Paul is stated to be the author of 2 Thessalonians (1:1). The greeting also mentions Silvanus and Timothy, but Paul was the primary author (3:17).
See discussion under introduction to 1 Thessalonians. While there are few indicators of the date and place of writing of 2 Thessalonians, it was probably written from Corinth around AD 50–51 shortly after 1 Thessalonians. The mention of Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy together in the salutation, as was the case with 1 Thessalonians (1Th 1:1), supports this conclusion. An additional support for this view is the mention of a previous letter, which was probably 1 Thessalonians (2Th 2:15).
Second Thessalonians continues and further amplifies some of the same themes as 1 Thessalonians: persecution, sanctification, and end-time events associated with the second coming of Christ. One important difference is that 2 Thessalonians describes the “man of lawlessness” who will be revealed in the end times and what restrains him from being revealed (2:1-12). The book also contains a lengthy discourse on the need for believers to have a proper work ethic to provide for their own needs (3:6-15).
The tone of Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians is markedly “cooler” than his first letter. In his first letter, Paul was enthusiastic about the Thessalonians’ progress in the gospel, and he offered calm advice about congregational life (1Th 5:12-22). In this second letter, though, Paul expressed grave concern about the spiritual state of the Thessalonian believers. He gave them a sharp rebuke about congregational life (2Th 3:6-15). His style is typical of his other letters—a doctrinal section followed by practical exhortation.
In the church of Christ, the teaching has always been that Christ is coming quickly and that teaching must never be withdrawn, for he is coming quickly, as he said to John in the Revelation. At the same time, this teaching has given an opportunity to certain presumptuous people to prophesy that at such and such a time Christ will come. They know nothing about it, and their prophecies are not worth the breath they spend in uttering them.
1Paul, Silvanus, A and Timothy:
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, since your faith is flourishing and the love each one of you has for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore, we ourselves boast about you among God’s churches — about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions that you are enduring. 5 It is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also are suffering, 6 since it is just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us. This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels, 8 when he takes vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from his glorious strength 10 on that day when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at by all those who have believed, because our testimony among you was believed. 11 In view of this, we always pray for you that our God will make you worthy of his calling, and by his power fulfill your every desire to do good B and your work produced by faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified by you, and you by him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:3 “We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, since your faith is flourishing and the love each one of you has for one another is increasing.” We must beware of imagining that we have reached a state of finality in religion. Beware of that spirit, but rather imitate the example of the apostle Paul who wrote, “Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” (Php 3:13-14). We are not content with merely being alive; we wish to be healthy. And we ought not to be satisfied with being saved; we should desire to have our faith in full strength and to have all our graces at the highest degree of development.
1:10 “On that day when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at by all those who have believed, because our testimony among you was believed.” What a difference between the first and second comings of our Lord! When he shall come a second time, it will be to be glorified and admired; but when he came the first time, it was to be despised and rejected of men. He comes a second time to reign with unparalleled splendor, but the first time he came to die in circumstances of shame and sorrow. Lift up your eyes and anticipate the change which will be as great for you as for your Lord—for now you are hidden, even as he was hidden, and misunderstood, even as he was misunderstood when he walked among the sons of men. “We are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed” (1Jn 3:2). His manifestation will be our manifestation; and in the day in which he is revealed in glory, then shall his saints be glorified with him.
A 1:1 Or Silas ; Ac 15:22-32; 16:19-40; 17:1-16
2Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him: We ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to be easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy C or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord D has come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy E comes first and the man of lawlessness F is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits G in God’s temple, proclaiming that he himself is God.
5 Don’t you remember that when I was still with you I used to tell you about this? 6 And you know what currently restrains him, so that he will be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way, 8 and then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and will bring him to nothing at the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan’s working, with all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders, 10 and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe the lie, 12 so that all will be condemned — those who did not believe the truth but delighted in unrighteousness.
13 But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the beginning A God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, so that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught, whether by what we said or what we wrote.
16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word.
QUOTE 2:16-17
Being divine, he is omnipotent, and that almighty power he wields for us. Being divine, he is omniscient, and those sleepless eyes of his are always on the watch for us. Being divine, he is immutable, and that eternal love of his that knows no shadow of a change is fixed on us.
2:1-2 “Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him: We ask you, brothers and sisters, not to be easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord has come.” In the church of Christ, the teaching has always been that Christ is coming quickly and that teaching must never be withdrawn, for he is coming quickly, as he said to John in the Revelation. At the same time, this teaching has given an opportunity to certain presumptuous people to prophesy that at such and such a time Christ will come. They know nothing about it, and their prophecies are not worth the breath they spend in uttering them.
2:7-10 “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way . . . and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved.” This is the last sin of all—that ungodly men do not receive “the love of the truth.” If they were, themselves, true, they would love the truth of God. If the grace of God were in them, his own precious truth would be prized by them above everything else! But when men finally reject the truth by which they might be saved, God visits them with terrible judgments.
2:13 “But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” We might often find comfort and relief from gloomy apprehensions by associating with those who are “brothers and sisters loved by the Lord.” Contemplate your true standing in the sight of God that you may be uplifted from the dunghills of your complaints. Shake off the ashes of your doubts, unwind the sackcloth of your fears, put on your beautiful garments of holy rejoicing, and sing aloud unto him through whose grace you are made worthy to be called “brothers and sisters loved by the Lord.”
2:16-17 “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word.” There is the source of all our blessings. The source of our present comfort and of our future perseverance is the fact that Jesus Christ is ours. We must look at him now with the adoring eyes of our reverent contemplation, in his glorious deity and his perfect manhood. Being divine, he is omnipotent, and that almighty power he wields for us. Being divine, he is omniscient, and those sleepless eyes of his are always on the watch for us. Being divine, he is immutable, and that eternal love of his that knows no shadow of a change is fixed on us. Enlarge your thoughts concerning the Lord Jesus. Think most highly of him. Extol him with your heart and with your tongue.
3In addition, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not all have faith. A 3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen and guard you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to God’s love and Christ’s endurance.
QUOTE 3:5
Our Father loves each of his children as if he had no others. We must peer into this abyss of love; plunge into this sea; dive into this depth unsearchable.
ILLUSTRATION 3:5
To be directed into the love of God is another thing from all that we can be told of it. A beautiful garden is before us. We look over the wall and are even allowed to stand at the door while one hands out to us baskets of golden apples. This is delightful. Who would not be glad to come so near as this to the garden of heavenly delights? Yet it is something more to be shown the door, to have the latch lifted, to see the gateway opened, and to be gently directed into the paradise of God. This is what is wanted—that we may be directed into the love of God. Oh that we may feel something of it while we meditate on it. We come, when we are taught of the Spirit of God, to enter into the love of God by seeing its central importance. We see that the love of God is the source and center, fountain and foundation of all our salvation and of all else that we receive from God.
6 Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother or sister who is idle and does not live according to the tradition received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you should imitate us: We were not idle among you; 8 we did not eat anyone’s food free of charge; instead, we labored and toiled, working night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 It is not that we don’t have the right to support, but we did it to make ourselves an example to you so that you would imitate us. 10 In fact, when we were with you, this is what we commanded you: “If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat.” 11 For we hear that there are some among you who are idle. They are not busy but busybodies. 12 Now we command and exhort such people by the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and provide for themselves. B 13 But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in doing good.
14 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take note of that person; don’t associate with him, so that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet don’t consider him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
16 May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you. 17 I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand, which is an authenticating mark in every letter; this is how I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
3:5 “May the Lord direct your hearts to God’s love and Christ’s endurance.” Our Father loves each of his children as if he had no others. We must peer into this abyss of love; plunge into this sea; dive into this depth unsearchable. Oh that God might direct us into the immeasurable greatness of this love!