Paul's two letters to the believers in Thessalonica were written during his second missionary journey. It was on this occasion that the gospel was taken into Europe (Acts 16:6-10). So successful was Paul's ministry in the port city of Thessalonica, first in the synagogue to the Jews (Acts 17:1-4), and then to many of the city's non-Jewish citizens (1 Th. 2:14) that a riot ensued, and he was forced to hastily leave the city by those who opposed the gospel (Acts 17:5-10). Deeply concerned over the condition of the young church in light of his forced expulsion, Paul sent Timothy from Athens to see if they had remained faithful and to minister to them in his absence (1 Th. 3:1-2). First Thessalonians and, a short time later, Second Thessalonians were written to fill in gaps in their theological understanding and to correct errors which had insidiously entered the church.

Both of these epistles were written in A.D. 51 and are probably Paul's earliest New Testament writings (some scholars date Galatians a little earlier -- A.D. 49). They were written from the notoriously licentious city of Corinth. The principal theme in both letters is the Second Coming of Christ. No book in the New Testament, with the exception of Revelation, is given over so fully to a discussion of the Second Coming of Christ and related events. That Paul leaned heavily on the Lord's teaching in the Olivet Discourse (Mt. 24-25) there can be no doubt. Every chapter literally pulsates with the electrifying theme of Christ's second coming.

Follow Paul's emphasis in each chapter of First Thessalonians.

And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivered {literally, "who delivers"} us from the wrath to come (1 Th. 1:10).

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? (1 Th. 2:19).

To the end he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints {literally, "holy ones"} (1 Th. 3:13).

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them who are asleep. 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; Then we who are alive and remain {literally, "survive"} 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 (1 Th. 4:15-17).

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they {the unsaved} shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them {the unsaved}, as travail upon a woman with child, and they {the unsaved} shall not escape. But ye, brethren {the saved}, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you {the saved} as a thief (1 Th. 5:2-4).

While First Thessalonians 4 and 5 are classic Second Coming texts, the careful student will quickly see that the Second Coming dominates the entire book. And Paul continues with the same theme in Second Thessalonians.

And to you who are troubled {because of severe persecution (1 Th. 2:14)}, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Th. 1:7-8).

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him {the Rapture}, That 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 the Lord is present (2 Th. 2:1-2).

And if any man obey {literally, "heed"} not our word by this epistle {in context, Paul's word concerning the Second Coming and related matters}, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother (2 Th. 3:14-15).

All eight chapters of First and Second Thessalonians are saturated with teaching on the Second Coming. What is of particular significance is the realization that:

(1) They are Paul's earliest writings.

(2) They are written to a young and immature church.

(3) They are filled full with practical exhortations for contemporary Christian living, based on the Second Coming.

Paul calls "faith and love" the believer's "breastplate" (1 Th. 5:8a). He calls the "hope" of Christ's return the believer's "helmet" (1 Th. 5:8b). In Pauline theology, no matter how dark the night, how many the obstacles, how long the journey, the believer is equipped with a "helmet." That helmet is the blessed hope of Christ's return. And nothing in the universe can take it away. At Christ's coming, the believer who has died will be bodily resurrected; the believer who is living will be raptured. In either scenario (resurrection or rapture), the believer will be glorified and be forever with the Lord.

The Second Coming of Christ is critical doctrine -- it is urgent doctrine -- it is practical doctrine. It is tragic that some Bible teachers do not teach Second Coming truth because, in their words, it is "controversial," "difficult to understand," or "impractical."

While physically present in Thessalonica, Paul taught the Church the great truth concerning Christ's coming and the rapture of all true believers. But his teaching ministry was cut short when he was forced to leave the city. Based on his teaching, the nucleus of new believers lived with the expectation that their Lord would soon return.

The blessed hope (the believer's helmet) is not nullified by physical death. To explain that, Paul wrote: "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain {survive} unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede {go before} them who are asleep {have died}. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout {the victor's shout (see Joel 2:11 where Jesus is seen to shout in connection with His coming at the Day of the Lord)}, with the voice of the archangel {Michael is the only angel ever specifically given the title "archangel" (Jude 9); although Gabriel may also be an archangel, he is never so designated}, and with the trump of God {the trump is blown in connection with (1) calling God's people to His presence (Num. 10:3; cf. Mt. 24:31; 1 Cor. 15:51-52) and, therefore, would be appropriate in connection with the Rapture, and (2) when going to war (Num. 10:9) and therefore would be appropriate in connection with the outpouring of God's wrath during the Day of the Lord}; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; Then we who 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" (1 Th. 4:15-17).

It is of more than passing interest to note that while 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is almost universally held to be the most important Rapture text in the Bible, it was written, in the first instance, to resolve the question of what happens to those who have died in Christ and only as a by-product is the rapture of the living brought into his teaching.

Whereas the Thessalonians were ignorant (thinking wrongly) concerning the status of those who had died in Christ (1 Th. 4:13), they knew perfectly that "the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" (1 Th. 5:2). Their ignorance concerning the dead in Christ on the one hand and their knowing perfectly concerning the Day of the Lord on the other hand is a strong and clearly intended contrast that intimately links these two chapters and their content together. The coming of Christ to resurrect dead believers and rapture living believers as presented in chapter four, and the commencement of the outpouring of God's wrath during the Day of the Lord as set forth in chapter five are logically, grammatically, and critically connected. Some have vainly attempted to segregate the two chapters by appealing to the conjunction "but" in 1 Th. 5:1. Paul wrote, "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you." They suggest that the conjunction "but" introduces a total change in subject and permits a gap of time between the two events. The reality is that "but" is a conjunction used to introduce a new emphasis within the same subject. In chapter four, Paul deals with the resurrection or rapture of the righteous, and in chapter five he continues with a discussion of the judgment of the wicked.

In Second Thessalonians a new but related problem emerged. It had already brought strong confusion and, left unresolved, would lead to disaster.

These young believers were being told that the Day of the Lord had begun. If such were the case, Paul's earlier teaching that the Church would be raptured at Christ's coming immediately before the Day of the Lord commenced was in error. His assurance that "God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" was ill-advised if, in fact, they had entered the Day of the Lord. But how could the Thessalonian believers, who loved Paul and rightly viewed him as their spiritual father, become convinced that his earlier teaching was in such conspicuous and flagrant error?

But a further question must be asked. Why should the Thessalonians give any credence to these teachers? Why not simply believe what Paul, their spiritual mentor, had taught them? The apostle Paul raised the issue this way: "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together {the Rapture} unto him, That 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 the Lord is present" (2 Th. 2:1-2). The Thessalonian believers were "shaken in mind" and "troubled." The verb shaken speaks of violent, sudden motion. It is used of a ship driven from its moorings by the violent waves and wind. The Thessalonians were violently "shaken in mind." The verb translated "troubled," speaks of ongoing "jumpiness" and worry.

They were violently disturbed and deeply troubled (jumpy) because they thought they had entered the Day of the Lord. What led them to that state of mind can be attributed to false communication. The term "by spirit" refers to prophetic utterance or supernatural communication. The term "by word" refers to the preaching of a sermon or simply oral communication. The term "by letter as from us" probably refers to a forged letter purported to have been written by the pen of the apostle Paul. This counterfeit document, oral teaching attributed to Paul, and so-called divine revelation were supposedly the apostle's way of changing his earlier teaching and correspondence to them. The result of these false and spurious statements deeply impacted the mental and spiritual condition of the believers. They were "violently shaken"; they were "deeply troubled."

It was to arrest and correct this grievous situation that Paul wrote, "Let no man deceive you {the Greek text not only suggests being deceived, but being badly deceived} by any means {any of the above methods: by spirit, by word, by letter as from us}; for that day {the Day of the Lord} shall not come, except there come the falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" (2 Th. 2:3). In the clearest possible way Paul indicated that they had not entered the Day of the Lord.

Go to Part II