In the course of life, it is easy for us to get wound up about things that we have no control over. This is the very thing that was happening in the church at Thessalonica. In both of Paul’s letters to the church, he addresses those who overly emphasized the coming of the Lord. They were obsessed with whether or not His return was near and some even proposed that the time had already come. Paul encouraged the church not to pay attention to those who were teaching falsely concerning the coming of the Lord. I love what Warren Wiersbe says about Bible prophecy: The purpose of Bible prophecy is not for us to make a calendar, but to build character.”[1] This is so very true. Any study of Bible prophecy should have as its purpose to draw us closer to Jesus.
In chapter two of second Thessalonians, Paul gives us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, six principles in relating to prophetic events.
Don’t be troubled. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 says, “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.”[2] There were those who brought great trouble to the church at Thessalonica as they proposed that the day of the Lord had already come. Similarly, today many people get hung up on when Christ will return that they cannot even enjoy life. We should not be troubled over such things. After all, if you know Jesus as your Savior, what do you have to worry about? If you know Jesus, everything will all work out. You have eternity with Jesus to look forward to. There is no reason to be distracted over things of which you have no control. Just relax. Calm down and stay faithful in serving the Lord day by day.
Don’t be deceived. Verses 3-12 speaks of the deception of the anti-Christ: “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”[3] Paul explains to the church that the day of the Lord will not begin until the anti-Christ is revealed. He will not be revealed until the restrainer is removed. This restrainer, is none other than the Holy Spirit indwelling believers. Therefore, the anti-Christ will not be revealed until after the rapture of the church when believers indwelled by the Spirit are removed from earth. During that time when anti-Christ is revealed, many will fall to a great delusion and will believe his lies. These who are deceived are those, I believe, who heard the Gospel in this age and had the opportunity to receive Him, yet they have rejected Him. I personally do not believe that those who have been given multiple opportunities in this dispensation to come to faith will be saved during the tribulation period. I believe that other than the Jewish witnesses, only those who have never heard the Gospel will have the opportunity to receive Jesus. All others will be deceived. Therefore, don’t be deceived. Since you have heard the truth, believe in the truth. Since you have been given the opportunity, receive Jesus as your Savior now! Lest you be deceived.
Remember who you are. Paul reminds the Thessalonian church of who they are in Christ. In verse 13 we read, “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”[4] Salvation comes as a work of the Holy Spirit setting apart those who believe in the Gospel. God has chosen before the foundation of the world that all those who believe on Jesus will be sanctified and guaranteed of eternal life in Glory. This verse is not a validation of the idea that there is a predestination of unbelievers to become believers. Rather, being consistent with the full counsel of God’s Word, this verse is a statement of thanksgiving for the believer who is predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ because of their faith in Christ. Paul again is encouraging the Thessalonian believers to stay calm and not worry about things to come because their salvation is secure. The encouragement for us today is the same. We should not become anxious or worried concerning the coming of Christ. Rather, we should rejoice and be thankful for the salvation we are given through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Stand firm in what you believe. In verse 15 we read, “Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.”[5] Paul here encourages believers to stay firm in what they believe. To not waver from the doctrine that they were taught. When we zero in on one area of theology, we have a tendency to forget about all the rest. Therefore, we must constantly go back and relearn. We must be taught and learn the full counsel of God’s Word and not just narrowly focus on the parts that intrigue us. I have seen this many times in the church over the years. There are those who all they want to do is study Bible prophecy. As a result, they are not growing in their faith because of their focus on just that one thing. This is why expository preaching is so important in the life of the church. Preaching verse by verse and book by book is a vital part of our spiritual growth. If a pastor or teacher just feeds the flock those things he is most interested in rather than teaching all of God’s Word, he is doing a great injustice. Know what you believe. Stand firm in what you believe. Be a student of all of God’s Word.
Be encouraged. Verses 16-17 says, “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.”[6] Since the return of Christ is indeed imminent and our salvation is secure, we should be encouraged. We do not need to worry about what is to come. We have the best of both worlds. We have the best of this life and the life to come. We have abundant life in Christ, therefore, we should embrace it and enjoy it and live life to the fullest for the glory of God. We should not worry ourselves with when He is coming. Just rejoice that He is coming and live in that joy.
Be strengthened. Verse 17 says, “comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.”[7] As we anticipate the Lord’s return, we should strengthen ourselves through the Word of God which establishes us in every good work to serve Him faithfully. Our focus should not be on when He will come, rather, how we should live. We should constantly strive to grow in our faith and to be strengthened to be effective ambassadors for the Kingdom.
It is enjoyable to talk about what is to come. It is good for us to study such things. However, we should never be so wrapped up in His coming that we are of no earthly good. There is much work to be done. Therefore, may we focus on growing closer to Jesus and making Him known in a world that desperately needs Him.
[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 196). Victor Books.
[2] The New King James Version (2 Th 2:1–2). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[3] The New King James Version (2 Th 2:3–12). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[4] The New King James Version (2 Th 2:13–14). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[5] The New King James Version (2 Th 2:15). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[6] The New King James Version (2 Th 2:16–17). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[7] The New King James Version (2 Th 2:17). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
Pastor Chris Noland 