Book of 2
Thessalonians
Summary of the Book of 2 Thessalonians
This summary of the
book of 2 Thessalonians provides information about the title, author(s), date
of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the
chapters of the Book of 2 Thessalonians.
Author, Date and Place
of Writing
Paul's authorship of 2
Thessalonians has been questioned more often than that of 1 Thessalonians, in
spite of the fact that it has more support from early Christian writers.
Objections are based on internal factors rather than on the adequacy of the
statements of the church fathers. It is thought that there are differences in
the vocabulary (ten words not used elsewhere), in the style (it is said to be
unexpectedly formal) and in the eschatology (the doctrine of the "man of
lawlessness" is not taught elsewhere). However, such arguments have not
convinced current interpreters. A majority still hold to Paul's authorship of 2
Thessalonians.
Because of its
similarity to 1 Thessalonians, it must have been written not long after the
first letter -- perhaps about six months. The situation in the church seems to
have been much the same. Paul probably penned it (see 1:1; 3:17) c. a.d. 51 or 52 in Corinth, after Silas and
Timothy had returned from delivering 1 Thessalonians; see also Introduction to
1 Thessalonians).
Inasmuch as the
situation in the Thessalonian church has not changed substantially, Paul's
purpose in writing is very much the same as in his first letter to them. He
writes (1) to encourage persecuted believers (1:4-10), (2) to correct a misunderstanding
concerning the Lord's return (2:1-12) and (3) to exhort the Thessalonians to be
steadfast and to work for a living (2:13 -- 3:15).
Like 1 Thessalonians,
this letter deals extensively with eschatology (see Introduction to 1
Thessalonians: Theme). In fact, in 2 Thessalonians 18 out of 47 verses deal
with this subject.
I.
Introduction (ch. 1)
A.
Greetings (1:1-2)
B.
Thanksgiving for Their
Faith, Love and Perseverance (1:3-10)
C.
Intercession for Their
Spiritual Progress (1:11-12)
II.
Instruction (ch. 2)
.
Prophecy regarding the
Day of the Lord (2:1-12)
A. Thanksgiving for Their Election and Calling
(Their Position) (2:13-15)
B. Prayer for Their Service and Testimony (Their
Practice) (2:16-17)
III.
Injunctions (ch. 3)
.
Call to Prayer (3:1-5)
A. Charge to Discipline the Disorderly and Lazy (3:6-15)
B. Conclusion, Final Greetings and Benediction (3:16-18)
From the NIV Study
Bible, Introductions to the Books of the Bible, 2 Thessalonians
Copyright 2002 © Zondervan. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
2 Thessalonians
1 NLT
1 This letter is from Paul, Silas, and
Timothy. We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ give you grace and peace.
3Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help
but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one
another is growing.
4 We proudly tell God’s other churches
about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you
are suffering.
5 And God will use this persecution to
show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are
suffering.
6 In his justice he will pay back those
who persecute you.
7 And God will provide rest for you who
are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven.
He will come with his mighty angels,
8 in flaming fire, bringing judgment on
those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our
Lord Jesus.
9 They will be punished with eternal
destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.
10 When he comes on that day, he will
receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this
includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.
11 So we keep on praying for you, asking
our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the
power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.
12 Then the name of
our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be
honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our
God and Lord, Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians
2 NLT
1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, let
us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we
will be gathered to meet him.
2 Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed
by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe
them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a
letter supposedly from us.
3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For
that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man
of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.
4 He will exalt himself and defy
everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit
in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
5Don’t you remember that I told you about
all this when I was with you?
6 And you know what is holding him
back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes.
7 For this lawlessness is already at
work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back
steps out of the way.
8 Then the man of lawlessness will be
revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and
destroy him by the splendor of his coming.
9 This man will come to do the work of
Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.
10 He will use every kind of evil
deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to
love and accept the truth that would save them.
11 So God will cause them to be greatly
deceived, and they will believe these lies.
12 Then they will be condemned for
enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.
13 As for us, we can’t help but thank
God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always
thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—a
salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your
belief in the truth.
14 He called you to salvation when we
told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
15 With all these things in mind, dear
brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we
passed on to you both in person and by letter.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself
and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a
wonderful hope,
17 comfort you and
strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.
2 Thessalonians
3 NLT
1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters,
we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and
be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you.
2Pray, too, that we will be rescued from
wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer.
3 But the Lord is faithful; he will
strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
4 And we are confident in the Lord that
you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you.
5May the Lord lead your hearts into a full
understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that
comes from Christ.
6 And now, dear brothers and sisters,
we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from
all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received
from us.
7 For you know that you ought to
imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you.
8 We never accepted food from anyone
without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden
to any of you.
9 We certainly had the right to ask you
to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow.
10 Even while we were with you, we gave
you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”
11 Yet we hear that some of you are
living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business.
12 We command such people and urge them
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own
living.
13 As for the rest of you, dear brothers
and sisters, never get tired of doing good.
14 Take note of those who refuse to obey
what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed.
15 Don’t think of them as enemies, but
warn them as you would a brother or sister.
16Now may the Lord of peace himself give you
his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.
17HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN
HANDWRITING—PAUL. I DO THIS IN ALL MY LETTERS TO PROVE THEY ARE FROM ME.
18 May the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
