THE BLUEPRINT
1) The bright hope of Christ’s return (Ch. 1:1 - 2:17)
2) Living in the light of Christ’s return (Ch. 3:1 - 18)
Everyone needs encouragement at one time or another, and Paul knew the Thessalonians were definitely in need of some. The persecution and trials that they were dealing with would discourage any believer, but an encouraging letter from the Apostle Paul was just what they needed. On top of the persecution, they misunderstood Paul’s explanation of Christ’s Second Coming. That misunderstanding caused many within the congregation to become idle. The misunderstanding had to do with Paul’s statement that Christ could return at any moment. They took that to mean his return was imminent.
Today we have a concrete reason to believe Christ might return soon, though we don’t truly know. All that is going on in the world today is reason enough to believe in his imminent return. That is NO reason to become idle. We need to work not only in the easy times but in the hard times as well. We must use our time wisely, live a pure life and work for God’s kingdom. God’s will for us, in part, is to patiently wait for the Lord’s return and work for him while we wait.
THE MEGA THEMES
PERSECUTION
God will bring victory to his faithful followers and will judge those who are persecuting them. God allows trials to help us grow spiritually. If our lives were effortless and easy, what would we learn about dealing with hardship. The more difficult things get, the more we need to rely on the Lord to sustain us and he will if we ask him and allow his help to manifest itself.
Our faith shall be rewarded; it is a promise from God. He will fill us with his power to help us survive thru persecution. Suffering for our faith will galvanize our relationship with Almighty God, strengthening us to bear it. It is incumbent upon us to be faithful to our Lord.
CHRIST’S RETURN
Due to the fact that Paul did indeed say that the Lord could come back at any time, some Thessalonian believers stopped working to wait for Christ. It’s quite possible that Paul said what he said to make sure believers stay ready, stay prepared for his return, rather than relax and let ourselves become unprepared. Only speculation, but that makes sense, especially since it’s over 2000 years later and Christ has yet to return.
When Christ returns victory will be assured for all those who have trusted him. It should be irrelevant to Christians as to when Christ will return. We cannot know the day and time, so why concern ourselves with it. We need to stand firm in our faith, keep working in the name of Christ, and wait. This way you will be ready when he DOES come.
GREAT REBELLION
There will be a great rebellion prior to Christ’s return. It will be led by the “man of lawlessness”, the Anti-Christ. All restrains on evil shall be removed before God administers justice on those who promote evil. During this time Satan will attempt to deceive many.
Don’t let fear overtake you when you see evil rise. Know that God is in complete control of all that transpires on the earth, no matter how evil this world becomes. God guards us from the attacks of the enemy. We can be victorious over evil by remaining faithful to God.
PERSISTANCE
Paul wasn’t happy about Thessalonian church members becoming idle. As Proverbs 16:27 states: “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece.” * In their idleness they had become disorderly and even disobedient. Paul took them to task for this, calling them out by telling them to show courage and behave like a true Christian with their personal conduct.
It is on us to not become tired of doing what’s right. We must have no quit in us. To stay sharp spiritually, we must stay in God’s word, pray for others, spend time worshipping the Lord, attend a Bible preaching and teaching church regularly and engage in fellowship with other believers. We need to be extremely diligent in cultivating our relationship with our Creator. It is too easy to become spiritually lazy. It can befall any one of us. We should make a personal assessment of our relationship with our Heavenly Father, for the devil would like nothing better than to cause you to trip up as you walk aimlessly about. Be focused. Commit your words, thoughts, and actions over to the Lord each morning. Don’t dwell on mistakes, but rather seek forgiveness and move on. God loves you without conditions placed upon that love. He only wants what is best for you. Bask in the glow of his majesty and glorify his name forever.
One final thought on when Christ’s 2nd coming shall be: “Don’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.”** (2 Thessalonians 2:3 - New Living Translation)
Up next, our first look at Paul’s first of two letters to Timothy, one of the Apostle’s closest companions. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In His Name and for His Glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Source: The Life Application Study Bible
* Taken from The Living Bible translation.
** Verse also reads, “and the man of sin - the son of destruction”
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