The Second Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians
Stanley Bruce Anstey
Table of Contents
Introduction: 2 Thessalonians
The Purpose of the Epistle
In the first epistle, Paul corrected the error that had arisen among the Thessalonians concerning the saints who had died, or fallen asleep (1 Thess. 4:14-18). In this second epistle, Paul corrects the error that they had concerning the living saints (2 Thess. 2:1-8).
God knew that down through the years Christians would become confused about these things and included this epistle in the canon of Scripture to correct these false notions. It seems that this epistle is needed today more than ever, since many Christians have the idea that the Church will go through the seven-year Tribulation period that is going to come upon this world (Dan. 9:27; 12:1; Rev. 3:10). Most of these mistaken ideas come from not distinguishing between the two phases of the Lord’s coming—the Rapture and the Revelation (Appearing) of Christ—which Paul carefully distinguishes in both of his epistles to the Thessalonians. (See pages 26-28.)
Simple Outline of This Second Epistle
• Chapter 1—Comfort for the saints who were passing through persecutions and tribulations resulting from being identified with the name of Christ.
• Chapter 2—Correction for the saints concerning the false eschatological teaching that they had received regarding the order of events surrounding the Appearing of Christ.
• Chapter 3—Counsel as to how to treat the practical problems that result from the bad eschatological teaching in chapter 2.
Comfort for the Saints Who Were Being Persecuted: 2 Thessalonians 1
(Chapter 1)
Vss. 1-2—As in the first epistle, Paul includes Silvanus and Timotheus in his opening salutation to “the church [assembly] of the Thessalonians.” And, as in the first epistle, “grace” and “peace” are sent from “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Thus, the Fatherhood of God and the Lordship of Christ are again stressed. This is because Paul understood that knowing God as our Father and Jesus Christ as our Lord is essential for Christian growth and maturity. The Lordship of Christ is particularly emphasized in this second epistle. The title “Lord,” is used over 20 times in three short chapters.
Vs. 3—Paul saw spiritual progress among the Thessalonian saints and thanked God for it. Their “faith” was growing exceedingly, and their “love” for one another was flourishing. However, as was the case in his comments in the first epistle (chap. 3:6), he does not mention hope. Hope is the third item in the trio of virtues that go together in normal Christian living. Conspicuous by its absence here, it is evident that “the blessed hope” (Titus 2:13) had been tampered with in their minds, and that is likely why Paul did not commend them for holding it as they once had (1 Thess. 1:3). We learn from chapter 2, that bad teaching concerning “the day of the Lord” had infiltrated their ranks and had upset their hope. One of the main reasons for the writing of this second epistle was to straighten out this misunderstanding.
Vs. 4—Paul praises the Thessalonian believers for continuing in the path of faith despite “the persecutions and tribulations” they were facing. It proved the reality of their faith—and Paul rejoiced to see it. These things had upset them because they had been told (erroneously) that their trials were signs that the Church was passing through the judgments associated with the Day of the Lord. These persecutions, however, were not the trials of the Great Tribulation, but were sufferings connected with normal Christianity. Christians are passing through a world that hates Christ, and those who bear His name quite naturally will suffer persecution on account of it (John 15:18-20; 16:33).
Vss. 5-6—Paul assures them that their suffering at the hands of evil men who had rejected the gospel was a “manifest token of the righteous judgment of God” that is coming on this world. Their sufferings were a proof that all such unbelievers would be judged. It is a righteous thing to do; a God who does not judge evil is not a righteous God. Thus, God is justified in His execution of judgment. In that day, He will balance the scales of justice. For the Thessalonian saints who were suffering persecution from the unbelieving men of the world, it meant that “the tables would be turned;” judgment will be meted out on those who have rejected the grace of God and inflicted suffering upon the saints.
Paul tells them that their suffering for Christ also showed that they had been “counted worthy of the kingdom of God,” for it is a privilege given to the saints to suffer for His sake (Phil. 1:29). Hence, he adds, “for which ye also suffer.” It is like he said, “Your steadfast endurance in persecution shows that you are truly part of that company that will share in the glory of Christ’s kingdom.” It is, therefore, “a righteous thing” for God to “recompense tribulation,” in the way of judgment, upon the rejecters of the gospel.
Two Sides to the Appearing of Christ
Vss. 7-10—These verses indicate that there are two sides to the Appearing of Christ. There will be:
• The execution of His judgment on the ungodly (vss. 7-9).
• The display of His glory in the saints before the world (vs. 10).
The first side of His Appearing ushers in “the day of the Lord” (1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10), which has to do with His Lordship authority being established on earth through judgment (Rev. 10:1-2).
The second side of His Appearing ushers in “the day of Christ” (1 Cor. 1:8; 3:13; 5:5; 2 Cor. 1:14; Phil. 1:6, 10; 2:16) when He will be seen displayed in His kingdom glory.
The Execution of Judgment
Vs. 7—Paul says, “And to you who are troubled, rest [repose] with us.” They were to wait until “the revelation of the Lord Jesus” (the Appearing) when He will intervene to set this world right. At that time, “He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained” (Acts 17:31). In the meantime, Christians have not been called to set right the wrongs and injustices of the world by involving themselves in its affairs. We are merely passing through the world “as strangers and pilgrims” on our way to heaven (1 Peter 2:11), and thus, we are to “let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth” (Isa. 45:9). Our responsibility in this world is to witness for Christ through preaching the gospel with a view that some, by the grace of God, might be saved. The world will be set right when God’s “judgments are in the earth,” which will begin at the Appearing of Christ (Isa. 26:9); it will not be set right through the influence of godly Christians and their preaching the gospel.
Paul then elaborates on the judgment that will be executed at the Appearing of Christ. The Lord will come out of heaven “with His mighty angels” and with “flaming fire” to take vengeance on the sinners of this world. He will bring His angels with Him for two distinct works: one is to execute judgment on sinners in the kingdom of the heavens by casting them straight into Hell (the lake of fire) without seeing death (Matt. 13:38-42; 24:37-41), and the other is for the blessing of the ten tribes of Israel by gathering them back to their homeland (Matt. 24:31).
Paul speaks of two general classes of unbelievers who will be judged:
• “Those that know not God”—These are Gentiles who have lived in ignorance of God the Saviour having never heard the gospel of His grace (1 Thess. 4:5), but who have rejected the light He has given them of Himself through creation (Psa. 19:1-6; Rom. 1:20).
• “Those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ”—These are enlightened persons who have heard the gospel and know the way of salvation, but have rejected it (1 Peter 4:17; 2 Peter 2:20-21).
These sinners will be “punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord” through the judgments that begin at the Appearing of Christ. Paul does not go into the details here, as to how and when these two classes of sinners with be dealt with, which a careful study of prophecy will reveal. Suffice it to say that the Appearing of Christ initiates “the judgment of the quick [living]” (Acts 10:42; 2 Tim. 4:1; 1 Peter 4:5). This is an “umbrella” term that covers three distinct judgments of living persons:
• The Harvest Judgment (Matt. 13:37-43; Rev. 14:14-16; Isa. 24:1-23).
• The Winepress (Vintage) Judgment (Rev. 14:17-20; Isa. 63:1-6; Joel 3:9-17).
• The Sessional Judgment (Matt. 25:31-46).
Some think that “everlasting destruction” (2 Thess. 1:9; Phil. 3:19; Matt. 7:13; 2 Peter 2:1, 12; 3:16, etc.) means that unbelievers are consumed by the fire of God’s judgment and will cease to exist. This false doctrine is called Annihilationism. God’s Word indicates that everlasting destruction does not have to do with the loss of a person’s being, but with the loss of a person’s eternal well-being under the judgment of God.
Job 14:22 and Job 30:24, indicate that unbelievers still exist after they die. These verses say that they “cry” out and “mourn” even after they have been destroyed in death.
Revelation 19:20, tells us that the Beast and the false prophet were cast alive into the lake of fire. Then, in chapter 20, we are told that after the devil leads a brief rebellion against the Lord at the end of the Millennium, he will be taken and cast into the lake of fire; and then it says—“where the beast and the false prophet are” (Rev. 20:10). The Beast and the false prophet are still there suffering in the lake of fire after the thousand-year reign of Christ! They did not cease to exist.
Revelation 14:10-11, says that the worshippers of the Beast will be “tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night.” And again, Revelation 20:10, says that those in a lost eternity are “tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Torment is a condition that requires an existing person to endure. You cannot torment what does not exist.
In Mark 9:48, the Lord said, “Their worm dieth not.” This also indicates that the torments of a guilty conscience will not die in the lost under eternal punishment.
Furthermore, a number of Scriptures tell us that the fire of God’s judgment “never shall be quenched” (Matt. 3:12; Mark 9:43, 45; Luke 3:17). What need would there be for it to continue on forever if those who are cast into it are immediately annihilated by it? Some tell us that death itself is the judgment. But Scripture says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this (death) the judgment” (Heb. 9:27).
Even in ordinary language “destruction” doesn’t mean the cessation of existence. For instance, if we took an axe and chopped a beautiful wooden table into pieces, we could be accused of destroying the table. Yet there would be just as much material lying in a useless heap on the floor as when it existed as a beautiful table. Destroyed simply means that the table can no longer be used for the purpose for which it was made—but the material out of which it was constructed still exists. It is the same with the destruction of human beings. Man was made for the glory of God (Isa. 43:21; Rev. 4:11); if he goes into everlasting destruction, he can no longer be fitted through salvation for the purpose for which he was created.
The Display of Christ’s Glory With the Saints
Vs. 10—As mentioned, the second side of the Appearing of Christ has to do with the display of His glory with the saints. The Lord will not only bring His mighty angels with Him when He comes (vs. 7), but He will also bring “His saints” (Zech. 14:5; 1 Thess. 3:13; 4:14; Jude 14; Rev. 19:14). At that time He will be “glorified in His saints, and to be admired [wondered at] in all them that believe.” The saints in that coming day of manifestation will shine forth in His likeness, and men and angels will look with wonder on them and will praise the glory of God’s grace (Eph. 1:6, 12). This display, of course, will include the Thessalonian saints. Paul, therefore, adds in a parenthesis: “For our testimony to you has been believed” (vs. 10). Thus, God will use the saints to bring glory to Christ (John 17:22-23).
Sad to say, in these days of weakness and failure among Christians, it is often the reverse. The world looks at us and finds justification (so they think) for not believing the gospel. Like the Jews who caused the name of God to be blasphemed among the Gentiles by their bad behavior (Rom 2:24), the Church has caused many in this world to turn away from receiving Christ. But in the coming day of which Paul is speaking here, it will be quite the opposite; many will flock to the Lord when they see what His grace has wrought in the Church (Eph. 1:6, 12) and with Israel (Psa. 47:9; Isa. 60:1-22; Zech. 2:10-11; 8:22-23).
Paul’s Prayer for the Thessalonian Saints
Vss. 11-12—Paul then tells the Thessalonians the substance of his prayers for them. His main burden was that since they were going to be used to glorify Christ in a coming day, that they would be exercised about glorifying Him now while they were still here on earth. We can see from this prayer that he understood that all growth in God’s people that results in testimony for Christ is really produced by His grace working in their hearts. Therefore, he prayed that God might be pleased to “count” them “worthy of this calling” of suffering for Christ, and that He would “fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness” by a “work of faith with power” in them. And as a result, that they would behave rightly under persecution so that “the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified.” This, he acknowledges, could only be effected by “the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” All praise, therefore, should go to Him who has called Christians to this testimony.
Correction Concerning False Eschatological Teaching: 2 Thessalonians 2
(Chapter 2)
Paul now undertakes to correct the misunderstanding that had arisen among the Thessalonians regarding “the day of the Lord.” They had been told that the persecutions they were suffering under were part of the judgments of the Day of the Lord which Christians must go through before the Lord comes. Many Christians today have similar ideas, and therefore, would do well to heed Paul’s instruction in this chapter.
Vss. 1-2—To meet this error Paul says, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of the Lord is present.” It may be asked, “Which aspect of the Lord’s coming is Paul referring to here—the Rapture or the Appearing?” Since it has to do with the saints being gathered together unto the Lord, it is therefore, unmistakably the Rapture. Hence, Paul besought them not to heed the error that was circulating among them based on what he had taught them in the first epistle concerning the Rapture, for it takes place before the day of the Lord (1 Thess. 5:1-3). How then could they be found on earth when its judgments take place? Since this couldn’t happen, there was no need for them to be troubled by this false doctrine.
We might wonder why Paul would bring in the Rapture here when the subject in discussion in chapters 1-2 is the Appearing of Christ. It’s true that Paul has been speaking of the saints needing to wait for the Appearing of Christ, when God will intervene to set this world right. However, knowing that judgment will be executed on evil doers at the Appearing of Christ hardly ministers comfort to the saints. Paul, therefore, brings in the Rapture as a means of comforting their troubled hearts and minds. If they could grasp the fact that they would be caught up to be with the Lord in heaven, and thus, would be delivered from the coming wrath (1 Thess. 1:10), their fears would vanish.
Even though those who were propounding this doctrine seemed to have verification for what they were teaching, the Thessalonians were to dismiss it completely because Paul had taught them otherwise. He mentions three main methods which the false teachers were using to convince the saints of their erroneous doctrine:
• “By spirit”—They professed to have gotten the teaching through a spiritual revelation from God. They may well have received it through a spirit (1 Tim. 4:1; 1 John 4:1), but it was not the Holy Spirit, and therefore, Paul uses a small “s” in identifying this false source.
• “By word”—They professed to have gotten it from the oral ministry of brethren who were also teaching it, and thus, it was something that was commonly taught among the saints.
• “By letter as from us”—Apparently, they had even gone so far as to forge a letter which they said Paul had written stating these erroneous ideas.
As a practical word of caution, we need to realize that what had happened to the Thessalonians could also happen to us. That is, to imbibe bad teaching unawares. It shows us that Christians need to be careful of receiving things from unqualified sources, and especially so in this day of ruin in the Christian testimony when there are many teaching erroneous things (1 Tim. 4:1). There is a plethora of Christian ministry being presented today through various mediums: radio, television, video, literature, internet, etc. Gifted teachers in Christendom are vying for our attention through these mediums, but sadly, many of them are not clear as to the truth, and are, therefore, unreliable—even though they may claim to have gotten their teaching from the Lord. Where many Christians are deceived is in mistakenly thinking that since a man is gifted, he is, therefore, well-grounded in the truth. However, gift and knowledge of the truth are two different things. Paul said to the Thessalonians, “Let no man deceive you by any means.” They were not to allow themselves to be deceived by anyone, regardless of how gifted and persuasive that person might have been. This is a needed exhortation for us today.
The Church Will Not Go Through the Tribulation
These false teachers claimed “that the day of the Lord was present.” (The KJV says “the day of Christ,” but it is a faulty rendering.) The Thessalonians were not afraid that the Lord had come, but rather, that they were going to go through certain judgments of the Lord before He came. Apparently they had been taught that there were certain things that had to happen before the Rapture occurred. The truth is, while Scripture indicates that there are certain events that will take place before the Appearing of Christ, there are no signs or events that need to occur before the Rapture. The hymn writer put it rightly when he said,
“No sign to be looked for; the Star’s in the sky.”
(L.F. #168)
The idea that the Church must go through a time of judgment on earth before the Lord comes (the Rapture) is prevalent in Christendom today. Many teach that “the day of the Lord” is the time immediately following the Rapture—i.e. the Tribulation period. However, 1 Thessalonians 5:2 and 2 Peter 3:10, clearly state that it begins when the Lord comes “as a Thief in the night,” which is at His Appearing. This confusion has largely resulted from not distinguishing the two phases of the Lord’s coming––the Rapture and the Appearing. For example, if a person thought that “the coming of the Son of Man” was referring to the Rapture (as many do), he would naturally conclude from Matthew 24:29-30 and Mark 13:24-26, that the Rapture would occur “after the Tribulation.” As a result, many believe that the Church will go through that terrible time. However, the coming of the Son of Man is a term always used in reference to the Appearing of Christ (Matt. 4:27, 30, 37, 39, 44, etc.).
By Paul mentioning “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him (the Rapture) before going on to speak of “the day of the Lord,” it is clear that he understood that the Church would be caught up to heaven before that day of judgment.
There are eight main passages in Scripture that directly speak of the Tribulation period (Matthew 24:3-29; Mark 13:4-24; Revelation 3:10; 7:14-17; Deuteronomy 4:30-31; Jeremiah 14:8; 30:4-7; Daniel 12:1). We would think that if the Church is to go through the Tribulation, at least one of these passages would speak of it, but there is not one reference to the Church going through that terrible time! This fact alone should be enough to convince any willing mind that the Church will not be in, or go through, the Tribulation period.
By having a simple outline of the book of Revelation, we learn that the Church will not be on earth when the Tribulation judgments are poured out. There are three divisions to the book of Revelation given in chapter 1:19:
"The things which thou hast seen"—referring to what the Apostle John saw in chapter 1.
"The things which are"—referring to chapters 2 and 3, which contain the Lord's addresses to the seven churches, and are a moral history of the professing Church on earth from just after the apostles' time to its last days.
"The things which shall be hereafter"—referring to chapters 4 to 22, wherein the Tribulation woes are described. This third division is called "hereafter" (Rev. 4:1) because it deals with things which will take place after the Church has finished its history on earth.
It is instructive to see that after chapters 2 and 3, a door in heaven opens and John is called "up hither" (Rev. 4:1). This is a little picture of the Church being called away to heaven after it has finished its course on earth, by the coming of the Lord (the Rapture). Then, from chapter 4 to the end of the book, wherein the Tribulation judgments are described, the Church is not seen on earth again. This shows that the Church will not go through the Tribulation.
When false doctrines are worked out practically, they often don’t make sense. This very point concerning the Church and the Tribulation is an example. If all the saints are taken by the Lord to heaven after the Tribulation (as many teach), then who will be left to populate the millennial earth? With the wicked sent away into everlasting punishment, the earth would be left unpopulated! (The saints caught up to be with the Lord in the air will not come back to live on earth; they will reign over it with Christ in "the high places" – Dan. 7:18, 22, 27; 2 Cor. 5:1).
Three Things That Must Happen Before the Day of the Lord
Vss. 3-12—Having identified the sources of the false notions concerning “the day of the Lord,” Paul proceeds to correct the Thessalonians’ misunderstandings. He shows that that day could not be “present” because certain things must take place before it comes—and those things clearly hadn’t happened. He touches on three things in particular—but not in their chronological order:
“The Falling Away [Apostasy]”
Firstly, there must be “the falling away [apostasy]” of Christendom. This refers to the false church (the faithless professors who will be left behind on earth at the time of the Rapture) abandoning the Christian faith and turning to worship the Beast and its image—“the abomination of desolation” (Rev. 13:11-18; Matt. 24:15). This will occur in the middle of the seventieth week of Daniel (Dan. 9:27; 12:11). The apostasy has already begun in the Christian profession (1 Tim. 4:1 – “apostatize from the faith”), but in that coming day, it will reach its culmination in the widespread worship of the Beast.
“The Man of Sin” Revealed
Secondly, “the man of sin,” “the son of perdition” (the “Antichrist” – 1 John 2:18) must be revealed. Most Christians think that this man is the Roman “Beast” who will rule over the revived Roman Empire (Rev. 13:1-8)—also known as “the little horn” (Dan. 7:8, 20-21, 24-25) and “the prince” (Dan. 9:26-27). However, these are two different men: the Roman Beast is a Gentile man, whereas the Antichrist is a Jew (Dan. 11:37). The Antichrist is the second “beast” in Revelation 13:11-21 who will rise up in the land of Israel and be received by them as their messiah (John 5:43). This beast is said to have “two horns” denoting his two offices: as the Jews’ “king” (Isa. 8:21; 30:33, 57:9; Dan. 11:36) and as the Jews’ spiritual leader, “the false prophet” (Rev. 16:13; 19:20; 20:10). The Antichrist will be a direct representative of Satan on earth and will be used by Satan to bring the apostasy to a head in the worship of the Beast. In fact, He will enforce the worship of the Beast and its image (Rev. 13:15).
Vs. 4—Paul then tells us that this man will get carried away with his own importance and will not be satisfied with being the Jews’ king and prophet. He will seek the worship of his subjects, “showing himself that he is God!” He will sit in “the temple” in Jerusalem as an object of worship. This shows that there will be a literal temple in use at that time; the image of the Roman Beast will be placed there (Matt. 24:15), and this wicked man will also sit there. (This temple will eventually be destroyed by the armies of the King of the North – Psa. 74:3-7.)
Vs. 5—Paul then asks the Thessalonians to “remember” that he had taught them these things when he was there with them. Since he was only there three Sabbath days, they definitely were still babes in Christ at that time, yet he did not consider prophecy to be too deep a subject for them. Some have the idea that prophetic subjects shouldn’t be taken up by new converts, but it is clear that Paul didn’t feel that way.
“Lawlessness”
Vss. 6-7—A third thing that he mentions that will occur before “the day of the Lord” is the removal of the restraints against “lawlessness”—particularly in the kingdom of the Beast. This restraint is being exercised today on earth through two restrainers:
“That which restrains” (vs. 6).
“He who restrains” (vs. 7).
“That which restrains” refers to the principle of law and order in human government which God put into man’s hand to exercise after the flood to restrain evil (Gen. 9:5-6; Eccl. 5:8; Rom. 13:1-7). J. N. Darby said, “‘That which hinders,’ therefore, is the power of God acting in government here below as authorized by Him. The grossest abuse of power still bears this last character. Christ could say to Pilate, ‘Thou couldest have no power against Me, except it were given thee from above.’ Wicked as he might be, his power is owned as coming from God” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, on 2 Thessalonians 2). Mr. Darby also said, “‘That which restrains,’ in the Greek, means a thing. What is it? God has not told us what it is, and this, doubtless, because the thing which restrained then is not that which restrains now. Then it was, in one sense, the Roman Empire, as the fathers thought, who saw in the power of the Roman Empire a hindrance to the revelation of the man of sin, and thus prayed for the prosperity of that empire. At present the hindrance is the existence of the governments established by God in the world.” (Collected Writings, vol. 27, pp. 302-303)
“He who restrains,” refers to the Holy Spirit residing on earth in the Church and acting to restrain evil in various spheres. The Apostle Paul says that the Spirit will engage in this work “until He be taken out of the way [be gone].” Thus, there is a time coming when the Holy Spirit will no longer reside on earth. Since the Spirit will dwell in the Church “forever” (John 14:16), when the Church is called away from the earth by the Lord at the Rapture, the Spirit will go from the earth at that time as well. E. Dennett said, “What Paul teaches in 2 Thessalonians 2, is that the thing which restrains the manifestation of this monster of iniquity at the present moment is the presence of the Holy Ghost on earth in the Church” (Christ as the Morning Star and the Sun of Righteousness, p. 46). The Spirit being “gone” from the earth does not mean that the Spirit will cease to work on earth. He will continue to work here, but it will be from heaven, as He did in Old Testament times.
Paul said that the “mystery of iniquity [lawlessness] doth already work.” It is called a “mystery” because it has to do with the secret working of the spirit of disobedience in the world opposing the will of God in all things, divine and secular, through the influence of the devil. As an opened secret, we know now that there will be an end to the working of lawlessness in the judgments of the Lord executed at His Appearing (vs. 8). The restraint of lawlessness by the governments of the nations in the West has been eroding since the apostles’ day. This is why he said that it “doth already work.” As a result, lawlessness is increasing, and will continue to do so until the coming day when law and order will completely break down when “he” (the Antichrist) is “revealed in his time.” Likewise, the second Restrainer (the Holy Spirit) is not restraining evil as He once did, because He is becoming more and more grieved with those in the house of God where He dwells (2 Tim. 3:13). But when the Holy Spirit is “taken out of the way” at the Rapture, evil will flood in at an accelerated pace.
The Attack of the Assyrian
There is actually a fourth thing that will happen just before “the day of the Lord” which Paul does not mention. It is the attack of the Assyrian, the King of the North (Dan. 11:40-43). When his armies enter into and devastate the land of Israel, it will be a signal that the Day of the Lord is “nigh at hand”—that is, about to happen (Joel 1:15; 2:1). The Lord will appear out of heaven in judgment some 18 days after the attack. This is calculated from the close of the 1260 days (Rev. 11:3; 12:6), which is the period of the Great Tribulation, to the 1278 days, which is a reference to the end of the last 3½ years of Daniel’s seventieth week—when the Lord appears out of heaven (Dan. 9:27).
Since none of these things have happened, it is clear that the Church in that day couldn’t have been going through the judgments connected with “the day of the Lord.”
Vss. 8-9—Paul hastens to tell us that while “the wicked [lawless one]” (the Antichrist) will be revealed in those days after the Spirit of God is removed, his tenure will be short. It will last only through the latter half of the prophetic week (3½ years), at which time the Lord will “consume” him “with the spirit of His mouth” and “the brightness [appearing] of His coming.” He will be cast alive into the lake of fire (Hell) along with the Roman Beast (Rev. 19:20; Isa. 30:33).
The 9th verse tells us that the energy of Satan will propel this wicked man on in his work of deceiving the masses in the West with his “signs and lying wonders.” He will be the personification of Satanic evil.
Vss. 10-12—A special class of sinners will be taken by his deceptions—those who “received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” Paul has already identified them as “those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (chap. 1:8). These people know the gospel of God’s grace, but have no use for it. Being an enlightened people makes them very responsible, for God holds men accountable in relation to the degree of light that they have been given (Luke 12:47-48). With these people, “It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them” (2 Peter 2:21).
As a divine retribution for rejecting “the love of the truth” presented in the gospel, these people who “believe not” will be given over to believe the Antichrist’s “lie.” This is to turn away from the Christian faith and to worship the Beast and its image—which is apostasy. God had sent these people the gospel, but they would not have it. So in retribution, He will “send” them “a strong delusion” through the work of the Antichrist, and they will accept his “lie.” Revelation 9:1-11, speaks of the Antichrist’s evil work in the land of Israel, deceiving the unsealed mass of Jews and causing them to abandon Judaism for the worship of the Beast. Here in this passage, his evil work is in connection with deceiving the apostate masses in Christendom.
His Thanksgiving
Vss. 13-14—Paul turns to give thanks to God that the Thessalonian saints were not of that class of rejecters of the gospel, and thus, they would not be overtaken by the deceptions of Antichrist and the ensuing judgments of the Day of the Lord. He says, “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In giving thanks to God for this, it is clear that Paul desired that they would see their salvation from the side of God’s sovereignty. In eternity past, He had “chosen” them unto “salvation.” Thus, it was a sure and completed thing, as far as God’s purpose is concerned, even before He laid the foundation of the world! This, Paul says, had been effected through a special operation of the Holy Spirit called the “sanctification of the Spirit.” This has to do with the Spirit’s initial work in a person of imparting divine life to him, whereby he is set apart positionally from the mass of mankind as being one of God’s children (1 Peter 1:2; Eph. 2:5; Col. 2:13). The result of this sovereign action of the Spirit will be seen in the person’s “belief of the truth” of the gospel, whereby he is saved. (The “sanctification of the Spirit” does not refer to the progressive work of the Spirit in believers’ lives whereby they perfect holiness in their walk and ways.)
But this is not all, for Paul goes on to speak of the hope of the gospel which they had believed, which is “the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This has to do with the final aspect of our salvation which we do not have yet, but it is as sure as the salvation of our souls. It refers to our being glorified as Christ is glorified. This will happen when He comes at the Rapture (Rom. 5:9; 13:11; Phil. 3:20-21; Heb. 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5).
We see in this that God had “begun a good work” in the Thessalonians, and He would “complete” it in that coming day with their glorification (Phil. 1:6). Thus, the possibility of them ever coming under the judgments of “the day of the Lord” is never in question when it is viewed from God’s side. Seeing it from God’s perspective was sure to comfort the Thessalonians and give them peace about coming judgments.
His Exhortation
Vs. 15—Based on the above mentioned things, Paul’s exhortation to the Thessalonians was twofold:
• To “stand fast.”
• To “hold fast.”
Standing fast seems to be more connected with doctrinal truth which they had been taught as touching the foundations of Christianity. They were to be careful not to give up one point of it (Prov. 23:23). The ever-present danger for the Christian is the surrender of the truth that God has given him. The Philadelphians were exhorted, “Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Rev. 3:11). Similarly, Timothy was exhorted, “Keep, by the Holy Spirit which dwells in us, the good deposit entrusted” (2 Tim. 1:14). Yet, sad to say, this is exactly what has happened throughout Church history. We are, therefore, especially thankful for the recovery of the truth in the 1800s.
Holding fast had more to do with continuing in the practical “instructions [directions]” concerning their walk and ways: These instructions had come to them through oral ministry (“by word”) and through a letter written by the Apostle (“our epistle”—a reference to the first epistle). Since there are no apostles on earth today to teach us these things in person, we have to get them solely through Paul’s epistles which have been preserved to us by the mercy of God.
The Thessalonians, in general, were going on well; they just needed to continue on in those things, and not turn back. The word “retreat” was not in the Apostle’s vocabulary. Turning back was not viewed as an option and he wanted to instill that mindset in the Thessalonians.
His Prayer
Vss. 16-17—Paul then reiterates the contents of his prayers for them. Essentially, it was this: since God had given them love, consolation, hope, and grace in starting them out on the Christian path, Paul prayed that they would have the strength from God to carry on in that path and become established Christians. This would involve not only knowing the truth and being able to teach it to others in “word,” but also to have it demonstrated in their lives in “work.” The KJV translates it, “word and work,” but it should be translated, “work and word.” This shows that people are to see the evidence of the truth in our lives before we speak of it with our mouths. We can condemn ourselves in the eyes of others when they see inconsistency in our lives in connection with the truth we teach.
Counsel Concerning Those Who Walk Disorderly: 2 Thessalonians 3
(Chapter 3)
In chapter 2, Paul corrected the eschatological (end-time events) error that had arisen among the Thessalonians. Now in chapter 3, he corrects the practical problems that grew out of that faulty teaching. The fact that one thing led to another emphasizes the old adage, “Bad doctrine leads to bad practice.” Let us be warned: what we hold and believe in doctrinally matters.
Hindrances of the Enemy
In this chapter, we see that Satan (“the evil one” – vs. 3) was working in different ways to thwart the work of God. This is not surprising, for he always tries to “resist” the work of the Lord (Zech. 3:1):
• In verses 1-2—we see him trying to hinder the gospel from going out.
• In verses 3-5—we see him working to hinder believers from getting established in the faith and following on in the things which Paul had taught them.
• In verses 6-16—we see him causing some to walk disorderly, and this, to bring a mark of dishonour against the Christian testimony. In chapter 2, Paul spoke of “the mystery of iniquity [lawlessness]” culminating in the man of sin, which is a future thing. In chapter 3, he speaks of it in its present working while the Church is still on earth—it “doth already work” (chap. 2:7).
Paul’s Three-Fold Prayer Request
Vss. 1-5—With the forces of evil set against the Christian testimony, Paul requests the prayers of the Thessalonians concerning the work in which he and his co-workers were engaged in preaching the gospel. We see from this that there is no shame for older, more experienced brethren soliciting the prayers of younger brethren. Some have the mistaken idea that the Lord will answer the prayer of a mature Christian more readily than a new convert—supposing that older Christians have more weight with God. The truth is, God answers prayers according to the disposition of His own heart, and if new Christians pray according to the will of God, it will be answered (1 John 5:14). The most advanced saint ought to be thankful for the prayers of the youngest and humblest believer. Paul’s request was threefold:
• That the Word of the Lord would have “free course [run].” That is, that the gospel message would not be hindered from going out.
• That the Word of the Lord would be “glorified.” That is, that it would work triumphantly in souls for their blessing, and God would get the glory for it.
• That the messengers carrying the Word would be “delivered” from the plots of “unreasonable and wicked men” who “have not faith.” (From the history given in Acts 17, the Thessalonians well knew of the dangers of this service, having seen the persecution firsthand.)
Vss. 3-4—Paul was confident that in spite of the opposition, “the Lord is faithful” and He would “establish” the Thessalonian saints and keep them from the designs of “the evil one.” He believed that the things which he had taught them would bear fruit in their performance of them.
The Patience of The Christ
Vs. 5—Paul desired that the Lord would direct their hearts “into the love of God, and into the patience of the Christ.” This is the correct posture of the Christian as he waits for the coming of the Lord (the Rapture). We should be found enjoying the love of God while we wait for the Lord. The KJV says, “the patient waiting for Christ,” but the verse really should read, “the patience of the Christ.” It’s true that we are to wait for Christ to come (Luke 12:36), but the thought which Paul is conveying here is that we should have the same character of patient waiting that Christ Himself has as He sits on high at God’s right hand. We are to wait with the same kind of patience that He has. The moment will come when the Father will give the Lord Jesus the word to come and get us, and He will rise up at once and give the “shout” to take us home to the Father’s house (John 14:2-3; 1 Thess. 4:15-17).
Paul’s comment here is a very much needed thing for us because we can become impatient while we wait for the Lord to come. We can get weary of the path and chafe under the stress of Christian living. We can become like the unfaithful servant who said, “My lord delayeth his coming,” and “begin to smite” our “fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken” (Matt. 24:48-49). Thus, we get into conflict with our brethren and our principles of separation from the world break down.
Disorderly Conduct of Some
Vs. 6—The erroneous ideas concerning the Lord’s coming and the day of the Lord had already borne fruit among the Thessalonians. It had caused some to walk “disorderly.” This shows that “evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Cor. 15:33). Since they believed that that day had come, they thought there would be no point in continuing to work at their regular means of employment, and so they stopped working. Having done so, they expected that the others would support them. It left them with a lot of free time on their hands and in their idleness they became “busybodies” among the saints.
This was certainly not “the instruction” that they had received from Paul. In the first epistle, he had taught them: “Study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands.” He had also explained that if they didn’t show themselves to be conscientious and industrious people, it would render a negative testimony “toward them that are without” (1 Thess. 4:11-12). This situation that had developed among the Thessalonian saints was something, therefore, that needed to be corrected.
Paul goes on to tell them how this should be done. All such busybodies were to be made to feel the displeasure of the Lord so that they would judge themselves and correct their ways. This was not to be done by excommunicating them, as was the case with the immoral man in 1 Corinthians 5. These “freeloaders” were not to be denied the partaking of the Lord’s Supper, but were to be withdrawn from in matters of practical fellowship. J. N. Darby said that they were to be treated “coolly,” and thus, made to realize that they were out of step with their brethren and the teaching of the Apostle.
Vss. 7-10—Paul then points to the example that he and his co-workers had given them when they were there in Thessalonica and he encouraged them to “follow” that example. They didn’t “eat any man’s bread for nought.” They laboured to support themselves so that they would not be chargeable to the Thessalonians. He adds, “Not because we have not power [right],” but to make themselves an example for the Thessalonians to follow. Their motto was: “If any man does not like to work, neither let him eat.”
Vss. 11-12—Now in the face of such plain teaching, Paul says, “We hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies [meddling in others affairs].” He then gives a personal word to all such: “Now them that are such we command [enjoin] and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they [ought to] work, and eat their own bread.”
Vss. 14-15—Having addressed the busybodies, he goes on to address the assembly as to their conduct toward the busybodies. He says, “If any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed [of himself]; yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” This was to be carried out on an individual basis; it was not a corporate action of the assembly.
The Closing Salutation
Vs. 16—Paul closes the epistle by letting the Thessalonians know that his desire was that “peace,” would reign among them. In stating this, we can see that he was afraid that the disciplinary action toward the busybodies which he enjoined upon the Thessalonians could lead to a fracture in the fellowship. He desired that the Lord would be “with” them in working out this problem among them.
Vss. 17-18—Paul now makes mention of autographing the epistle, which he says was his habit in “every epistle” that he wrote. His normal way of writing was to communicate the message to someone who would write it down, and then he would sign it, thus proving its genuineness. He mentions this because, apparently, there had been a letter as from Paul circulating among them that had been forged with his name on it (chap. 2:2). It would not have his actual signature, and thus, it would prove not to be authentic.
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” was enjoined upon them all.