2 Thessalonians 2:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,

NIV: Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,

NASB: Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,

CSB: Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him: We ask you, brothers and sisters,

NLT: Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.

KJV: Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

NKJV: Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,

In this verse Paul addresses his reader as "brothers." He was confident that they had believed on Jesus as their Savior and had become members of God's family. God was their Father, and they and Paul were spiritual brothers. The brothers at Thessalonica had received Paul's teaching about the coming of Christ, in the air, to take Christians away from the earth to be with Him before the day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13–17; 5:1–11).

Later, it seems, some false teaching about the end times had crept into the church. Perhaps itinerant false teachers had brought this teaching. Maybe the church had received a counterfeit letter bearing Paul's name that contained erroneous teaching (2 Thessalonians 2:2). Regardless of the source, this false teaching had confused some of the believers. They misinterpreted their severe suffering as evidence that they had entered the day of the Lord, the tribulation. Paul, therefore, begins a significant explanation concerning the Lord's return and the gathering of Christians to Him.

Second Thessalonians 2:1–12 discusses the ''day of the Lord'' as an event from which Christians are exempt. Some Thessalonian believers were confused, thinking they had entered this time of hardship and judgment. Paul tells them to put such thinking aside, regardless of the source. He assures them the day of the Lord will not commence until a rebellion or apostasy occurs, followed by the emergence of the man of lawlessness. This figure will try to take on the role of God and deceive those who are lost and had rejected the truth. Empowered by Satan, the man of lawlessness will deceive unbelievers by performing signs and wonders. But at His coming, Jesus Christ will destroy the man of lawlessness.

The Christians of Thessalonica have not missed out on the events described in Paul's prior letter. Despite what some teachers apparently thought, they were not experiencing the ''day of the Lord,'' a time of God's great wrath and judgment. As proof, Paul offers instruction on events which had yet to occur, prior to the coming of the day of the Lord. The first is a rebellion, or a ''falling away.'' The second is the emergence of a ''man of lawlessness'' who will demonstrate satanic power. This will correspond with God removing His restraint, in some way, leaving sin freer rein to enable His judgment.

Chapter 1 praised the Christians of Thessalonica for their spiritual growth and acts of love. This chapter seeks to correct a discouraging error present in that same church. Paul encourages these believers by stating that they have not missed out on the events described in his prior letter and have not entered into the judgment of the ''day of the Lord.'' Before that catastrophic time can begin, certain events must occur. These include a widespread spiritual apostasy and the rise of a satanically-empowered figure. Chapter 3 commends the value of a strong work ethic, both in a spiritual and a secular sense.

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.

Accessed 5/4/2024 6:50:00 AM