Exposition of 2 Thessalonians 1

Tod Kennedy, March 3 and 17, 2010

Comparison of 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians teaching about Jesus second coming. This chart is adapted from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Ready, p. 131 by Tom Constable, Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003; 2003). 2 Thessalonians 1:6.

2 Thessalonians 1 Outline

1.     Verses 1-2. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy’s greeting to the Thessalonians (1:1-2).

2.     Verses 3-4. They repeatedly thank God and tell others about the Thessalonians’ faith, love, and endurance (1:3-4).

3.     Verses 5-10. Endurance and faith while suffering at the hand’s of unbelievers demonstrates God’s righteousness judgment by preparing them for future blessing while also showing that his future judgment of unbelievers will be a righteous judgment (1:5-10).

4.     Verses 11-12. Paul consistently prays that God will consider them worthy, will complete their desire for service so that the Lord Jesus will be glorified according to God’s grace.

2 Thessalonians 1 exposition

1.     Verses 1-2. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy’s greeting to the Thessalonians (1:1-2).

1.1.           Doctrines: church; positional truth; grace; peace.

2.     Verses 3-4. Paul and his team repeatedly thank God and tell others about the Thessalonians’ faith, love, and endurance (1:3-4). It is possible to live victorious Christian lives even while suffering at the hands of unbelievers. The Thessalonian believers demonstrated this is possible.

2.1.          Doctrines: prayer; thanksgiving to God; growing faith; growing Christian love. See the disciples prayer for an illustration of prayer by those in God’s service. This is the age of Israel pattern. See the Lord’s prayer in John 17 for how he prayed for those serving with the spiritual battle in mind. This is the church age pattern.

3.     Verses 5-10. Endurance and faith while suffering at the hand’s of unbelievers demonstrates God’s righteousness judgment by preparing them for future blessing while also showing that his future judgment of unbelievers will be a righteous judgment. The roles will be reversed.

3.1.          Verse 5. Their faith and endurance during suffering demonstrates that they will be worthy of God’s kingdom. God will remember those who remain faithful to him. The witness about successful endurance under suffering spreads to others and encourages them to continue to be faithful to God. Consider verse 3 with verses 4-5 and 1 Corinthians 13:3. God’s love is alive and well in these believers and their suffering profits them.

3.2.          Verse 6. God will repay the persecutors. What happens to those who persist in unbelief and also persist harassing believers? God will judge them. His judgment will be just. This judgment will happen when Jesus Christ comes to earth at the beginning of his kingdom.

3.3.          Verse 7. God will give relief to the faithful believers when Jesus returns from heaven at his second coming to earth. At that time living tribulation believers will enter the earthly kingdom. Resurrected believers will join in the return to earth. This will be relief.

3.4.          Verse 7. The Lord Jesus will return in flaming fire. This is the second advent of Jesus to earth. Matthew 24:27-30 and Revelation 19:11-21 reveal more information about this event.

3.5.          Verse 8. Jesus will judge unbelievers. Retribution (ekdikesis) means punishment that is a pay back for something. These people not only persecuted believers; they also do not know God—they are unbelievers possibly indicating their pagan ideas (Romans 1:18-32). The second identification (did not obey the gospel) indicates that these had a clear opportunity to trust Jesus Christ and they refused (John 3:36).

3.6.          Verse 9. The judgment of both groups will be eternal ruin (ὄλεθρον αἰώνιον, olethron aionion). This ruin goes on forever. This judgment is further explained as separation from the personal presence of the Lord (Jesus) and from the glory or greatness of his might and power. These people will be separated forever from the personal presence of the Lord and his greatness. This is probably the worst part of eternity for the unbeliever.

3.7.          Verse 10. This destruction or ruin begins when Christ returns to earth with believers. Faith in Paul’s testimony will result in glory to Christ and amazement when Christ returns. Those marveling will be believers. Many of them will be the result of Paul’s ministry.

3.8.          Doctrines: suffering of believers; God’s judgment; kingdom of God; God’s retribution on unbelievers; second coming of Christ to earth; heaven; results of unbelief in Jesus Christ; eternal destruction is separation from the Lord; glorification of Jesus Christ when he returns to earth; faith in God’s word

4.     Verses 11-12. Paul consistently prays that God will consider them worthy and  will complete their desire for service so that the Lord Jesus will be glorified according to God’s grace.

4.1.          Note the three parts of the prayer.

4.1.1.         God will consider them worthy of their position in Christ (calling).

4.1.2.         God will powerfully complete their desire for goodness and the work that comes from their faith.

4.1.3.         Through the answer of these requests The Lord Jesus will be glorified in them (through their lives and ministries) and they will be glorified in the Lord Jesus (their identification with Christ and therefore sharing in his glory).

4.2.          Prayer is answered and desire is accomplished because of grace—because of God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son working supernaturally in the lives of believers. Note also, the unity of the Father and the Son.

4.3.          Doctrines: consistent prayer; prayer for honor and service; goal of prayer—glorify Jesus Christ and honor for believers; grace.

5.     Some main points taught in 12 Thessalonians 1

5.1.          Pray for those under your ministry—thanksgiving and requests. These could be the church congregation, those in an outreach Bible class, children in your home or family, friends and neighbors, people at your work, those who read or benefit from your projects, and many others.

5.2.          Growing faith and love bring pleasure to God and to spiritual leaders. This also becomes an opportunity for further ministry and encouragement of others.

5.3.          Beginning at Christ’s second coming to earth God will judge those who persecute believers, pagans, and those who reject the gospel when they are exposed to it. We rub shoulders with these people every day. Persecution of a believer will result in judgment. A word of gospel witness rejected will result in judgment. Pagan ideas promoted result in judgment.

5.4.          When Christ returns he will receive great glory, and some of this results from our ministry and the positive response to it.

5.5.          The judgment of unbelievers will be forever separation from the presence of the Lord and from his glory.

5.6.          We learn of three prayer requests:

5.6.1.         Pray to be worthy of position in Christ.

5.6.2.         Pray that God will powerfully complete our desires for service.

5.6.3.         The name of Jesus Christ will be glorified.

Some observations from chapter 1

1.     Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, 1.

2.     Thessalonian church, 1.

3.     In the Father and in Christ, 1.

4.     Grace and peace, 2.

5.     From the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 2.

6.     Giving thanks is fitting, 3.

7.     The Thessalonians faith has grown, 3.

8.     The Thessalonians love toward each other grows, 3.

9.     Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy speak proudly of the Thessalonians to other churches, 4.

10. The Thessalonians endure persecutions and afflictions, 4.

11. They maintain perseverance and faith, 5.

12. The Thessalonians’ persecution and afflictions so that God’s future judgment of the persecutors is righteous, 5.

13. They suffered for God’s kingdom, 5.

14. Believers are considered worth of God’s kingdom by faithful suffering, 5.

15. God is just to repay with affliction those who afflict the Thessalonian believers, 6.

16. God is just to give relief to afflicted believers, 7.

17. God is just to give relief to Paul and his team, 7.

18. This relief will come when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, 7.

19. Jesus will come from heaven, 7.

20. Jesus’ mighty angels will come with him, 7.

21. Jesus will be revealed in flaming fire, 7.

22. When Jesus comes he will deal out retribution, 8.

23. The retribution will be against those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel, 8.

24. The gospel is about our Lord Jesus, 8.

25. Paul was in relationship (our) with the Lord Jesus, 8.

26. Unbelievers who persecuted the Thessalonian believers will with eternal destruction, 9.

27. Eternal destruction means separation from the presence and glory of the Lord, 9.

28. This happens when Jesus comes to be gloried in his saints, 10.

29. When he comes he will also be marveled at among believers, 10.

30. The Thessalonians believed Paul’s testimony, 10.

31. Paul and his team pray for the Thessalonians, 11.

32. They pray that our God, 11.

33. They pray that our God will consider them worthy of their calling, 11.

34. They pray that our God will powerfully fulfill every desire and work, 11.

35. Their desire is for goodness, 11.

36. Their desire is also for the work of faith, 11.

37. The ultimate purpose of the prayer is that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, 12.

38. The name will be glorified in the Thessalonian believers, 12.

39. And that his name will be glorified in the Thessalonian believers, 12.

40. The glorification is based on the Grace of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, 12.

41. Both the Father and Jesus Christ possess grace or are gracious, 12.