II Thessalonians

If you recall, after Paul wrote I Corinthians, he had to send them a follow-up epistle. Well, after he sent his first letter to the Thessalonians, he had to send them another one, also. Here in this letter he writes to encourage them during a time of persecution which they thought was the beginning of the tribulation or the Day of the Lord.

1:6 “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.”

One of the reasons why people believe in an afterlife is that there has to be a time and place where justice is done. If there is no judgment after death, then some of the world’s worst monsters have gotten away, without punishment.

The coming of Jesus will bring “relief” when He comes from heaven (I Thess 4:16) and gathers his own to himself (II Thess 2:1). Who is left behind? The others, those who are persecuting the church, will be left behind to deal with a time of horror (Dan 12:1; Mark 13:9), a time of rebellion and lawlessness. This is the period of the

Tribulation. In the Old Testament there are other terms for this period of time. They are:

Time of Jacob’s (Israel’s) Trouble

The Seventieth Week

The Tribulation

The Time of Trouble

The Day of Wrath

The Day of Desolation

The Day of Darkness

The Day of Gloominess

The Day of Clouds.

In the New Testament it is referred to as:

The Day of the Lord

The Wrath of God

The Hour of Trial

The Great Day of the Wrath of the Lamb of God

The Great Tribulation

The Hour of Judgment

Why is there going to be such a time of trouble for those “left behind”?

There are three reasons that come to mind: To make an end of wickedness and the wicked one; to bring about a worldwide revival and to break the stubborn will of the people of Israel.

During this time an “abomination of desolation” (Dan 9:27; 11:31, 36; Matt 24:15) will take place. This is when the anti-Christ sets himself up in the third Temple in Jerusalem and declares himself to be God. Paul tells the Thessalonians that since none of these events have taken place, these Christians were not in the tribulation period as they had feared.

The church will not be present for the apostasy predicted (2:3), nor will they have to deal with the rule of the lawless one (2:3, 4) or witness his counterfeit miracles (2:9), because their promised rest or relief in heaven will have begun by then.

2:1-2 “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.”

So it appears that someone was circulating a report, perhaps even claiming to be from Paul, that the Day of the Lord has already arrived. This is one reason why Paul made sure that he signed this letter at the end before he sent it off. He didn’t want anyone claiming to be him to send out false letters.

2:3 “. . . for that day (The Day of the Lord) will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”

The word “rebellion” comes from a word where we get apostasy, which means “to depart.” This departure can refer to the rapture or a departure from the truth.

This is the apostasy and the “abomination of desolation” spoken of in Daniel 9:27.

2:7 “. . . but the one who now holds it (the man of lawlessness) back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.”

The “one” who holds back this man of lawlessness refers to the Holy Spirit. Once the church is raptured, those left behind are unbelievers, those without the Holy Spirit. 

2:9 “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders.”

Can Satan perform miracles? Sure, this is what Paul refers to as counterfeit miracles; miracles not from God.

3:6, 10 “. . . keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. . . . If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

The word translated “idle” is a word meaning “disorderly.” Apparently there were some who refused to work, though they were able bodied. Paul says that if a person will not (not cannot) work, he shouldn’t eat. Hunger is a strong motivator. We are to bear one another’s burdens, help those who need help, but we are not under any obligation to help those who refuse to do what they can for themselves.

3:17 “I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write.”

Paul used a secretary to write this letter, but he finished it in his own handwriting. Perhaps this would reduce the chances of a forgery or false letter from circulating among the churches.