Overview Article
The Christians in Thessalonica had encountered persecution for their faith since converting. But now it was more severe. A false teaching claimed that the Day of the Lord had already come. Some Christians even stopped working. What do you say to people whose lives go from bad to worse? The apostle Paul’s second letter to this new church addresses their troubles.
Key People, Places, and Terms
Places 1
Themes
“He Will Come” 7 Jesus promised his followers that he would return to bring them to be with him forever ( John 14:1–3 ). Right after Jesus ascended to heaven, the apostles received a message that he would come back one day ( Acts 1:9–... The Day Is Coming 4 Jesus prophesied three future events in the Synoptic Gospels: One event was his own death and resurrection ( Mark 8:31 ; 9:31 ; 10:33–34 ). This had already happened before the Gospels were written. Work and Patronage 4 When Paul visited the city of Thessalonica for the first time, he taught the new believers to earn their own money through work instead of relying on other people to support them. Some Thessalonians refused to work. P...
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Angels 2 In the Bible, angels are God's messengers who carry out his plans and tell his will to humans ( Genesis 16:7–12 ; Numbers 22:22–34 ; Judges 13:3–21 ; 2 Kings 1:3 , 15 ; Zechariah 1:4–12 ). The Hebrew Old Testament and... Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility 2 The Bible shows that everything is under God's control. In other words, God is sovereign over everything. For example, rain falls on both good and bad people as part of God's plan ( Matthew 5:45 ). God is not responsi... Laziness and Hard Work 2 God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden of Eden to care for it, not just to relax and enjoy it ( Genesis 2:15 ). Work is not a punishment from when humans first sinned. Instead, God made work to be a go... The Antichrist 2 The term antichrist appears only in the apostle John's letters ( 1 John 2:18 , 22 ; 4:3 ; 2 John 1:7 ). John believed many antichrists would appear throughout history ( 1 John 2:18 ). These antichrists would deny that... The Last Things and the Thessalonians 2 The Christians in Thessalonica eagerly accepted the apostle Paul's teachings about the day of the Lord and Jesus' second coming. Yet, this led to questions and guesses about the end of time. They wondered what would h... The Little Horn 2 In the vision of the prophet Daniel, the little horn represents a king. It has human-like features, such as eyes and a mouth. This imagery is typical of apocalyptic literature. "Apocalyptic" is from a Greek word meani... The Seventy Sets of Seven 2 The "seventy weeks" (or sevens) in Daniel 9:24–27 have always been difficult to understand. Although it is difficult to connect them to a specific historical period, these "seventy sets of seven" are important. They s... Christian Suffering 1 We should not be surprised when we experience suffering ( 1 Peter 4:12 ). Christians who live differently by obeying God should expect the culture to respond with hostility. We should expect mockery, bad treatment, fa... Complete Dedication 1 The Hebrew word kherem (related to the verb kharam ) means something that is “specially set apart.” It has no exact match in modern English. The word can mean either to destroy something completely or to dedicate it f... Complete Destruction 1 See Complete Dedication . Endurance 1 When Jesus was about to suffer and die, he told his followers they would also experience great difficulties (see Matthew 24:9 ). He emphasized the importance of endurance: “The one who perseveres to the end will be sa... Holiness and Sexual Purity 1 The Bible teaches that people should be holy in their sexual relationships. God created humans as sexual beings. The first command God gave to Adam and Eve was to "Be fruitful and multiply" ( Genesis 1:28 ). This mean... Passing On Authority and Responsibility to a New Leader 1 The role of a Christian leader is to serve and endure difficulties for those they guide ( Mark 10:35–45 ). For the apostle Paul, good leadership meant setting an example like Jesus Christ. Jesus's death on the cross w... Retribution 1 God gave humans the task of having children and taking care of the world ( Genesis 1:28 ). Yet, as the population increased, so did spiritual evil, violence, and murder ( 4:8 , 23 ; 6:5 , 11–13 ). This led to a corrup... The Ascension of Jesus 1 When Jesus went up to heaven, he gave his apostles their final instructions and authority for their work ( Acts 1:6–11 ; Luke 24:45–53 ). This event (the ascension) prepares the way for the coming of the Holy Spirit a... The Day of the Lord 1 The phrase Day of the Lord describes a time when God judges his enemies with righteous punishment. The ungodly receive the punishment they deserve, while the righteous gain their complete salvation (see Isaiah 3:16–4:... The Gift of Prophecy 1 As the apostle Peter stated on the day of Pentecost, prophecy was a result of God's Holy Spirit poured out ( Acts 2:17–21 ; see Joel 2:28–32 ). The book of Acts mentions a few Christian prophets ( Acts 11:27–28 ; 13:1...