Iv. The Date Of The Epistles 12
The first letter was evidently successful in doing some of the things Paul set out to do. For example, he strongly defended his personal integrity in that letter, and since there is no repetition in 2 Thessalonians we may fairly assume that his readers had taken this in. But this was not true of every point.
Thus in 1 Thessalonians Paul had had much to say about the second coming. He had stressed that this will take place suddenly. But either from misunderstanding this or for some other reason, some of the Thessalonians had concluded that the day of the Lord had already come. Paul heard of this, perhaps from the people who had delivered his letter when they returned to him, and he wrote accordingly to correct such a false impression. This second letter is largely concerned with the second coming, and Paul gives information about the Man of Lawlessness that is intended to make clear that the coming of the Lord could not be as yet.
When he first wrote, Paul knew of certain people whose secondadvent speculations had led them to give up their work and live lives of meddlesome idleness. They had not been persuaded by his short reference to their position, and accordingly he devotes considerable space to them. He points out the importance of quiet work and urges them to follow the example he and his companions had set in working for their living so that they would not be a burden on others. But he apparently feels it unlikely that all will heed him, so he gives instructions as to how the church is to treat the disobedient.
These two topics, the second coming and the idlers, are the principal topics of this epistle. As he is writing about such matters, Paul takes advantage of the opportunity to give further encouragement to the believers in their continuing difficulties, to request their prayers, and to give general counsel.