{"id":5586,"date":"2018-01-03T18:14:35","date_gmt":"2018-01-04T00:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/?p=5586"},"modified":"2018-01-03T18:14:35","modified_gmt":"2018-01-04T00:14:35","slug":"2-thessalonians-not-quickly-shaken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/01\/03\/2-thessalonians-not-quickly-shaken\/","title":{"rendered":"2 Thessalonians – Not Quickly Shaken"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jack Wilkie<\/strong>
\nBackground Information<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>
\nIn many ways 2 Thessalonians is a continuation of 1 Thessalonians. In 1 Thessalonians Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy wrote to the saints in Thessalonica to encourage them to keep their faith through persecution and excel still more in their growth, and also to correct some misunderstandings about Jesus\u2019 return. 2 Thessalonians deals with these same issues in more specific ways. This epistle was written very shortly after the first. Most place 1 Thessalonians in either 50 or 51 A.D. and 2 Thessalonians in 51 or 52. It is clear from the text of the letter that\u00a0Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians, heard another report on the\u00a0brethren, and wrote quickly to follow-up and\u00a0clarify\u00a0some more misunderstandings. As mentioned in last month\u2019s article, we find the account of the beginning of the Thessalonian church in Acts 17.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nKey Themes<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe return of Christ and the coming judgment are central to Paul\u2019s message in this epistle, just as they were in 1 Thessalonians.\u00a0As with the first epistle,\u00a0Paul made sure to discuss the church\u2019s faithfulness and the persecution they faced. He turns the discussion to judgment in chapter one, assuring them that steadfastness in faith will prove them worthy in God\u2019s eyes and that their persecutors will be dealt retribution. A second theme that mirrors one found in the first is Paul\u2019s clarification of the teaching on Christ\u2019s return.\u00a0In this writing he\u00a0speaks of it, but he goes beyond what he said in 1 Thessalonians by providing a description of the events that would have to take place before\u00a0the return. This discussion (found in chapter two) is one of the most difficult passages in the Bible when it comes to understanding and applying what Paul had in mind. The debate over the \u201cMan of Sin\u201d or \u201cMan of Lawlessness\u201d found in 2:3-10 has been examined for years, but it seems a definitive answer can\u2019t really be found.\u00a0The three most widely accepted views as to\u00a0whom\u00a0the Man of Sin refers\u00a0are the Roman emperors, the papal line (Roman Catholic popes), or a metaphoric reference to sinfulness in the world. We certainly don\u2019t\u00a0have the time to discuss it here, but I encourage you to study the issue\u00a0as it makes for an interesting bit of practice in dissecting the text contextually and verse\u00a0by\u00a0verse. Finally,\u00a0some have\u00a0become lazy and given\u00a0up their work altogether (3:6-15). This, of course, is not acceptable and cannot be tolerated by the church.\u00a0So, the three themes covered sequentially in chapters 1-3 (with a little bit of crossover) are the\u00a0importance of faithfulness and the reward and punishment that go along with the decision to be faithful, the necessity of understanding some keys to the second coming, and the need for\u00a0the brethren\u00a0to work diligently.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nKey Verses<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>
\nTo me, 2:1-2\u00a0is the most important section in\u00a0understanding the\u00a0discussion taking\u00a0place in the epistle. \u201cNow we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.\u201d\u00a0These two verses emphasize the importance of standing strong and discerning the truth about Jesus\u2019 return. Another verse that bridges the gap between two themes (standing firm in the faith and the need to work) is 3:6. As in many of his epistles, Paul includes a prayer for his target audience, giving us a glimpse into\u00a0the things he believed they needed (1:11-12).\u00a0<\/span>
\nKey Words<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>
\nAnother carryover from 1 Thessalonians that remains key in this letter is the word\u00a0faith<\/i>\u00a0(and\u00a0faithful<\/i>, by extension). While there is not a specific key word attached to this idea, the point Paul continually makes about standing firm, holding to the traditions, and not giving up the faith they had learned occurs numerous times. Other words and phrases are important to the understanding of this short writing, of course, but I\u00a0strongly\u00a0encourage you to dig into this book (along with 1 Thessalonians)\u00a0and find the thoughts and words that jump out in your study. Every Christian needs to be reminded from time to time of the need to remain faithful through whatever teachings or circumstances come upon us, and we all need the hope that comes with an accurate understanding of the\u00a0second coming of our Lord.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jack Wilkie Background Information\u00a0 In many ways 2 Thessalonians is a continuation of 1 Thessalonians. In 1 Thessalonians Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy wrote to the saints in Thessalonica to encourage them to keep their faith through persecution and excel still more in their growth, and also to correct some misunderstandings about Jesus\u2019 return. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[45,66],"tags":[1207,1145,1232,121,1228],"class_list":["post-5586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-study","category-think-excerpts","tag-digging-deeper","tag-jack-wilkie","tag-november-2012","tag-study","tag-thessalonians","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n2 Thessalonians - Not Quickly Shaken - Focus Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/01\/03\/2-thessalonians-not-quickly-shaken\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2 Thessalonians - Not Quickly Shaken - Focus Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Jack Wilkie Background Information\u00a0 In many ways 2 Thessalonians is a continuation of 1 Thessalonians. 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