2 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
Paul
AUDIENCE:
The church at Thessalonica
PURPOSE:
To clear up confusion about the second coming of Christ.
False teachers in Thessalonica had misconstrued Paul’s message about Christ’s return and convinced some believers to quit preparing for the future because the end times were near or had already begun. But Paul reminded them that this was foolish since the return of Jesus would be both sudden and clear. He commended the church in Thessalonica for enduring continued persecution and encouraged them to stand firm in what they knew to be true.
When days turn into months and there is no clear end to our suffering, we become more susceptible to deceptive offers of instant relief. In these seasons, we must call out to God as Paul did: “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do” ().
SUFFERING AND DISABILITY THEMES
God honors faithful endurance. Paul assured the persecuted believers that their suffering would not last forever. He encouraged them to trust in God’s perfect plan and live with eternity in mind. The day is coming when all of Creation will be renewed and the scourge of sin will be no more. Until then, we can remain confident that “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” ().
Time is in his hands. Some false teachers had distorted Paul’s teachings about the return of Jesus to mislead believers. Paul cautions them to hold fast to what he had taught because it came directly from Scripture. False teachers offer hurting people false hope; their new revelations are actually the enemy’s old tricks. But Christ-followers can endure many things when we embrace God’s perfect timing for everything that comes into our lives.
Honoring Christ in our daily labors. Paul condemned idleness in those who refused to provide for themselves even though they were capable of working. Sometimes people with intellectual or physical impairments can’t work at a job, but their service to others can still glorify God. The key is to put forth the effort and make wise use of our time.
Greetings from Paul
1This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy.
We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Encouragement during Persecution
3Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. 5And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. 6In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.
7And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, 8in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. 9They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. 10When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.
11So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 12Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Events prior to the Lord’s Second Coming
1Now, 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. 2Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 3Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. 4He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
5Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. 7For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. 8Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.
9This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.
Believers Should Stand Firm
As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. 14He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.
16Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, 17comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.
Paul’s Request for Prayer
1Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. 2Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer. 3But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. 4And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you. 5May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.
An Exhortation to Proper Living
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us. 7For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. 8We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. 9We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. 10Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”
11Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. 12We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. 13As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.
Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. 15Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister.
Paul’s Final Greetings
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.
17HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL. I DO THIS IN ALL MY LETTERS TO PROVE THEY ARE FROM ME.
18May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.