Bethel Christian Fellowship
Fair Lawn, NJ
Living In The End Times (2): The Message of 2 Thessalonians
Encouragement for Suffering Saints
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 (Part 1)
July 12, 2015
As we noted in last week’s study, when the Apostle Paul was in the city of Thessalonica during his
second missionary journey, it didn’t take long for times to get tough. The book of Acts tells us that
shortly after he arrived he was run out of town by rioting Jews (Acts 17:1-9), forcing him to move
on to Berea (Acts 17:10-15) and then to Athens (Acts 17:16-34).
While there, he had sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to find out what was happening (1 Thess.
3:1-5). By the time Timothy had returned with the news, Paul had already moved on to Corinth
(Acts 18:5), where he would then respond to the information he had just received. His initial
response is found in the first letter he writes them, which he then reinforced a short time later in this
second letter.
Because of the unique, local circumstances to which Paul is responding, 1 and 2 Thessalonians
contain four of the most important New Testament passages concerning the Second Coming of
Christ. The chapter before us today is one of those passages, in which Paul presents a vivid
description of Christ’s return as an encouragement to press on in the midst of suffering and
persecution. On the day when the Lord Jesus “is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,”
those who are persecuted for His sake will enjoy relief and receive their eternal reward, while their
persecutors will receive the punishment their conduct deserves.
Therein lies the practical importance of a passage such as this. The return of Christ will mark the
day when wrongs will be righted and Christ’s righteous judgment and salvation will be fulfilled.
But this passage is of great theological importance as well, as it offers strong support for the Posttribulational and Amillennial view of Christ’s return. (More about this later!)
Today, we shall look at the introductory salutation (1:1-2) and the first part of Paul’s words of
encouragement to these suffering saints (1:3-12). Next week we shall conclude our study of this
most important New Testament passage.
I. The Salutation: “Paul, Silas and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”
(1:1-2). As in all of Paul’s letters, this initial greeting follows the standard form of salutation found
in the ancient letters of the day: “A to B, greetings.”
Here, A comprises the names of Paul, Silas and Timothy. These, of course, were the three
missionaries who had first brought the Gospel to Thessalonica and planted the Church there.
“While Paul was the senior partner, the inclusion of the other two names need not be a matter of
courtesy only: both Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy . . . may have participated responsibly in the
composition of the letter” (F. F. Bruce, I & II Thessalonians). B is “the church of the
Thessalonians,” which is identified as being “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This
points us to the true nature of the Church as a believing assembly (ecclesia), whose members have
been called out of the world and now participate in a new, spiritual dimension of life in God the
Father and God the Son. C is the greeting, by which Paul and his companions wish these new
Christians the greatest of all gifts, God’s grace and peace. But as John Stott has noted, this greeting
is “more theological than conventional.” Why? Because it is only by God’s grace that we are able
to enjoy God’s peace in the midst of all the tribulation we encounter in this sad, fallen world.
II. Encouragement for Suffering Saints (1:3-12) The NIV divides the remaining portion of this
chapter into three paragraphs, signifying the three fold way in which Paul will go on to encourage
his readers. (What a blessing, considering the fact that in the Greek text verses 3-10 are a long,
winding and twisting single sentence!)
A. His Expression of Thanksgiving (1:3-4): “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and
rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each
other is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith,
in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. There are three things about this introductory
thanksgiving that we must be sure to note:
1. The reason for Paul’s thanksgiving is their ever-increasing faith and love (v. 3). There is no
greater barometer of a church’s spiritual health than this, which is one of the reasons for the
superlative language that Paul uses to express his thanksgiving to God (Cf. KJV, their “faith
groweth exceedingly” and their “charity aboundeth”).
2. The result Paul’s thanksgiving is that he now boasts to the other churches about the progress
of the Thessalonians’ faith and love, and of their patient endurance in the midst of their persecutions
and afflictions (v. 4). He is not boasting in what they have achieved, but in what God has achieved
through His grace working within their lives. For that reason, offering thanksgiving to God and
boasting to others are two sides of the same coin.
3. The significance of Paul’s thanksgiving is that he not only thanks God for the Thessalonians,
he also tells them he is doing so. “There is an important practical lesson to learn here,” writes John
Stott. “What should our attitude be to Christians who are doing well in some aspect of their
discipleship? Some people resort to congratulations . . . others are uncomfortable with this and see
its incongruity. It borders on flattery, promotes pride and robs God of His glory. So . . . they say
nothing to the person concerned. They replace flattery with silence . . . . Is there a third way, which
affirms people without spoiling them? There is. Paul exemplifies it here . . . . If we follow his
example, we will avoid both congratulation (which corrupts) and silence (which discourages).
Instead we can affirm and encourage people in the most Christian of all ways: ‘I thank God for you,
brother or sister. I thank Him for the gifts He has given you, for His grace in your life, for what I
see in you of the love and gentleness of Christ . . .’” (The Message of 1 and 2 Thessalonians).
B. His Explanation of the Purpose of Persecution (1:5-10). Paul begins with these words of
assurance: “All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted
worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering” (v. 5). Here we see that the subject of
Paul’s boasting – the perseverance and faithfulness of his new converts (Cf. v. 4) – is proof positive
of the “rightness” of God’s future judgment. “He was using their persecutions as a means through
which to develop their faith, love, and perseverance . . . and so was preparing them for His eternal
kingdom.” In other words, “God’s transforming grace was fitting them for their heavenly
inheritance” (John Stott, The Message of 1 & II Thessalonians), (Cf. Matt. 5:10-12; Acts 14:22).
The remainder of Paul’s encouragement (vv. 6-10) expands on this initial reference to God’s future,
righteous judgment. We can see how this theme is developed by asking the following sequence of
questions.
1 Q. What about the fate of the persecutors?
A. “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you . . .” (v. 6).
2 Q. What will happen to the persecuted?
A. “and (he will) give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well” (v. 7a).
3 Q. When will this take place?
A. “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His
powerful angels” (v. 7b).
4 Q. Who specifically will be punished?
A. “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (v. 8).
5 Q. What form will this punishment take?
A. “They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord
and from the majesty of his power” (v. 9).
6 Q. When the Lord Jesus returns, what will be the two-fold result?
A. First, he will be “glorified in His saints” and “marveled at among all who believed” (v. 10).
Second, “He will punish those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of our
Lord Jesus” (v. 8).
7 Q. If the Lord Jesus returns on the day that the final judgment of the ungodly takes place, why
would the Thessalonian church find such great encouragement in this teaching?
A. “Because,” Paul assures them, “our testimony to you was believed” (v. 10b). They were
included in the group who will “marvel” at His coming!
Clearly the Apostle Paul assumed that they would be present on earth at the second coming
(posttribulationalism) AND that the eternal destruction of the unsaved would occur at this same
time (amillennialism), not 1,000 years after Christ’s return (premillenialism). Speaking as a former
premillennialist, here’s how a gifted commentator now sees this passage:
When does the eternal destruction of the unsaved occur? When shall they pay the
penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord? Paul’s answer is:
“when He comes on that day to be glorified in His saints” (v. 10; emphasis mine). The
climactic and final punishment of the lost is not reserved for a judgment 1,000 years
after Christ’s return, but is simultaneous with it. And since this judgment is elsewhere
said to follow the millennium (Rev. 20:11-15), the millennium itself must be coterminous
with the present age. (Sam Storms, Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative)