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2 Thessalonians

Nov 29, 2006 Print This Post

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2 Thessalonians

Author

Paul

Intended Audience

The Church in Thessalonica

Theme

Sometime after the writing of 1 Thessalonians, Paul got a report back about how things were going. There was good news and bad news. The good news was that they church continued to grow and stand up under the pressure of persecution. The bad news was that false teaching had crept in.

Again, just like the last letter, Paul spends some time talking about Jesus’ return. This is striking because there are so many Christians today who don’t believe in this central doctrine. These verses are particularly appropriate:

2 Thess 2:1-4 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. 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. 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. 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.

Paul also reminds them to live lives that were worthy of Jesus. In particular, he warns against laziness in the church.

Random Thoughts

It’s amazing to me how often the Bible warns about false teaching and how plain some teachings (such as the return of Jesus) are. And yet, we sometimes deny these teachings and are afraid to confront false teachings when they pop up.

Tags: new testament