Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation, Matthew 24,
Zechariah: these are all the parts of Scripture
that people commonly consider to be related to
the phenomenon known as “Bible prophecy.” Most
of the attention that is given to those who
examine the end-time themes of Scripture are
often focused around these texts. But how many
of you are aware that there are other books of
the Bible that likewise have a prophetic
message? How many of you consciously think about
how the blessed hope of Yeshua’s appearing is to
be applied to everyday life? What might today’s
Messianic community be missing as it considers
the Second Coming of our Lord, and events that
are to precede His return?
1&2 Thessalonians are, to me, two of the most
important yet overlooked books of the Bible not
only for end-time studies, but also for
considering how the message of Yeshua’s return
is to change a person. The Apostle Paul briefly
visited the city of Thessalonica in Acts
17:1-10, having been forced out of the city due
to persecution levied by the local Jewish
leaders. He was not able to spend a great deal
of time in training the Thessalonicans, but his
two epistles to them reveal that he certainly
had to correct some misunderstandings that they
had somehow adopted, possibly because he was
forced to leave them so soon. The Thessalonicans
were largely former pagans (1 Thessalonians
1:9-10), but were set on the right path of
faith.
Paul wrote his first letter to the
Thessalonicans largely as a message of
encouragement to them, as he attests “You became
imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of
severe suffering, you welcomed this message with
the joy given by the Holy Spirit” (1
Thessalonians 1:6). The Thessalonicans became an
example to emulate as they received the good
news of salvation with enthusiasm, becoming “a
model to all the believers in Macedonia and
Achaia” (1 Thessalonians 1:7). The Thessalonican
Believers experienced radical change in their
lives as they met the Living God!
Paul summarizes some of the things that happened
during his visit to Thessalonica, recalling “As
apostles of Messiah we could have been a burden
to you, but we were gentle among you, like a
mother caring for her little children. We loved
you so much that we were delighted to share with
you not only the gospel of God but our lives as
well, because you had become so dear to us” (1
Thessalonians 2:6b-8). The Thessalonicans were
very hospitable to Paul and his party, and they
started out well on the path of sanctification
(1 Thessalonians 2:12). Paul is even able to say
“For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s
[assemblies] in Judea” (1 Thessalonians 2:14a),
likely indicating that the Thessalonicans had
already begun some kind of Torah-related
discipleship. Yet, it was in the area of
“suffer[ing] from your own countrymen the same
things those [assemblies] suffered from the
Jews” (1 Thessalonians 2:14b) where the most
commonality rested.
Paul expresses a strong desire to see his
Thessalonican friends again (1 Thessalonians
2:17-20), noting how Timothy was sent to them
and how he brought back a positive report of
their development (1 Thessalonians 3:1-9). He
issues the encouraging word, “May he strengthen
your hearts so that you will be blameless and
holy in the presence of our God and Father when
our Lord Yeshua comes with all his holy ones” (1
Thessalonians 3:10), then discussing some of the
basic ways that the Thessalonicans were to live
holy lives (1 Thessalonians 4:1-11).
The most important exhortation Paul issues to
the Thessalonicans in his first letter is
undeniably his emphasis on the return of the
Lord. Knowing that their teacher had been thrust
away from them just as spiritual progress was
being made, and that they were enduring similar
hardships to the Believers in Judea, the young
Thessalonican Believers needed to be assured
that there was something good to look forward to
in the end. While none of them are said to have
been killed or martyred, some likely wondered if
imprisonment, bodily harm, or death were on the
horizon. To them, Paul says,
“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant
about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like
the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe
that Yeshua died and rose again and so we
believe that God will bring with Yeshua those
who have fallen asleep in him. According to the
Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are
still alive, who are left till the coming of the
Lord, will certainly not precede those who have
fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come
down from heaven, with a loud command, with the
voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call
of God, and the dead in Messiah will rise first.
After that, we who are still alive and are left
will be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we
will be with the Lord forever. Therefore
encourage each other with these words” (1
Thessalonians 4:13-18).
In these words, Paul affirms the reality that
death for the Believer is not something to fear
at all. He attests that if one believes that
Yeshua the Messiah died and rose again, “so,
through Jesus, God will bring with him those who
have died” (NRSV). Those who have died in the
faith, presently with the Lord in Heaven, will
be brought back with Him to be present at the
resurrection and transformation of their
physical bodies. Any loved ones who have gone on
will be united with those who are living. And as
Paul astutely concludes, “comfort one another
with these words” (NASU). The return of the Lord
is to be a great, encouraging sign to all
generations as it signals the beginning of a new
and different age on Planet Earth!
Paul ends his first letter to the Thessalonicans
by telling them, “Now, brothers, about times and
dates we do not need to write to you, for you
know very well that the day of the Lord will
come like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians
5:1-2). The Second Coming of Yeshua will come
like a thief (or burglar) for sinners who are in
the darkness and unaware (1 Thessalonians
5:3-8),[1]
As Paul admonishes them, “Therefore encourage
one another and build each other up, just as in
fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11), as
one day the world will be greatly changed and
any of the persecutors or potential persecutors
of the Thessalonicans will find themselves
subject to the wrath of God.
Paul ends his first letter to the Thessalonicans
by asking them to “respect those who work hard
among you, who are over you in the Lord and who
admonish you,” and also remind them “Make sure
that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but
always try to be kind to each other and to
everyone else. Be joyful always; pray
continually; give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Messiah Yeshua”
(1 Thessalonians 5:12, 15-18). All in all, 1
Thessalonians attempts to be a very upbeat
letter to people who by-and-large were very
discouraged. It reminds all of us that even
though our world may be stressful, or even be
collapsing all around us, we as Believers still
have responsibilities and the Lord Himself is
going to one day directly intervene to radically
change the course of this planet.
Something changed between the Thessalonicans
receiving Paul’s first letter, requiring him to
write a second letter. Not only was 2
Thessalonians a likely response to how the
Thessalonicans had reacted to his first letter,
but it also was written a very short time
thereafter.
Paul, the gracious teacher that he often was,
opened his second letter with expressing thanks
for the faithfulness of the Thessalonicans. He
tells them, “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 [assemblies]
we boast about your perseverance and faith in
all the persecutions and trials you are
enduring” (2 Thessalonians 1:3-4). Those who
would persecute the Thessalonicans, and thus
reject the gospel of salvation, will receive
just punishment from the Almighty (2
Thessalonians 1:5-10). And as Paul further tells
his Thessalonican friends, “we constantly pray
for you, that our God may count you worthy of
his calling, and that by his power he may
fulfill every good purpose of yours and every
act prompted by your faith” (2 Thessalonians
2:11).
It is after such compliments that Paul issues
some careful instructions about the end-times,
having told them about the encouraging
vindication they—and indeed all Believers will
receive—when Yeshua the Messiah finally returns.
Paul, likely having to clarify some
misconceptions of his previous letter, details
that specific events must precede the coming of
the Lord:
“Concerning the coming of our Lord Yeshua the
Messiah 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. Don't let
anyone deceive you in any way, for that day 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” (2
Thessalonians 2:1-4).
Paul has just described the Abomination of
Desolation (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15), the
time when the antimessiah/antichrist will be
revealed to the world. Other specific events
such as an “apostasy” (NASU) must also precede
the Second Coming of the Lord. While telling
them about Yeshua’s return in His first letter
to help their despair, Paul must now calm them
not to be too overanxious about it. As he asks
the Thessalonicans, “Don’t you remember that
when I was with you I used to tell you these
things?” (2 Thessalonians 2:5). Interestingly
enough, he then issues a severe warning against
the lawlessness that is supposed to grow prior
to the Lord’s return (2 Thessalonians 2:7-10),
saying that many will “perish because they
refused to love the truth and so be saved. For
this reason God sends them a powerful delusion
so that they will believe the lie” (2
Thessalonians 2:10b-11).
Paul is not harsh in his wanting to calm the
Thessalonicans about the return of Yeshua. He
urges them to continue in what they have learned
from him, saying, “we ought always to thank God
for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because
from the beginning God chose you to be saved
through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and
through belief in the truth. He called you to
this through our gospel, that you might share in
the glory of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. So
then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the
teachings we passed on to you, whether by word
of mouth or by letter” (2 Thessalonians
2:13-15). Paul then asks his Thessalonican
friends to pray for him, so “that the message of
the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just
as it was with you” (2 Thessalonians 3:1),
specifically that Paul and his party may be
protected as they continue in His work (2
Thessalonians 3:2-3).
The only negative word that is seen in Paul’s
entire correspondence to the Thessalonicans is
seen at the end of his second letter. He tells
them that in order for them to continue to
follow in what they have been taught, that they
must work. As he recalls, “We were not idle when
we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food
without paying for it. We did this, not because
we do not have the right to such help, but in
order to make ourselves a model for you to
follow. For even when we were with you, we gave
you this rule: ‘If a man will not work, he shall
not eat’” (2 Thessalonians 3:7b-10). Paul then
comes to the clincher:
“We hear that some among you are idle. They are
not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we
command and urge in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah
to settle down and earn the bread they eat. And
as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what
is right. If anyone does not obey our
instruction in this letter, take special note of
him. Do not associate with him, in order that he
may feel ashamed” (2 Thessalonians 3:11-14).
Somehow, because of how Paul’s previous letter
included references to Yeshua’s return, people
were quitting their jobs—being “busybodies”—and
were just lazily waiting for it to happen or
“come down.” Paul is sure to tell the
Thessalonicans “do not regard him as an enemy,
but warn him as a brother” (2 Thessalonians
3:15), as the individual doing this was not to
be treated as one in apostasy, yet still in
extreme error. Such people were to be spurned so
to change their behavior (2 Thessalonians 3:14),
but not totally cast aside. Hopefully, such
people would see the error of their ways and
turn from such a ridiculous course of action,
being joined to their daily work and the
work of the gospel.
Does 1&2 Thessalonians have any important
message for us as the emerging Messianic
movement? I believe that it does when we weigh
how significant it was for the Ancient
Thessalonicans. Many of us endure trials in our
lives, and we need to be reminded that in spite
of all the times we are wronged, mistreated, or
even persecuted for our beliefs in God and His
Word—Yeshua the Messiah is going to return
to execute righteous judgment on those who
reject Him. At the same time, though, certain
events must precede His return and we cannot be
overanxious. We do not have the option of
quitting our jobs or our daily responsibilities,
under the guise of “He’s returning soon so it
doesn’t really matter.” That is exactly the
sin that Paul chastised the
Thessalonicans for!
It is not that difficult to see that there have
been end-time teachings circulating in our
movement that have deterred us from fulfilling
the mission of God’s ekklēsia.
An admonition that can frequently be forgotten
is, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life,
to mind your own business and to work with your
hands, just as we told you, so that your daily
life may win the respect of outsiders and so
that you will not be dependent on anybody” (1
Thessalonians 4:11-12). Much of the development
of the modern Messianic movement has been guided
by the idea that we absolutely must be “the
final generation,” and sadly this idea has kept
us—just like those who quit their jobs in
Thessalonica—from performing some of the
critical work that needs to be done. This
critical work, both spiritual and theological,
will transform us into a mature Messianic
movement that will not only be able to answer
the challenges of the current time, but also
enable us to endure the Tribulation when it does
take place.
How will we be able to take the message of 1&2
Thessalonians, seriously? Who must we ignore
that has quit the required, daily tasks of God’s
Kingdom? What work have we avoided that now
absolutely must be accomplished—if
the Messianic movement is to have any kind of
future? Perhaps we need to reconsider the
agendas of some in our midst to teach about the
End of the Age. Do they teach about prophecy via
an ethos consistent with the Apostle Paul in 1&2
Thessalonians, or are they more about quitting
the daily tasks God requires of His people to
make a short-term name for themselves? Are such
people encouraging others to live lives of
holiness (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-11)? These are
questions that are admittedly very difficult for
us to
answer. Yet, if we desire to be “fully
Biblical,” 1&2 Thessalonians might just need to
be two texts that we consult first,
before examining any other “end-time” book
of the Bible.
