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KNOWING GOD THROUGHTHESSALONIANS

I remember a conversation I had with some friends ofmine at the outset of WWII. One of them asked, “Doyou think it’s possible that Jesus might come tonightand deliver us from the mess we are in?” “No,” Ireplied, “The signs of the end have not yet been ful-filled. Antichrist must rule the world for a short timebefore Jesus comes back.” We all agreed that Jesuscouldn’t return yet. Then one of them said, “Thiswould be a perfect time, then, for Him to return be-cause Jesus said that He would return ‘at an hour youdo not expect’” (Mt. 24:44).

This got me thinking. Matthew 24:15-31 depicts afrightening time of tribulation plus awesome wondersin nature as preludes to Christ’s return. Yet Jesus saidHe would come when people would not be expectingHim. Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians helped mesolve this problem and clarified many other second-coming issues as well. I pray that this booklet willbring to you a clearer understanding of the events ofthe endtimes that these wonderful letters provide.

Herb Vander Lugt, RBC Senior Research Editor

A Rendezvous With Jesus ......................................2Knowing God Through Thessalonians ....................3

Waiting Expectantly.............................................4Waiting Knowledgeably .....................................10Waiting Appropriately........................................26

Are You Ready? ....................................................32

Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Photo: Terry BidgoodScripture quotations are from the New King James Version, ©1979, 1980, 1982, ThomasNelson, Inc., Publishers.Copyright © 1997 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

A RENDEZVOUS WITH JESUS Marshall Applewhite and 38 of his Heaven’s Gate fol-lowers committed suicide because they were con-vinced that by leaving their bodies they couldrendezvous with a spaceship trailing the Hale-Boppcomet to begin life on a higher plane. “Experts” im-mediately offered their explanations of this bizarre in-cident. Several took advantage of the opportunity tostrike a few low blows at Christians who believe in theliteral return of Jesus. “After all,” they reasoned,“don’t Christians also anticipate being caught up fora rendezvous in the air?”

There is a similarity, but is it real or superficial? Oneway to find out is to study the letters written by theapostle Paul to the Thessalonians. Written in AD 50 or51, when many who saw Jesus after His resurrectionwere still alive, these letters witness powerfully to thetruth of the New Testament and reveal the attitude offirst-century Christians toward Christ’s return. Theseletters also contain more specific teaching about thesecond coming than any other book in the New Tes-tament. From these two letters we can learn all weneed to know about this tremendous event:

• Why we should live in daily expectation of it. • What will occur when He comes.• How we should live as we wait for Him. Since the Pauline authorship of these letters and

their dates are so well-documented that they are vir-tually unquestioned (even by anti-supernaturalisticscholars), their teaching is undeniably authentic.They are also highly relevant at this time when somany people are thinking about the end of the world.

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KNOWING GOD THROUGHTHESSALONIANS

In AD 50, Paul entered the Greek city of Thessaloni-ca and held services in a Jewish synagogue on 3 suc-cessive sabbaths before being driven out by hostileJews. But during his brief ministry there he led toChrist some of the Jews, “a great multitude of the de-vout Greeks [Gentiles who had been attracted to theJewish faith because of its highly moral monotheism],and not a few of the leading women” (Acts 17:4).

Paul was in Corinth a few months later where hereceived an encouraging report about the continuingspiritual vitality of these recent converts. However, healso learned that a few problems had developed. Itappears that some people had understood him to saythat the second coming of Christ would take placevery soon. As a result, a number of them had quitworking and were either living off their savings or de-pending on others for their necessities. So they need-ed encouragement, instruction, and correction.

For their encouragement, Paul commended themfor their devotion to Christ, telling them that believersin other cities were impressed with the way they had“turned to God from idols to serve the living and trueGod, and to wait for His Son from heaven” (1 Th. 1:9-10). He then went on to instruct them carefully and tocorrect them lovingly about the manner in which theywere to wait for Jesus.

Paul’s words of instruction and correction can besummarized under three headings: waiting expectant-ly, waiting knowledgeably, and waiting appropriately.

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WAITING EXPECTANTLYJesus promised His disciples that He would return forHis people. They never forgot His promise. Christiansstill look forward to this event with anticipation. TheThessalonian believers were right in their eager ex-pectation of Christ’s return. Years later in another let-ter, Paul described those who live “godly” as “lookingfor the blessed hope and glorious appearing of ourgreat God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Ti. 2:13). Theapostle John also encouraged us to be continuallymindful of this expectation:

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it hasnot yet been revealed what we shall be, but weknow that when He is revealed, we shall be likeHim, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyonewho has this hope in Him purifies himself, just asHe is pure (1 Jn. 3:2-3).Among the Thessalonians this expectation was a

passionate longing. For most believers, this hopetakes a less intense form. We rejoice in the fact thatJesus is coming, but we don’t yearn for it with impa-tient fervor. Why not? Should we? These are two ofthe questions we will try to answer in this booklet.

A Passionate Longing (1 Th. 1:1–3:10). As notedearlier, the Thessalonian believers were eagerly ex-pecting the Lord’s return. Few of us share their inten-sity of desire. However, we can perhaps understandwhy this was true of them by considering their situa-tion. In the first place, most of them had just recentlyundergone a radical conversion. Second, they werebeing persecuted fiercely by their Jewish and paganpeers.

Their Radical Conversion. Christian conversion isalways a highly significant event, but it is not always a

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radical, about-face experience. Children from a Chris-tian home who have been associated with the Bible,prayer, and the church since infancy make a momen-tous decision when they receive Jesus as their Savior,but they are not likely to experience a radical changein either outlook or behavior. On the contrary, peopleconverted to Christ from militant atheism or passion-ate devotion to another religion step into a situationnever anticipated. They find themselves with a brand-new outlook on life. They may have to make newfriends because most of their relatives and formercompanions will either oppose or abandon them. Andthey will have to give up practices that have long beena part of their very existence.

This is what took place when people in Thessa-lonica turned to Jesus. The Jews and God-fearingGreeks, who according to Acts 17:4 were among thefirst converts, had undoubtedly been warned about anew religion which, by honoring Jesus Christ as God,denied the monotheism they held so dear. Yet, whenthey heard Paul and his companions and sensed thepresence of the supernatural in their ministry, theycould not help but believe their message, a messagethat came “not . . . in word only, but also in power,and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance” (1 Th.1:5). Their conversion was an emotional experiencebecause it was accompanied by immediate opposi-tion on the one hand and supernatural joy on theother. They “received the word in much affliction, withjoy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Th. 1:6).

The joy they experienced must have so out-weighed their distress at being persecuted that theyimmediately shared the good news with all who wouldlisten. It appears that many pagans turned to the

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Lord. They must have far outnumbered the convertsfrom Judaism because Paul referred to the Thessalo-nians as having “turned to God from idols” (1 Th.1:9). This involved a tremendous change in lifestyle.The mystery religions offered exciting festivals, mys-tic cleansing rites, ecstatic tongues-speaking, andambiguous oracles that purportedly came from thegods. These observances and practices were a majorpart of their lives. Turning to Jesus Christ from thiskind of religious system, which was so intricatelywoven into the fabric of Greek society, was such aradical step that only those ready for full commitmentto Jesus Christ would take it.

It is not surprising, then, that they were so zealousin their devotion to Jesus that Paul expressed hisgratitude for their “work of faith, labor of love, and pa-tience of hope” (1 Th. 1:3). Their faith moved themto work for Jesus. Their love expressed itself in self-sacrificing toil. Their hope, which gave them patiencein the face of severe opposition, also developed inthem a passionate longing for Jesus.

Their Difficult Circumstances. A second factorthat contributed to their intense longing for Christ’sreturn was their persecution. It came from both paganGreeks (“your own countrymen”—1 Th. 2:14) andfrom unbelieving Jews (“who killed both the LordJesus and their own prophets”—1 Th. 2:15-16). Theexact nature of the opposition is not stated. It mayhave been persecution by the local government,though undoubtedly not under official sanction fromRome. Perhaps it consisted largely of harassment byformer friends, discrimination in the marketplace, andeven violence that went unnoticed by the magistrates.When we read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, we discover

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that the opposition was so severe that some believerssaw it as a sign they had entered the frightening end-time period of tribulation called the “day of the Lord”by the Old Testament prophets.

In addition to personal persecution, the believers inThessalonica were bombarded by slanderous chargesagainst Paul and his co-workers. These attacks on theevangelists were a real trial for these new believers.Since the favorable impression Paul and his compan-ions made on them had been a factor in their conver-sion, their faith in Jesus was closely bound up withtheir confidence in the integrity of these men. Realiz-ing this, the apostle took great pains to remind thesenew believers of what he and his co-workers were likewhen they were with them.

To refute any charge that he and his associateswere religious impostors, Paul referred to the evi-dence of God’s presence and power that made theirministry so effective (1 Th. 1:5-7; 2:1).

To refute any charge that they were insincere, Paulpointed out that they were bold in the face of perse-cution and spoke honestly as before God, with no at-tempt to gain favor with them through flattery or towin them through trickery (1 Th. 2:2-5).

To refute any charge that he was power hungry,Paul recalled for them the fact that he worked to sup-port himself and was as gentle among them as amother is with her child (1 Th. 2:6-9).

To refute any charge that he was uncaring, Paul re-minded them of the way he worked among them,making himself available to them night and day. Hetold them of his longing to see them, explained howhis concern for them had led him to send Timothy tovisit them, and recounted how he had rejoiced when

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Timothy returned with good news about their spiritu-al progress (1 Th. 2:10–3:10).

These reminders undoubtedly reinvigorated thesebelievers’ confidence in Paul and his companions.But the hurt they felt at the thought of the injusticedone to these servants of God probably intensifiedtheir longing for the day when Jesus would return tovindicate and reward His suffering people. And therewas nothing wrong with that!

A Comforting Hope (1 Th. 3:11-13). Christianswho live in pleasant circumstances do not normallyhave a passionate longing for Christ’s return. We mayyearn for it when overwhelmed by pain, sorrow, ordisappointment, but once life is back to normal weare quite happy to remain on planet earth. Thedeeply sensitive among us may long for the return ofJesus when distressed by all the suffering caused byinjustice, war, crime, and moral perversity, knowingthat these evils will end only when Jesus rules overthe earth as her King.

This desire for the Lord’s return may also surfacewhen, distressed by our continuing struggle against in-dwelling sin, we echo the words of Paul, “O wretchedman that I am! Who will deliver me from this body ofdeath? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”(Rom. 7:24-25). Even then, this longing for the sin-lessness of heaven is counterbalanced by a reluctanceto leave loved ones and friends. Need we feel guiltyabout this ambivalence?

Paul’s prayer in 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 is not apetition that we have a passionate, almost impatientdesire for the immediate return of the Savior. Hisprayer is that we may grow in love and be strength-ened inwardly so that we will be “blameless in holiness

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before our God and Father at the coming of our LordJesus Christ with all His saints” (v.13).

A lively 13-year-old Christian girl once asked me ifit was wrong for her to be more captivated by thoughtsof romance, marriage, and motherhood than the re-turn of Jesus. I assured her that God was not dis-pleased with her for being a normal young person. Isaid that He didn’t expect her to be so focused onChrist’s return—which could occur today but may nottake place in the next hundred years—that she had todeny her normal and legitimate human desires. But Ireminded her of her responsibility to be aware that Heis coming back and to live in such a way that she willnot be ashamed to meet Him. Before she left me tojoin her friends, I assured her that if the Lord returnedbefore she has a chance for adult life, she will findheaven so wonderful that she will not feel in the leastthat she was cheated out of some happiness.

Waiting expectantly may or may not be a passion-ate longing that the Lord’s return take place immedi-ately. But the prospect of it should always be a sourceof joy, and the day-by-day expectation of it should al-ways be a purifying hope.

SEEING GOD• In Paul’s early references to God as Father (1:1,3),

we are reminded of His parental concern for Hischildren.

• In Paul’s declaration to the Thessalonians that theway they turned to the Lord was proof of their havingbeen chosen for salvation, we see His sovereignty.

• In God’s supernatural accompaniment of Paul andhis associates, we see His active involvement inthe salvation of those He has chosen.

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SEEING OURSELVES• In the Lord’s empowering of the ministry of Paul

and his helpers, we see that without His enable-ment we could never have been saved.

• In the devotion of the persecuted Thessalonian be-lievers, we see why suffering is often good for us.

• In Paul’s life, we see an example of what we can beby God’s grace.

WAITING KNOWLEDGEABLYThe followers of William Miller were undoubtedly sin-cere in their devotion to Jesus when on a set day in1844 they donned white robes and stood on a hillwaiting for Jesus to take them up to heaven. But theydefinitely were lacking in their understanding of theScriptures. This was also the case with the Thessa-lonian believers. Their zeal was praiseworthy. So wastheir longing to be with Jesus. But they retreated fromtheir responsibilities because they had the idea thatthe second coming of Jesus was an any-moment cer-tainty instead of an any-moment possibility. This re-vealed a serious misunderstanding of what Paul hadtaught them about Jesus’ return.

In addition, they lacked knowledge about two otherimportant details associated with the second coming.First, they were afraid that the believers who had diedwere not going to share fully in the blessings thatwould be experienced by living believers. Second,many interpreted their trials as an indication that theyhad entered that terrible endtime period of divinejudgment and wrath called “the day of the Lord” inthe Old Testament.

To inform and correct them, the apostle proceed-ed to affirm three important features of the Lord’s re-

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turn. First, at His coming for the church, the dead andthe living will receive their glorified bodies. Togetherthey will meet the Lord in the air (1 Th. 4:13-18).Second, the rapture will occur suddenly and unex-pectedly without warning signs (1 Th. 5:1-11). Third,because believers are indwelt by the Spirit, they mustbe removed from the earth before the horrors of “theday of the Lord” can begin (2 Th. 2:1-12).

The Rapture: A Selective Resurrection AndTransformation (1 Th. 4:13-18). To give the Thes-salonian believers assurance about those who haddied recently and to correct some misconceptions,Paul described three distinct events that will occur atChrist’s return: (1) believers who died as Christianswill be resurrected; (2) living believers will be trans-formed; and (3) both groups will be caught up to-gether to meet the Lord in the air.

I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest yousorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even soGod will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.For this we say to you by the word of the Lord,that we who are alive and remain until the comingof the Lord will by no means precede those whoare asleep. For the Lord Himself will descendfrom heaven with a shout, with the voice of an

archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And thedead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are aliveand remain shall be caught up together with themin the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thuswe shall always be with the Lord (1 Th. 4:13-17). The words are so clear they need little explanation,

but let me make three observations. First, by using the 11

first personal plural pronoun in “we who are alive,” theapostle left open the possibility that the rapture mightoccur during his own lifetime. But he never said hewould surely live until the rapture. In fact, he alwaysacknowledged the possibility that he might die, and hedid so with calm confidence, even with anticipation(Phil. 1:19-26; 2 Tim. 4:6-18). In this he was a modelfor believers in every subsequent generation. We areto live with the expectation that Jesus might come atany moment, but we must also acknowledge that Hemay not return until after we have died. And it doesn’treally matter. The resurrected and the transformed willshare equally in the blessings of Christ’s return.

Second, Paul mentioned three sounds that will ac-company our Lord’s descent: the shout (lit. “cry ofcommand”), the voice of an archangel (perhaps a sig-nal of the end of God’s program for the church and theresumption of His unique relationship with Israel), andthe trumpet of God (probably like the trumpet soundthe Israelites heard at Mt. Sinai as described in Exodus19). Some Bible students insist that only believers willhear these sounds. Maybe so. But we can’t be sure.Coming simultaneously with our Lord’s descent, theywill not give anyone time to prepare. If heard by theunsaved as well as believers, they certainly would adda startling element to this clearly supernatural event.This would make it more difficult for God’s enemies tocome up with a plausible explanation of the disap-pearance of millions of people.

Third, while the dead in Christ will receive their newbodies before those who are still alive, the differencein time is like the blinking of an eye. A man who knewthe end of his life was near had a twinkle in his eyewhen he said, “Brother, I have been expecting the Lord

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to take me to heaven without dying, but it looks likeHe’ll take me through death. Maybe you’ll live until theday He comes, but if you do, you’ll have nothing onme. I’ll get my new body a split-second ahead of youbecause ‘the dead in Christ will rise first.’” He wasright, but the time element—like the blink of an eye—does not speak of the advantage of those who died asmuch as it does of the oneness of all believers fromPentecost to the rapture. We will be caught up “to-gether” to meet Jesus. What a rendezvous!

The Rapture: An Unannounced Surprise (1 Th.5:1-12). Having assured the Thessalonian believersabout the good future for Christians who die before thesecond coming, Paul addressed their mistaken ideathat the Lord’s return could not be long delayed. Theysaw their trials and persecution as signs of its nearness.Some of them were so sure of its immediacy that theyquit their jobs. Paul therefore took great pains to teachthem that their tribulation was not necessarily a sign ofthe nearness of the rapture. He wanted them to knowthat the rapture will be sudden and unannounced; thatit will, in fact, catch many people by surprise.

Concerning the times [the date] and the seasons[the signs indicating its nearness], brethren, youhave no need that I should write to you. For youyourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lordso comes as a thief in the night. For when theysay, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destructioncomes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnantwoman. And they shall not escape. But you,brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Dayshould overtake you as a thief. You are all sons oflight and sons of the day. We are not of the nightnor of darkness (1 Th. 5:1-5).

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Like A Thief In The Night. Paul said that the Thes-salonians should have known (apparently from whathe had told them) that a “day of the Lord” (no articlein the Greek) will come stealthily, “like a thief in thenight.” When nonbelievers are quite comfortable,thinking things are under control, a “day of the Lord”will suddenly “overtake” them, and they “will not es-cape.” It is clear that Paul was referring to the rapturebecause this is what the Thessalonians were expect-ing. But for unbelievers, the rapture will be an un-pleasant and unexpected event.

The fact that Paul referred to it as a “day of theLord” requires a bit of explanation. This term, accord-ing to excellent scholars like Leon Morris, has a rathercomplex usage in the Old Testament. Sometimes(usually with the article the) it denotes the outpouringof God’s wrath in passages that bring together into onepicture an impending judgment in the near future andthe final endtime judgment that will prepare the wayfor the establishment of God’s kingdom.

For example, in Isaiah 13 “the day of the LORD”refers to Babylon’s imminent defeat by the Medes(vv.1-5,17-18), but it also depicts judgments that gofar beyond that event (vv.6-16,19-22). The “day ofthe LORD” has a slightly different connotation inEzekiel 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1,11,31; 3:14; Amos5:18,20; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1:7,14; Malachi 4:5.These passages indicate that the “day of the LORD” isa time of divine intervention in judgment, but withouta clear endtime scenario.

In Zechariah 14:1, it has still another connotation.The term “day of the LORD” covers a time period thatextends from the war of Armageddon into the goldenage, the millennium of Revelation 20. This complex

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usage of the term in the Old Testament made it pos-sible for Paul to be completely accurate in referring tothe rapture as a “day of the Lord.” Ray Stedmanmade this astute observation:

Actually, the phrase “day of the Lord” refers toany period of time when God acts directly and unmistakably in human affairs. It may be in blessing, as in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit onthe Day of Pentecost, or it may be in judgment. Orit may be that the same event will be a judgmentfor some people and a blessing for others.Because a “day of the Lord” comes stealthily as “a

thief in the night” when the nonbelievers are saying,“Peace and safety,” it will catch them unprepared forwhat will follow—utter chaos. Land vehicles of allkinds will suddenly be without drivers. Many planeswill be without pilots. Machines everywhere will bewithout operators. Key men and women in the worldsof government, industry, finance, education, and en-tertainment will not be in their positions. Valuableproperties and billions of dollars will be ownerless andup for grabs. It’s also possible that children who havenot reached the age of accountability will be amongthose who are raptured.

Do you remember the crime and violence that ac-companied the last California earthquake? Just thinkabout what will happen in the wake of this worldwideupheaval! Strong leadership with dictatorial powerwill be required to bring things under control. Thestage will be set for the rise of the Antichrist and theunleashing of the frightful judgments portrayed inRevelation 5–19.

In emphasizing the unexpected nature of the rap-ture, Paul reiterated what Jesus had said earlier:

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As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also inthe days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank,they married wives, they were given in marriage,until the day that Noah entered the ark, and theflood came and destroyed them all. . . . Even sowill it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed (Lk. 17:26-27,30). Note the pattern: life as usual with warnings un-

heeded, an unanticipated removal of God’s people,and an unleashing of God’s judgment.

A Welcome Surprise. The element of unexpected-ness will hold true for believers, but not necessarilythe unpreparedness. It should be and can be a wel-come surprise. Paul said:

You, brethren, are not in darkness, so that thisDay should overtake you as a thief. You are allsons of light and sons of the day. We are not ofthe night nor of darkness (1 Th. 5:4-5). As believers who live in the light, we know this

event will occur so we can anticipate it. But since wedo not know just when it will take place, we will findit a welcome surprise. To illustrate, imagine a hus-band and father leaving for an overseas assignmentand saying to his family, “I don’t know how long I willbe away, but I will be back as soon as possible.” Hiswife and children take him at his word and expect hisreturn. But when he returns he decides it would be funto walk into his house without a telephone call. Itwould be a welcome surprise! His return would haveno resemblance to the stealthy visit of a thief in thenight. But if one of the teens has rebelled against hismother’s authority and gotten himself into trouble, thesudden appearance of his father would be a mixedblessing. He would be glad Dad is back, but he would

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have some dread of a private meeting with him. Heknows he wouldn’t be beaten to within an inch of hislife or be disowned, but a sense of shame and the an-ticipated hurt he expects to see on his father’s facewould make him apprehensive. That’s how it will bewhen Jesus comes for His own. First John 2:28 warnsabout the possibility of being “ashamed before Him atHis coming.”

Having made it clear that the rapture will not bepreceded by signs and that it therefore will catchmany unprepared, Paul issued an admonition and apromise to believers:

Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let uswatch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep atnight, and those who get drunk are drunk atnight. But let us who are of the day be sober,putting on the breastplate of faith and love, andas a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did notappoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvationthrough our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us,that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him (1 Th. 5:6-10). The exhortation tells us how to live so that the

Lord’s return will be a welcome surprise, untarnishedby any regret or shame. The promise that God did notappoint us to wrath but to deliverance is often taken asa reference to our eternal destiny. This is a possible in-terpretation. But coming as it does after Paul’s con-trast between what the rapture means for believersand what it means for non-Christians, it seems best toview it as a promise of deliverance from the divinewrath that is going to fall on those who are left behind.If this is what Paul had in mind, the rapture will be notonly an unannounced surprise, it will also be a gra-

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cious deliverance from the most frightful timespan ofall history. Let’s test the validity of this concept.

The Rapture: A Gracious Deliverance (2 Th. 2:1-12). The question “Will the church go through thegreat tribulation?” has been vigorously debated byChristian scholars, and it cannot be settled by appealto any one passage of Scripture. But all must agreethat 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 speaks to this issue moredirectly than any other chapter in the Bible. In it Paulcorrected a misconception that some Thessalonianbelievers had gathered from questionable sources—that they had entered the frightening endtime “day ofthe Lord” of Old Testament prophecy.

Paul assured them that they had not entered thisfearful endtime judgment era. He did so by callingtheir attention to two closely related events that mustoccur before the coming of this “day of the Lord”:

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comesfirst, and the man of sin is revealed, the son ofperdition, who opposes and exalts himself aboveall that is called God or that is worshiped, so thathe sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God (2 Th. 2:3-4).The setting of this double-barreled event—the

falling away and the revealing of the man of sin—ap-pears in the Old Testament book of Daniel, a remark-able document written in the sixth century BC. Theprophet predicted that in the endtimes a powerfulworld leader he called “the prince who is to come”(9:26) will “confirm a covenant with many [Israel] forone week [a 7-year timespan]; but in the middle ofthe week he will bring an end to sacrifice and offering.And on the wing of abominations shall be one who

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makes desolate” (v.27). The leaders of Israel will ap-parently trust this man and make an agreement withhim, but he will break it and reveal his true nature asa treacherous and cruel enemy of their nation.

The Thessalonian believers needed to be remindedof truths Paul had taught them while he was withthem. In the first place, the frightful endtime “day ofthe Lord” will be preceded by two closely relatedevents: “the falling away” and the revealing of the“man of sin.” Second, someone who restrains mustbe taken out of the way before these events can takeplace.

The Falling Away. Paul wrote, “Let no one deceiveyou by any means; for that Day will not come unlessthe falling away comes first” (2 Th. 2:3). Unfortunate-ly, the rendering “falling away” has led some to see theapostle as referring to apostasy in the church. But todo this is to ignore the context. This term is so close-ly tied to the revealing of “the man of sin” that thesetwo events have a causal relationship. It is through this“falling away” that the man of sin is revealed. Besides,the Greek word apostasia denotes a departure withhostile overtones. The NIV translators correctly ren-dered the word “rebellion.” This meaning is borne outas we look at the endtime person Paul called the “manof sin” and the “son of perdition.”

The Revealed Tyrant. This evil person who is re-vealed in or through “the rebellion” is the comingworld ruler to whom we were introduced in Daniel 9.He appears again in Daniel 11:36-45, where he is por-trayed as initiating an all-out rebellion against God:

Then the king shall do according to his own will:he shall exalt and magnify himself above everygod, shall speak blasphemies against the God of

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gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished (v.36).This same man is called the “beast rising up out of

the sea” in Revelation 13:1, where the rebellionagainst God led by him and his henchman is graphi-cally described. He first appears as a hero and re-ceives the voluntary worship of multitudes. Onceaccepted by mankind, he begins to blaspheme thetrue God and “make war with the saints.” His right-hand man, the “beast coming up out of the earth,”who is called the “false prophet” in Revelation 19:20,will perform supernatural feats, demand that all peo-ple worship the beast, and kill those who refuse.

All of this ties in perfectly with Paul’s depiction ofhim as one who “opposes and exalts himself aboveall that is called God or that is worshiped, so that hesits as God in the temple of God, showing himself thathe is God” (2 Th. 2:4). He is the Antichrist, the mostcruel tyrant of all history. And the dreadful “day of theLord,” which the Thessalonian believers thought theyhad entered, will not begin until he is in his place ofpower. Therefore, the Thessalonians could be surethey were not in the great tribulation.

The Remarkable Restrainer. After portraying thecharacteristics and actions of the coming Antichrist,Paul reminded his readers in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8that when he was with them he had told them abouta restraining influence and a personal restrainer thatwere holding back the powers of evil:

Now you know what is restraining, that he maybe revealed in his own time. For the mystery oflawlessness is already at work; only He who nowrestrains will do so until He is taken out of theway. And then the lawless one will be revealed.

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It is important to note that the phrase “what is re-straining” is neuter in the Greek, while the expression“He who restrains” is masculine. Bible students havenot been able to reach a consensus as to the identityof the restrainer. Some have said the restrainer isGod, who does so through His providential control ofall things. But will God and His providence be takenout of the way when Antichrist comes to power?

Others have said that the restrainer was the RomanEmperor and his government. But the Roman Empirecame to an end without the Antichrist making his ap-pearance. Some have even conjectured that the re-strainer is Michael, the archangel mentioned in Daniel12:1 as standing up for the Israelites in the endtimes.

All this uncertainty, however, seems quite unnec-essary. To whom was Jesus speaking when He said,“You are the salt of the earth”? (Mt. 5:13). The answeris obvious—His people. Who are His people in thisage? Those who make up His body, the church. Whoempowers believers for this task? The Holy Spirit,who indwells every believer and equips all who yieldto Him. The restrainer is therefore the Holy Spirit asHe works through the born-again people who consti-tute the body of Christ.

This is not a new teaching as some imply. Biblicalscholar Robert L. Thomas points out that according tothe well-known exegete Henry Alford (1810-1871),this view has deep roots in church history. Notice thatthe text does not say that the Holy Spirit will be takenaway—it says “out of the way.” His special ministry inthe church, which began 50 days after Christ’s resur-rection (Acts 2), will terminate at the rapture. He willcontinue to function on the earth, but in a manner sim-ilar to that of the Old Testament era. This will open the

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way for Satan to launch his all-out effort to disruptGod’s program for Israel and mankind.

The devil and his henchmen undoubtedly will offerclever explanations for the disappearance of believ-ers. This will delude many, including all who duringthe church age deliberately and hatefully rejected thegospel (2 Th. 2:8-12). But this satanic rebellion anddeception cannot begin until the proper time (v.6)and will end suddenly in God’s own time—at the re-turn of Christ in glory to destroy His enemies “with thebreath of His mouth” (v.8).

The identity of the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2gives us a strong basis for believing that the churchwill be removed before the great tribulation begins.

The Rapture: Harbinger Of A New Day (2 Th. 1:1-12). The coming of Jesus for the church will usher ina terrible time for those left on earth. But the time oftrouble will be brief and purposeful. Revelation 13:5tells us that Antichrist will be in power for only 42months. And during this brief period of tribulation anunnumbered multitude will turn to Jesus and the na-tion of Israel will be prepared to welcome Him as Mes-siah when He returns to rule the earth in righteousness(Zech.12:10-14; Mt. 23:38-39).

From the beginning of the church until now, be-lievers have known that vindication will come ulti-mately. But during the great tribulation, believers willknow that it will be soon. A young man who grew upin Uganda told a group of us how his father was ex-ecuted because he refused to deny Christ. He andthousands like him all over the world have seen cruelanti-God leaders seemingly get away with barbaricatrocities. Even when forced out of office, most ofthese tyrants have been able to find sanctuary in an-

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other country where they continue a lavish lifestyle.Sometimes persecuted people see in this world theoutworking of the principle that people reap whatthey have sown. But for the most part it is onlythrough the exercise of faith that they can live withthe assurance that in the end God’s justice will pre-vail. And as they keep trusting the Lord, they be-come stronger in their faith and devotion.

This was the situation for believers in first-centuryThessalonica. Paul could not give them a guaranteethat they would soon be delivered from their oppres-sors. He could only praise the Lord for the way theywere handling their affliction and remind them ofwhat God would do.

It is a righteous thing with God to repay withtribulation those who trouble you, and to give youwho are troubled rest with us when the LordJesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on thosewho do not know God, and on those who do notobey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thesewill be punished with everlasting destruction fromthe presence of the Lord and from the glory of Hispower, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorifiedin His saints and to be admired among all thosewho believe (2 Th. 1:6-10).The Appearing. At the appearing (Gk. apokalypsei)

of Jesus Christ, the unbelieving enemies of God will berepaid and the believing members of His family will berewarded. But we must wait in patience, not knowingwhen it will take place. Tribulation saints (those whoturn to Jesus after the rapture) will know that ourLord’s glorious appearing is just around the corner.

Paul declared that when this day comes, the Lord 23

will be “revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,in flaming fire” (2 Th. 1:7-8). The presence of thepowerful angels fits perfectly with the words of Jesus:

Immediately after the tribulation of those days thesun will be darkened . . . . Then the sign of theSon of Man will appear in heaven, . . . and theywill see the Son of Man coming on the clouds ofheaven with power and great glory. And He willsend His angels (Mt. 24:29-31).Paul here presents the glorious appearing of Jesus

as the climax of a whole series of events that willbegin with the rapture.

The Retribution. Paul said that when Jesus re-turns in blazing fire with His powerful angels, He willtake “vengeance on those who do not know God,and on those who do not obey the gospel of ourLord Jesus Christ” (2 Th. 1:8). Let it be noted thatthe Greek word translated “vengeance” has ab-solutely no connotation of vindictiveness. It is acompound word that denotes “unwavering justice.”It is the dispensing of perfect justice on the wrong-doer—nothing more, nothing less. This righteousjudgment will be dispensed to both those who donot know God because they have rejected His rev-elation of Himself in nature and conscience (as inRom. 1:18-32) and to those who have rejected thegospel, which, according to Leon Morris, is “dis-obedience to a royal invitation.”

Their punishment, which is meted out in perfectjustice, will be “everlasting destruction from the pres-ence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2Th. 1:9). To understand “eternal destruction,” it willhelp us to consider its opposite—“eternal life,” a pres-ent possession of every believer (Jn. 5:24). Eternal

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life is more than unending existence—it is a spiritualquality of life derived from our relationship with Godthrough Jesus Christ (Jn. 17:3). Eternal destructionis existence away “from the presence of the Lord andfrom the glory of His power” (2 Th. 1:9). It is contin-uance as a conscious being separated in varying de-grees from everything that makes life significant andworthwhile.

To the extent that people have wanted freedomfrom God and resented His interfering with their lives,they will experience the abject emptiness, dreary lone-liness, and soul-chilling terror of God-forsakenness.For a human being created in the image of God anddesigned to worship and serve Him, separation fromHis presence and the glory of His power is indeedeverlasting destruction—it is utter ruin.

The Reward. The appearing of Jesus Christ will bea wonderful event for believers. Paul said that whenHe comes He will “be glorified in His saints and . . . beadmired among all those who believe” (2 Th. 1:10).Note the expression, “to be glorified in His saints.”The Lord will be glorious; we will be glorious. Glorywill radiate from Him to us, and back from us to Him.In the presence of the angels, this will bring honor andpraise to Him.

For believers, another purpose of His appearanceis “to be admired among all those who believe.” Theidea is that of marveling at the wonder of it all—thewonder of His person, the wonder of our own glorifi-cation, the wonder of our new environment. Theapostle’s assuring words to the Thessalonians thatthey would share in all of this because they believedthe gospel are applicable to all those who haveplaced their trust in Jesus Christ!

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SEEING GOD• In God’s withholding from us the date of the rap-

ture, we see God’s love and wisdom. It would notbe good for us, and its value as an incentive togodliness would be minimized.

• In His promise of rapture before wrath, we see Hismercy to His undeserving people.

• In His program of tribulation for Israel and the un-saved Gentile world, we see His holy wrath cou-pled with His concern for the salvation of bothgroups.

SEEING OURSELVES• In the weaknesses of the Thessalonian believers,

we see our own weakness.• In the Thessalonians’ eagerness for the Lord’s re-

turn, we see one of the reasons suffering hasvalue.

WAITING APPROPRIATELY In addition to waiting for the return of Jesus expec-tantly and knowledgeably, believers should do so ap-propriately by living exemplary lives. We should, asRay Stedman put it, be “living Christianly.” One rea-son we don’t make a greater impact on the world isthat too many people who profess faith in Jesus andattend church regularly lie without blinking an eye,cheat on their taxes, pull dishonest business deals,break their marriage vows, hold bitter grudges,spread malicious gossip, and despise the downtrod-den in society while overlooking the evils of the richand successful. Even those of us who are seen by ourpeers as truthful, honest, moral, and kind can at heartbe self-serving and self-righteous. Paul was writing tous as well as to the believers in Thessalonica when he

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interspersed practical Christian-life admonitionsthroughout these letters.

Maintain Sexual Purity (1 Th. 4:1-8). Pagan soci-ety in the first century was marked by sexual permis-siveness. So believers needed to be reminded thatGod wants His people to be distinctive by their chasti-ty. Christians are to keep their passions under controlbecause their bodies belong to God. Adultery alwaysdefrauds someone other than the two participants inthe act. The unmarried who commit fornicationwrong their future partner by not being able to bringinto their marriage the virginity one has a right to ex-pect. God will punish sexual impurity because it vio-lates the whole character of the Christian life and isoutright disobedience to the One who has given usthe Holy Spirit to enable us.

Love One Another (1 Th. 4:9-10). Paul said thatthe Holy Spirit had taught his readers to love oneanother, that they were doing it, and that theyshould continue to do so. We know that the love Goddemands means being kind, forgiving, helpful, andtender toward others regardless of how we feel to-ward them. We must therefore choose to be loving.And whenever we fail by being unkind, sarcastic, orcritical, we owe the person we wronged a sincereapology.

Work Diligently (1 Th. 4:11-12; 2 Th. 3:6-15).Paul made it clear that productive employment is aChristian duty. He pointed to himself as an example,reminding the Thessalonians how he worked at histrade so that he would not be a financial burden onthem. As a man well-versed in the Old Testament, heknew that God gave Adam and Eve work to do in theGarden of Eden before the fall (Gen. 1:28; 2:15). We

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are stewards of the earth and its resources. By work-ing diligently, we gain a sense of accomplishment andbenefit for both ourselves and others.

To the Thessalonian believers who had quit theirjobs because they expected the immediate return ofJesus, Paul gave two other reasons for working. First,a steady job would help keep them from continuingtheir busybody activities and making a nuisance ofthemselves by minding the affairs of others (2 Th.3:11-12). Second, by engaging in honest toil theywould “walk properly toward those who are outside,”so that they would “lack nothing” (1 Th. 4:12).

Their testimony before the unsaved world was atstake. Therefore, the apostle twice commanded theobedient believers to deal with anyone who remainedidle—to “withdraw” (2 Th. 3:6) and to “note that per-son and do not keep company with him, that he maybe ashamed” (2 Th. 3:14). This is a withdrawal fromintimate fellowship, not the kind of withdrawal onewould take when someone’s commitment to Christ isin doubt.

Treating the man as a brother (v.15) calls for gen-tle treatment with just enough bite to make him feelashamed and lead to repentance. More severe mea-sures would be required in the case of continued dis-obedience, but these steps are not outlined here. Paulapparently was confident that the action he specifiedwould be adequate.

Honor Your Spiritual Leaders (1 Th. 5:12-13).Since the Thessalonian church was less than a yearold, the men who served as elders and deacons werethemselves new believers and probably lacked someleadership skills. But Paul commanded the churchmembers to help them in three ways. First, they were

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to “recognize” them as “over you in the Lord” with adivine mandate to “admonish you,” acknowledgingthe leaders’ responsibility to look out for their spiritu-al welfare. Second, “esteem them very highly in lovefor their work’s sake,” even if they had some idiosyn-crasies and imperfections. Third, “be at peace amongyourselves,” avoiding any action that would createfactions in the church.

Help The Erring, Timid, And Weak (1 Th. 5:14-15). We are to do all we can to help fellow Christians.This help takes different forms: “warn those who areunruly” (in this case the idle who were bringing dis-ruption into the church and harming its testimony);“comfort the faint-hearted” (people who have low self-esteem, feeling that they have no gifts and are inca-pable of being a help to anyone); “uphold the weak”(people who feel unsure of their salvation, wonder ifthey have really been forgiven, and tend to think thatthey are unloved).

Paul went on in verses 14 and 15 to point out thatto fulfill our “helper” role we must: “be patient withall,” no matter how often people fail or need comfortor repeat questions you have answered many times;“see that no one renders evil for evil,” forbidding re-venge no matter what; “always pursue what is goodboth for yourselves and for all,” focusing always ondoing and teaching the things that are lovely, pure,and helpful.

Keep God In View (1 Th. 5:16-18). The apostle is-sued three exhortations that we can obey only by acontinual consciousness of God’s presence: (1) “re-joice always”—finding in the spiritual resources wepossess a reason for joy no matter what our circum-stances and the grace to go our way with a song in

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our heart; (2) “pray without ceasing”—though contin-ually talking to God verbally is impossible, we can bealways conscious of our dependence on Him and findspeaking to Him as natural as breathing; (3) “ineverything give thanks”—believing that God’s lovingpurpose is being worked out through all the changesof life, whether happy or sad, the child of God can al-ways give thanks.

Since this is “the will of God in Christ Jesus foryou,” we can be sure that as we depend on Him wewill be enabled to obey these injunctions.

Remain Open To God’s Voice (1 Th. 5:19-22).Although the Lord had not yet provided any inspiredNew Testament documents when Paul wrote theseletters, He often spoke to believers through men andwomen to whom He had given the gift of prophecy—the communication of a message from Him (Acts11:28; 21:9; 1 Cor. 12:10). Moreover, from Paul’s de-scription of first-century church services in 1Corinthians 14, it is quite obvious that they were in-formal, with members participating freely. It seemslikely that in Thessalonica some of the more staidmembers did not like enthusiastic displays of fervor.They were inclined to put a damper on ordinary peo-ple proclaiming messages they said they had re-ceived from the Lord. By doing this, they were indanger of putting out the Spirit’s fire and rejectinggenuine prophecy.

These warnings against quenching the Spirit anddespising prophecies, however, are not to be taken asan endorsement of gullibility. Believers on the listen-ing end were to test carefully every professed spiritu-al manifestation and utterance. They were to hold fastto that which was true and beneficial, while rejecting

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every manifestation and utterance that did not passthe test.

While our situation is somewhat different today be-cause we have the complete New Testament as ourstandard for doctrine and practice, we must remainopen to the possibility that God may sometimes speakto us through circumstances and through other Chris-tians. In this way, believers who fellowship in liturgical,nonliturgical, charismatic, and noncharismaticchurches can learn from one another. This will pro-mote spiritual unity. Since we must base our beliefs onthe Bible and refuse to compromise with what we per-ceive as error, we may find it necessary to place lim-its on organizational cooperation, but we can maintaina love for all of the Lord’s people and avoid needlessconflict. This will strengthen our witness to a world thatneeds the Savior.

SEEING GOD• In God’s demand for sexual purity, we see a reflec-

tion of His own perfect purity.• In God’s demand that we live responsibly, we see

His concern for our testimony before the world.• In God’s admonition that we help the weak and

timid, we see His parental tenderness.• In God’s exhortation that we respect our spiritual

leaders, we see His concern for the church.SEEING OURSELVES

• In the necessity for a long list of specific com-mands, we see our need for specific guidelines.

• In the exhortation to be always joyful and grate-ful, we see our need for dependence on the HolySpirit.

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ARE YOU READY?We live as dying people on a dying planet. We can’thelp but want to know why we are here and what liesahead for us. But the most brilliant minds cannot an-swer these haunting questions unless they receive in-formation from a reliable source outside our space-time world. We say “reliable” because men like AdolfHitler and Charles Manson committed monstrouscrimes on the basis of messages they perceived ascoming from another world. Others, like MarshallApplewhite and his followers, have committed colos-sal blunders through following such revelations.

The only source of reliable other-world informationthat has proven itself trustworthy is the Bible. Whenthe Israelites believed and obeyed God’s Word, theyprospered. When they disobeyed, they suffered.When people believe and obey the teaching of theBible today, their lives are transformed. The goodnews it proclaims is still “the power of God to salva-tion for everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16).

Men who were with Jesus after His resurrectionhave told us that He promised to return in the cloudsto “catch up” the church in glorified bodies. He willthen begin His program of judgment to prepare theearth for His rule. The New Testament writers warnedus that His coming will be like a thief in the night. Theall-important question is, “Are you ready?” If youhave never received Him as your Savior, do so im-mediately. If you are a backslidden Christian, repentand make Him the Lord of your life. God wants therapture to be for you a welcome surprise.

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