Sunday, January 24, 2016

2 Thessalonians - Chapter 2

2 Thessalonians 2 Above image from www.biblicalresearch.info/page523.html

Paul wrote the first letter to the Thessalonians to explain "the Rapture". He wrote the second letter to them to explain the "Second Coming of Jesus" and the "Day of the Lord". Paul emphasized that the day of the Lord cannot begin while the church is still on the earth. He wanted them (and us) to remember that our hope is that they (and we) will be gathered together unto the Lord before judgment falls upon the earth during the tribulation.

This chapter goes through a series of events all of which must occur before the rapture:

  1. The apostasia - the "great rebellion" or "falling away" or "departure" - verse 3.
  2. The "man of lawlessness" or "man of sin" revealed - verse 3.
  3. The temple rebuilt in Jerusalem - verse 4.
  4. Antichrist exalts himself, sitting in the temple of God, claiming he is God - verse 4.
  5. The restrainer steps out of the way - verse 7.
  6. The "man of lawlessness" performs counterfeit power, signs and miracles - verse 9.
  7. Most will be deceived by the man of lawlessness and believe his lies - verse 11.

(1) Now, 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.

  • Clarify:
    • Paul clarifies what he taught about the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18: For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. FIRST, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. THEN, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. THEN we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.
  • Coming (Greek parousia - royal visit and presence):
    • This is the fifth mention of Christ’s coming in the Thessalonian letters (1 Thessalonians 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23). The aspect of this specific here is identified by the phrase “gathered to meet him,” which obviously refers to the rapture of the church.
    • There are essentially two future comings of Jesus:
      1. The first "coming" is FOR His church (as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 above) BEFORE the 7-year great tribulation.
        • Some believe the church gathers in together in the clouds and then immediately returns to the earth so that the there is only one future "coming" of Christ. Others believe this "coming" for the church occurs midway in the tribulation. Most agree this gathering is the rapture occurring BEFORE the 7-year tribulation.
      2. The second "coming" is WITH His church, to judge a rebellious world AT THE END of the great tribulation.
    • 1 Corinthians 1:8: He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
    • 2 Corinthian’s 1:14: even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.
    • Philippians 1:6, 10: And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. ...  For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.
    • Philippians 2:16:  Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.
    • 1 Thessalonians 5:2,4: For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. ... But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief.
    • 2 Thessalonians 1:10: When 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.
  • Gathered (together) - Greek episunagoge.
    • Vine's Expository Dictionary: “episunagoge is used in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 of the Rapture of the saints into the air to meet the Lord, 'our gathering together'.”
    • Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: "The expression 'gathering together' (episunagoge) is found nowhere else in the New Testament except in Hebrews 10:25, where it signifies the gathering together of the Christians for worship."
      • Hebrews 10:25: And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
    • Episunagoge is a compound of the Greek prefix epi with the word sunagoge from which we get the word synagogue. Epi means above, higher than, highest. Sunagoge means a meeting, assembly or gathering. Putting these two words together, Epi-sunagoge means "the synagogue from above".
    • They were alarmed (verse 2) that they had missed the rapture and were living in the period called the “Day of the Lord” - the tribulation period of judgment upon the earth.
  • The subject is not two-fold, the coming of the Lord and our gathering, but a single subject, the coming of the Lord which includes our gathering together to Him. The Greek has one article with both nouns indicating that the “coming” and our being gathered to meet Him are complementary elements of one event.

(2) Don’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.

  • Steve Lewis, High Peaks Bible Fellowship: "The Thessalonians were being told that the Day of the Lord, the day of God's judgment on the earth, had already come and these believers were already experiencing the Tribulation. In theological terms, the false teachers were advocating anything but a "Pretrib Rapture" - the two most common alternatives are called the "Midtrib Rapture" (Rapture in the middle) and the "Posttrib Rapture" (Rapture afterward). But according to this passage of Scripture, all of the alternatives are wrong! The only view that aligns with Paul's teaching is the "Pretribulational Rapture." In order to defeat the false teaching that the Tribulation had already begun, Paul focused on the preconditions for the coming Tribulation and showed that they had not yet happened."
  • Shaken:
    • Clarke: "The word to be shaken, signifies to be agitated as a ship at sea in a storm, and strongly marks the confusion and distress which the Thessalonians had felt in their false apprehension of this coming of Christ."
    • David Guzik: "The Thessalonians were afraid that they were in the Great Tribulation (the day of the Lord), and feared that they had missed the rapture. But Paul will demonstrate that they are not in the day of Christ; because if they were, then certain signs would be present."
  • The day of the Lord:
    • NOT the "day of Christ" as in the KJV! The best manuscript authority renders the original as “the day of the Lord.”
    • The Day of the Lord is associated with terror and judgment:
      • Isaiah 13:6: Scream in terror, for the day of the Lord has arrived - the time for the Almighty to destroy.
      • Ezekiel 30:3: for the terrible day is almost here - the day of the Lord! It is a day of clouds and gloom, a day of despair for the nations.
      • Joel 3:14: Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. There the day of the Lord will soon arrive.
      • Acts 2:20: The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
      • 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4: Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief.
      • 2 Peter 3:10: But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

(3) 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.

  • This verse says there are two prerequisites for the Tribulation:
    1. The Apostasy = The first (protos) thing that will happen before the Tribulation is a departure from the faith. 1 Timothy 4:1-3 and 2 Timothy 4:3-4 also describe that this will begin to take place at the close of the dispensation of the Church.
      • 1 Timothy 4:1-3: Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth.
      • 2 Timothy 4:3-4: For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
    2. The "Man of Lawlessness" = Then the "man who is without law" or the "man who is above the law" (the Antichrist) will be revealed.
    • This clearly indicates that he will be a human male (not an institution or a people-group). Some have tried to identify this man with a figure in history (such as Antiochus Epiphanes or Caligula), but Paul is writing after the death of both of these men, yet he indicates that this "man of lawlessness" has not yet appeared!
    • This man is discussed in other Scriptures where he is called the "Antichrist" (see Daniel 7:8, 20-25; 9:26; 11:36-39; Matthew 24:15; 1 John 2:22; Revelation 13). Paul also calls him the "son of destruction" which shows that his essence and inheritance are destruction. His destruction is assured (see Revelation 19:20)
  • Fooled:
    • Paul is clarifying the sequence events to assure them that they did not miss out on the rapture and they are not going through the Great Tribulation.
  • That day = the Day of the Lord in verse 2.
    • Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible: "There is no hint here regarding the length of the time interval between the time Paul wrote and the actual coming of Christ in the Second Advent. In the light of intervening events, we now know that centuries and millenniums of time were to elapse before the final judgment; but as regards the actual date, we are no better off than were they. The event is still scheduled for a time yet future; and, as the mystery of lawlessness was working then, so it is now; but no man can know how long it will be before the Lord comes."
  • Great rebellion (Greek - apostasia - "falling away" in the KJV):
    • The word apostasia in Greek conveys the idea of military or political rebellion or desertion. In the Septuagint, it is used to describe a rebellion against God. In a religious context, the word is used of abandonment of religious beliefs, of turning away from God. As Paul is speaking of the last days, it would appear that he is referring to professors of Christianity, not possessors of Christ. This apostasy will be a worldwide rebellion against all government systems in order to set up a world government; and it will also be a rebellion against God in order to set stage for the Antichrist to become the political and religious world leader.
    • Some scholars think the apostasy or falling away does not refer to a spiritual falling away, but rather, in the context of this section, they take it to mean our gathering together to Jesus. It may very well be that Paul had both of these meanings in mind: a departing of the saints to heaven., and a falling away of the professing church. Of course, we don't have to wait for the last days to see rebellion in our nation against godliness.
    • The Greek noun apostasia is only used twice in the New Testament. In addition to 2 Thessalonians 2:3, it occurs in Acts 21:21 where, speaking of Paul, it is said, "you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn their backs on the laws of Moses."
    • Ray Stedman: "I don't like that word, "rebellion." Literally translated, the word means the "departure" which of course could mean a departure from the faith, and thus, a rebellion. But I think it means the departure he just talked about - the departure of the Church behind the scenes to be with the Lord in his second presence on earth."
    • 1 Timothy 4:1-2: Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will TURN AWAY from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.
    • Timothy 1:15: As you know, everyone from the province of Asia has DESERTED me - even Phygelus and Hermogenes.
    • 2 Timothy 4:16: The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone ABANDONED me. May it not be counted against them.
  • Man of lawlessness ("man of sin" in the KJV):

    • Above image from www.lamblion.us/2008/11/origins-of-antichrist-character.html
    • David Guzik: " Paul's point is clear: 'You are worried that we are in the Great Tribulation and that you missed the rapture. But you can know that we are not in the Great Tribulation, because we have not yet seen the man of lawlessness . . . revealed.'"
    • This can also be translated as the “son of perdition”. There is only one other person called this in Scripture – Judas.
      • John 17:12 (KJV): While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
    • He is described elsewhere as a fierce king (Daniel 8:23), the little horn (Daniel 17:8&11), the prince who is to come (Daniel 9:26 KJV), the willful king (Daniel 11:36-45 KJV), the worthless shepherd (Zechariah 11:17), Antichrist (1 John 2:18), another beast (Revelation 13:11), one who shall come in his own name (John 5:43 KJV).
    • Having been acclaimed a political genius following his solving of the Arab-Israeli conflict (Daniel 11), he will be unmasked during the final 3 1/2 years of the tribulation period. He will be exalted as the new world political and religious leader, and he will "exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship." Then, he will break his covenant with Israel and put a stop to all sacrifice in the rebuilt temple. He will take his seat in that temple and erect the "sacrilegious object that causes desecration," an image of himself which everyone must worship under pain of death, in accordance with the rules of the new world religion. He will deceive the nations and blind the minds of men. There will then be worldwide religious persecution against all who refuse to worship him, Jew and Gentile alike, people who know that this man is a false god, a false messiah.
    • 1 John 2:18: Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.

(4) He 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.

  • Daniel 9:27: The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”
  • Exalt himself:
    • Isaiah 14:13-14: For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’
    • Daniel 11:36-37: “The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god, even blaspheming the God of gods. He will succeed, but only until the time of wrath is completed. For what has been determined will surely take place. He will have no respect for the gods of his ancestors, or for the god loved by women, or for any other god, for he will boast that he is greater than them all.
  • Claiming he ... is God:
    • Revelation 13:1-8: Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God. This beast looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority. I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery - but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?” Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months. And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling - that is, those who dwell in heaven. And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.
  • Sit: Not even the high priest dared to sit down in the temple - "the priest STANDS and ministers before the altar day after day" (Hebrews 10:11), but this man (not even a priest) will assume the throne that is God's.
  • The temple of God:
    • That this is a literal temple in Jerusalem is clear from the text, and has been understood as such by even the earliest Christians. Irenaeus, writing in the late second century - long after the destruction of the temple in 70 AD: "But when this Antichrist shall have devastated all things in this world, he will reign for three years and six months, and sit in the temple at Jerusalem; and then the Lord will come from heaven in the clouds, in the glory of the Father, sending this man and those who follow him into the lake of fire; but bringing in for the righteous the times of the kingdom."
    • The Five Jewish Temples of History:
      1. Solomon's Temple (966 - 586 BC)
      2. Zeubbabel's Temple (516 - 20 BC)
      3. Herod's Temple (20 BC - 70 AD)
      4. Tribulation Temple (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; Revelation 11:1-2)
      5. Millennial Temple (Ezekiel 40-43; Revelation 20:2-4)

(5) Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you?

  • I told you ... when I was with you:
    • This letter is a supplement to what Paul has already taught the Thessalonians in words, but we don't know exactly what Paul said to the them.

(6) And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes.

  • What is holding him back:
    • Notice the tense of the verb - present not future.
    • The Holy Spirit will still be at work on earth after the Rapture since people will believe and be saved afterwards; but His restraining ministry through the body of Christ will end. He will simply stop holding Satan back.
    • When Christ takes His church out of this earth, there will no longer be any restraining power or force and the Antichrist will at that point take over.

(7) For 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.

  • At work secretly:
    • Olshausen: "Antichrist does not step on the scene suddenly without any preparations; on the contrary, a stream of Antichristian sentiment and conduct pervades the whole history of the world".
  • The one holding it back (the restrainer):
    • Notice that in verse 6, the restrainer is neutral; here, it is a person.
    • We find a good Old Testament illustration is Abraham’s prayer of intercession before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The presence of 10 righteous people could have saved the cities. God said to Abraham, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.” A closer look at the story, however, reveals that the angels who had to destroy the cities could do nothing as long as one single righteous person was still present. Lot pleaded with the angel, saying, “I cannot go to the mountains. Disaster would catch up to me there, and I would soon die. See, there is a small village nearby. Please let me go there instead; don’t you see how small it is? Then my life will be saved.’ He said to him, ‘I will grant your request. I will not destroy the little village. But hurry! Escape to it, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.”
  • Steps out of the way:
    • There will be a specific time in world history when the Holy Spirit will stop restraining lawlessness. Then (and only then), the man of lawlessness will be revealed and the Tribulation will begin.
    • When Hitler was fighting to take over England, a number of Christians were praying for victory. Hitler made mistake after mistake, and England outperformed its enemy at every stage of the conflict. It is difficult to measure the impact of intercessory prayer in physical warfare. Little is known of how great a role praying saints played in the defeat of Nazi Germany.

(8) THEN the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.

  • Then:
    • After the "great rebellion" (apostasia) or "falling away" in verse 3 and "the one who is holding it back steps out of the way" in verse 7.
  • Man of lawlessness:
    • Same guy in verse 3. See the notes there.
  • Revealed (Greek - apokalupto):
  • Kill him:
    • The accomplishment of this is seen in Revelation 19:11-21 when at Armageddon the beast and his armies are gathered to make war against the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. The beast (the political head of the ten nations) will be taken and with him the false prophet will be cast alive into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20).
  • Splendor ... Coming - Greek epiphaneia ... parousia
    • Jesus' coming here differs from the “gathering” phase in verse 1. It refers to the 2nd coming that brings an end to Daniel’s 70th week.

(9) This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.

  • Come (Greek parousia):
    • The Greek word Parousia is used seven times in 1 and 2 Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 2:19, 3:13, 4:15, 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:1, and 8-9). In this passage, we see the Parousia of the “man of lawlessness.” His appearance will be marked out by miracles, signs and wonders. People will stand in awe because of the supernatural manifestations that he will demonstrate.
  • Satan:
    • The true power behind the Antichrist is none other than “ho Satanas” himself, which title means “Adversary”, defining him as the arch enemy of God.
    • Revelation 13:4: They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?”
  • Counterfeit power ... signs ... miracles:
    • Matthew 24:22-23: For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. Watch out! I have warned you about this ahead of time!
    • Revelation 13:13-15: He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching. And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.

(10) He 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.

  • Deception:
    • Just as Nero deceived the Romans, the popes deceived the Europeans, Mohammed deceived the Arabs (the Quran even call Allah the best deceiver there is - Surah Âl 'Imran 3:54), Joseph Smith deceived the Mormons, Hitler deceived the Germans, Mussolini deceived the Italians, Stalin deceived the Russians, many popular televangelists deceive gullible "Christians" and as so many modern politicians and rulers deceive Americans and others, so Antichrist will deceive the world.
    • 1 Timothy 4:1-2: Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.
    • 2 Peter 2:1-3: But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.
    • Revelation 12:9: This great dragon - the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world - was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.
  • Fool:
    • Of course, the gullible are easily fooled.
  • Accept the truth that would save them:
    • Salvation is so simple - just accept the truth!

(11) So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.

  • Deceived:
    • This helps explain why there will be a great “rebellion” or apostasy before the return of the Lord (verse 3). Those who don’t genuinely love the truth will be given over to this strong delusion that will sever them from all godly influence.
  • These lies:
    • This is the lie of verse 4 that the man of lawlessness is God. People in the Tribulation cannot take a neutral stand. Either they believe God or they believe these lies. God will ultimately give people in the Tribulation exactly what they want – to believe the lie. “These lies” are the opposite of the truth of Jesus and His death on the cross. Look at how so many people believe the lies of leaders and politicians today.
    • John 8:44: For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

(12) Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.

(13) 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.

  • Us: This indicates that Timothy and Silas were joining Paul in their thanksgiving for the Thessalonians.
  • Chose you:
    • The typical word for "choosing" in the sense of God's election is eklego, but here Paul uses haireomai with the idea of God's eternal purpose of adoption -- taking them to become His own. Not only did this verse teach that God "chose" (aorist indicative), but that the object of this choosing was to "experience salvation" (contrary to the position of some Armenians).
    • Romans 8:28-29: And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
    • Ephesians 1:4-5: Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
      Ephesians 2:8-9: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
    • 1 Peter 1:2:  God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.
    • Yet, also, the Bible also teaches that we do have a responsibility to choose Jesus: John 3:16: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
    • There is an old illustration that pictures a person choosing heaven by deciding to walk through the gate of heaven. Once inside the gate, the person turns around and sees his name engraved at the top of the Gate of Heaven. The person decided to enter and yet the gate had his name engraved. It is a mystery and, I believe, it's because God exits outside of time. God calls us to believe in Jesus Christ. The question is, "Do you want to be saved just like the Philippian jailor?" If so, follow Paul's advice, "believe in the Lord Jesus" and your sins will be forgiven and when you die you will go to heaven.

(14) He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

  • Share:
    • Romans 8:17-18: And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
  • Glory:
    • 2 Corinthians 4:16-18: That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

(15) With 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.

  • Stand firm:
    • David Guzik:
      • Stand firm because the current distress (the persecutions and tribulations described in 2 Thessalonians 1:4).
      • Stand firm because of the coming judgment of this world (in flaming fire taking vengeance, 2 Thessalonians 1:8).
      • Stand firm because of the strength of coming deception (all power, signs, and lying wonders, 2 Thessalonians 2:9).
      • Stand firm because of our glorious destiny (the glory of our Lord Jesus, 2 Thessalonians 2:14).
    • As in Paul's day, so it is in ours. The words of the Bible have been watered down, distorted and corrupted and the divinity of Jesus is denied in most "main-line" churches. We too must stand firm and "cling to our religion" refuting Obama's implication that we believers are ignorant fools - to which the east coast/west coast elite would agree. (April 13, 2008 - "And it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations," Obama said.)
    • 1 Corinthians 16:13: Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.
    • Philippians 4:1: Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
    • 1 Thessalonians 3:8: It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord.
  • The Teaching we passed on:
    • Greek - paradoseis - Strong's Concordance # 3862 = a handing down or over, a tradition (As in the KJV). This word is from the verb paradidomi and implies that the teacher is faithfully passing on a specific message received from a higher authority.
    • 1 Corinthians 11:2: I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts, and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you.
    • 2 Peter 3:15-16: And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him - speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.

(16) Now 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,

  • Dr Peter Pett: "This verse is remarkable in its implication. It was the usual practice of Paul to place ‘God our Father’ first in his greetings (1:1). Yet here (and in 2 Corinthians 13:14) he places first ‘our Lord Jesus Christ’. Furthermore, the combination is followed by the use of the singular, and the singular verbs ‘comfort’ and ‘establish’ which must refer to both acting together as One. It is a clear expression of co-equality and oneness." Jesus Christ is God!
  • Comfort: Corinthians 1:3-5: All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

(17) comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

  • Strengthen:
    • Strengthen is sterizo and means “to set up, fix firmly, establish”.
      • Also used in 2 Thessalonians 3:3 – But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. and in 1 Peter 5:10 – In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation

APPLICATION:

  • What are we supposed to do?
    1. Stand firm. Don’t run from speaker to speaker, seeking the brilliant one who will explain all. Rather, search the Scriptures diligently, for in them you find life.
    2. Hold to the traditions of the faith. The faith of your fathers is strong; it is even stronger when you make it your own.
    3. In all trial, pray for comfort, hope and strength.
    4. There will come a time when deception will run rampant – even the elect will be in danger of being led astray (Mt 24:24). Let us continue to love the truth – and let us share the truth while we can.
    5. When we think of everything God has given to us -- especially the riches and depth of our salvation -- it should bring us to our knees in worship and gratefulness to God.
    6. Like the Thessalonians, we too should stand firm and hold fast to the Truths of God's Word as it is contained in the Scriptures. Let us beware of the traditions of men, and let us cling to the written revelation of the Bible.

NEXT STUDY:

  • 2 Thessalonians 3: Finally, 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. Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you. May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ. 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. For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. We 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. We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow.  Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.” Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. As 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. Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister. Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all. HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING - PAUL. I DO THIS IN ALL MY LETTERS TO PROVE THEY ARE FROM ME. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

NOTES:

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