More details about II Thessalonians

Why did Paul write this letter?

• After Paul wrote I Thessalonians and sent it, he learned that some of the Christians there thought Jesus had returned and apparently some of them had stopped working. Paul, therefore, wrote to them and explained that Jesus’ return had not occurred because the “man of lawlessness” had not come yet. He then encouraged those who no longer worked to begin working again.

The return of Jesus: The Antichrist comes first

• Both I and II Thessalonians focused on the return of Jesus, but for different reasons. Whereas I Thessalonians gave a description of the return of Jesus, II Thessalonians included a description of the “man of lawlessness” who would come before Jesus. The verses describing this idea are given in full:
• 2:1-10: “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called good or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the word of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to live the truth and so be saved.”
• This passage refers to a “man of lawlessness.” Some Christians use a different term for him: Antichrist. According to this passage, the Antichrist will come before Jesus, and Jesus will eventually defeat him.
• Concerning the return of Jesus: different theories have developed about the return of Jesus, Judgment Day, and the end of time. The first four bullet points below are definitions and the next two are different theories:
• Rapture: Jesus will appear in the sky but will not come to earth. Dead Christians will rise first and then Christians who are alive will rise next. [This comes from the passage in I Thessalonians.]
• Tribulation: A seven-year period of terror in between the Rapture and the Second Coming.
• Second Coming: Jesus will return to earth and fight a battle with Satan, which Jesus will win.
• Millennium/Millennial: This refers to a 1000-year period of peace on the earth. This idea comes from Revelation 20:4-6.
• The different theories about the return of Jesus involve different understandings about when the Rapture, Tribulation, Second Coming, and Millennium will occur. For example, the Pre-Tribulation/Pre-Millennial theory [which is the most prominent type among Evangelicals] has this progression: Rapture first, then Tribulation, then the Second Coming, then the Millennium, and finally Judgment Day.
• Some theories teach that one or more of the first four definitions are to be taken as metaphor and not literally. For example, some Christians believe that Jesus will return and Judgment Day will occur immediately after that. Therefore, the Rapture, Tribulation, Second Coming, and the Millennium are taken as metaphors.

Outline

• 1:1-2: Greetings
• 1:3-12: Thankfulness and prayer for the Thessalonian Christians
• 2: Description of the Antichrist and encouragement to stand strong
• 3:1-5: Request for prayer
• 3:6-15: People need to return to work
• 3:16-18: Concluding remarks