Chap 1_2 Thessalonians

OOOOOOOOO 2 Thessalonians 1 (NIV84) 1 Paul, Silas and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 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. 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

5 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. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

11 With this in mind, 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. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

… Paul sends greetings - note the two names for same man Silas and Silvanus- depends on translation

…also in the greeting the church is in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and the Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. So the church is “in” the kingdom and receives “from” the kinddom. It also recognizes this realm consists of two members of the Trinity and the 3rd member, the Holy spirit, is within each member. The Trinity, the “godness” is both corporate and individual, both external and internal.

..3 We ought always to thank God for you- It is only fit and proper that we always thank God for you.Because your trust in Him is growing and spreading and being fruit ful = flourishing. And also that your love for each other is increasing. This gratitude is not due to helping the unbelieving community. But the evidene of the love among them in a time of persectuion is a testimony to outsiders. It provides evidence of the goodness of the church in the kingdom of God. It is a lure to others come into this family.

... 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials[other translations use tribulation - a much stonger word; not watered down] Persecution “diogmos” comes from the picture of “following” “pursuing” we would say “tracking down someone”. It is ongoing relentless, unswerving chasing after someone. The church is under continuuos hurting and chasing after you- you are prey to the evil one.

tribulation = “thlipsis” to be crushed or squeezed- ongoing pressure from evil. The opposition to the church is against the message they abide in and proclaim. It is not about their wealth or propeerty ownership, or political power, or loyalty to secualr kings or emperors or to the Roman state, or to the traditional Jewish religion. The treasure of the church is the message - the message of commandments, heartfelt surrender to God, the love among them, the whole idea of a new king and new kingdom that was foretold for 100’s of years is now established and open for business.

Their commitment and faith is an example throughout the other churches.

....5 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. They were suffering for the kingdom= their perseverance and faith. Justice will be served not only that you will be considered worthy, but your affliction will be repaid by the afflictors will be punished. Remember that Jesus said do not avenge yourselves, for vengeance belongs to the Lord Deuteronomy 32:35–36 (HCSB) 35 Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay. In time their foot will slip, for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.” 36 The Lord will indeed vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants....

...7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. This act should give you some relief or pleasure knowing that your intense troubles will not be foregotten. The timing is upon Christ’s return to earth- 2nd coming.

......8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Two things addressed = not knowing God and not obeying the gospel of Jesus .This is not only the good news about Jesus but the good news from Jesus. The entire gospel

knowing = “oida” means more that know about. It means to comprehend, to understand the fullness of knowledge and and not progressing knowledge gained through experience.

Knowing: Romans 1:18–21 (NIV84) 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him,

.....Romans 2:13–16 (NIV84) 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. This is known as Natural Law and also note that Paul says that judgement is included in the gospel

Obeying: -”akouo” to harken, to hear and to obey .note just mentioned that Paul’s gospel includes obedience and punishment for disobedience

… .it was Jesus’s gospel, it was not the gospel about Jesus. Gospel is not just a notice about the resurrection but it also about obedience as found in the teaching of the kingdom....As foretold in Daniel’s vision of the colossal statue of six elements [gold, silver, bronze, iron and partly iron and fired clay]Daniel 2:39–45 (NIV84)39 “After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.”John the Baptist was to announce Matthew 3:1–2 (NIV84)John the Baptist Prepares the Way 3 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

…Jesus preached Matthew 4:23 (NIV84)23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. and Jesus told the pharisees Luke 17:20–21 (NIV84) 20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”

Matthew 10:5–7 (NIV84) 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ ....and Luke 9:1–2 (NIV84)Jesus Sends Out the Twelve 9 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

....V 9God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.The are suffering for the kingdom!!

Therefore, the kingdom is not just about knowing someone or something, nor is it about surrendering and just proclaiming loyalty. The kingdom is also about attitude and behavior. The kingdom is what Jesus spoke about on the Sermon on the Mount, it was about all the teachings in the parable “ the kingdom of God is like”. For faith to be proven it is truly alive, it must exhibit works. Works must obey the kingdom standards. to reject the standards of the kingdom is to reject the King. If you don’t abide in the good news and then you are not a citizen of the Kingdom. Being a saved Christian, is more than signing an insurance policy and declare you are one and then walking away, it is an ongoing walk of goodness depending on repentance.

Don’t connsider the narrow definition of the resurrection and what that entailed. But relish all the teachings of Jesus, Paul, John, about the entire kingdom.

........Once saved always saved ??.2 Peter 2:20–22 (NIV84) 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”

......Hebrews 6:4–6 (NIV84) 4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

.......Hebrews 10:26–31 (NIV84) 26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

...........John 15:5–7 (NIV84) 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

............1 Corinthians 5:9–13 (ESV) 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

...9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you- The punishment for those who persecuted you will be severe- they will be cut off from the presence of God.

And His coming would be marveled at among the believers - tha means you. Unbelievers might be confused, frightened, clueless

Bearing this in mind we continue to pray for you and you will fulfill everything yearned for goodness and the result of faith. So that you

....12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you [or by you], and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. So both Christ and the believer will be glorified - honored, esteemed recognition

And he closes this section again referring to God and Lord Jesus and their grace from

OOOOOOOOO 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12 (NIV84) The Man of Lawlessness 2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 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. 3 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. 4 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.

5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

OOOOOOOOO 2 Thessalonians 2:13–15 (NIV84) Stand Firm 13 But 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. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

OOOOOOOOO 2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 (NIV84) 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.