THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE THESSALONIANS

First and Second Thessalonians are two letters written by Paul to the young Thessalonica church. They bear the essential message of comfort and exhortation to the Thessalonians in response to the people’s persevering faith during that period of intense persecution. Among the several words of encouragement recorded in these letters is the urging of the church to keep their hearts and minds on the return of the Lord Jesus so as to keep their souls and spirits heartened in the hope of His coming again.

In this write-up on the two letters of Thessalonians, we begin by familiarising ourselves with the background and context in which the letters were written so as to feel better the considerations and deliberation that might have travelled the mind of the apostle while he wrote them. That will also enlighten us in the people’s need for spiritual encouragement, which will help in heightening our consciousness and comprehension of the encouragement they received. After which the notes here will theme on the central message – the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Background

From what was written in Acts 16 and 17, it becomes quite clear that the Thessalonica church was a fruit of the Macedonian call. Yielding to the beckoning in the vision of a Macedonian man calling out to Paul for help, he went and preached – first in Philippi (a landmark city in Macedonia), then in Thessalonica (another city in Macedonia). There, several people heard the gospel and received salvation despite intense Jewish hostility. However, the persecution grew to such severity that Paul had to leave the place for Berea, where he began yet another round of successful spiritual ministry. He stayed and ministered to the sincere believers there until such time when persecutions caught up with him again by the same Jews who hindered his ministry in Thessalonica, by when he turned to Athens. It was there at Athens that his disciple Timothy joined him. Concerned about the young Thessalonica church, yet unable to return to strengthen them due to hostility then prevalent, Paul commissioned Timothy to visit and tend to them (1 Thess. 3:2). Timothy thus went to the Thessalonians, and in accountability to Paul’s commission, he reported on the condition of the church. It was in response to Timothy’s report that Paul wrote the two letters to the Thessalonians.

Before going further, perhaps we want to consider as to why Paul was so held back from visiting the Thessalonians at a time when they particularly needed support. Further, Paul mentioned that he would have visited the church had it not been for demonic opposition that crippled his plans: “Therefore we wanted to come to you, I, Paul, time and again – but Satan hindered us” (1 Thess. 1:28). This may cause some people to wonder, “If it was a demonic influence who was standing in the way, why was it that Paul with the Spirit of God in Him did not prevail against the circumstances but instead appeared to be the defeated party having to run from the persecution?” Indeed, by initial assessment of a situation like this, it would seem it was a battle of being able or not to minister to the Thessalonians. By this standard, Paul appeared to have lost the victory, since he did not prevail against the hindrances but was kept from going to the Thessalonians. Yet the word of God tells us that this is not correct – God cannot falter, nor can His Spirit in Paul be defeated by the evil one! For His Spirit in us is, in every circumstance and space, greater than the one in the world (1 John 4:4)! Indeed, God has not lost the victory over the situation or over the devil’s schemes. Yes, Paul may have been hindered from visiting the Thessalonians, but his two letters to them made up for the ministry that the church missed of him. Also, in the two letters, a considerable part told of the Lord’s second coming. Those contents gave a sequence of the end times events that we are now readers of. Without them, we would be in question and speculation as to the Lord’s return! But having the knowledge of the Lord’s return, we can now prepare ourselves for that Day and be ready to be part of the Lord’s glory when He comes back for us.

The wisdom of God goes beyond man’s intelligence and the devil’s wit. What appeared to be an apparent defeat in the face of adversity turned out to be an eternal victory for God’s people. Paul could not visit the Thessalonians as he had wanted to, but on account of that, we gained an invaluable insight into the events of the end times. God in His wisdom has not engaged His faithful apostle in the devil’s battle, but made use of the situation to fix a superior plan that will defeat the devil and bless the people. He allowed the devil to win the battle, but gave the eventual triumph to the Church. However, this aspect of God’s sovereign control and victory over every situation can only be manifested when we are first willing to trust Him. We need to allow God to show us the real battle instead of being overly eager to display spiritual dominance over every challenge or circumstance that mounts up against us; for otherwise we end up fighting the inconsequential struggle and be thus distracted from the real battle. We ought to learn to walk closely with His spirit, be at rest in every circumstance and trust that He takes control of every circumstance so that we can be at rest as we await the time when He turns ashes to beauty.

Issues addressed by the Thessalonian letters

From Timothy’s report, it was conveyed that the young Thessalonica church was plagued by a number of difficulties. Firstly, they were grieved over the loss of their loved ones and were concerned about whether believers who died before the Lord’s return would inherit salvation. Then the approaching reality of the Lord’s return had that much import to some that they even went to the extreme of quitting their jobs and staying home to await the Lord’s return! Yet more, there were some Thessalonians who did not comprehend the Lord’s second coming but sincerely believed and proclaimed that Christ had already returned through the Holy Spirit.

Those were all miscomprehension of the things the Thessalonians heard from Paul, so he wrote to them to correct their understanding. There were a few things that he addressed in the contents of both letters to them: exhorting them to practise brotherly love and godly lifestyle among themselves (1 Thess 4:9-12, 5:14-22); comforting them and enlightening them on God’s plan for the departed believers which will unfold upon the Lord’s return (1 Thess 4:13-18); correcting them in their imbalanced attitude towards Christ’s coming (2 Thess 3:6-15) and, presenting a right perspective on the second coming of Christ (1 Thess 5:5-9; 2 Thess 1:6-10, 2:1-4).

Message of Exhortation (1 Thess 4:9-12, 5:14-22)

The Thessalonians were persecuted for their faith in Christ. They were enduring the pain suffered for the name of the Lord. Paul’s counsel was simple: “Rejoice always” (1 Thess. 6:16). Rejoice, Paul says. The word of God tells us to rejoice in times of adversity, in times of persecutions. However, let us make clear that God does not advocate sadistic tendencies. Paul was not telling us to rejoice in our circumstances (of course we know no one rejoices in being persecuted!), but as he’s always done he is telling us to “rejoice in the Lord!” (Phil. 4:4). We miss it as often as we read it. The object of rejoicing, the reason for our joy, is the Lord. For, He is the Rock, who is firm and unshakeable, under every circumstance, whether good or bad. So even when things turn for the worse against us, we can rejoice nevertheless, if our rejoicing is in who God is. By rejoicing in the Lord, we are putting our trust in Him “that all things work for good for those who love God…”(Rom8:28). It is a neglected priority in the lives of many today. We need to get back on track here. Many of us must get into the practice of rejoicing in the Lord so that we will not be thrown when the storms of life descend heavily upon us. When we rejoice in the Lord, it pleases Him, for that is His will for us (1 Thess. 5:16) and there is reciprocal rejoicing from Him over us. When that happens – the Lord rejoices over us – we know we are being strengthened, for the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). So rejoicing in the Lord is a sure way of building up the fortitude of our spirit man.

Paul also taught that the Thessalonians should not put out the Holy Spirit’s fire by despising His manifestations, particularly in the way of prophecies. Paul’s admonishment was needed at that time perhaps because the Thessalonians were faced with many false prophets who prophesied speciously about the second coming of Christ, thus creating a general reaction of rejection among the people against prophecies. As such, Paul had to teach the Thessalonians that the way they should respond to prophecies when in doubt was to test them instead of despising and dismissing them immediately.

Testing prophecies often require us to hold them against the standard of the Word, which means that a good grasp of the word is required in order to establish a reliable assessment as to how valid each prophecy probably is. In these days when the restoration of the prophetic ministry is rapidly taking place, there is likelihood of misuse or even abuse of this gift. Therefore, it is necessary for us to be clear-minded as we have been exhorted not to despise them just because bad experiences in that ministry had been encountered, but to “test all things; and hold fast what is good”(1Thess.5:20).

Message of Comfort (1 Thess 4:13-18)

Understanding the Thessalonians’ grief over the loss of their loved ones and concern over the status of the salvation of believers who had died before Christ returns, Paul comforted them by assuring them of how the faith of the departed believers will be acknowledged at the second coming of Christ. He assured that God would not miss the deceased who have believed in the Lord Jesus. He will raise them up before He calls the living believers, and bring both groups of people to meet with the Lord in glory. “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For it we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thess 4:13-18)

Message to Correct Thessalonians’ Imbalance Attitude (2 Thess 3:6-15)

As the young Thessalonica church was tender in the faith and Paul was not given the chance to minister to them in a fuller measure than what he had, the members of the church not being sufficiently taught on the things of God, began to practice attitudes towards spiritual faith that were not consistent with the teachings of God. Some of them who had been taught to eagerly expect the Lord’s return, have resigned from their secular jobs to do exactly that – await the second coming of Christ. They were of the impression that the second coming was approaching and thus thought any other form of labour apart from spiritual labour was unnecessary. Addressing this was one of Paul’s key messages in his second letter to them. He wanted to establish a reasonable standard for the Church to model after. He reminded them of his own and the disciples’ conduct of diligence while they were with them, and urged that the Thessalonians should model themselves after him – in counsel as well as example. Paul stressed that godliness does not mean merely existing in an indeterminate state of life, but is living a life that is enriched and enhanced by progress and achievements gained through diligence. Thus he exhorted them to return to their work and live honourably until the Lord’s return (2 Thess 3:6-15).

The young church may have erred by going to the extreme of quitting their jobs to wait for Christ’s return, but one commendable quality in them was that they had truly believed and were wholeheartedly anticipating the Lord’s return. Their zeal for the Lord was so fervent that even though they had erred, it was sincerely rather than wilfully committed. This brings us to examine our personal attitude. Compared to the Thessalonians, we seem to have leant towards the other extreme – that of being so absorbed with our secular pursuits that we appear to be or literally are singularly unconcerned about the Lord’s return. Perhaps we should question our hope and belief in the Lord’s promised return. If we believe in His coming to judge the world and redeem His saints as we have read in His Word, then we need to check if we are ready for that day to come. If preparing yourself for the Lord’s return is not a priority in your life, then the reality of His return has never sunk in.

Two phrases of Chris’s 2^nd coming.

The end times are more easily understood when a distinction is made between the coming of Christ in the heavens for the Church’s rapture and the coming of Christ to the earth for Israel and to reinstate His kingdom. These are the two phases of Christ’s return.

Let us try to explain why we believe the second coming of Christ to happen over two phases.

Israel and The Church

Israel and the Church are two distinct entities, with distinct makeup, identities, and destinies. Israel is a nation; the Church is made up of people from different nations (including Israel) who have put their faith in Christ.

In the beginning, when God sent the Lord Jesus to save the world, it was meant to be accomplished over two phases. Though God intended to save the world, the salvation of God was first for the Jews, then for the Gentiles (Romans 1:16). For 4000 years, God reserved revelation and manifestation of Himself for the Jews, His chosen race. The divine plan was for Israel to bring God’s glory to the rest of the world, that while salvation was meant for the whole world, the prescribed way for that was, through Jesus Christ, first to the Jews (Phase 1), then to the Gentiles (Phase 2).

When Christ first came to us, His ministry majored on gathering the lost sheep of Israel (Phase 1). It was only after His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection that the ministry of bringing salvation to the Gentiles started (Phase 2) when He commanded His disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matt 28:19).

Two appearances by the Lord

While the Bible tells us that the Lord would return at a time unexpected by many, however, it also foretells of certain catastrophic events that will take place prior to His return. The first scenario of the events is so that we might not be caught by surprise when the Lord returns. We are therefore expected to be ready and expecting His return in a confident spirit. This is describe in 1 Thess.4:17 in which the Lord Christ will appear in the clouds to “catch” His people to meet with Him in the air.

After that, there is another scenario of Him descending to earth with the saints (Zech. 14:5; Rev. 19:14). This is prior to certain catastrophic events that will take place - putting His people in a state of readiness and expectation. His coming in the air will be sudden and without warning, but His coming to the earth will be expected by those who are alive and who know the biblical record.

The Removal of the Restrainer

In 2 Thess. 2:7 we are told that the Last Day events will not roll until the “Restrainer” is taken away. This is the force that somehow exerts a spiritual influence that is restraining the floodgates from breaking loose and letting evil become the order of day. It is likely that this “Restrainer” refers to the “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”, that is the Church. When the Church is taken away i.e. in the rapture during phase 1 of the Lord’s return, the floodgates of evil would then be swung open as widespread deception comes upon the people of the earth preparing the way for the antichrist to manifest.

The Church is not destined for God’s wrath.

Revelation 3:10 assured us that we have not been destined for “the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world”. Jer.30:7 speaks of “the time of Jacob’s trouble” when Israel will be brought to her knees in preparation for the coming of her Messiah. Israel will suffer before her restoration, but according to the assurance in 1 Thess. 5:9, there appears to be a possibility the church might be spared the wrath of God when it is poured over the nations at the Lord’s return. Consider also Lk. 21: 7 -36, after teaching them about the signs of the end times, Jesus conclude by saying “ Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass…”

Chronological order of Christ’s 2^nd coming

1) Christ’s coming for the church

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thess 4:16-17

At a predetermined time, Christ will leave heaven once again and descend to earth. As that happens, three mighty sounds will echo across heaven and resound over the earth: a shout, the voice of an archangel, and a blast from the trumpet of God. At the call of the three sounds, all believers since the time of Christ will be resurrected. Physical bodies of Christians who have died will arise, be transformed, be reunited with their souls, and be taken to Christ’s side in the clouds. Then every living Christian will be taken up from the earth and “caught up” to join the resurrected believers for a great and glorious meeting in the air. This view is also presented in 1 Cor.15:51-52: “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound , and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”.

In this phase, no one really knows the precise hour of occurrence. The time is not spelled out in prophecy. We are told instead to cultivate an attitude and spirit of readiness, for Christ said “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man in coming at an hour when you do not expect Him” (Matt.24:44). The two important qualities to note are, the nature of the Lord’s coming and His urging for us to watch and pray.

We have been warned that the coming of Christ will happen in a flash – “in the twinkling of an eye..” (1 Cor 15:52). There would be no pre signal given – all that happens when it does will be totally sudden. “… the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40) “of that day and hour no one knows..” (Matt 24:36). Because of such nature of the Lord’s coming, we are pressed time and again to be watchful and prayerful that we might not miss the time of glory for which the Lord has given us His Holy Spirit as a pledge. The Holy Spirit has been given to us as a foretaste of His glory, of which we will be full heirs when the Lord returns for us. Therefore, let us heed the Lord’s exhortation to “Watch therefore, for (we) do not know what hour (our) Lord is coming” (Matt 24:42). Indeed, “let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thess 5:6) and with expectancy of an eternal hope, let us “watch and pray…” (Matt 26:41). The apostle John also exhorted us to be faithful, so that when our Lord appears we will be confident and unashamed (1Jn.2:28). He went on to say, “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1Jn.3:3).

With this exhortation also came the warning of the consequences of not heeding it. The parable of the ten virgins (Matt 25:1-10) and the parable of the servants (Luke 12:35-48) speak of this warning.

Most of us are familiar with the parable of the ten virgins. There, we have five of them who were wise – who were well prepared with oil for their lamps to receive the bridegroom when he came. The other five virgins took no oil for their lamps, and thus missed the bridegroom when he finally arrived. Not only was their plight sad and unfortunate but beyond that, God calls them “foolish” (Mt. 25:2). Foolish because they had no oil in their lamps, and foolish because they wanted to be received by the Bridegroom, yet had not prepared themselves for His return! So like how the Bridegroom in the parable expected his virgins to be ready with oil in their lamps, so also Jesus expects us to be ready for Him at His arrival.

The parable of the servants carries a similar message. We cannot be careless and unprepared. Expected as wise and faithful servants, we must await our Master’s return in all alertness and watchfulness. Otherwise, even though believers in the Lord, we can be given the portion of the unbelievers “the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers”(Lk.12:46).

2) The coming of the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:3-4)

The next event on the end time calendar is the rise of the antichrist to world influence. He will gather a huge following and will deceive Israel into signing a false peace treaty (Dan.9:27). He will be the cause of untold suffering in the world. The antichrist is the devil’s (Satan) counterfeit. Some descriptive characteristic and names have been given him in the Bible :

• He will receive power and authority from Satan (Rev.13:2)
• He will be guilty of the most treacherous blasphemy (Rev.13:5)
• He will exalt himself above everything and everyone and proclaim himself to be God (Dan.11:37 ; 2 Thess.2:4)
• His number is 666 (Rev.13:18)
• A false prophet will serve him (Rev.19:20)
• He is known as the Man of Sin and the Son of Perdition (2 Thess.3-4)

3) Great Tribulation (Isa. 13:6-11; Rev. 6-16)

When the antichrist is revealed, the stage will be set for unparalleled trouble on the earth. This is “the time of Jacob’s trouble” foretold by Jeremiah (Jer.30:7). The Lord’s wrath will be poured over the earth (Isa.13:6-11) and the people on earth during this time will live to hate the day they cast their lot with God’s archenemy. The suffering and death that will fall during this period will be inconceivably horrible. Millions upon millions will die in the terrible outpouring of God’s wrath. The Jews will be hit the hardest. In fact, two-thirds of them will perish (Zech.13:8-9) over that time of tribulation. Terrifying though it may sound, these things would however be done in the purpose of bringing Israel into repentance. Nevertheless, the majority of Israel will not repent. They would choose not to receive the Lord but continue to curse Him in bitter self-pity (Rev.16:10-11). On the other hand, there will be a great multitude of Gentile salvation who will turn to God during the tribulation (Rev.7:9).

4) War at Armageddon (Rev. 16:12-16; 19:11)

As the tribulation draws to a close, the earth will be in turmoil. Millions will have died by that time. The antichrist together with the bloodthirsty men who had resisted God throughout the tribulation will march into Palestine in preparation for a vast military confrontation. Evil spirits will draw the nations together where a fierce battle will be fought against God and His heavenly armies at a place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

1. Christ coming to the earth

At His coming on the earth, the Lord Jesus will appear in all His glory and descend on the Mount of Olives. When His feet touch the mountain, the landscape will split in half, forming a valley that will stretch from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea (Zech.14:1-9). God will then send a plague on the enemy soldiers and their animals (Zech. 14:12,15), and panic will grip the foreign troops, causing them to attack one another (Zech.14:13). In Rev. 19:11-21, the apostle John describes a majestic entrance into battle by the Lord Jesus. Astride a white horse, the Lord will come against His enemies with blazing eyes. The antichrist will rally the armies of earth to attack Him, but they will be crushed in defeat as the Lord rescues His beloved Israel. The Lord will also capture the antichrist and the evil armies together with him.

6) Millennia kingdom (Rev. 20:4-6)

After the capture of the Antichrist and his evil forces, an angel of the Lord will descend from heaven with a key to Hell and a great chain. With the chain, the angel will bind Satan and cast him into the bottomless pit where he would remain bound up for a thousand years.

After this, Jesus will establish His throne in Jerusalem, and call it His capital city (Isa.2:1-3). He would reinstate the Jews as His people, and rule over the entire earth in a 1,000 year reign of peace and righteousness (Zech.8:4-5; Jer.23:5). He will also hold two judgments at the close of the Great Tribulation. The first for the Jews: those who have trusted Him will be received into His kingdom to reign in the millennial while those who rejected Him will not (Ezek.20:33-44). A similar judgement will be held for the Gentiles. The Lord would be in the work of separating the sheep from the goats (Mt.25:31-46). Believers will enter the millennial kingdom while unbelievers await the judgment before the great white throne. During this golden age of a thousand years where the devil is imprisoned and God reigns with His righteous saints, the earth will be what God intended it to be originally before the fall in the garden of Eden.

7) Eventual war (Rev. 20:7-10)

After the thousand years, Satan will be released from his imprisonment. He would go out to deceive, and it would appear that the descendants of many who submitted themselves to the Lordship of Christ over the millennium reign would ultimately fall for the devil’s deceit and worship him. This will be his final act of rebellion. It was a continuation from what began when Lucifer had looked with a jealous eye at the throne of God. In pride he led a rebellion of angels against God and was cast out of heaven (Isa.14:12-14 ; Ezek.28:12-15). From the time of his deception in the Garden until he was cast into the bottomless pit, he had caused great damage to God’s creation of mankind. Now, after 1,000 years of confinement, his hatred of God intensifies. He makes one last, desperate attempt to dethrone the Lord, but will be defeated and cast into everlasting torment in the Lake of fire.

Final judgement (Rev. 20:11-15)

After the eternal condemnation of the devil and his people, God will begin the final judgment of every man. This judgment is known as God’s supreme judgment made from His great white throne. Every person, including unbelievers of Old Testament period, the Church age, the tribulation, and the millennium will be there as the Book of Life is opened. No one will escape, for the sea, Death, and Hades will give up their inhabitants. Those who rejected God’s offer of salvation in Christ will have sealed their own fate. Their names will not be found in the Lamb’s Book of Life. They will be cast into the lake of fire, which is already inhabited by Satan, antichrist and the false prophet. This is the second death - eternal death and eternal suffering. These are people who intentionally and wilfully chose not to trust in Christ. They turned their backs on God’s grace, deciding to leave Him out of their lives. It was their sole decision that seals their eternal fate.

New Heaven and Earth (Rev. 21-22)

After all evil and uncleanness had been purged from the presence of God, a new creation will unfold and there would be a new heaven over the redeemed people of the Lord living on a new earth specially created for us “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away”(Rev.21:1). From the dregs of the old heavens and earth, God will bring into existence an eternal new world liberated of all evil, deceit and all harmful and damaging things that have blemished Creation since the fall in the Garden. In a vision, John saw the holy city descend from heaven and he described it in Revelation 21 & 22 as follows:

• as beautiful as a bride dressed for her husband (21:2)
• where God dwells with men (21:3)
• a jewelled foundation (21:17-18)
• buildings and streets of gold (21:18,21)
• illuminated by God’s glory (21:11,23)
• a crystal river (22:1)
• trees of life for healing (22:2)

With this description of heaven complete, the Bible closes its revelation of the Lord’s return. When we think of the wonders of that glorious Home that awaits us, where the Lord Himself will dwell with us, we can only say with John, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus! “ Amen.

Conclusion and exhortation

We gratefully believe that out of His love towards us, it is God’s will for us to live a sanctified life, to be ready, watchful and prayerful, so that we may be received into His safe dwelling place at the first phase of the Lord’s return and be sheltered from the wrath that will come through the Great Tribulation (Rev 6:17).

Take heed therefore, for if you believe the day of the Lord will come as it has been written in the Word of God, you will watch and pray and live a life that is sanctifies and prepares you for His return.