2 Thessalonians 1 - Printer Friendly

Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians expands on the same themes he addressed in his first message. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul reassured believers that fellow Christians who had died would not miss out on the return of Christ. Paul also depicted the fierce judgment of God which would fall during the day of the Lord. At the same time, Paul indicated that Christians were not those subject to these judgments. Based on what Paul has to say in this letter, it seems some of the believers of Thessalonica misinterpreted his words. Suffering under persecution, some of these Christians seem to think that the day of the Lord has already arrived and they are suffering under that tribulation.

Paul opens the letter with his customary greeting, evoking peace and the grace of God. He identifies himself, Timothy, and Silvanus as the nominal authors of the letter (2 Thessalonians 1:1–2).

As he did in 1 Thessalonians, Paul makes a point of praising the Thessalonian Christians for their faithfulness. While this depiction made up a significant portion of his first letter, Paul makes a much shorter reference to it here (2 Thessalonians 1:3–4).

This letter makes it clear that the persecution and suffering these Christians experienced was not part of the day of the Lord. Paul reassures his readers that God sees their struggles and will use them for His own glory. At the same time, God's awareness means impending judgment for those who afflict Christians with persecution. Among these consequences, Paul invokes the ultimate end for those who reject God: an eternity of destruction and separation from God—what the Bible calls hell (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:14). Paul's intent here is to reassure believers and encourage them to continue their good works (2 Thessalonians 1:5–12).

The following chapter will transition into further details about the end times. In particular, Paul will seek to reassure his readers that they have not missed Christ's return. The hardships they are now facing are not part of the day of the Lord—there are other events which must occur first.

Second Thessalonians 1:5–12 refers to the Thessalonians' trials as evidence that God is righteous and just. Paul indicates that the Thessalonians' faith and endurance would prove their status as inheritors of God's kingdom. Further, Paul assures his readers that God will avenge those who troubled the Thessalonians, giving the persecuted ones relief. When Jesus returns with His angels, He will inflict flaming fire on those who do not know God and on those who heard the gospel but rejected it. Their punishment will include eternal ruin and separation from God. When Jesus returns, those who have believed in Him will share in Jesus' glory and will marvel at Him. This look into the future was meant to help the Thessalonians continue to be steadfast under persecution and trouble. Paul prays that God would enable his readers to live successfully and worthy of their calling.

The apostle Paul received word that some Thessalonian believers did not understand clearly what he had written about the day of the Lord. Paul had told them in his first letter that Christians were exempt from the judgment and tribulation of the day of the Lord. However, some of the Thessalonians thought the day of the Lord had already begun, because they were undergoing fierce persecution. Here, Paul seeks to relieve those misunderstandings. He also addresses the matter of idleness and tells the church how to deal with those who are idle. Paul commends the believers for perseverance and faith, encouraging them to live according to the teachings he had given them.

Second Thessalonians opens with Paul's typical greetings, then shifts into encouragement. In his prior letter, Paul had explained the nature of death, for a Christian believer, and given a description of Christ's eventual return for His people. Now, the Thessalonian believers were experiencing persecution. Though they seem to be enduring it well, Paul reminds them that judgment before God awaits all people. Those who are persecuted for His sake will be part of His kingdom, while those who reject Him will face fire and vengeance. After this, Paul returns to the subject of Christ's return, and the rapture, seemingly to combat misunderstandings which linger despite his earlier letter.

Second Thessalonians follows Paul's earlier letter to the same group of Christian believers. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul had praised them for their faithfulness and given them reassurances about the day of the Lord. This included teachings on the rapture and a description of death as ''sleep'' from a Christian viewpoint. In this second letter, Paul corrects possible misunderstandings about those ideas. Among his teachings here are the importance of a good work ethic and God's impending judgment on sin, including judgment on those who persecute the Christian church. Paul also provides the Thessalonians with reassurances that they have not somehow missed out on Christ's return.