The return of Jesus Christ is known as His return or manifestation at the end of times, as part of a period of time called “The Day of The Lord”. Paul, together with some other apostles who we will refer to in later studies, as it could not be in any other way due to its importance and because it is a revelation of the Holy Spirit, uses a vast portion of his letters to talk about eschatology, about the prophetic events of the last days. To remember the different eschatological views read: The Coming of the Son of Man.

 

PAUL TO THE THESSALONIANS

The first letter 1:1 shows clearly that Paul is its author, in his doctrine and his expressions. Talks of his collaborators Silvanus and Timothy when being written in Corinth. Externally references are found in works of Ignatius, Justin Martyr, the Didache, the Pastor of Hermas, Origins, Irenaeus, Tertullian and Clement of Alexandria. It is part of the Marcion Canon and of the Moratoria. Dated about the 50-53 A.D. when Galion was proconsul in Achaia. It covers this fraction of time when Timothy reports about them to Paul. In the second, although with a more direct language, it clearly shows the character of Paul, his doctrine and expressions. He also cites his collaborators Silvanus and Timothy. Internally Paul confirms he is the author 1:1. Externally it’s mentioned by Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria. Dated very close to the first letter, about the 50-53 A.D. before the second visit to Thessalonica.

The Thessalonians were the first addressed of the two letters that take their name, but the letters of the apostle Paul are known as “circular” letters, were shared with other churches, and those others with them. The Thessalonians were the first Christians of the recent church of Thessalonica, name of an important city of the Aegean Sea. It is the second church established after Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned. The first letter or epistle erases from purpose to congratulate the new church; Paul defends himself of false accusers, many Jewish; encourage them to work for their sustain; to counsel those who mourn and give them hope with the second coming of Jesus Christ; show them how not to turn off the Spirit through the spiritual gifts; and, fulfil the Christian commands. In the second letter the purpose was to correct them, motivate them and support them  before the external attacks, but also, the attack over the church itself. Again eschatology has a prominent place with the second coming of the Lord.

 

THE GENERAL MESSAGE TO THE THESSALONIANS

First of Thessalonians starts with the praise of Paul to the new Christian community fruit of his work, together with Silas, who's faith was already famous in the region. The city was a strategicall spot of commerce and politics. He started as he used to, his preaching of the Gospel in the synagogue. He had great persecution but also great fruit. It is a letter with careful touch, for new disciples. Pauls continues his defence from the attacks of the enemies of the faith, who incited evil men to say that he was preaching other king than Cesar, Jesus of Nazareth. Paul encourages the Church to stand in tribulations and reminds them they sent Timothy, before the obstacles of Satan in avoid visiting them. For those who has lost their loved ones exhorts not to loose hope because the second coming of the Lord is to come. Follows with a complete explanation of eschatology of That Day of The Lord, the restoration of the saints and the rapture so they may support each other. Finishes with the calling to use the gifts of the Spirit, to not quench It or else their faith will suffer.

1Thessalonians is know as the eschatological epistle, but it must also be a reflexion of the Christian life model. Paul, Silvanus and Timothy reach to the Thessalonians 1:1. Their example to them as a model of church and of hope they provide 1:2-10. Paul describes his ministry between them, in the purity of his Gospel, in the way he treats them and in the love for them 2:1-12. The worry and care of Paul for them 2:13-3:13 where he describes his wish to see them, his suffering, decides to send Timothy and his joy for their constancy. He exposes the Christian conduct in 4:1-12 through honourable work, brotherly love and the sanctification of their lives. 4:13-5-11 assures resurrection and that this will be first; the promise of the coming of Christ is a sure event and not uncertain. He urges them to estimate their leaders, to give hope to the week, to use the gifts of the Spirit and to communion and adoration 5:12-24. Grace 5:25-28.

Second Thessalonians starts after the greeting of Paul to his collaborators with a warning of the judgment of God in the coming of Christ, and a word of support for the afflicted Christians, hope and urge, but he teaches that those who did not want to know God will go to hell. Following with an explanation of the manifestation of the man of sin, before which he uses the instruction and explanation of the information they must know as previous to the coming of Christ. Finally he gives thanks for them because they where chosen by the grace of God. It finishes instructing to glorify the Word of God, and not only to work for God, but for their own sustain, to walk in order. Benediction.

2 Thessalonians is known, together with the first as an eschatological epistle. Paul greets again together with Silvanus and Timothy, his collaborators, to the church of Thessalonica in the aim of grace and the peace of God the Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ 1:1-2. Paul follows in thanks giving for them exhorting insiders and outsiders about separating from the error of heresies, 1:3-12. The second chapter is warning about the manifestation of the man of sin, the previous event to the coming of Jesus Christ, and to clarify something about false teachings, as some used to say "it had happened already" 2:1-12. But they are chosen by the grace of God for salvation, having sanctified them through the Spirit, 2:13-17. The third and last chapter is dedicated to finding the glorification of the Word, in the same way as it was between them, to be in others, 3:1-5. Before the benediction Paul exhorts on the way of life of the Christian until Christ comes, in the duty and living in order, 3:6-15. The benediction is in the hope that the Lord of peace himself will always give them peace, 3:16-18. You may read more studies at Biblical Eschatology.

 

KEYS TO THESSALONIANS

In the first letter the key words begin with The Church in God the Father and in The Lord Jesus Christ 1:1. The constancy in hope 1:2. Joy in the Holy Spirit. The wrath that is to come. The nursing mother who takes care of her own children 2:6. God's Gospel 2:8. Imitators of the churches of God that are in Judea 2:14. Satan hindered him 2:17. Timothy servant of God and their collaborator 3:2. Paul's prayer: ...And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another, 3:12. The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints 3:13. Not to defraud the brothers for The Lord is the avenger of all 4:6. Mind your own business 4:11. I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren about those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope 4:13. With a shout, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God 4:16. The dead in Christ will rise first. Caught up together with them in the clouds 4:17. Comfort one another with these words 4:18. The times and the seasons 5:1. The Day of the Lord 5:2 a special time at the end, in His coming. We are not in darkness 5:4. Sons of light and sons of the day 5:5. The breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet the hope of salvation 5:8. We wake 5:10. Those who labour among you... ...and are over you in the Lord and admonish you 5:12. Be at peace among yourselves 5:13. Warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, patient with all 5:14. Rejoice always 5:16 do not quench (sbennumi) the Spirit 5:19, it means to extinguish the fire. In this letter Jesus Christ is always linked to God the Father. It is a letter that unites tenderness to the new convert with the powerful message about eschatology. The prophecy of 4:13-18 is used to give hope to the new disciples. It is the basic letter for every pastor of a congregation, it is simple, full of gentleness and affection ... here there is no controversy. W. Graham Scroggie. A master peace exhibition for a congregation and its members.

In the second letter the key words begin and end with the word "peace" (from the Greek eirene), not any kind of peace, but the peace of God the Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is the whish of Paul, most assuredly inspired in the old Jewish "Shalom". The churches of God, because Paul wanted to lift congregations everywhere. Persecutions, patience, to be worthy of the Kingdom of God. He talks of when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with the angels of His power before the second coming of Christ exposed by Paul in the second epistle. As a contrast, the apostasy, the man of sin, in God's Temple, sitting. The mystery of lawlessness. The flaming fire, the grace, the sanctification by the Spirit, chosen by grace, delivered form bad men, and to earn one's own bread as well as not to grow weary in doing good. It ends as it begins with the Lord of Peace, these are the characteristic ideas of the letter. It is the shortest of the ecclesiastic letters, but with value as biographic, missiological, historic, sociologic, ethic, doctrinal, homiletic and devotional; it could only be of God. This epistle is ideal for the pulpit, for preaching or simply for talking to the people about the hope in the coming of Christ in the midst of a society with no illusion nor hope.

 

ESCHATOLOGICAL TEXTS OF THE COMING OF CHRIST IN 1&2 OF THESSALONIANS

We have seen a resume of the context of the Christian life in the first brothers of the church of Thessalonians and how the message of the coming of Christ stands out to them. The two key texts are:

...¹³But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ¹⁵For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1Thessalonians 4:13-18.

...¹Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, ²That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. ³Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; ⁴Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. ⁵Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? ⁶And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. ⁷For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. ⁸And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: ⁹Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, ¹⁰And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: ¹²That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2Tessalonians 2:1-12.

 

ESCHATOLOGICAL CONCLUSION

After the brief journey of the history of the life of the first Christians in Thessalonica, we can see that they, as gentiles –not Jews– were coming out of their traditions and religions of the world. The originated of a mentality that did not know Christ nor resurrection of the dead, nor monotheism.

Today, the church of the end of times (after the return of Israel to the Promised Land), we see that even Christianity lacks solid eschatological bases, it lacks hope and faith in the coming of Christ, the rapture of the Church, the victory over the enemy and his influence in the chaotic world that he has left, taken from the hand of man since Eden, and the coming of Christ with the saints (all the children of God in Christ) to reign, and the new heavens and new earth for eternity.

The Thessalonians received the preaching of the great hope of the new kingdom, a new state of things, a new life and an eternal salvation. Do you believe as a Christian, that you will live eternally, whether you will be caught up in the clouds, or whether you rise and that you will experience the Kingdom of Christ and of God?

The blessing is of Paul in 1&2 letter respectively was:

...²⁵Brethren, pray for us. ²⁶Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss. ²⁷I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. ²⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.