Their Situation A rocky start from the beginning, the church at Thessalonica faced persecution from day one, (Acts 17:1f). Paul and Silas were sent away by night to escape the potential violence they would suffer after preaching for three Sabbaths in a Jewish synagogue. After their departure and arrival in Berea, upon learning of their successful efforts, these Jews followed them there also, intending to do them harm. Paul acknowledged the turmoil faced by the Thessalonian church saying they had received the word in much affliction. (1:5). The apostle and company likewise endured much conflict (2:2). Their Expectation Paul comforts them with a message of expectation. He encouraged them to wait for Christ's return at which time he would bring about their deliverance. The church was unclear why they were suffering so intensely so Paul reminded them of what he told them when he was with them, that they would suffer tribulation. (3:4,) As aspostles, they were not immune to this violence. (3:7) These sufferings were eschatological in nature in that they were predicted to precede the Parousia, (Matthew 24:9-13). Assuring the church they would survive the tribulation, Paul writes to console, comfort and challenge the Thessalonicans to faithfully endure until Jesus returned, --an event he says would happen before they all died, (4:15, 17) In his closing comments he offered a prayer that their body, soul and spirit would be alive at Christ's return. "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (5:23) This would be a strange prayer indeed if the apostle did not expect Jesus' Parousia in their lifetime as he discussed in chapter 4:15, 17. Their Misapplication In the interim between the first and second letter, persecutions increased and intensified, 2 Thessalonians 2:4-5. Some in Thessalonica believed that the Parousia had already occurred. (2:2) Keep in mind, Paul wrote the letter in the early 50's A.D. Having understood their belief and subsequent behavior, he wrote to correct their understanding of the event. First, the apostasy had to occur. At the time it had not happened. Secondly, the man of sin had to be revealed. It too was then future, (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8) While nothing is said of either of these two events in the first epistle, we must conclude Paul mentioned them while he was yet with them. (2 Thessalonians 2:5) Observations Paul corrects the misunderstanding of the Thessalonicans belief that Jesus had returned. However, he does not offer any apologies or corrections for their expectation of the event in their lifetime. The Thessalonicans did not understand Paul's teaching about Christ's return to include a rapture from the earth or a literal 1000 year reign of Christ on earth before his Parousia. They could not possibly have entertained such an idea if they believed Jesus would return in their lifetime. Paul's itemized list contained only two criteria, the apostasy, and the revealing of the man of sin. Mention of a rapture and millennium is conspicuously omitted from his reply. The Thessalonicans had no concept that the existing universe would be destroyed. Their idea of the Lord's return was that life would continue on earth. See Ecclesiastes 1:4 Paul's correction to the Thessalonicans had to do with the timing of the event, not it's nature. Their error was not in expecting the Parousia to happen soon, but in the expectation of that even too soon. Elsewhere the event is tied to destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, (Matthew 24:3, 30, 34). A.D. 51, or 52, was 20 years premature. The signs Paul gave the Thessalonicans to look for would be meaningless to them as guidelines to correct the timing of their expectation if the event were not to happen in their lifetime. It would be useless verbiage in their case. All Paul needed to say was that it would not happen while they were alive. He didn't. Not only did he not say it, but he gave them clear signs to look for so they could accurately recognize it when it happened. The fact that he gave them signs, is further proof that the day of the Lord was a spiritual event and not the kind of event most people expect today. There is no need to point out through a sign, that which everyone could recognize without one. |
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