The Thessalonian Epistles
The Introduction
Lesson I
Written: August 26th, 2003
The importance of the first letter to the Thessalonians is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:27.
1 Thessalonians 5:27
(27) I charge you by the Lord
that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.
We are not aware of any such positive instruction found in any other of Paul’s letters. Here is a solemn charge from the Lord:
This
epistle is to be read by all believers.
We believe this charge should be taken very seriously. We are also convinced that, had it been taken seriously and if the Churches had read this epistle often and regularly in every generation, there would have been a different history of theology - especially so in the area of eschatology or future things.
Throughout our lifetime God has brought individuals across our pathway who have contributed much to our life. Here we give testimony that a brother, Jake Harder, was the one used of God to show the importance of 1 Thessalonians 5:27.
As one reads these epistles one must be impressed by the fact that the Coming of the Lord is found in every chapter.
1
Thessalonians 1:10
(10) And to
wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, [even] Jesus, which
delivered us from the wrath to come.
Chapter 1: the saints were “waiting for God’s son from heaven.” The fact that he would come again was as real to them as the fact that he had come and gone back to heaven from where he had come.
1
Thessalonians 2:19
(19) For
what [is] our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? [Are] not even ye in the
presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
To meet saints there with Christ when he comes to whom we have ministered here will be a source of unspeakable joy.
1
Thessalonians 3:13
(13) To the
end he may stablish your hearts unblameable
in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ with all his saints.
Not only do we look forward to meeting with saints we have known, but all his saints will be there. That statement is inclusive and exclusive. All saints will be there but only saints will be there.
1
Thessalonians 4:16
(16) For
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:
“For the
Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout…”
One dear brother who taught us the Scriptures, James McNicol, would often conclude a lesson with the words, “He’s Coming! He’s Coming!”
We felt it when he said it.
1
Thessalonians 5:23
(23) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray
God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus every chapter makes reference to the fact of Christ’s coming.
We find the same theme in the Second epistle.
2
Thessalonians 1:7, 10
(7) And to
you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
heaven with his mighty angels,
(10) When
he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that
believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
2
Thessalonians 2:1, 8
(1) Now we
beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our
gathering together unto him,
(8) And
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:
Chapter 1:7 “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven.”
And verse 10, “When he shall come to be glorified in his saints.”
Chapter 2:1 “ Now we beseech you brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
Also in verse 8 “…(he) shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”
Finally in chapter 3: 5 “…patient waiting for Christ.”
2 Thessalonians
3:5
(5) And the
Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for
Christ.
The Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in all its aspects, as presented in Scripture is the blessed hope of the Christian. Thus we begin to see that one major reason for the charge to read the epistle would be to keep the imminent return of Christ always before the heart and mind of the believer. By imminent is not meant soon, but rather possible at any moment.
The blessed hope should have been a living hope throughout the history of the Church.
But as with other major doctrines, each generation has faced a departure or watering down of the doctrine of the Second Coming.
In 1959 the United Church of Canada published a small book entitled, “Life and Death” sub-titled “A study of the Christian hope.” I quote some statements from the book to illustrate how departure is propagated.
Page 30 “It is known that 1 Thessalonians was one of Paul’s earliest letters. It is possible to hold, therefore, that the picture of the resurrection in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 belongs to Paul’s early days, and that he appears to have discarded it at a later date in favour of a more mature view of the resurrection.”
Our comment: Of
course such a statement ignores Paul’s words in one of his last epistles “that
all Scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2 Timothy 3:16). Thus to say that Paul changed his mind about
these matters is to charge God with changing His mind.
Page 81 “Similarly, when Jesus speaks of the Son of man coming in or with the clouds of heaven (Mark 14:62), and when Paul says that ‘The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout’ (1 Thessalonians 4:16) they do not mean necessarily that Jesus will return in a physical manner. Here again is symbolism …. When the New Testament speaks of the coming of Christ with the clouds of heaven, then, it is reasonable for us to interpret the language as symbolic.”
Page 82 “The question whether Jesus will return in a physical manner is one we cannot answer. John’s statement that ‘that every eye shall see him’ (Revelation 1:7) need not refer to a physical manifestation.”
These statements, in my opinion, can only be made by ignoring Acts 1:10-11.
Acts 1:10-11
(10) And
while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went
up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
(11) Which
also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up
into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from
you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven.
He
went visibly, bodily and literally and so shall he return.
We could quote more from the book, but we feel even these few lines we have quoted, prove that this book destroys, or seeks to destroy, the very foundation of the Christian’s sure hope.
On October 31, 1996, Pamela Wallin interviewed Pierre Berton and Chuck Templeton, two men well known in Canada. Mr. Berton said: “There is no God. I am an atheist.” Mr. Templeton said he is an agnostic, one cannot know. At the end of the program they both expressed themselves as being extremely pessimistic about the future on this earth. Berton wondered if it is the end of human beings on this planet. They spoke as men without hope.
Ephesians
2:12
(12) That
at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of
Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and
without God in the world:
Ephesians 2:12 teaches that to be without Christ is to be without God. And to be without God is to be without hope. We also heard a journalist say: “In this life we first prepare to work. Then we prepare to retire. Then we prepare to die.” Work! Retire! Die!
1
Corinthians 15:19
(19) If in
this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
On the basis of that Scripture these men whom we have quoted are miserable men even though they have smiles on their faces when on TV.
The basis of our hope is found written in the Bible. We believe (because the Bible teaches it) that 2000 years ago Christ came to this earth. Sister Nellner wrote : “It was a great day when man walked on the moon, but it was a greater day when Jesus our Lord walked on this earth.”
We not only believe that he came.
We believe he is coming again.
And that is the major theme of both First and Second Thessalonians.