 14:7. Γινώσκειν of Christ and Christians, Gal 4:9; 1Jo 2:13, 1Jo 2:14; 1Jo 4:6, 1Jo 4:7, 1Jo 4:8; Joh 10:15; Joh 17:3. In John, γινώσκειν of Jews who do not know the Father, Joh 16:3; Joh 8:55 : εἰδέναι , Joh 7:28; Joh 8:19; Joh 15:21. The two are combined, Joh 1:26; Joh 7:27; Joh 8:55; 2Co 5:16. A distinction is asserted between γινώσκειν as knowledge grounded in personal experience, apprehension of external impressions - and εἰδέμαι purely mental perception in contrast with conjecture or knowledge derived from others. There are doubtless passages which bear out this distinction (see on Joh 2:24), but it is impossible to carry it rigidly through the N.T. In the two classes, - those who know not God and those who obey not the gospel, - it is not probable that Paul has in mind a distinction between Jews and Gentiles. The Jews were not ignorant of God, yet they are described by John as not knowing him. The Gentiles are described by Paul as knowing God, but as refusing to glorify him as God (Rom 1:21). Paul rather describes here the subjects of God's judgment as one class, but under different aspects.

Wesley: 2Th 1:8

Does God barely permit this, or (as "the Lord" once "rained brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven," Gen 19:24) does a fiery stream go forth from him for ever? Who know not God - (The root of all wickedness and misery) who remain in heathen ignorance.

Wesley: 2Th 1:8

This refers chiefly to the Jews, who had heard the gospel.

JFB: 2Th 1:8

Greek, "In flame of fire"; or, as other oldest manuscripts read, "in fire of flame." This flame of fire accompanied His manifestation in the bush (Exo 3:2); also His giving of the law at Sinai (Exo 19:18). Also it shall accompany His revelation at His advent (Dan 7:9-10), symbolizing His own bright glory and His consuming vengeance against His foes (Heb 10:27; Heb 12:29; 2Pe 3:7, 2Pe 3:10).

JFB: 2Th 1:8

Literally, "giving" them, as their portion, "vengeance."

JFB: 2Th 1:8

The Gentiles primarily (Psa 79:6; Gal 4:8; 1Th 4:5); not of course those involuntarily not knowing God, but those wilfully not knowing Him, as Pharaoh, who might have known God if he would, but who boasted "I know not the Lord" (Exo 5:2); and as the heathen persecutors who might have known God by the preaching of those whom they persecuted. Secondarily, all who "profess to know God but in works deny Him" (Tit 1:16).

JFB: 2Th 1:8

Primarily the unbelieving Jews (Rom 10:3, Rom 10:16); secondarily, all who obey not the truth (Rom 2:8).

JFB: 2Th 1:8

Omitted by some of the oldest manuscripts, and retained by others.

Clarke: 2Th 1:8

In flaming fire - Εν φλογι πυρος· In thunder and lightning, taking vengeance - inflicting just punishment on them that know not God - the heathen who do not worship the true God, and will not acknowledge him, but worship idols; and on them that obey not the Gospel - the Jews, particularly who have rejected the Gospel, and persecuted Christ and his messengers; and all nominal Christians who, though they believe the Gospel as a revelation from God, yet do not obey it as a rule of life.

Calvin: 2Th 1:8

8.Who will inflict vengeance. That he may the better persuade believers that the persecutions which they endure will not go unpunished, he teaches that this also involves the interests of God himself, inasmuch as the same persons that persecute the pious are guilty of rebellion against God. Hence it is necessary that God should inflict vengeance upon them not merely with a view to our salvation, but also for the sake of his own glory. Farther, this expression, who will inflict vengeance, relates to Christ, for Paul intimates that this office is assigned to him by God the Father. It may be asked, however, whether it is lawful for us to desire vengeance, for Paul promises it, as though it could be lawfully desired. I answer, that it is not lawful to desire vengeance upon any one, inasmuch as we are commanded to wish well to all. Besides, although we may in a general way desire vengeance upon the wicked, yet, as we do not as yet discriminate them, we ought to desire the welfare of all. In the mean time, the ruin of the wicked may be lawfully looked forward to with desire, provided there reigns in our hearts a pure and duly regulated zeal for God, and there is no feeling of inordinate desire.

Who know not. He distinguishes unbelievers by these two marks — that they know not God, and obey not the gospel of Christ. For if obedience is not rendered to the gospel through faith, as he teaches in the first and in the last chapters of the Epistle to the Romans, [Rom 1:18,] unbelief is the occasion of resistance to it. He charges them at the same time with ignorance of God, for a lively acquaintance with God produces of itself reverence towards him. Hence unbelief is always blind, not as though unbelievers were altogether devoid of light and intelligence, but because they have the understanding darkened in such a manner, that seeing they do not see. (Mat 13:13.) It is not without good grounds that Christ declares that this is life eternal, to know the true God, etc. (Joh 17:3.) Accordingly, from the want of this salutary knowledge, there follows contempt of God, and in fine, death. On this point I have treated more fully in commenting on the first chapter of First Corinthians. ⁶³²

Defender: 2Th 1:8

This fire may be the same as "the pillar of fire" (Exo 13:21) that protected and guided God's people in the wilderness. Alternatively, there are numerous references to fires in the tribulation period (Rev 8:5-10; Rev 18:8). Finally, climaxing the day of the Lord, the earth itself will be "burned up" (2Pe 3:10).

Defender: 2Th 1:8

"Taking vengeance" does not imply taking revenge but rather exacting justice. God has been long suffering, but "our God is a consuming fire" and "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb 12:29; Heb 10:31).

Defender: 2Th 1:8

Knowing God means more than knowing about God. It means knowing Him as He is, and personally and reverently acknowledging Him as sovereign Creator, redeeming Savior, and all-seeing Judge.

Defender: 2Th 1:8

It is the gospel by which men are saved (1Co 15:1, 1Co 15:2), and there can be no other way of salvation (Joh 14:6; Act 4:12). The gospel is good news and salvation is offered freely to anyone who will receive it through faith in Christ. There is no acceptable excuse for rejecting His love and sacrificial death. For those who do reject Him, however, "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries" (Heb 10:26, Heb 10:27)."

TSK: 2Th 1:8

flaming : Gen 3:24; Deu 4:11, Deu 5:5; Psa 21:8, Psa 21:9, Psa 50:2-6; Dan 7:10; Mat 25:41, Mat 25:46; Heb 10:27, Heb 12:29; 2Pe 3:7, 2Pe 3:10-12; Rev 20:10,Rev 20:14, Rev 20:15, Rev 21:8

taking : or, yielding vengeance, Deu 32:35, Deu 32:41, Deu 32:42; Psa 2:9-12, Psa 94:1; Isa 61:2, Isa 63:4-6; Heb 10:30; Rev 6:10,Rev 6:16, Rev 6:17

that know : Exo 5:2; 1Sa 2:12; Psa 9:10, Psa 79:6; Isa 27:11; Jer 9:6; Zep 1:6; Joh 3:19, Joh 8:19; Rom 1:28; 1Co 15:34; 1Th 4:5

and that : Deu 4:30; Psa 18:44; Isa 1:19; Act 6:7; Rom 1:5, Rom 2:7, Rom 2:8, Rom 6:16, Rom 10:16, Rom 15:18; Rom 16:26; 2Co 10:5; Gal 3:1; Heb 2:3, Heb 5:9, Heb 11:8; 1Pe 1:2, 1Pe 3:6, 1Pe 4:17

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: 2Th 1:8

In flaming fire - This is a circumstance which is not noticed in the account of his appearing in the parallel place in 1Th 4:16. The object of the apostle here seems to be to represent him as coming amidst vivid flashes of lightning. He is commonly described as coming in clouds, and to that common description there is here added the image of incessant lightnings, as if the whole heavens were illuminated with a continued blaze.

Taking vengeance - Margin, "yielding."Greek, "giving. The word "vengeance"is used in the sense of punishment, for there cannot be in God what literally corresponds with the passion of revenge; compare the notes on Rom 12:19.

On them that know not God. - On all who are strangers to him; that is, who are living in pagan darkness, or who, having heard of him, have no practical acquaintance with him.

And that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Who do not embrace it, and practice its precepts in their lives; compare the notes on Rom 2:9.

Poole: 2Th 1:8

But his coming will be upon another account to many others, which is said here to be to take vengeance, for which purpose he is said to be revealed with his mighty angels, or angels of might; and elsewhere, with all his holy angels. They are said to excel in strength, Psa 103:20 , or to be mighty in strength, and have the name of might, Eph 1:21 . And here called mighty, because as the work Christ comes upon is great and difficult, so he will have instruments sufficient for it, and none shall be able to hinder. And though he hath power himself sufficient, yet the angels must attend him to solemnize this great day, and to be serviceable to him in the work thereof, which, as it will respect the saints in their resurrection from the dead, and their gathering from the four winds, and separating them from the ungodly, as tares from the wheat and sheep from the goats, so the taking vengeance also in this day of the Lord’ s wrath, which the apostle, especially, is in these verses speaking of, is the work they shall be employed in. As also in flaming fire, or the fire of flame, a Hebraism. Fire is the most dreadful of all the elements, especially flaming, to denote the great wrath of that day, and its breaking forth, as fire when it flameth. God’ s wrath is often expressed in Scripture by fire, Deu 32:22 Psa 97:3 , &c.; Jer 21:12 Heb 10:27 ; and as that which attendeth the great day of Christ, Dan 7:10 1Co 3:13 2Pe 3:7,12 . And whether this flaming fire is material, or only metaphorical; if material, whether the present elementary fire, which shall descend, and be joined with that which shall break forth out of the bowels of the earth, as in Noah’ s flood the waters were from above and from beneath; or whether it shall be some new created fire, and the action of it natural, or supernatural, I shall leave it to the schoolmen. Yet it is generally conceived it is a material fire; else how can the elements be said to melt with fervent heat, and the world and the works thereof burnt up, as the apostle Peter speaks, 2Pe 3:10 ; and parallels it with the deluge in Noah’ s time, which was with material water. But yet it is to be a manifestation of the fire of God’ s wrath, and an instrument of it also in the destruction of ungodly men, 2Pe 3:7 ; for it is said in the text, Christ is revealed in it to take vengeance. Vengeance is an act of justice; it is a retribution of evil for evil, the evil of suffering for the evil done: and God claims it as belonging to himself, Psa 94:1 Rom 12:19 Heb 10:27 ; and it is mentioned in the parable, Luk 18:7,8 , as one great work of Christ, at his coming, to avenge the elect.

On them that know not God; these are the persons upon whom he will execute vengeance: by whom some think are meant the heathen, who had not the gospel. Those that had not the gospel, yet had means to know God, by the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence, which if they did not improve, but remained ignorant of God, will fall under this vengeance. And by knowledge here is not meant so much a speculative as a practical knowledge of God; and so such as do not fear, love, and honour God, may be said not to know him. As the Gentiles, who are said to know God, Rom 1:21 , but yet not glorifying him as God, and living in idolatry, are said not to know him, Gal 4:8 1Th 4:5 . And as God tells the king of Judah, that to do justice and judgment is to know him, Jer 22:16 . And Eli’ s sons, though priests, yet are said not to know the Lord, 1Sa 2:12 .

And that obey not the gospel which may be taken in conjunction with the former words, and then such as obey not the gospel are the same with them that know not God. As God is not known aright but by the gospel, so they only know God aright by the gospel who obey it. Some are ignorant and know not God, though they live under the gospel. Or, such as have knowledge, yet are not obedient. Knowledge and obedience ought to go together. And this obedience is called the obeying of the gospel. The gospel hath not only promises to be believed, but precepts to be obeyed. Yea, faith itself may fall under its precepts, and then those that believe not the gospel do not obey it: as the same word in the Greek signifies to believe and obey. And as the gospel hath some peculiar precepts and institutions, so all the commands of the moral law are comprehended in it; and the equitable part of the judicial law, yea, and the ceremonial law also, where that which is moral is figured by it; and so far as the gospel commands, men ought to obey; and disobedience appears to be a great evil, when it will expose men to this great vengeance. So Rom 2:8,9 : To them that do not obey the truth, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, & c. Not to obey the law of nature, exposed the heathen to God’ s wrath, Rom 1:18 ; and to disobey the law of Moses, the Jew, Rom 2:2 Heb 2:3 10:28 Heb 12:25 ; much more not to obey the gospel. Christ is said here especially to take vengeance of such at his coming. Gospel sins are most heinous and most provoking, and will be most severely punished.

Gill: 2Th 1:8

In flaming fire,.... Which may either refer to Christ, who will be revealed from heaven in such a manner; and whose coming will be as the lightning, not only sudden, but glorious, illustrious, and visible; he will be seen and easily discerned; there will be such a light and flaming fire about him, which, as it will serve to make him visible, will greatly add to the majesty of his appearance, and strike terror to his enemies, and burn them up round about; see Dan 7:7 or else it may refer to the angels, who shall descend in fiery forms, which is agreeably to their nature, Psa 104:4 and so they appeared in the forms of horses of fire, and chariots of fire, when Elijah was carried up to heaven. And it is a tradition of the Jews ^z, that the angel Gabriel descended בשלהובא דאשא, "in a flame of fire", to burn Moses, as he was in the inn, when upon his journey from Midian to Egypt: or this clause may be read in construction with the following, as it is in the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions, "in flaming fire taking vengeance"; and so expresses the manner in which vengeance will be taken on the wicked by Christ, the Judge of all, to whom it belongs: and the punishment of ungodly men is often signified by fire, and flames of fire, by the fire of hell, and a lake which burns with fire and brimstone, by a furnace of fire, everlasting fire, and fire that cannot be quenched, to set forth the endless torture and inconceivable misery of the damned; and it may be, some regard is had to the general conflagration, which will be at the coming of Christ, when the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth, and all that is in it, shall be burnt up, when the bodies of the wicked, then living, will be consumed in flames of fire, and their souls feel the wrath of the Almighty. The persons who will then be punished, and on whom vengeance will be taken, are described as follows,

on them that know not God; which is a periphrasis, or common character of the Gentiles, 1Th 4:5 who know not the one, true, and living God; or know him not so as to glorify him as God, and be thankful to him for the mercies they receive from him, and still less know him in Christ Jesus; which ignorance of theirs is not without sin, nor will it excuse from punishment; for though vengeance will not be taken on them, because they have not a spiritual saving knowledge of God, in the Mediator Jesus Christ, who never was revealed to them; yet forasmuch as they had the light and law of nature, by which the being of God, and the invisible perfections of his nature might be seen and understood, and much of his will, with respect to moral good and evil, be known, against both which they have rebelled, and having sinned, will perish without law: though it may also include all such persons, who having been favoured with an external revelation, have professed to know God, and yet in works have denied him:

and that obey not the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; of which Christ is the author, was the preacher, and is the sum and substance; which is good news and glad tidings of the grace of, God, of peace, pardon, righteousness, life, and salvation by Christ; which may be said to be obeyed, when it is received and embraced by faith, with and from the heart, and confession is made of it with the mouth, and the ordinances of it are submitted to; and which is called the obedience of faith, because faith without obedience is not right, and obedience without faith is of no avail: but all that hear the Gospel do not obey it; there are some that disbelieve and reject the doctrines and ordinances of it, and others that, do profess it, and do not yield a cordial and cheerful obedience to it; both may be reckoned among the disobeyers of it: and though the unbelieving Jews may be chiefly designed here, yet deists of every age and place, where the Gospel revelation has come, and carnal professors, and profane despisers everywhere, may be included; whose condemnation will be aggravated by the external light which has shone around them, and they have hated; the severest punishment will be inflicted on them; it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, Sodom and Gomorrah, than for such persons; see 1Pe 4:17.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 2Th 1:8

¹ tn Grk “meting out,” as a description of Jesus Christ in v. 7. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 8 in the translation.

² sn An allusion to Jer 10:25, possibly also to Ps 79:6 and Isa 66:15.

Geneva Bible: 2Th 1:8

In flaming fire taking vengeance on them ^{( 6 )} that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

^{( 6 )} There is no knowledge of God to salvation, without the Gospel of Christ.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: 2Th 1:1-12

1 Paul certifies them of the good opinion which he had of their faith, love, and patience;

11 and therewithal uses divers reasons for the comforting of them in persecution, whereof the chief is taken from the righteous judgment of God.

MHCC: 2Th 1:5-10

Religion, if worth anything, is worth every thing; and those have no religion, or none worth having, or know not how to value it, cannot find their hearts to suffer for it. We cannot by all our sufferings, any more than by our services, merit heaven; but by our patience under sufferings, we are prepared for the promised joy. Nothing more strongly marks a man for eternal ruin, than a spirit of persecution and enmity to the name and people of God. God will trouble those that trouble his people. And there is a rest for the people of God; a rest from sin and sorrow. The certainty of future recompence is proved by the righteousness of God. The thoughts of this should be terrible to wicked men, and support the righteous. Faith, looking to the great day, is enabled partly to understand the book of providence, which appears confused to unbelievers. The Lord Jesus will in that day appear from heaven. He will come in the glory and power of the upper world. His light will be piercing, and his power consuming, to all who in that day shall be found as chaff. This appearance will be terrible to those that know not God, especially to those who rebel against revelation, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the great crime of multitudes, the gospel is revealed, and they will not believe it; or if they pretend to believe, they will not obey it. Believing the truths of the gospel, is in order to our obeying the precepts of the gospel. Though sinners may be long spared, they will be punished at last. They did sin's work, and must receive sin's wages. Here God punishes sinners by creatures as instruments; but then, it will be destruction from the Almighty; and who knows the power of his anger? It will be a joyful day to some, to the saints, to those who believe and obey the gospel. In that bright and blessed day, Christ Jesus will be glorified and admired by his saints. And Christ will be glorified and admired in them. His grace and power will be shown, when it shall appear what he has purchased for, and wrought in, and bestowed upon those who believe in him. Lord, if the glory put upon thy saints shall be thus admired, how much more shalt thou be admired, as the Bestower of that glory! The glory of thy justice in the damnation of the wicked will be admired, but not as the glory of thy mercy in the salvation of believers. How will this strike the adoring angels with holy admiration, and transport thy admiring saints with eternal rapture! The meanest believer shall enjoy more than the most enlarged heart can imagine while we are here; Christ will be admired in all those that believe, the meanest believer not excepted.

Matthew Henry: 2Th 1:5-10

Having mentioned their persecutions and tribulations, which they endured principally for the cause of Christ, the apostle proceeds to offer several things for their comfort under them; as,

I. He tells them of the present happiness and advantage of their sufferings, 2Th 1:5. Their faith being thus tried, and patience exercised, they were improved by their sufferings, insomuch that they were counted worthy of the kingdom of God. Their sufferings were a manifest token of this, that they were worthy or meet to be accounted Christians indeed, seeing they could suffer for Christianity. And the truth is, Religion, if it is worth any thing, is worth every thing; and those either have no religion at all, or none that is worth having, or know not how to value it, that cannot find in their hearts to suffer for it. Besides, from their patient suffering, it appeared that, according to the righteous judgment of God, they should be counted worthy of the heavenly glory: not by worthiness of condignity, but of congruity only; not that they could merit heaven, but they were made meet for heaven. We cannot by all our sufferings, any more than by our services, merit heaven as a debt; but by our patience under our sufferings we are qualified for the joy that is promised to patient sufferers in the cause of God.

II. He tells them next of the future recompence that shall be given to persecutor and persecuted.

1. In this future recompence there will be, (1.) A punishment inflicted on persecutors: God will recompense tribulation to those that trouble you, 2Th 1:6. And there is nothing that more infallibly marks a man for eternal ruin than a spirit of persecution, and enmity to the name and people of God: as the faith, patience, and constancy of the saints are to them an earnest of everlasting rest and joy, so the pride, malice, and wickedness of their persecutors are to them an earnest of everlasting misery; for every man carries about with him, and carries out of the world with him, either his heaven or his hell. God will render a recompence, and will trouble those that trouble his people. This he has done sometimes in this world, witness the dreadful end of many persecutors; but especially this he will do in the other world, where the portion of the wicked must be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. (2.) A reward for those that are persecuted: God will recompense their trouble with rest, 2Th 1:7. There is a rest that remains for the people of God, a rest from sin and sorrow. Though many may be the troubles of the righteous now, yet God will deliver them out of them all. The future rest will abundantly recompense all their present troubles. The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed. There is enough in heaven to countervail all that we may lose or suffer for the name of Christ in this world. The apostle says, To you who are troubled rest with us. In heaven, ministers and people shall rest together, and rejoice together, who suffer together here; and the meanest Christian shall rest with the greatest apostle: nay, what is far more, if we suffer for Christ, we shall also reign with him, 2Ti 2:12.

2. Concerning this future recompence we are further to observe,

(1.) The certainty of it, proved by the righteousness and justice of God: It is a righteous thing with God (2Th 1:6) to render to every man according to his works. The thoughts of this should be terrible to wicked men and persecutors, and the great support of the righteous and such as are persecuted; for, seeing there is a righteous God, there will be a righteous recompence. God's suffering people will lose nothing by their sufferings, and their enemies will gain nothing by their advantages against them.

(2.) The time when this righteous recompence shall be made: When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, 2Th 1:7. That will be the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God; for then will God judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath appointed, even Jesus Christ the righteous Judge. The righteousness of God does not so visibly appear to all men in the procedure of his providence as it will in the process of the great judgment-day. The scripture has made known to us the judgment to come, and we are bound to receive the revelation here given concerning Christ. As,

[1.] That the Lord Jesus will in that day appear from heaven. Now the heavens retain him, they conceal him; but then he will be revealed and made manifest. He will come in all the pomp and power of the upper world, whence we look for the Saviour.

[2.] He will be revealed with his mighty angels (2Th 1:7), or the angels of his power: these will attend upon him, to grace the solemnity of that great day of his appearance; they will be the ministers of his justice and mercy in that day; they will summon the criminals to his tribunal, and gather in the elect, and be employed in executing his sentence.

[3.] He will come in flaming fire, 2Th 1:8. A fire goeth before him, which shall consume his enemies. The earth, and all the works that are therein, shall be burnt up, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. This will be a trying fire, to try every man's work, - a refining fire, to purify the saints, who shall share in the purity, and partake of the felicity, of the new heaven and the new earth, - a consuming fire to the wicked. His light will be piercing, and his power consuming, to all those who in that day shall be found as chaff.

[4.] The effects of this appearance will be terrible to some and joyful to others.

First, They will be terrible to some; for he will then take vengeance on the wicked. 1. On those that sinned against the principles of natural religion, and rebelled against the light of nature, that knew not God (2Th 1:8), though the invisible things of him are manifested in the things that are seen. 2. On those that rebel against the light of revelation, that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light. This is the great crime of multitudes - the gospel is revealed to them, and they will not believe it; or, if they pretend to believe it, they will not obey it. Note, Believing the truths of the gospel is in order to our obeying the precepts of the gospel: there must be the obedience of faith. To such persons as are here mentioned the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ will be terrible, because of their doom, which is mentioned, 2Th 1:9. Here observe, (1.) They will then be punished. Though sinners may be long reprieved, yet they will be punished at last. Their misery will be a proper punishment for their crimes, and only what they have deserved. They did sin's work, and must receive sin's wages. (2.) Their punishment will be no less than destruction, not of their being, but of their bliss; not that of the body alone, but both as to body and soul. (3.) This destruction will be everlasting. They shall be always dying, and yet never die. Their misery will run parallel with the line of eternity. The chains of darkness are everlasting chains, and the fire is everlasting fire. It must needs be so, since the punishment is inflicted by an eternal God, fastening upon an immortal soul, set out of the reach of divine mercy and grace. (4.) This destruction shall come from the presence of the Lord, that is, immediately from God himself. Here God punishes sinners by creatures, by instruments; but then he will take the work into his own hands. It will be destruction from the Almighty, more terrible than the consuming fire which consumed Nadab and Abihu, which came from before the Lord. (5.) It shall come from the glory of his power, or from his glorious power. Not only the justice of God, but this almighty power, will be glorified in the destruction of sinners; and who knows the power of his anger? He is able to cast into hell.

Secondly, It will be a joyful day to some, even to the saints, unto those that believe and obey the gospel. And then the apostle's testimony concerning this day will be confirmed and believed (2Th 1:10); in that bright and blessed day, 1. Christ Jesus will be glorified and admired by his saints. They will behold his glory, and admire it with pleasure; they will glorify his grace, and admire the wonders of his power and goodness towards them, and sing hallelujahs to him in that day of his triumph, for their complete victory and happiness. 2. Christ will be glorified and admired in them. His grace and power will then be manifested and magnified, when it shall appear what he has purchased for, and wrought in, and bestowed upon, all those who believe in him. As his wrath and power will be made known in and by the destruction of his enemies, so his grace and power will be magnified in the salvation of his saints. Note, Christ's dealings with those who believe will be what the world one day shall wonder at. Now, they are a wonder to many; but how will they be wondered at in this great and glorious day; or, rather, how will Christ, whose name is Wonderful, be admired, when the mystery of God shall be finished! Christ will not be so much admired in the glorious esteem of angels that he will bring from heaven with him as in the many saints, the many sons, that he will bring to glory.

Barclay: 2Th 1:1-10

There is all the wisdom of the wise leader in this opening passage. It seems that the Thessalonians had sent a message to Paul full of self-doubtings. They had been timorously afraid that their faith was not going to stand the test and that--in the expressive modern phrase--they were not going to make the grade. Paul's answer was not to push them further into the slough of despond by pessimistically agreeing with them but to pick out their virtues and achievements in such a way that these despondent, frightened Christians might square their shoulders and say, "Well, if Paul thinks that of us we'll make a fight of it yet."

"Blessed are those," said Mark Rutherford, "who heal us of our self-despisings," and Paul did just that for the Thessalonian Church. He knew that often judicious praise can do what indiscriminate criticism cannot do and that wise praise never makes a man rest upon his laurels but fills him with the desire to do still better.

There are three things which Paul picked out as being the marks of a vital Church.

(i) A faith which is strong. It is the mark of the advancing Christian that he grows surer of Jesus Christ every day. The faith which may begin as an hypothesis ends as a certainty. James Agate once said, "My mind is not like a bed which has to be made and remade. There are some things of which I am absolutely sure." The Christian comes to that stage when to the thrill of Christian experience he adds the discipline of Christian thought.

(ii) A love which is increasing. A growing Church is one which grows greater in service. A man may begin serving his fellowmen as a duty which his Christian faith lays upon him; he will end by doing it because in it he finds his greatest joy. The life of service opens up the great discovery that unselfishness and happiness go hand in hand.

(iii) A constancy which endures. The word Paul uses is a magnificent word. It is hupomone (5281) which is usually translated endurance but does not mean the ability passively to bear anything that may descend upon us. It has been described as "a masculine constancy under trial" and describes the spirit which not only endures the circumstances in which it finds itself but masters them. It accepts the blows of life but in accepting them transforms them into stepping stones to new achievement.

Paul's uplifting message ends with the most uplifting vision of all. It ends with what we might call the reciprocal glory. When Christ comes he will be glorified in his saints and admired in those who have believed Here we have the breath-taking truth that our glory is Christ and Christ's glory is ourselves. The glory of Christ is in those who through him have learned to endure and to conquer, and so to shine like lights in a dark place. A teacher's glory lies in the scholars he produces; a parent's in the children he rears not only for living but for life; a master's in his disciples; and to us is given the tremendous privilege and responsibility that Christ's glory can lie in us. We may bring discredit or we may bring glory to the Master whose we are and whom we seek to serve. Can any privileged responsibility be greater than that?

Constable: 2Th 1:3-12

II. COMMENDATION FOR PAST PROGRESS 1:3-12

Paul thanked God for the spiritual growth of his readers, encouraged them to persevere in their trials, and assured them of his prayers for them. He did so to motivate them to continue to endure hardship and thereby develop in their faith (cf. James 1:2-4).

Constable: 2Th 1:5-10

B. Encouragement to persevere 1:5-10

These verses explain what God's future righteous judgment is.

1:5 Paul explained that suffering for Christ demonstrates the believer's worthiness to participate in God's kingdom. A hot fire under gold ore separates the gold from the dross and shows the gold to be what it really is. Likewise the fire of trials can separate the Christian from the unsaved and show him to be what he really is. He is what he is by God's grace. It is God's grace that qualifies a person for heaven, not suffering. Suffering only exposes the quality of the person whom God's grace is transforming.

Paul taught elsewhere that God will reward Christians who endure temptations to abandon their commitment to Jesus Christ with the privilege of reigning with Christ in His millennial kingdom (2 Tim. 2:12). Whereas all Christians will return to earth with Christ at His second coming and enter His kingdom, only those who follow Him faithfully in this life will reign along with Him.⁸

"Jesus encouraged his disciples to rejoice when they were persecuted for his sake because, he said, your reward is great in heaven' (Matt 5:11, 12 par. Luke 6:22, 23). This note recurs again and again throughout the NT."⁹

1:6-8 In the future God in His justice would punish the Thessalonians' persecutors and give rest to his readers as well as to all Christians who suffer affliction for the gospel. This will take place when Jesus Christ returns to the earth in judgment. This is not a reference to the Rapture. The judgments described in the following verses (vv. 9-10) will not take place then. It is a reference to Christ's coming at the end of the Tribulation (cf. Ps. 2:1-9; Matt. 25:31). Then Christ will punish those who do not know God (cf. Rom. 1:18-32) and those who do not obey the gospel (cf. John 3:36). The former group may be Gentiles and the latter Jews.¹⁰ However this is probably a case of synonymous parallelism in which both descriptions refer to both Jews and Gentiles.¹¹ He will put them to death and will not allow them to enter the Millennium (cf. Ps. 2; Ezek. 20:33-38; Joel 3:1-2, 12; Zeph. 3:8; Zech. 14:1-19; Matt. 25:31-46).¹²

1 Thessalonians 4	2 Thessalonians 1
Christ returns in the air.	Christ returns to the earth.
He comes secretly for the church.	He comes openly with the church.
Believers escape the Tribulation.	Unbelievers experience tribulation and judgment.
The Rapture occurs at an undisclosed time.	The Second Coming occurs at the end of the Tribulation in the day of the Lord.13

1:9 These non-Christians will suffer "eternal destruction" (lit. they will pay a penalty). Their fate is eternal separation from the person of Christ and the manifestation of His glory (i.e., eternal death). This is Paul's most explicit reference to the eternal duration of unbelievers' judgment in all his writings. It is ironic that those who reject Christ experience God's rejection.

"Olethros (destruction') does not refer to annihilation, which cannot be everlasting.'¹⁴ The word in LXX and NT usages never has this meaning but rather turns on the thought of separation from God and loss of everything worthwhile in life . . ."¹⁵

"Heaven is primarily the presence of God. Hell is the loss of that presence."¹⁶

1:10 When Christ returns to earth His "saints" will accompany Him. Paul referred specifically to Christians (i.e., believers of the church age who previously experienced the Rapture), not all believers. Old Testament saints will not experience resurrection until the Second Coming (Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2). Jesus Christ's second coming will be a day of great glory and vindication for Him. Paul's readers would participate in it because they had believed Paul's testimony when he had preached the gospel among them. They would reflect Christ's glory as will all other believers who will accompany Him at His second coming (i.e., all Christians).

"Just as Paul is elusive about the nature of the vengeance to be inflicted by the Lord Jesus, he is also elusive about the nature of the reward to be bestowed."¹⁷

"That day" is a clear reference to the day of the Lord (cf. Isa. 2:11, 17). It will include Jesus Christ's return to the earth at His second coming (cf. Mark 13:32; 14:25; Luke 21:34; 2 Tim. 1:12, 18; 4:8).¹⁸ Then He will be glorified "in the presence of" His saints (the locative use of the Greek preposition en).¹⁹

At first reading it may appear that verses 5-10 offer hope that God would judge the Thessalonians' persecutors very soon and that the Thessalonian Christians would find "relief" (v. 7) in the Rapture. However the return of Christ in "fire" (v. 7) dealing out punishment (vv. 8-9) when He comes "with His saints" (v. 10) must refer to the Second Coming. Thus it appears that the Second Coming follows the Rapture immediately. This is what posttribulationists believe.²⁰ However the Tribulation will precede the Second Coming, as posttribulationists agree. Paul proceeded to explain that the Thessalonians were not in the Tribulation (2:1-12). Only if they were then in the Tribulation could the hope of relief by a posttribulational Rapture have been a comfort to them. Consequently it seems that in 1:5-10 Paul was seeking to comfort his readers by assuring them that ultimately they would experience relief by entering rest in the Millennium following Christ's second coming. Ultimately God would punish their persecutors at the great white throne judgment at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:11-15).

Thomas, a pretribulationist, understood the revelation of Jesus Christ spoken of in verses 5-10 to be a general one that embraces the Rapture and the Second Coming.

"Many have chosen to limit apokalypsei (revelation,' appearance') to a single event, identifying it with Christ's return to earth at the close of the tribulation. The role of his powerful angels' in the revelation favors this understanding in the light of Matthew 24:30, 31; 25:31. It is more persuasive, however, to explain apokalypsei as a complex of events, including various phases of end-time happenings. The present context associates the word with Christ's coming for his own as well as his coming to deal with opponents. Since the primary thrust of vv. 5-10 is to encourage suffering Christians, the meaning of apokalypsei for them should receive the emphasis. God's dealings with the rest of the world are included only to enhance the relief' experienced by believers at the righteous judgment of God."²¹

It seems to me, as I have tried to explain above, that the references to what will happen at this appearing describe the Second Coming exclusively. Thomas admitted that enjoyment of the future glory of Christ's coming--and only His second coming will be in glory--is the leading idea of this chapter.²²

College: 2Th 1:1-12

2 THESSALONIANS 1

I. GREETING (1:1-2)

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.

^a 1 Greek Silvanus , a variant of Silas

1:1 Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

The opening greeting of this second letter is identical to the first letter's in all but two points. Paul's relationship with his co-workers, the readers' identity as the assembly of God's people united with God and Christ, and their blessing of God's grace and peace are again prominent (see comments on 1 Thess 1:1 above). One difference comes in v. 1, where God is specifically "our Father" as in most of Paul's other salutations (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Eph 1:2; Phil 1:2; Col 1:2; Phlm 3; Gal 1:3 reads thus in some manuscripts) instead of "the Father" as in 1 Thess 1:1. But little significance can be attached to the change.

1:2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The second difference comes at the end of v. 2, where the source of grace and peace are specified as in the other extant letters of Paul (cf. Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; Phil 1:2; Col 1:2; 1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:2; Titus 1:4; Phlm 3). As in v. 1 and 1 Thess 1:1 above, Paul, who was steeped in Jewish monotheism, attributes such gifts to both God and Jesus with absolute ease and naturalness. Such is possible for him because he regards Jesus as fully divine (see comments on 1 Thess 1:1 above).

II. OPENING THANKSGIVING, ENCOURAGEMENT AND PRAYER (1:3-12)

As in 1 Thess 1:2-10 and in most of Paul's other letters, 2 Thessalonians begins with a statement of thanksgiving, focusing on the readers' devotion to Christ. Here Paul also offers a prayer for the readers, commonly attached to the thanksgiving in other letters but separated in 1 Thessalonians by Paul's discussion of his ministry with the church (1 Thess 3:11-13; cf. Phil 1:3-11; Col 1:3-14; Phlm 4-7; Eph 1:15-19; 2 Thess 2:13-14).

The difference in tone between 1 and 2 Thessalonians is immediately noticeable in this section. The warmth and enthusiasm of the first letter are less evident here, where the style appears more formal. This difference can easily be exaggerated, but some difference in tone between the passages is conceded by all. While it is impossible to account for the change entirely, much of the difference can be attributed to the shift in subject matter. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul's concern was largely for his ongoing relationship with the church. Under such circumstances, an extra measure of personal warmth would be expected.

Some have speculated that in response to the more direct praise in the first letter, the Thessalonians had protested through Timothy that they were unworthy. Others have suggested parallels in liturgical language or discussions of suffering in apocalyptic literature (Rev 3:4; 5:9, 12). In any case Paul's purpose in this letter has less to do with personal relationships (though they remain "brothers," v. 3) and is more narrowly confined to specific problems in the church. One of these, the church's understanding of the Lord's return in light of their present suffering (cf. 2:1-12), Paul begins to address here. The nature of this subject may have produced a more formal style as well. The use of the opening section to make a preliminary announcement of his themes is also seen in other letters (e.g., Phil 1:3-11).

Though it contains distinct sections, these verses constitute a single, long sentence in the Greek text. For Paul these verses were tightly bound together.

A. THANKSGIVING FOR THE THESSALONIANS' GROWTH AND ENDURANCE IN PERSECUTION (1:3-4)

³ We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. ⁴ Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

The focus in this first section of the sentence is on the persecution experienced by the readers and God's answer to it. Paul had mentioned persecution in the first letter (1 Thess 1:6) but here makes it more prominent, emphasizing especially both the readers' and God's responses to it, underlining the larger meaning it had for their Christian experience. Though Paul offers thanks in vv. 3-4 for some of the same characteristics as in 1 Thess 1:2-3, the greater focus on persecution here starkly displays the readers' Christian virtues against the background of their suffering. This emphasis may reflect an intensification of the persecution in Thessalonica since the first letter. However, in light of the evident problem in understanding the relationship of the Lord's coming to their suffering, Paul probably emphasizes this theme in anticipation of the discussion of 2:1-12.

1:3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

This statement of thanksgiving has many features in common with 1 Thess 1:2-3 (see comments above). The focus of Paul's thanksgiving is again on the readers' demonstration of the cardinal Christian virtues, particularly faith and love. Perhaps reflecting the fact that this is now his second letter, Paul mentions particularly their growth in these areas, in part a fulfillment of his prayer for the church in 1 Thess 3:11-13. The word translated "is growing more and more" is uJperauxavnw (hyperauxanô), found only here in the New Testament. It is an intensification of the more common verb signifying growth, perhaps coined by Paul himself.

In context Paul probably uses the intensive form to emphasize the contrast between the readers' growth and their difficult circumstances. Paul uses a different verb, pleonavzw (pleonazô, "is increasing") to indicate their growth in love, but no distinction in meaning should be pressed, since the difference is probably to avoid repetition. Both verbs are in the present tense, indicating that the growth is a continuing action. The whole statement is reminiscent of Jesus' parables which emphasize the growth of God's kingdom from small, insignificant beginnings (Matt 13:31-33; Mark 4:26-32; Luke 13:18-21; cf. 2 Cor 10:15).

Inferences from silence are notoriously debatable, but the prominence of "hope" in 1 Thess 1:3 makes that term's omission here striking. Its absence does not imply that the Thessalonians do not have hope, and most of the first two chapters concentrate on the content of their hope, the return of Christ. However, it is possible that Paul does not name hope as a basis for thanksgiving because confusion about the day of the Lord (2:2) has temporarily damaged the readers' hope.

Paul does not state directly that he gives thanks but combines expressions to indicate that such thanksgiving is necessary and right. "Ought" represents ojfeivlw (opheilô), which indicates obligation or necessity; "and rightly so," literally "as is fitting" (kaqwÉ" ajxiovn ejstin, kathôs axion estin), reinforces that point with a complementary expression. Though the indirect statement is perhaps less personal than the one in 1 Thess 1:2, it is stronger in expressing that such thanksgiving is Paul's solemn duty, even when the circumstances are less than joyful.

1:4 Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

As in 1 Thess 1:7-10 Paul stresses that the Thessalonians' living out of the gospel has been reported as an edifying message to other churches. By using "boast" to refer to these reports, Paul implies that his own work has had their growth and faithfulness as its objective. This statement echoes 1 Thess 2:19-20 (see comments above) as well as remarks in later letters (e.g., 1 Cor 15:31; 2 Cor 1:14; 7:4, 14; 8:24; 9:2; Phil 1:26; 2:16). In other passages Paul expresses the same concept with other terms (e.g., "reward," 1 Cor 3:14). In all of these cases Paul's boast is ultimately not in his own achievements (cf. Rom 3:27; 2 Cor 10:17) but in the results of God's grace, by which he has been given the ministry which bears this fruit. To make this boast "among God's churches" (see comments on 1 Thess 1:1 above) is therefore to share more of the good news among the people who belong to God because of that message.

To see suffering as an occasion for boasting requires a keen eye of faith. Using such an eye, Paul focuses particularly on the readers' "perseverance and faith." The first term, uJpomonhv (hypomonç; cf. 1 Thess 1:3), stresses active endurance under difficulty and pressure; it is patience put into practice in suffering. The second, pivsti" ( pistis ) refers in this context particularly to constancy in faith, or faithfulness: the readers have maintained their position in Christ despite the difficulties it has brought to them. These two terms are obviously similar in meaning, and Paul draws them even more closely together by modifying both with a single definite article. Endurance and faith are the Thessalonians' one response to persecution.

The readers' suffering is also expressed with a pair of terms. "Persecutions," diwgmov" (diôgmos), indicates specifically the sufferings inflicted by others because of their opposition to one's beliefs. "Trials," qli'yi" ( thlipsis ) can refer more broadly to any kind of suffering but is frequently used in the New Testament to refer specifically to persecution that comes because of one's faith (cf. 1 Thess 3:3-4 and comments above). The combination probably emphasizes the severity of the readers' sufferings, and no distinction between the words is stressed. These troubles continue for the readers even as Paul writes: his verb is in the present tense, accurately translated as "are enduring" in the NIV.

Two unusual expressions occur here. One is that "we" is intensive, literally "we ourselves" (aujtouÉ" hJma'", autous hçmas). An obvious explanation for this emphasis is not forthcoming, but it may be that Paul emphasizes that he takes the unusual step of boasting about them to others. The second is the expression "churches of God." Normally Paul uses the plural "churches" when he specifies the churches in a particular geographical area and the singular when he refers to the "universal" church. Whether this means, as Wanamaker suggests, that Paul refers here to churches without geographical limitation remains uncertain.

B. ENCOURAGEMENT IN LIGHT OF GOD'S JUDGMENT (1:5-10)

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 majesty of his power 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.

Though it can remain an abstraction for those without difficulty, the problem of evil is a burning question for those who are suffering. "Why is this happening?" is perhaps the most troubling question that human beings must confront. For those who suffer because of their faith, the question is even more intense. Christians who believe themselves to be the people of God, those who have received God's salvation and are experiencing the fulfillment of his eternal promises, have an even more difficult question to answer. If God is really on their side, if he is really loving and powerful, why do they suffer?

Paul has already provided much of the answer in 1 Thess 3:3-4: Christians suffer inevitably as a result of their identity, because they are united with the Christ who suffered in fulfillment of God's purpose. Here Paul reiterates that point in v. 5. But here he goes on to explain more. If God allows his people to suffer at the hands of those who have deliberately refused him and his message, if he in effect allows the innocent to suffer at the hands of the wicked, is he really a righteous and powerful God?

In answer to this question, Paul reminds the readers that the present situation is not the final situation. Though it may seem that evil consistently triumphs over good, there remains a final reckoning in which God will bring fitting punishment on those who have persecuted his people. Until that time, the readers can take encouragement in their confidence that God in the end will vindicate his people by repaying their antagonists decisively. God is both just, judging sin wherever it exists, and powerful, able to bring his sentence to bear on evildoers. The Thessalonian church may appear to be a small, insignificant group of people whose enemies have the best of them, but the end of history will show what the unseen reality has always been.

Paul's concept of God's justice here is retributive: evildoers are repaid in kind for the evil which they have done. This notion, once fundamental in western legal thought, is now rejected in many circles. More recently evil has been seen according to the model of disease, and so punishment has been viewed as therapy or rehabilitation. Consequently many modern or postmodern people are uncomfortable with the language of this passage. But for Paul evil was not merely a sickness but a consequence of conscious rebellion against God and submission to his adversary (cf. Eph 2:1-3).

In Paul's thought forgiveness is therefore costly; God's justice demands appropriate payment for sin, namely the death of Jesus. Only in light of God's justice can the full extent of his love and forgiving grace be seen: through his Son he himself provides the substitutionary payment for human sin (cf. Rom 3:23-26). If some then refuse his offer and even oppose it, they are fully responsible for their actions, and God's justice demands a retributive punishment for them (cf. 1 Thess 1:10; 2:16). For God to do less would mean for him to tolerate evil, especially evil directed toward the very people whom he has saved. If God is truly good, then he must pronounce sentence on evil.

The eschatological view that Christ will return secretly to remove the church from tribulation and later return again to judge the wicked does not fare well in this passage. Paul's language indicates that relief for the believer and retribution for the unbeliever are simultaneous. As elsewhere in the New Testament, the parousia is a single, indivisible act bringing both blessing and judgment (cf. 1 Thess 5:1-11).

Several factors have suggested to some that in vv. 7b-10 Paul has incorporated a traditional formula, including a concentration of Old Testament references, a shift from the second to the third person, and the uses of parallelism. While it is possible that Paul uses a pre-formed tradition here, the content is so consistent with the context and his own thought that his own free composition of this material seems more likely.

This section actually continues the Greek sentence begun in v. 3, though in translation it has been divided into shorter sentences for readability. Here the reason for thanksgiving even in suffering is made clear.

1:5 All this is evidence that God's judgment is right,

Though one might think that belonging to God's people would ensure a life without trouble, Paul declares that the opposite is true. To belong to God means to suffer in this age, which is ruled by his great adversary, even as Christ himself suffered. But this suffering belongs in the context of God's promised triumph over sin and judgment against it. Hence, Paul can say that suffering in the present is an indication or "evidence" (e[ndeigma, endeigma ) of God's righteous judgment. The specific evidence to which Paul refers could be the Thessalonians' endurance, the persecutions which they receive, or a combination (v. 4).

In favor of the former is the use of a related word in Phil 1:28, where the reference is clearly to the Philippians' endurance. In favor of the persecutions is the fact that Paul mentions them nearer to "evidence." However, the following context, discussing as it does both the punishment to come on the persecutors and the relief to come to the Christians, favors a broader combination of the two. Paul's point, then, is that the persecution and the readers' response to it demonstrates that God's determination to bring retribution on his opponents and relief to his faithful people is necessary for justice to prevail.

While Paul is about to focus on the future judgment, the language here suggests that the judgment has already begun. Like other aspects of God's promised future, judgment is also a present reality, which may be realized here in several respects. One is the believers' endurance, which demonstrates that they have received the grace which has already pronounced them innocent (v. 12) and aligns them with the faithful of the past (1 Thess 2:14-15). By contrast the persecutors show by their rejection of God's grace and solidarity with God's enemies of the past that they are already under judgment (1 Thess 2:16). In the larger sense, the fact that the believers find themselves persecuted in a world still under the sway of evil (cf. 2:3-12 and comments below; 1 Cor 2:8; Eph 2:2; 6:12) shows that they belong to the God who will in the future reestablish the fullness of his reign. It is also possible that Paul views their present suffering as an aspect of God's discipline of his children, which leads ultimately to their salvation (Rom 5:3-5; 1 Cor 11:32; 2 Cor 6:9). Their present identities, as demonstrated by their behavior and circumstances, will be fully revealed and ratified in the judgment to come.

and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

A second result of this situation (the sentence structure suggests that "as a result" should connect the clause to v. 4 rather than to the beginning of v. 5) is being counted worthy of God's kingdom. As union with Christ inevitably brings suffering for one's faith (1 Thess 3:3-4), it also indicates that the sufferer genuinely belongs to the kingdom which Christ rules (cf. 1 Thess 2:12 and comments above). The readers' citizenship in the kingdom of God is both a present reality and a promise of the future. Thus, they continue to suffer for it now ("you are suffering" translates a present-tense verb), but they can both endure and triumph because they already belong to the kingdom and because they look forward to the full realization of God's rule when his enemies will be defeated fully and finally (cf. 1 Thess 2:16).

It should be noted carefully that Paul speaks of being "counted worthy," clearly implying the action of God who accounts worthiness according to grace and not merit (cf. v. 12). The readers' perseverance does not earn God's approval but shows that they genuinely trust in his grace to supply it. Likewise, "of the kingdom" implies not "in order to gain the kingdom" but "on behalf of the kingdom"; it assumes membership in the kingdom in the present rather than holding it out as a prospect for the future.

1:6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you

God's justice is defined here in unequivocally retributive terms. Though the NIV's rendering of this verse departs considerably from the Greek sentence structure, it captures the sense well. Literally the verse could be translated, "If indeed it is just with God to pay back trouble to those troubling you"; the conditional "if" is firmly assumed to be true.

The concept of retribution has significant biblical background. The principle of lex talionis in Exod 21:23-25 establishes the principle of retribution. "An eye for an eye" was first of all a limitation on the extent of punishment, forbidding, for example, the sentence of "a life for an eye." Secondly, the principle did not allow any aggrieved person to take vengeance to this extent; rather, God himself is the one who would bring retribution (Deut 32:35), even if his judgment was mediated through human agents according to Israel's law. In Rom 12:19 Paul quotes this second passage as a reminder not to seek personal vengeance (cf. Acts 23:3). But that restriction on taking justice into one's own hands depends on the assurance that God will bring retribution. This assurance is exactly what the present text offers: "pay back" translates ajntapodivdwmi (antapodidômi), which also appears in Rom 12:19, and is underlined with the repetition of "trouble." This retributive emphasis is tied closely to the preceding discussion: "trouble" here translates thlipsis and its cognate qlivbw (thlibô), the former appearing in v. 4 with the translation "trials."

1:7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.

For the readers the future punishment of their adversaries is a comforting prospect for two reasons. First of all, it means their vindication, as implied in the previous verse. They can be encouraged, not because they will delight in the pain which their opponents will experience but because their punishment will mean the believers' vindication - it will demonstrate that they were indeed God's people and their enemies were his enemies. Second is the assurance of this verse, that their suffering will end with Christ's return as judge. As those who are troubled (thlibô as in v. 6), the readers will receive "relief," a[nesi" ( anesis ), signifying a cessation of their suffering (cf. 2 Cor 8:13).

Though for readability the NIV supplies another verb, "give," here, "relief" is in fact also the object of "pay back" in v. 6. This relief is, in other words, the just retribution which the faithful receive for their endurance of tribulation (cf. Rom 8:18; 2 Cor 4:7-18). Briefly reminding the readers that they are not alone in their suffering for the kingdom, Paul inserts "and to us as well," literally "with us." The Thessalonians had, of course, firsthand familiarity with Paul's sufferings (1 Thess 1:6; 2:2, 16; Acts 17:5-9). As persecution is by nature the experience of all Christians (1 Thess 3:3-4; 2 Tim 3:12), both the apostle and his converts can expect it. But without the assurance that God will bring an end to it with the punishment of the persecutors, the reality of his justice and his commitment to his people could not be maintained.

This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.

The description of Christ's return here, in contrast to the one in 1 Thess 4:16-17, provides details that emphasize his power as victor and judge. His revelation (ajpokavluyi" [ apokalypsis ], rendered as a verb, "is revealed," in the NIV) will mean the full disclosure of his divine authority, which has remained hidden to the world (cf. 1 Cor 2:7-8; 2 Cor 4:3-4). So his revelation will be "from heaven," not so much stressing the angle in the sky from which he will make his appearance as the fact that he has since his ascension been at the supreme place of authority. Elsewhere angels are pictured as accompanying Christ in his return (Matt 24:31; 25:31) and more generally as agents of the final judgment (Matt 13:39; Mark 8:38; 13:37; Luke 12:8; often in Revelation). Here they are "powerful" angels, literally "angels of power," agents of the Lord's own power which will be exercised in final judgment.

"Blazing fire" could be connected either to the Lord's return in v. 7 or his judgment in v. 8 (in the Greek text the corresponding phrase occurs after "angels of power"). The NIV has taken it with v. 7, which has the virtue of understanding the three prepositional phrases as parallel descriptions of the Lord's revelation. Paul's phrase is literally "a fire of flame," another example of a redundant expression used for emphasis.

Fire has a rich background on which Paul draws. In the Old Testament it is closely associated with the visible manifestation of the Lord (Gen 15:17; Exod 3:2-3; 19:18; Judg 6:21; 13:20; Num 14:14; Isa 4:5; Ezek 1:27) and with his judgment (Gen 19:24; Exod 9:24; Lev 10:2; Num 11:1; 16:35; 2 Kgs 1:10; Isa 66:15-16; Ezek 38:22; 39:6; Joel 2:30; Amos 1:4, 7; Mal 4:1). In intertestamental apocalyptic literature it is associated with the heavenly world ( 1 Enoch 14:9-22) and the final judgment ( 1 Enoch 102:1; 2 Apoc. Bar. 37:1; 48:39; 2 Esdr 13:10-11; Jub. 9:15; 3:10; 1QS 2:8; 4:13; 1QH 17:13). The same associations are found in the New Testament (Matt 3:10; 7:19; Luke 3:9; 9:45; John 15:6; Rev 1:15; 4:5; 2:18; 10:1; 11:5; 19:12). So as Paul addresses these Christians under persecution, the combination of images here would evoke a powerful response of confidence and eager anticipation.

1:8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

The judgment to be received by the persecutors is one which they share with all of God's opponents. The basis for that judgment is not just the trouble which they have caused for the Christians. The full measure of their crime must be taken by the standard of God's revelation. Not knowing God is in the language of the Old Testament especially characteristic of the Gentiles (Ps 79:6). For Paul this ignorance is not merely a result of circumstances for which one is not responsible. Because God's "eternal power and divine nature," though invisible, have been revealed in creation, all people, including Gentiles who do not have the Scriptures, are culpable for their willful rejection of knowledge of God (Rom 1:18-23, esp. v. 20; cf. Acts 14:15-17; 17:22-28; 1 Thess 4:5).

But Paul is specifically focused here on those who persecute Christians, so these can be characterized by their rejection of the distinctive Christian message, the gospel of Jesus. This turn of phrase is ironic: "gospel" signifies "good news," so to reject such a message is especially reprehensible. While it has been argued that these two phrases describe Gentiles and Jews respectively, Paul can easily say that Jews like Gentiles have rejected the knowledge of God which they have received (Rom 2:1-29; cf. Isa 1:3) or that Gentiles like Jews have disobeyed (Rom 11:30-32). Both descriptions, therefore, apply comprehensively to all of those who oppose God and his people in Christ. It is also worth noting that here Paul assumes that the gospel is a message to be not only believed but also obeyed (cf. Rom 1:5). These whom the Lord will punish are those who disobey continually; the participle translated "who . . . do not obey" is in the present tense.

Thus, the punishment due these people is not the egotistic retaliation of a jilted deity but the measured and just retribution for their crime as it is fully understood. "Punish" translates a participial phrase, divdonte" ejkdivkhsin (didontes ekdikçsin), literally "giving vengeance," the noun again the one found in Deut 32:35 (cf. Rom 12:19). Seen as the deliberate rejection of the Creator and violent opposition to his salvation (cf. 1 Thess 2:15-16), their sin demands the punishment which Paul will now describe.

1:9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power

Again Paul's language is retributive: "they will be punished" is literally "they will pay the punishment." Eternal destruction is the fitting penalty for those who have treated the eternal God with the contempt described in v. 8. Though the phrase translated "everlasting destruction," o[leqron aijwvnion (olethron aiônion; cf. 1 Thess 5:3), could refer to annihilation - the ceasing to exist for eternity, Paul amplifies the sense of this phrase with what follows, a close parallel to Isa 2:10, 19, 21. The relationship between the destruction and the exclusion is even clearer when it is noted that "shut out" has been inserted by the NIV. Literally the text reads "everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his strength."

Thus, Paul apparently understands the "destruction" to refer not to an end to conscious existence, terrible as that would be, but as the eternal exclusion from God's presence. This is certainly fitting punishment for the crime of having rejected knowledge of God and his good news of salvation. "Destruction" would thus signify "ruin," the utter failure to realize the purpose of one's existence, namely the eternal fellowship with God that Paul here describes (cf. 1 Thess 4:17; Rom 8:17-18, 30; 2 Cor 4:17; Phil 3:21). The reference to God's power here further underlines his ability to carry out his sentence and his enemies' inability to escape it.

The "Lord" here is the Lord Jesus, as the next verse shows. Marshall notes that with the use of Isaiah's language for Yahweh here (Isa 2:10, 19, 21), Paul applies to Jesus scriptural language for God. Other clear allusions to Christ's deity appear later in the chapter (v. 12).

1:10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.

The contrast between the response of the persecutors with their destiny and the response of the believers with theirs is sharply drawn here. Again Paul's language is probably based on the Old Testament, since it shows a striking similarity to the LXX of Ps 88:6 (89:7) and 67:36 (68:35). Those who have rejected God will be excluded from his glory (dovxa, doxa , v. 9); those who have believed will glorify (ejndoxavzw, endoxazô), that is, they will acknowledge and extol God's glory. His "holy" people are literally "holy ones," which could refer, as in 1 Thess 3:13, to angels (see comments above). However, as in that text, Paul more likely uses the term to refer to Christians as those who belong to God.

This sense contrasts well with the preceding discussion of those who are excluded from God's presence and parallels the next one, "all those who have believed." This phrase again contrasts with the description in v. 8. With "all" it emphasizes that Christ's coming will have its effect on more than just the first readers of this letter; they belong to a great fellowship of God's people. "Marvel" translates qaumavzw (thaumazô), a word often used for the reverence of those who witness a manifestation of God or his work (e.g., Matt 8:27; 9:33; 15:31; 21:10; Mark 5:20; Luke 8:25; 11:14; Rev. 13:3). With both verbs Paul uses the preposition ejn ( en ), translated first as "in" and then as "among." Among the prepositions which Paul could have used, this one suggests the presence of Christ among or in the midst of the people who praise him.

"On the day" refers to "the day of the Lord" (cf. 1 Thess 5:2 and comments above). The possibility that this day was past is the issue that troubles the Thessalonians (cf. 2:2). Paul's use of the phrase here is redundant: the Greek sentence reads, "when he comes . . . in that day." But the redundancy points to the teaching which Paul will spell out in 2:1-12, namely that "the day of the Lord" (2:2) cannot have arrived unless the vindication of his people and defeat of his enemies is complete.

This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

This sentence is an expansion of a much shorter remark which Paul has somewhat awkwardly inserted into the sentence, perhaps as a result of dictating it orally. Literally the text simply reads, "Because our testimony to you was believed." However, the awkwardness makes Paul's emphasis clearer. By repeating "believed," he has explicitly identified the readers with those who will marvel at the Lord. The implication, made explicit by the NIV's expanded translation, is that the Thessalonians can look forward to participating in the great worship celebration that will issue from the Lord's return. Just as their persecutors actually belong to a much larger group under judgment (vv. 6, 9), so they belong to a great host who will receive blessing. For a small group of persecuted believers, the expectation of belonging to a vast, eternal gathering of God's people would give strong encouragement.

C. THE CONTENT OF PAUL'S PRAYER (1:11-12)

¹¹ With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your 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. ^a

^a 12 Or God and Lord, Jesus Christ

The sentence begun in v. 3 continues here, but the content has distinctly shifted from a statement of thanksgiving to a description of Paul's prayers for the readers' future. The prayer focuses generally on the their ongoing steadfastness in light of the larger purpose of God which Paul has just discussed. The prayer, in other words, is that the readers would remain faithful during the present persecution, knowing that God will be faithful to fulfill his purpose to bring them safely to full fellowship with him (cf. 1 Thess 5:23).

1:11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count your worthy of his calling,

As elsewhere, Paul stresses that his prayers for the church are constant: the verb is in the Greek present tense and modified by pavntote ( pantote , "constantly"), which reinforces the continuing aspect of the tense. These prayers are based on the believer's confidence in God's final deliverance and judgment at Christ's return (see above); therefore, they have as their object the fulfillment of God's saving objective. His call was extended to them for their salvation (1 Thess 2:12), which will be theirs not by being "worthy" but being counted "worthy" through God's grace (v. 12 below).

and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.

But God's grace compels a fitting response. The recipients of the call must maintain the faith by which they first received the call, putting that faith into action (cf. Eph 2:10; 4:1) despite the opposition which they presently experience. To do otherwise is to number oneself with those described in vv. 6, 8. But this is accomplished ultimately not by the believer's own efforts. The "act prompted by your faith" is certainly the believers act, but Paul calls on God to "fulfill" it. Likewise "by his power" translates a Greek phrase placed at the end of the clause, a point of emphasis putting further stress on God's work in the lives of the suffering faithful. "Every good purpose of yours" is an ambiguous phrase: it could refer either to God's good purpose of salvation for the believers or their purpose to do good. If it connects more closely with the calling, God's purpose is emphasized (cf. Eph 1:5, 9: Phil 2:13); if it is taken as a parallel to "act prompted by your faith," the believers' purpose is intended (Rom 10:1; Phil 1:15). The link to the following phrase is a close one and so more likely determines the sense.

1:12 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.

Paul has already stated that the Lord's glory among his people will be the outcome of his return (v. 10). Now he reiterates that point, but without specifying whether the glorification is present or future. No doubt Paul understands it as both. As Christ will be glorified among his saints at his return, so now he is glorified by them - and they by him - as, united with him, they live out their calling faithfully by his power.

To glorify the "name" is a common way in the Old Testament of expressing the exaltation of God; Paul's application of it to Jesus is consistent with his belief in Jesus' deity. But potentially clearer in this regard is the last phrase of this verse. "Our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" represents a Greek phrase in which one definite article governs two nouns, which is normally used to indicate that the two nouns constitute a single unit in some respect. Though it is possible that Paul simply followed his habits in including the article in the phrase "the grace of [the] God" and omitting it with "Lord Jesus Christ," the possibility that the structure is deliberate cannot be dismissed. This unity could be in the giving of grace rather than in absolute identity, but even then Paul could hardly name Jesus as the source of grace with God if he did not conceive of Jesus as divine.The NIV's footnote reflects the stronger interpretation of this structure.

Paul again focuses on grace as the principle undergirding the entire relationship between the Lord and his people. The readers' faithful putting into practice of their calling and the consequent glorification of Jesus is finally a working out of his grace. By the demonstration of his grace in the lives of those who have received it, the Lord's true majesty is made clear.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

McGarvey: 2Th 1:8

rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus [The patience and faith of the Thessalonians were a manifest token (i. e., pledge, proof or demonstration) of that coming day wherein God will disclose the righteousness of his judgments, and wherein all apparent violations of justice shall be rectified (Ecc 3:16-17; Phi 1:28). The purpose of this judgment will be that those who suffer for the kingdom of God may graciously be counted worthy of the heavenly joys of that kingdom, and that the wicked may be punished. If it is indeed a righteous thing (and who can doubt it?) for God to recompense evil for evil, so that those who afflict the righteous shall themselves be afflicted, and those who have suffered affliction for righteousness' sake may find rest with their fellow-Christians when Jesus, who is now hidden from their sight in heaven, reveals himself to human vision with the angels which display his power, and with that flaming fire which at once shows forth his glory and consumes his enemies (Heb 10:27 ; Heb 12:29), rendering vengeance as a great judge, not as a resentful potentate, to them that willfully know not God -- Exo 5:2 ; Rom 1:28 ; Luk 12:47-48 ; Rom 2:14-15 (principally Gentiles), and them that obey not the gospel (principally Jews) -- Rom 10:3 ; Rom 10:16 . In verse 6 Paul draws a comparison between the law which forbids retaliation to the individual (Rom 12:17), and that which accords it to all government, especially the government of God himself, under whose rule unforgiven iniquity never escapes punishment (Heb 2:2 ; Rev 20:12). He does this to show that God is under the second and not under the first law. In verse 7 we are reminded that the negative happiness of heaven is rest from all afflictions, sorrows, pains, persecutions, etc. (Heb 4:9 ; Rev 14:13 ; Rev 21:4). It is the quiet haven of the storm-tossed bark. Continuing the thought, Paul says further of the objects of God's vengeance --]:

Introduction / Outline

Robertson: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

Second Thessalonians

From Corinth a.d. 50 Or 51

By Way of Introduction

It is plain that First Thessalonians did not settle all the difficulties in Thessalonica. With some there was precisely the opposite result. There was some opposition to Paul’s authority and even defiance. So Paul repeats his " command" for discipline (2Th_3:6) as he had done when with them (2Th_3:10). He makes this Epistle a test of obedience (2Th_3:14) and finds it necessary to warn the Thessalonians against the zeal of some deceivers who even invent epistles in Paul’s name to carry their point in the church (2Th_2:1.), an early instance of pseudepigraphic " Pauline" epistles, but not for a " pious" purpose. Paul’s keen resentment against the practise should make us slow to accept the pseudepigraphic theory about other Pauline Epistles. He calls attention to his own signature at the close of each genuine letter. As a rule he dictated the epistle, but signed it with his own hand (2Th_3:17). Paul writes to calm excitement (Ellicott) and to make it plain that he had not said that the Second Coming was to be right away.

This Epistle is a bit sharper in tone than the First and also briefer. It has been suggested that there were two churches in Thessalonica, a Gentile Church to which First Thessalonians was sent, and a Jewish Church to which Second Thessalonians was addressed. There is no real evidence for such a gratuitous hypothesis. It assumes a difficulty about his sending a second letter to the same church that does not exist. The bearer of the first letter brought back news that made a second necessary. It was probably sent within the same year as the first.

JFB: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

Its GENUINENESS is attested by POLYCARP [Epistle to the Philippians, 11], who alludes to 2Th 3:15. JUSTIN MARTYR [Dialogue with Trypho, p. 193.32], alludes to 2Th 2:3. IRENÆUS [Against Heresies, 7.2] quotes 2Th 2:8. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA [Miscellanies, 1.5, p. 554; The Instructor, 1.17], quotes 2Th 3:2, as Paul's words. TERTULLIAN [On the Resurrection of the Flesh, 24] quotes 2Th 2:1-2, as part of Paul's Epistle.

DESIGN.--The accounts from Thessalonica, after the sending of the first Epistle, represented the faith and love of the Christians there as on the increase; and their constancy amidst persecutions unshaken. One error of doctrine, however, resulting in practical evil, had sprung up among them. The apostle's description of Christ's sudden second coming (1Th 4:13, &c., and 1Th 5:2), and the possibility of its being at any time, led them to believe it was actually at hand. Some professed to know by "the Spirit" (2Th 2:2) that it was so; and others alleged that Paul had said so when with them. A letter, too, purporting to be from the apostle to that effect, seems to have been circulated among them. (That 2Th 2:2 refers to such a spurious letter, rather than to Paul's first Epistle, appears likely from the statement, 2Th 3:17, as to his autograph salutation being the mark whereby his genuine letters might be known). Hence some neglected their daily business and threw themselves on the charity of others, as if their sole duty was to wait for the coming of the Lord. This error, therefore, needed rectifying, and forms a leading topic of the second Epistle. He in it tells them (2Th. 2:1-17), that before the Lord shall come, there must first be a great apostasy, and the Man of Sin must be revealed; and that the Lord's sudden coming is no ground for neglecting daily business; that to do so would only bring scandal on the Church, and was contrary to his own practice among them (2Th 3:7-9), and that the faithful must withdraw themselves from such disorderly professors (2Th 3:6, 2Th 3:10-15). Thus, there are three divisions of the Epistle: (1) 2Th 1:1-12. Commendations of the Thessalonians' faith, love, and patience, amidst persecutions. (2) 2Th. 2:1-17. The error as to the immediate coming of Christ corrected, and the previous rise and downfall of the Man of Sin foretold. (3) 2Th. 3:1-16. Exhortations to orderly conduct in their whole walk, with prayers for them to the God of peace, followed by his autograph salutation and benediction.

DATE OF WRITING.--AS the Epistle is written in the joint names of Timothy and Silas, as well as his own, and as these were with him while at Corinth, and not with him for a long time subsequently to his having left that city (compare Act 18:18, with Act 19:22; indeed, as to Silas, it is doubtful whether he was ever subsequently with Paul), it follows, the place of writing must have been Corinth, and the date, during the one "year and six months" of his stay there, Act 18:11 (namely, beginning with the autumn of A.D. 52, and ending with the spring of A.D. 54), say about six months after his first Epistle, early in A.D. 53.

STYLE.--The style is not different from that of most of Paul's other writings, except in the prophetic portion of it (2Th 2:1-12), which is distinguished from them in subject matter. As is usual in his more solemn passages (for instance, in the denunciatory and prophetic portions of his Epistles, for example, compare Col 2:8, Col 2:16, with 2Th 2:3; 1Co 15:24-28, with 2Th 2:8-9; Rom 1:18, with 2Th 2:8, 2Th 2:10), his diction here is more lofty, abrupt, and elliptical. As the former Epistle dwells mostly on the second Advent in its aspect of glory to the sleeping and the living saints (1Th. 4:1-5:28), so this Epistle dwells mostly on it in its aspect of everlasting destruction to the wicked and him who shall be the final consummation of wickedness, the Man of Sin. So far was Paul from laboring under an erroneous impression as to Christ's speedy coming, when he wrote his first Epistle (which rationalists impute to him), that he had distinctly told them, when he was with them, the same truths as to the apostasy being about first to arise, which he now insists upon in this second Epistle (2Th 2:5). Several points of coincidence occur between the two Epistles, confirming the genuineness of the latter. Thus, compare 2Th 3:2, with 1Th 2:15-16; again, 2Th 2:9, the Man of Sin "coming after the working of Satan," with 1Th 2:18; 1Th 3:5, where Satan's incipient work as the hinderer of the Gospel, and the tempter, appears; again, mild warning is enjoined, 1Th 5:14; but, in this second Epistle, when the evil had grown worse, stricter discipline (2Th 3:6, 2Th 3:14): "withdraw from" the "company" of such.

Paul probably visited Thessalonica on his way to Asia subsequently (Act 20:4), and took with him thence Aristarchus and Secundus: the former became his "companion in travel" and shared with him his perils at Ephesus, also those of his shipwreck, and was his "fellow prisoner" at Rome (Act 27:2; Col 4:10; Phm 1:24). According to tradition he became bishop of Apamea.

JFB: 2 Thessalonians (Outline)

• ADDRESS AND SALUTATION: INTRODUCTION: THANKSGIVING FOR THEIR GROWTH IN FAITH AND LOVE, AND FOR THEIR PATIENCE IN PERSECUTIONS, WHICH ARE A TOKEN FOR GOOD EVERLASTING TO THEM, AND FOR PERDITION TO THEIR ADVERSARIES AT CHRIST'S COMING: PRAYER FOR THEIR PERFECTION. (2Th 1:1-12)
• CORRECTION OF THEIR ERROR AS TO CHRIST'S IMMEDIATE COMING. THE APOSTASY THAT MUST PRECEDE IT. EXHORTATION TO STEADFASTNESS, INTRODUCED WITH THANKSGIVING FOR THEIR ELECTION BY GOD. (2Th. 2:1-17)
• HE ASKS THEIR PRAYERS: HIS CONFIDENCE IN THEM: PRAYER FOR THEM: CHARGES AGAINST DISORDERLY IDLE CONDUCT; HIS OWN EXAMPLE: CONCLUDING PRAYER AND SALUTATION. (2Th. 3:1-18)

TSK: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

The First Epistle to the Thessalonians, it is generally agreed, was the earliest written of all St. Paul’s epistles, whence we see the reason and propriety of his anxiety that it should be read in all the Christian churches of Macedonia. - " I charge you by the Lord, that this Epistle be read unto all the holy brethren" (1Th 5:27). " The existence of this clause," observes Dr. Paley, " is an evidence of its authenticity; because, to produce a letter, purporting to have been publicly read in the church at Thessalonica, when no such letter had been read or heard of in that church, would be to produce an imposture destructive of itself. Either the Epistle was publicly read in the church of Thessalonica, during St. Paul’s lifetime, or it was not. If it was, no publication could be more authentic, no species of notoriety more unquestionable, no method of preserving the integrity of the copy more secure. If it was not, the clause would remain a standing condemnation of the forgery, and one would suppose, an invincible impediment to its success." Its genuineness, however, has never been disputed; and it has been universally received in the Christian church, as the inspired production of St. Paul, from the earliest period to the present day. The circumstance of this injunction being given, in the first epistle which the Apostle wrote, also implies a strong and avowed claim to the character of an inspired writer; as in fact it placed his writings on the same ground with those of Moses and the ancient prophets. The second Epistle, besides those marks of genuineness and authority which it possesses in common with the others, bears the highest evidence of its divine inspiration, in the representation which it contains of the papal power, under the characters of " the Man of sin," and the " Mystery of iniquity." The true Christian worship is the worship of the one only God, through the one only Mediator, the man Christ Jesus; and from this worship the church of Rome has most notoriously departed, by substituting other mediators, invocating and adoring saints and angels, worshipping images, adoring the host, etc. It follows, therefore, that " the Man of sin" is the Pope; not only on account of the disgraceful lives of many of them, but by means of their scandalous doctrines and principles; dispensing with the most necessary duties, selling pardons and indulgences for the most abominable crimes, and perverting the worship of God to the grossest superstition and idolatry. It was evidently the chief design of the Apostle, in writing to the Thessalonians, to confirm them in the faith, to animate them to a courageous profession of the Gospel, and to the practice of all the duties of Christianity; but to suppose, with Dr. Macknight, that he intended to prove the divine authority of Christianity by a chain of regular arguments, in which he answered the several objections which the heathen philosophers are supposed to have advanced, seems quite foreign to the nature of the epistles, and to be grounded on a mistaken notion, that the philosophers designed at so early a period to enter on a regular disputation with the Christians, when in fact they derided them as enthusiasts, and branded their doctrines as " foolishness." In pursuance of his grand object, " it is remarkable," says Dr. Doddridge, " with how much address he improves all the influence which his zeal and fidelity in their service must naturally give him, to inculcate upon them the precepts of the gospel, and persuade them to act agreeably to their sacred character. This was the grand point he always kept in view, and to which every thing else was made subservient. Nothing appears, in any part of his writings, like a design to establish his own reputation, or to make use of his ascendancy over his Christian friends to answer any secular purposes of his own. On the contrary, in this and in his other epistles, he discovers a most generous, disinterested regard for their welfare, expressly disclaiming any authority over their consciences, and appealing to them, that he had chose to maintain himself by the labour of this own hands, rather than prove burdensome to the churches, or give the least colour of suspicion, that, under zeal for the gospel, and concern for their improvement, he was carrying on any private sinister view. The discovery of so excellent a temper must be allowed to carry with it a strong presumptive argument in favour of the doctrines he taught....And, indeed, whoever reads St. Paul’s epistles with attention, and enters into the spirit with which they were written, will discern such intrinsic characters of their genuineness, and the divine authority of the doctrines they contain, as will, perhaps, produce in him a stronger conviction than all the external evidence with which they are attended." These remarks are exceedingly well grounded and highly important; and to no other Epistles can they apply with greater force than the present most excellent productions of the inspired Apostle. The last two chapters of the first epistle, in particular, as Dr. A. Clarke justly observes, " are certainly among the most important, and the most sublime in the New Testament. The general judgment, the resurrection of the body, and the states of the quick and the dead, the unrighteous and the just, are described, concisely indeed, but they are exhibited in the most striking and affecting points of view."

TSK: 2 Thessalonians 1 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

2Th 1:1, Paul certifies them of the good opinion which he had of their faith, love, and patience; 2Th 1:11, and therewithal uses divers reasons for the comforting of them in persecution, whereof the chief is taken from the righteous judgment of God.

Poole: 2 Thessalonians 1 (Chapter Introduction)

ARGUMENT

(deutera . This is well called the Second or latter Epistle to these Thessalonians, for so it is; though Grotius would have it the first, if not sent, yet first written.)

The apostle being yet hindered from coming to them, and understanding some mistake of what he wrote in his former Epistle about the coming of Christ, he thereupon sends this Second Epistle; where, after his usual salutation, he gives thanks for them, and hearing of the continuance of their faith and patience under all their persecutions, he glories in them; and then comforts them by arguments taken from the righteous judgment of God, and the different manner and effect of Christ’ s coming, both to themselves and all the saints that believe, and to their adversaries, and all that knew not God, nor obeyed the gospel; and then prays for the perfecting of their faith to the glorifying the name of Christ, 2Th 1:1-12 . But hearing they were shaken in their minds about the time of Christ’ s coming, as if it should be presently, in the age wherein they lived, he doth vehemently caution them against such a mistake: and tells them of a great apostacy, and the revelation of the man of sin, which innst precede that day, which he doth particularly describe in the manner and effects thereof: but speaks of these Thessalonians with thanksgiving to God, as such as God had chosen, and called to obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus; and then prays for their comfort and establishment, 2Th 2:1-17 . He next proceeds to desire their prayers, both with respect to the success of the ministry, and the safety of the persons who were employed therein; and declares his confidence in them that God would establish them, and that they would obey the commandments they had received from them: and gives them some further commandments about such in the church as did walk disorderly; and so concludes his Epistle with prayers for their peace, and recommending them to the grace of Jesus Christ, 2Th 3:1-18 .

Chapter Summary

2Th 1:1,2 The salutation.

2Th 1:3-5 Paul certifieth the Thessalonians of the good

opinion which, he had of their faith, love, and patience.

2Th 1:6-10 Of the righteous judgment of God in punishing their

enemies, and recompensing their sufferings,

2Th 1:11,12 and of his prayers that God would fulfil his

gracious purpose in them.

Ver. 1,2. These two verses are the same as in the former Epistle, and therefore I proceed.

MHCC: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

The second epistle to the Thessalonians was written soon after the first. The apostle was told that, from some expressions in his first letter, many expected the second coming of Christ was at hand, and that the day of judgment would arrive in their time. Some of these neglected their worldly duties. St. Paul wrote again to correct their error, which hindered the spread of the gospel. He had written agreeably to the words of the prophets of the Old Testament; and he tells them there were many counsels of the Most High yet to be fulfilled, before that day of the Lord should come, though, because it is sure, he had spoken of it as near. The subject led to a remarkable foretelling, of some of the future events which were to take place in the after-ages of the Christian church, and which show the prophetic spirit the apostle possessed.

MHCC: 2 Thessalonians 1 (Chapter Introduction)

(2Th 1:1-4) The apostle blesses God for the growing state of the love and patience of the Thessalonians.

(2Th 1:5-12) And encourages them to persevere under all their sufferings for Christ, considering his coming at the great day of account.

Matthew Henry: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians

This Second Epistle was written soon after the former, and seems to have been designed to prevent a mistake, which might arise from some passages in the former epistle, concerning the second coming of Christ, as if it were near at hand. The apostle in this epistle is careful to prevent any wrong use which some among them might make of those expressions of his that were agreeable to the dialect of the prophets of the Old Testament, and informs them that there were many intermediate counsels yet to be fulfilled before that day of the Lord should come, though, because it is sure, he had spoken of it as near. There are other things that he writes about for their consolation under sufferings, and exhortation and direction in duty.

Matthew Henry: 2 Thessalonians 1 (Chapter Introduction)

After the introduction (2Th 1:1, 2Th 1:2) the apostle begins this epistle with an account of his high esteem for these Thessalonians (2Th 1:3, 2Th 1:4). He then comforts them under their afflictions and persecutions (2Th 1:5-10) and tells them what his prayers were to God for them (2Th 1:11, 2Th 1:12).

Barclay: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS OF PAUL

The Letters Of Paul

There is no more interesting body of documents in the New Testament than the letters of Paul. That is because of all forms of literature a letter is most personal. Demetrius, one of the old Greek literary critics, once wrote, "Every one reveals his own soul in his letters. In every other form of composition it is possible to discern the writercharacter, but in none so clearly as the epistolary." (Demetrius, On Style, 227). It is just because he left us so many letters that we feel we know Paul so well. In them he opened his mind and heart to the folk he loved so much; and in them, to this day, we can see that great mind grappling with the problems of the early church, and feel that great heart throbbing with love for men, even when they were misguided and mistaken.

The Difficulty Of Letters

At the same time, there is often nothing so difficult to understand as a letter. Demetrius (On Style, 223) quotes a saying of Artemon, who edited the letters of Aristotle. Artemon said that a letter ought to be written in the same manner as a dialogue, because it was one of the two sides of a dialogue. In other words, to read a letter is like listening to one side of a telephone conversation. So when we read the letters of Paul we are often in a difficulty. We do not possess the letter which he was answering; we do not fully know the circumstances with which he was dealing; it is only from the letter itself that we can deduce the situation which prompted it. Before we can hope to understand fully any letter Paul wrote, we must try to reconstruct the situation which produced it.

The Ancient Letters

It is a great pity that Paulletters were ever called epistles. They are in the most literal sense letters. One of the great lights shed on the interpretation of the New Testament has been the discovery and the publication of the papyri. In the ancient world, papyrus was the substance on which most documents were written. It was composed of strips of the pith of a certain bulrush that grew on the banks of the Nile. These strips were laid one on top of the other to form a substance very like brown paper. The sands of the Egyptian desert were ideal for preservation, for papyrus, although very brittle, will last forever so long as moisture does not get at it. As a result, from the Egyptian rubbish heaps, archaeologists have rescued hundreds of documents, marriage contracts, legal agreements, government forms, and, most interesting of all, private letters. When we read these private letters we find that there was a pattern to which nearly all conformed; and we find that Paulletters reproduce exactly that pattern. Here is one of these ancient letters. It is from a soldier, called Apion, to his father Epimachus. He is writing from Misenum to tell his father that he has arrived safely after a stormy passage.

"Apion sends heartiest greetings to his father and lord Epimachus.

I pray above all that you are well and fit; and that things are

going well with you and my sister and her daughter and my brother.

I thank my Lord Serapis [his god] that he kept me safe when I was

in peril on the sea. As soon as I got to Misenum I got my journey

money from Caesar--three gold pieces. And things are going fine

with me. So I beg you, my dear father, send me a line, first to let

me know how you are, and then about my brothers, and thirdly, that

I may kiss your hand, because you brought me up well, and because

of that I hope, God willing, soon to be promoted. Give Capito my

heartiest greetings, and my brothers and Serenilla and my friends.

I sent you a little picture of myself painted by Euctemon. My

military name is Antonius Maximus. I pray for your good health.

Serenus sends good wishes, Agathos Daimonboy, and Turbo,

Galloniuson." (G. Milligan, Selections from the Greek Papyri,

36.)

Little did Apion think that we would be reading his letter to his father 1800 years after he had written it. It shows how little human nature changes. The lad is hoping for promotion quickly. Who would Serenilla be but the girl he left behind him? He sends the ancient equivalent of a photograph to the folk at home. Now that letter falls into certain sections. (i) There is a greeting. (ii) There is a prayer for the health of the recipients. (iii) There is a thanksgiving to the gods. (iv) There are the special contents. (v) Finally, there are the special salutations and the personal greetings. Practically every one of Paulletters shows exactly the same sections, as we now demonstrate.

(i) The Greeting: Rom_1:1 ; 1Co_1:1 ; 2Co_1:1 ; Gal_1:1 ; Eph_1:1 ; Phi_1:1 ; Col_1:1-2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:1 .

(ii) The Prayer: in every case Paul prays for the grace of God on the people to whom he writes: Rom_1:7 ; 1Co_1:3 ; 2Co_1:2 ; Gal_1:3 ; Eph_1:2 ; Phi_1:3 ; Col_1:2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:2 .

(iii) The Thanksgiving: Rom_1:8 ; 1Co_1:4 ; 2Co_1:3 ; Eph_1:3 ; Phi_1:3 ; 1Th_1:3 ; 2Th_1:3 .

(iv) The Special Contents: the main body of the letters.

(v) Special Salutations and Personal Greetings: Rom 16 ; 1Co_16:19 ; 2Co_13:13 ; Phi_4:21-22 ; Col_4:12-15 ; 1Th_5:26 .

When Paul wrote letters, he wrote them on the pattern which everyone used. Deissmann says of them, "They differ from the messages of the homely papyrus leaves of Egypt, not as letters but only as the letters of Paul." When we read Paulletters we are not reading things which were meant to be academic exercises and theological treatises, but human documents written by a friend to his friends.

The Immediate Situation

With a very few exceptions, all Paulletters were written to meet an immediate situation and not treatises which he sat down to write in the peace and silence of his study. There was some threatening situation in Corinth, or Galatia, or Philippi, or Thessalonica, and he wrote a letter to meet it. He was not in the least thinking of us when he wrote, but solely of the people to whom he was writing. Deissmann writes, "Paul had no thought of adding a few fresh compositions to the already extant Jewish epistles; still less of enriching the sacred literature of his nation.... He had no presentiment of the place his words would occupy in universal history; not so much that they would be in existence in the next generation, far less that one day people would look at them as Holy Scripture." We must always remember that a thing need not be transient because it was written to meet an immediate situation. All the great love songs of the world were written for one person, but they live on for the whole of mankind. It is just because Paulletters were written to meet a threatening danger or a clamant need that they still throb with life. And it is because human need and the human situation do not change that God speaks to us through them today.

The Spoken Word

One other thing we must note about these letters. Paul did what most people did in his day. He did not normally pen his own letters but dictated them to a secretary, and then added Ws own authenticating signature. (We actually know the name of one of the people who did the writing for him. In Rom_16:22 Tertius, the secretary, slips in his own greeting before the letter draws to an end). In 1Co_16:21 Paul says, "This is my own signature, my autograph, so that you can be sure this letter comes from me." (compare Col_4:18 ; 2Th_3:17 .)

This explains a great deal. Sometimes Paul is hard to understand, because his sentences begin and never finish; his grammar breaks down and the construction becomes involved. We must not think of him sitting quietly at a desk, carefully polishing each sentence as he writes. We must think of him striding up and down some little room, pouring out a torrent of words, while his secretary races to get them down. When Paul composed his letters, he had in his mindeye a vision of the folk to whom he was writing, and he was pouring out his heart to them in words that fell over each other in his eagerness to help.

INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS TO THE THESSALONIANS

Paul Comes To Macedonia

For anyone who can read between the lines the story of Paulcoming to Macedonia is one of the most dramatic in the book of Acts. Luke, with supreme economy of words, tells it in Act_16:6-10 . Short as that narrative is, it gives the impression of a chain of circumstances inescapably culminating in one supreme event. Paul had passed through Phrygia and Galatia and ahead of him lay the Hellespont. To the left lay the teeming province of Asia, to the right stretched the great province of Bithynia; but the Spirit would allow him to enter neither. There was something driving him relentlessly on to the Aegean Sea. So he came to Alexandrian Troas, still uncertain where he ought to go; and then there came to him a vision in the night of a man who cried, "Come over into Macedonia and help us." Paul set sail, and for the first time the gospel came to Europe.

One World

At that moment Paul must have seen much more than a continent for Christ. It was in Macedonia that he landed; and Macedonia was the kingdom of Alexander the Great, who had conquered the world and wept because there were no more worlds left to conquer. But Alexander was much more than a military conqueror. He was almost the first universalist. He was more a missionary than a soldier; and he dreamed of one world dominated and enlightened by the culture of Greece. Even so great a thinker as Aristotle had said that it was a plain duty to treat Greeks as free men and orientals as slaves; but Alexander declared that he had been sent by God "to unite, to pacify and to reconcile the whole world." Deliberately he had said that it was his aim "to marry the East to the West." He had dreamed of an Empire in which there was neither Greek nor Jew, barbarian or Scythian, bond or free (Col_3:11 ). It is hard to see how Alexander could have failed to be in Paulthoughts. Paul left from Alexandrian Troas which was called after Alexander; he came to Macedonia which was Alexanderoriginal kingdom; he worked at Philippi which was called after Philip, Alexanderfather; he went on to Thessalonica which was called after Alexanderhalf-sister. The whole territory was saturated with memories of Alexander; and Paul must surely have thought, not of a country nor of a continent, but of a world for Christ.

Paul Comes To Thessalonica

This sense of the wide-stretching arms of Christianity must have been accentuated when Paul came to Thessalonica. It was a great city. Its original name was Thermal, which means The Hot Springs, and it gave its name to the Thermaic Gulf on which it stood. Six hundred years ago Herodotus had described it as a great city. It has always been a famous harbour. It was there that Xerxes the Persian had his naval base when he invaded Europe; and even in Roman times it was one of the worldgreat dockyards. In 315 B.C. Cassander had rebuilt the city and renamed it Thessalonica, the name of his wife, who was a daughter of Philip of Macedon and a half-sister of Alexander the Great. It was a free city; that is to say it had never suffered the indignity of having Roman troops quartered within it. It had its own popular assembly and its own magistrates. Its population rose to 200,000 and for a time it was a question whether it or Constantinople would be recognized as the capital of the world. Even today, under the name Salonika, it has 70,000 inhabitants.

But the supreme importance of Thessalonica lay in this--it straddled the Via Egnatia, the Egnatian Road, which stretched from Dyrrachium on the Adriatic to Constantinople on the Bosphorus and thence away to Asia Minor and the East. Its main street was part of the very road which linked Rome with the East. East and West converged on Thessalonica; it was said to be "in the lap of the Roman Empire." Trade poured into her from East and West, so that it was said, "So long as nature does not change, Thessalonica will remain wealthy and prosperous."

It is impossible to overstress the importance of the arrival of Christianity in Thessalonica. If Christianity was settled there, it was bound to spread East along the Egnatian Road until all Asia was conquered and West until it stormed even the city of Rome. The coming of Christianity to Thessalonica was crucial in the making of it into a world religion.

PaulStay At Thessalonica

The story of Paulstay at Thessalonica is in Act_17:1-10 . Now, for Paul, what happened at Thessalonica was of supreme importance. He preached in the synagogue for three Sabbaths (Act_17:2 ) which means that his stay there could not have been much more than three weeks in length. He had such tremendous success that the Jews were enraged and raised so much trouble that Paul had to be smuggled out, in peril of his life, to Beroea. The same thing happened in Beroea (Act_17:10-12 ) and Paul had to leave Timothy and Silas behind and make his escape to Athens. What exercised his mind was this. He had been in Thessalonica only three weeks. Was it possible to make such an impression on a place in three weeksime that Christianity was planted so deeply that it could never again be uprooted? If so, it was by no means an idle dream that the Roman Empire might yet be won for Christ. Or was it necessary to settle down and work for months, even years, before an impression could be made? In that event, no man could even dimly foresee when Christianity would penetrate all over the world. Thessalonica was a test case; and Paul was torn with anxiety to know how it would turn out.

News From Thessalonica

So anxious was Paul that, when Timothy joined him at Athens, he sent him back to Thessalonica to get the information without which he could not rest (1Th_3:1-2 , 1Th_3:5 ; 1Th_2:17 ). What news did Timothy bring back? There was good news. The affection of the Thessalonians for Paul was as strong as ever; and they were standing fast in the faith (1Th_2:14 ; 1Th_3:4-6 ; 1Th_4:9-10 ). They were indeed "his glory and Ws joy" (1Th_2:20 ). But there was worrying news.

(i) The preaching of the Second Coming had produced an unhealthy situation in which people had stopped working and had abandoned all ordinary pursuits to await the Second Coming with a kind of hysterical expectancy. So Paul tells them to be quiet and to get on with their work (1Th_4:11 ).

(ii) They were worried about what was to happen to those who died before the Second Coming arrived. Paul explains that those who fall asleep in Jesus will miss none of the glory (1Th_4:13-18 ).

(iii) There was a tendency to despise all lawful authority; the argumentative Greek was always in danger of producing a democracy run mad (1Th_5:12-14 ).

(iv) There was the ever-present danger that they would relapse into immorality. It was hard to unlearn the point of view of generations and to escape the contagion of the heathen world (1Th_4:3-8 ).

(v) There was at least a section who slandered Paul. They hinted that he preached the gospel for what he could get out of it (1Th_2:5 , 1Th_2:9 ); and that he was something of a dictator (1Th_2:6-7 , 1Th_2:11 ).

(vi) There was a certain amount of division in the Church (1Th_4:9 ; 1Th_5:13 ).

These were the problems with which Paul had to deal; and they show that human nature has not changed so very much.

Why Two Letters?

We must ask why there are two letters. They art, very much alike and they must have been written within weeks, perhaps days of each other. The second letter was written mainly to clear up a misconception about the Second Coming. The first letter insists that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, and urges watchfulness (1Th_5:2 ; 1Th_5:6 ). But this produced the unhealthy situation where men did nothing but watch and wait; and in the second letter Paul explains what signs must come first before the Second Coming should come (2Th_2:3-12 ). The Thessalonians had got their ideas about the Second Coming out of proportion. As so often happens to a preacher, Paulpreaching had been misunderstood, and certain phrases had been taken out of context and over-emphasized; and the second letter seeks to put things back in their proper balance and to correct the thoughts of the excited Thessalonians regarding the Second Coming. Of course, Paul takes occasion in the second letter to repeat and to stress much of the good advice and rebuke he had given in the first, but its main aim is to tell them certain things which will calm their hysteria and make them wait, not in excited idleness, but in patient and diligent attendance to the daywork. In these two letters we see Paul solving the day to day problems which arose in the expanding Church.

FURTHER READINGS

Thessalonians

J. E. Frame, Thessalonians (ICC; G)

G. Milligan, St. PaulEpistles to the Thessalonians (MmC; G)

W. Neil, The Epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians (MC; E)

Abbreviations

CGT: Cambridge Greek Testament

ICC: International Critical Commentary

MC: Moffatt Commentary

MmC: Macmillan Commentary

TC: Tyndale Commentary

E: English Text

G: Greek Text

Barclay: 2 Thessalonians 1 (Chapter Introduction)

Lift Up Your Hearts (2Th_1:1-10)

Constable: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Historical background

This epistle contains evidence that Paul had recently heard news about current conditions in the Thessalonian church. Probably most of this information came to him from the person who had carried 1 Thessalonians to its recipients and had returned to Paul at Corinth. Perhaps other people who had news of the church had informed Paul, Silas, and Timothy also. Some of the news was good. The majority of the Thessalonians were continuing to grow and to remain faithful to Christ in spite of persecution. Unfortunately some of the news was bad. False teaching concerning the day of the Lord had entered the church and was causing confusion and leading some of the Christians to quit their jobs in expectation of the Lord's return.

In view of these reports Paul evidently felt constrained to write this epistle. He commended his children in the faith for their growth and faithfulness, corrected the doctrinal error about the day of the Lord, and warned the idle to get back to work.

Almost all conservative scholars believe that Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians from Corinth. The basis for this conclusion is that Paul, Silas, and Timothy were present together in Corinth (Acts 18:5). The New Testament does not refer to them being together from then on, though they may have been. Paul evidently wrote 1 Thessalonians from Corinth. The topics he treated in the second epistle seem to grow out of situations he alluded to in the first epistle. They reflect a very similar situation in the Thessalonian church. Corinth, therefore, seems the logical site of composition of 2 Thessalonians.

For these reasons it appears that Paul composed 2 Thessalonians quite soon after 1 Thessalonians, perhaps within 12 months.¹ This would place the date of composition in the early 50's A.D., perhaps 51 A.D., and would make this the third of Paul's canonical writings assuming Galatians was his first.

"The external evidence for the Pauline authorship of 2 Thessalonians is stronger than for 1 Thessalonians."²

Purpose

Three purposes are evident from the contents of the epistle. Paul wrote to encourage the Thessalonian believers to continue to persevere in the face of continuing persecution (1:3-10). He also wanted to clarify events preceding the day of the Lord to dispel false teaching (2:1-12). Finally, he instructed the church how to deal with lazy Christians in their midst (3:6-15).

Message³

We could contrast 1 and 2 Thessalonians by saying that Paul wrote the first epistle primarily to comfort the Thessalonians whereas he wrote the second epistle primarily to correct them.

Paul had said some things in his first epistle from which his readers drew a false conclusion. He had said that Christ would return and His return could be very soon (1 Thess. 4:15-18). He also said the day of the Lord would come as a thief in the night, unexpectedly (1 Thess. 5:2).

In view of what Paul had taught the Thessalonians about the day of the Lord when he was with them (2 Thess. 2:5), they wondered if that day had already begun. They wondered if they were in the Tribulation and if the second coming of Christ was imminent. Teaching from several other sources that confirmed their suspicions (2 Thess. 2:2) intensified their questions about Paul's statements regarding future events that he had written in 1 Thessalonians.

The apostle wrote 2 Thessalonians to correct these erroneous ideas. The return of Christ of which Paul had written was not His second coming but the Rapture. While the day of the Lord would arrive unexpectedly it would be unexpected only by unbelievers. Several predicted events would precede its commencement.

The central message of this epistle is the truth about the day of the Lord.

Paul made an important distinction in this epistle about future events.

In 1 Thessalonians he taught that the Lord's return could take place very soon and that the day of the Lord would come as a thief in the night. Consequently he urged his readers to wait expectantly for the Lord (1 Thess. 4:16-17; 5:2).

In 2 Thessalonians he wrote that the day of the Lord cannot begin immediately. Therefore his readers should continue their work (2 Thess. 2). These statements may seem contradictory, but they are not.

Paul distinguished these two truths in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2. The distinction is between "our gathering together to Him" (v. 1) and "the day of the Lord" (v. 2). He wrote verses 1-12 to show the difference between the first event and the second period.

Paul also gave definite new revelation about the day of the Lord.

He said that presently the mystery of lawlessness is at work (2:7). Paul did not say the mystery of "sin" or "evil" but "lawlessness." He did so because lawlessness (rebellion against divine law) is the root trouble with human life individually, socially, nationally, and in every other sphere. The "mystery" of lawlessness is the new revelation he expounded here concerning the course of lawlessness in the world and history, in space and time.

Second, he revealed that in the future God will remove what is presently restraining lawlessness (2:7). The restrainer probably refers to the Holy Spirit who indwells the church. Lawlessness produces corruption, but the church is the salt of the earth, and salt prevents the spread of corruption. Lawlessness also produces darkness, but the church is the light of the world, and light dispels darkness. Lawlessness is presently working, but what keeps it from running wild is the Holy Spirit's ministry through Christian men and women.

Third, Paul announced that in the future there will also be a crisis: the man of lawlessness will be revealed (2:8). When will God withdraw the Spirit from the world? He will do so when He withdraws the church from the world. When will He withdraw the church from the world? He will do so at "our gathering together to Him" (v. 1, i.e., the Rapture). After that, the human leader of lawlessness will appear. He will be entirely godless, but he will be such a remarkable character that he will convince most people that he is divine. This is the Antichrist.

Finally, Paul taught that after this crisis Jesus Christ will return to the earth to set up His kingdom (2:8). He will come when the man of lawlessness is the prominent character on the stage of history. However when Christ comes, He will destroy this Antichrist and curtail lawlessness (cf. Ps. 2).

In view of this revelation Paul called on his readers to do two things.

First, he called on them to be courageous. He did not want them to be mentally upset (2:2) but comforted and established (2:17). A clear understanding of the course of future events and the time of the Lord's return is essential for the mental and spiritual encouragement and stability of Christians. We need this to be courageous in the face of all the lawlessness we encounter in the world. Give this to the people you serve in ministry.

Second, Paul called his readers to responsible conduct. He instructed them to go on with life, to wait but also to work. Christians must behave responsibly by providing for our own needs. The hope of Christ's imminent return at the Rapture is no excuse for irresponsibility. Paul was not just urging activity (witnessing, praying, etc.) but specifically earning a living.

The gravest danger we face in our world today is not socialism or communism or fascism but lawlessness specifically refusal to submit to God's laws. The person who lives this way is anti-Christ.

We need to recognize this danger for what it is and to combat it by being salt and light in the world. However, we should also remember that Christ will eventually be victorious. This will keep us from becoming frantic and losing our stability.

Each of us also needs to make sure lawlessness does not characterize our personal lives. We must be submissive to divine rule if we would be consistent and confident Christians.

Outline⁴

I. Salutation 1:1-2

II. Commendation for past progress 1:3-12

A. Thanksgiving for growth 1:3-4

B. Encouragement to persevere 1:5-10

C. Prayer for success 1:11-12

III. Correction of present error 2:1-12

A. The beginning of the day of the Lord 2:1-5

B. The mystery of lawlessness 2:6-12

IV. Thanksgiving and prayer 2:13-17

A. Thanksgiving for calling 2:13-15

B. Prayer for strength 2:16-17

V. Exhortations for future growth 3:1-15

A. Reciprocal prayer 3:1-5

1. Prayer for the missionaries 3:1-2

2. Prayer for the Thessalonians 3:3-5

B. Church discipline 3:6-15

1. General principles respecting disorderly conduct 3:6-10

2. Specific instructions concerning the idle 3:11-13

3. Further discipline for the unrepentant 3:14-15

VI. Conclusion 3:16-18

Constable: 2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

Bibliography

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Donfield, Karl P. "The Cults of Thessalonica and the Thessalonian Correspondence." New Testament Studies 31:3 (July 1985):336-56.

Edgar, Thomas R. "An Exegesis of Rapture Passages." In Issues in Dispensationalism, pp. 203-23. Edited by Weslay R. Willis and John R. Master. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.

English, E. Schuyler. Re-Thinking the Rapture. Travelers Rest, S.C.: Southern Bible, 1954.

Epp, Theodore H. "The Restrainer Removed." Good News Broadcaster, March 1975, pp. 20-22.

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Frame, James Everett. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles of St. Paul to the Thessalonians. International Critical Commentary series. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1912.

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

THE SECOND

EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL, THE APOSTLE,

TO THE THESSALONIANS.

INTRODUCTION.

In this epistle St. Paul admonishes the Thessalonians to be constant in the faith of Christ, and not to be terrified by the insinuations of false teachers, telling them that the day of judgment was near at hand, as there must come many signs and wonders before it. He bids them to hold firm the traditions received from him, whether by word or by epistle; and shews them how they may be certain of his letters by the manner he writes. This epistle was written soon after the former, and also from Corinth, about A.D. 52. (Challoner; Witham) --- From the context we learn that the present is a continuation of the former epistle. He not only rectifies wrong impressions caused by his former letter, but finding that those indolent characters whom he had reprimanded were no ways corrected, he determines to reprimand them still more severely in this letter, which he tells us he writes because he has it not in his power to visit, as he could wish, the Thessalonians.

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Gill: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO 2 THESSALONIANS

This second epistle was written, not from Athens, as the subscription testifies, nor from Rome, as Athanasius ^a supposes; but from Corinth, from whence was sent the former, and where the apostle and Timothy, and Silvanus met; and which was sent about half a year after the other. The design of which is to comfort and support the Thessalonians under the afflictions and persecutions they endured for the sake of the Gospel; and to rectify a mistake they had gone into, and which might be occasioned by what the apostle had said in his former epistle, concerning the second coming of Christ, as though it was just at hand; which might lead them to neglect their worldly business, and duties of civil life, and give the enemies of the Gospel an advantage against the whole of it as false, should not this prove true; as also to exhort this church to take notice of disorderly persons such as were idle, and busy bodies, and withdraw from them, and remove them from their communion, as being not only burdensome to them, but a reproach to their profession.

Gill: 2 Thessalonians 1 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO 2 THESSALONIANS 1

This chapter, besides the inscription and salutation, contains a thanksgiving for the flourishing condition in which the graces of the Spirit were in these saints, and consolation for them under their suffering circumstances. The inscription and salutation are in 2Th 1:1 and are as usual: the thanksgiving is in 2Th 1:3 for the growth of their faith, the abounding of their love, and their constant patience under persecutions and afflictions, insomuch that the apostle also gloried of them for these things among other churches, 2Th 1:4 and as an encouragement to them to continue patient under sufferings, he observes that this was a token of the righteous judgment of God, and that they were reckoned worthy of his kingdom for which they suffered, 2Th 1:5 and of which righteous judgment they might be assured, from the nature of God himself, whose justice required a retribution of vengeance to their persecutors, and rest to them with the apostles, 2Th 1:6 the time of which rest and ease is pointed at, as that it will be at the coming of Christ; which is described by the place from whence he comes, heaven; by his retinue, his mighty angels; by the manner in which he shall come, in flaming fire; and by the vengeance he will execute: the objects of which are also described, by their ignorance of God, and by their disobedience to the Gospel of Christ; and by the nature of the punishment inflicted on them, which will lie in an expulsion from the presence, power, and glory of God, and in an everlasting destruction of soul and body, 2Th 1:7 but as for them, the persecuted saints, and which is mentioned for their comfort, Christ shall at this day be glorified and admired in them, and by them, 2Th 1:10 wherefore the apostle prays for this perseverance of them, that the good work of faith might be performed in them, and they enjoy the glory they were called unto; and that Christ might be glorified in them, and they in him; not according to their works, but according to the grace of God through him, 2Th 1:11.

College: 2 Thessalonians (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION

The pressures of persecution, apparent in 1 Thessalonians, have intensified in this letter. In its three brief chapters the reader perceives the vital importance for suffering believers of confident hope in the Lord's return. Likewise intensified is the problem of idleness. In the face of abuses of Christian generosity, 2 Thessalonians gives a sharp reminder of the individual Christian's duty to live as a responsible member of the community, hard-working and self-supporting.

Much of what was said about the circumstances and organization of 1 Thessalonians can also be affirmed of the second letter (see introduction to 1 Thessalonians above). But unlike 1 Thessalonians, this letter presents two major critical problems. Brief attention will be given to these below.

AUTHORSHIP

Unlike 1 Thessalonians, the second letter has widely been taken as a pseudepigraph, composed after Paul's death by one of his followers who used 1 Thessalonians as a model. Several lines of evidence have been cited to support the hypothesis that 2 Thessalonians is not an authentic letter of Paul.

One of these concerns the letter's eschatology. While 1 Thessalonians emphasized that the Lord's return was imminent, that is, that it could occur at any time (5:1-11), 2 Thessalonians appears to propose a series of preliminary signs which must occur before the Lord can return (2:1-12). If this is indeed the case, then, it is argued, that the tension between the two letters is such that Paul could not have written both. More particularly, it is often argued that the less imminent expectation of 2 Thessalonians reflects a later period in the life of the church, when the vivid expectation that the Lord would return within the lifetime of the first generation of Christians had been disappointed. If so, then it is clearly a production of the generation after the apostle Paul.

Secondly, it is argued that the tone of 2 Thessalonians is considerably colder and more formal than 1 Thessalonians. As an example, "we ought to thank" in 2 Thess 1:3; 2:13 is regarded as less warm than "we thank" in 1 Thess 1:2. Likewise, the repeated use of "command" in 2 Thess 3:6, 12 is said to reflect a less intimate relationship between the writer and the readers. Such a shift in tone is thought to be unlikely if Paul had written both letters, especially if 1 Thessalonians was written first, but is entirely to be expected if the second letter was a pseudepigraph.

Thirdly, the background of the readers appears to be different. 1 Thess 1:9 appears to indicate a predominantly Gentile audience, but in 2 Thessalonians references to the final judgment (1:6-10) and the man of lawlessness (2:1-12) appear to assume knowledge that could be expected only of Jews. It is consequently argued that the second letter was not written for the same church, indicating that the addressee and so also the author named in the salutation are fictions.

Combined with these concerns is the literary style of 2 Thessalonians. In some respects it closely resembles 1 Thessalonians, following a similar outline (including a double thanksgiving: 1 Thess 1:2-10; 2:13-16; 2Thess 2 Thess 1:3-12; 2:13-17) and discussing similar themes (eschatology, idleness). However, it has been argued that the sentence structure of 2 Thessalonians is significantly different from the undisputed letters of Paul. In particular, 2 Thess 2:3-12 is a more complex sentence than is found elsewhere in Paul's letters, constructions with the genitive are more frequent, and subordinating conjunctions are more numerous. Likewise it is argued that a number of terms and concepts from Paul's authentic letters are used in a different sense in 2 Thessalonians. The combination of similarity and dissimilarity is said to point to a post-Pauline imitator, who at some points incorporated elements of Paul's style and substance from 1 Thessalonians and at others reflected followed his own course.

The force of these arguments is considerable, and a large number of contemporary scholars have been persuaded by them to reject Pauline authorship of this letter. However, the idea that 2 Thessalonians is pseudepigraphical is itself problematic. It is first of all difficult to understand why someone would write 2 Thessalonians and ascribe it to Paul, since presumably it contained nothing so controversial as to demand the apostle's authority for its acceptance. Furthermore, if written by a later imitator, that person knew only 1 Thessalonians, since the major parallels are only with that letter. Such a situation would be surprising for a second-generation disciple of Paul. The reference to the temple in 2:4 gives no indication that the Jerusalem temple has been destroyed by the Romans, again surprising if the letter were written near the end of the first century when the fall of Jerusalem was well known. Furthermore, 3:6-15 give every appearance of having been written to a specific congregation in response to a particular problem. It would be most unusual for a letter to be written to specific church in the name of Paul after his death and not be detected as a pseudepigraph. And if all in the church recognized the fiction and accepted it as such, we must explain how the later church forgot the origins of the letter, since all external evidence affirms that Paul is the author (Marcion, c. A.D. 150, and the Muratorian Canon, c. A.D. 180, both ascribe it to Paul). These considerations make the hypothesis of pseudepigraphy less than likely.

In fact, each argument for pseudepigraphy can be explained on the hypothesis that Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians himself. The eschatological tension in fact has less to do with a lessening of expectancy than is often allowed. Exegesis of 2:1-12 in the comments below will indicate that what Paul discusses here is probably not a series of preliminary signs but the present reality that evil and the Evil One appear to dominate and that such dominance is itself proof that the Lord has not yet returned. In this case, there is absolutely no tension between the eschatology of the first and second letters. However, even if this interpretation should be wrong, it is not impossible that Paul would express a different perspective on the Lord's coming in 2 Thessalonians and not view it as contradictory, just as he does in 1 Cor 15:1-58, which stresses the general resurrection, and 2 Cor 5:1-10, which stresses individual immortality.

Likewise, the change in tone between the two letters can be explained by the change in circumstances. In 1 Thessalonians part of Paul's concern was to reassure the readers of his affection for them despite his absence. That need having been met, the second letter - preoccupied with the persecution of the church, the problem about the Lord's return and the idleness of some members - reflects less of the personal warmth emphasized in the first. Furthermore, if Paul used a different amanuensis for each letter, or if Silas and Timothy had different roles in the composition of each letter, the tone and style could easily have changed.

The change from a Gentile to a Jewish background is more apparent than real. As noted in the introduction to 1 Thessalonians, that letter includes a number of phrases which assume knowledge of the Old Testament and Judaism. The Jewish orientation of the second letter is more explicit but hardly necessitates a different audience. This observation also obviates the need for other hypotheses, such as that Paul sent the two letters to two different factions of the church, one Gentile and the other Jewish, or that he sent the first letter to the church at large and the second to the leaders of the church.

The stylistic differences between 2 Thessalonians and the other letters of Paul are real, but they can be exaggerated. The complexity of sentences and concentration of subordinating conjunctions are in fact not two matters but one, since complex sentences require subordinating conjunctions. The sentence of 1:3-12 is exceptional, but it is approximated in Ephesians and Colossians. The authorship of those letters is also disputed, but to base an argument for one letter's inauthenticity on its similarity with another questioned letter is to build a supposition on another supposition. It would be fairer to admit that in a short letter like 2 Thessalonians, a few unusual expressions may create a false impression of stylistic variance. Furthermore, it is admitted by all that Paul's style changed with each letter. Only in Romans, for example, do we find the rhetorical question, "What shall we say then?" (3:5; 4:1; 6:1; 7:7; 8:31; 9:14, 30), and no one disputes the authenticity of Romans on that basis. Alleged differences in the use of key terms and presentation of concepts have likewise been exaggerated. Paul's usage elsewhere is often more flexible than some critics will allow. And 2 Thessalonians contains some Paulinisms which would have been difficult for an imitator to compose. The combination of similarities and differences between the two Thessalonians letters and between the second and the rest of the Pauline corpus is at least as consistent with the hypothesis that Paul wrote both under changing circumstances as it is with the hypothesis of a pseudepigrapher.

Thus, though the controversy over the authorship of this letter is likely to continue among scholars, the arguments against Paul's authorship are not sufficient to overturn the testimony of the letter itself and of the early church. By nature of the case, evidence to prove the authenticity of an ancient document always falls short of absolute proof. But those who have accepted 2 Thessalonians as a genuine letter of Paul can do so with integrity, knowing that the balance of evidence favors their conclusion.

ORDER AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF WRITING

The traditional assumption has always been that 2 Thessalonians was written not long after 1 Thessalonians, while Paul was still in Corinth. Paul had apparently received a report, perhaps from Timothy after the delivery of the first letter, of ongoing problems in the Thessalonian church. The persecution had not abated, misunderstandings about the Lord's return continued, and the willfully idle had not repented. Therefore, Paul composed a second letter to address the developing situation, probably only months after writing the first.

There have been several scholars who have questioned the traditional order, however, postulating that 2 Thessalonians was in fact written first. The traditional order of Paul's letters, these have argued, is based not on chronology but length, longer letters of Paul being placed before shorter ones in the canon. Therefore, internal considerations alone, the evidence of the letters themselves, must determine the order of writing.

The most recent and important advocate of the priority of 2 Thessalonians is Charles Wanamaker. His argument, which in the main follows a line marked out by others, may be summarized as follows. First, the persecution of 2 Thess 1:4-7 appears to be a matter of the past in 1 Thess 2:14. Secondly, the idlers of 2 Thess 3:6-15 appear to be a new problem, while 1 Thess 4:10-12 and 5:14 address it as something well known and already under control. Thirdly, the signature of 2 Thess 3:17 appears to be more fitting in Paul's first letter to the church. Fourth, the eschatological teaching of 1 Thess 4:13-5:11, especially in light of the remark in 5:1 that the readers had no need of such instruction because they had received it before, is more coherently explained if it is an elaboration on 2 Thess 2:1-12, especially if some implications of that passage had been misunderstood. On the other hand, if the church had already received 1 Thess 4:13-5:11, it is difficult to see how they would have concluded that the day of the Lord had already come (2 Thess 2:2), since the dead had not yet been raised and united with the living in the Lord's presence (1 Thess 4:17). Therefore, Wanamaker argues with earlier advocates of the hypothesis that 2 Thessalonians was written by Paul after he received a vague report about problems in the Thessalonian church and was delivered by Timothy in the visit described in 1 Thess 3:1-10.

While Wanamaker has succeeded in showing how little evidence there actually is for the priority of 1 Thessalonians, the case for the priority of 2 Thessalonians is far from proved. External evidence must be weighed also: Marcion apparently referred to 1 Thessalonians as the first letter despite the fact that he did not arrange his canon by length. As far as internal matters are concerned, if 2 Thessalonians was the first letter, it is surprising that Paul makes no reference to it in 1 Thessalonians as a part of his passionate discussion of his prior work with the Thessalonian church (2:1-12) and his attempts to return to them since his departure (2:17-20). Wanamaker suggests that the mention of Timothy's visit may be a tacit reference to it, since Timothy can be assumed to have carried some letter from Paul on this visit. Still, one might expect a more specific mention of so substantial a letter as 2 Thessalonians had it been written first. On the other hand, the references to letters in 2 Thess 2:2, 15; 3:17 are at least consistent with the idea that 1 Thessalonians had already been received, though they do not demand it.

If 1 Thessalonians is prior, as the slight balance of probability suggests, we can assume that the persecution of the church, which may have abated after Paul's departure, has heated up again, or at least that the church is in greater turmoil because of it. Likewise, we must assume that the church's misunderstanding of the Lord's return in 2:2 occurred despite the logical force of 1 Thess 4:13-18. Also, the idle who were warned briefly in 1 Thess 4:11-12 and 5:14 did not heed that warning. Such developments will surprise those who assume that human behavior is always reasonable and orderly, but those who have experienced the give and take of pastoral leadership will recognize that churches and Christians, like stocks, seldom move in a straight line. Against such a background Paul dictated his second letter, seeking to correct the church's course and reinforce its growth.

THEOLOGICAL VALUE

2 Thessalonians focuses primarily on three issues: persecution, the Lord's return, and the problem of idleness. Each has remarkable relevance for today's church.

Persecution is perhaps less a part of the experience of Christians in North America than in other parts of the world. Nevertheless, for many Christians it remains a real threat. More broadly, all believers experience the hostility of unbelievers at various points, and all can be subject to the hurt of their ridicule, even if they are relatively safe from physical violence. 2 Thessalonians provides the important reminder that God notices such suffering and promises to bring vindication for his people. The suffering of the church will one day end.

Likewise, the pervasive dominance of evil, obvious to every modern observer, will one day end as well. Whatever the precise nature of the "man of lawlessness" (2:3), Paul certainly focuses attention on his present activity (2:9-12). Christians who wonder whether their faith is true when they see the opponents of Christianity with the upper hand have their answer in this letter. Evil will continue to run rampant in this age, but when Christ returns, he will utterly destroy every manifestation of it and the One who stands behind it. The goodness and faithfulness of God can be trusted to answer every aspect of injustice in this age.

Unemployment, underemployment and wide gaps in income are no less a social reality now than they were for Paul's readers. And so the need for Christian charity continues as it did in the first century. But the dangers inherent in such sharing are still real as well. Paul's reminders about the need for personal responsibility and self-support (3:6-12), coupled with the reminder to continue in good works of generosity (3:13) are messages to be heeded as today's church considers its role in addressing the pressing issues of poverty and the failures of the secular welfare state.

The observation that problems had intensified since Paul wrote his first letter contains a pertinent message in itself. Even in Paul's ministry, the life of the church was characterized by trouble as much as progress. Yet through such trouble the work and will of God are accomplished. Christians frustrated by the one-step-forward-two-steps-back trajectory of the church can take heart that in similar circumstances the great apostle still found much for which to give thanks and boast (1:3-4; 2:13-14). God's will, which will be fully realized only when Christ returns, is even now being worked out in the life of the church, even when outwardly it appears defeated.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

College: 2 Thessalonians (Outline)

OUTLINE

I. GREETING - 1:1-2

II. OPENING THANKSGIVING, ENCOURAGEMENT AND PRAYER - 1:3-12

A. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians' Growth and Endurance in Persecution- 1:3-4

B. Encouragement in Light of God's Judgment - 1:5-10

C. The Content of Paul's Prayer - 1:11-12

III. INSTRUCTION ON THE LORD'S RETURN - 2:1-12

A. The Day of the Lord Not Yet Present - 2:1-2

B. The Apostasy and the Man of Lawlessness - 2:3-12

1. The Apostasy and the Revelation of the Man of Lawlessness - 2:3

2. A Description of the Man of Lawlessness - 2:4

3. Reminder of Oral Instruction on the Subject - 2:5

4. The One Who Restrains/Prevails - 2:6-10

5. God's Consequent Actions - 2:11-12

IV. RENEWED THANKSGIVING, ENCOURAGEMENT AND PRAYER - 2:13-17

A. Thanksgiving for the Salvation of the Thessalonians- 2:13-14

B. Encouragement to Remain Faithful to the Traditions Delivered by Paul - 2:15

C. Prayer for the Lord's Encouragement and Strength - 2:16-17

V. EXHORTATIONS - 3:1-16

A. General Exhortations - 3:1-5

B. Exhortations Regarding Church Discipline - 3:6-15

1. Exclusion of the Willfully Idle - 3:6-13

2. Exclusion of the Disobedient - 3:14-15

VI. CONCLUSION - 3:16-18

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV