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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
1 AND 2 THESSALONIANS
LESSON #01
INTRODUCTION

v     WHO WROTE THESE TWO BOOKS?

Ø      THESE 2 SHORT BOOKS WERE WRITTEN AS LETTERSBY THE APOSTLE PAUL WHILE HE WAS IN THE CITY OF CORINTH.

§         THESE ARE THE FIRSTEPISTLES (LETTERS) THAT PAUL WROTE.

v     WHAT IS THE DATE WHEN THEY WERE WRITTEN?

Ø      THESE TWO BOOKS WERE WRITTEN ABOUT 52 OR 53AD.

v     TO WHOM WERE THESE TWO BOOKS WRITTEN?

Ø      THEY WERE WRITTEN TO A NEW CHURCH ESTABLISHEDBY PAUL IN THESSALONICA.

§         THESSALONICA WAS A ROMANCOLONY ABOUT 100 MILES NORTH OF THE GREEK CITY OF ATHENS IN MACEDONIA. IT IS A HARBORLOCATED ON A GULF NEAR THE AEGEAN SEA. THIS MADE IT A GREAT SHIPPING CENTER. THE GREATROMAN ROAD PASSED THROUGH THE CITY MAKING IT AN IMPORTANT TRADE CENTER. APPROXIMATELY200,000 PEOPLE LIVED THERE IN PAUL’S DAY.

§         THE CITY CONSISTED OF MANYNATIONALITIES DRAWN THERE BY THE TRADING BUSINESS, GREEKS, ROMANS, ORIENTALS, AND JEWS.THE JEWISH SYNAGOGUE WAS VERY INFLUENTIAL AT THAT TIME.

§         PAUL TRAVELLED TOTHESSALONICA ON HIS SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY. HE WAS THERE A LITTLE LESS THAN 1 MONTH.

·        HE CONVERTED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLETO CHRIST, TAUGHT THEM THE BASIC DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY, AND ESTABLISHED THIS CHURCH INTHAT SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

¨      PAUL TELLS US THIS CHURCH WAS A MODEL CHURCH.(1THE 1:7  1COR 8:1-5)

·        READ ACTS 17:1-10 

¨      PAUL WAS FORCED TO LEAVE THESSALONICA BECAUSEOF SUDDEN OPPOSITION FROM JEWS AND GENTILES.

v     WHAT IS THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE CITY OFTHESSALONICA?

Ø      THE CITY OF THESSALONICA WAS AN IMPORTANTCITY IN THE GREEK EMPIRE. THE NAME OF THE ORIGINAL CITY WAS “THERMA” BECAUSE OFTHE HOT SPRINGS LOCATED THERE. THE GREEK PHILOSOPHER, CICERO, SAID THAT THIS CITY WAS INTHE BOSOM OF THE EMPIRE. (IT WAS IN THE HEART OF THE MACEDONIAN EMPIRE.)

Ø      WHEN THE MACEDONIAN CONQUEROR, ALEXANDER THEGREAT, DIED, HIS KINGDOM WAS DIVIDED AMONG HIS 4 GENERALS. GENERAL CASSANDER RULED THEMACEDONIAN PART OF THE EMPIRE FROM THE CITY OF “THERMA”. CASSANDER RENAMED THECITY IN HONOR OF HIS WIFE, THESSALONIKE. (THESSALONICA). SHE WAS A HALF-SISTER OFALEXANDER THE GREAT.

Ø      LATER WHEN THE ROMAN EMPIRE CONQUERED THISPART OF THE WORLD (168 BC), THE CITY OF THESSALONICA BECAME A ROMAN COLONY.

§         WHEN THE ROMANS CONQUEREDTERRITORY, THEY DID NOT IMMEDIATELY CHANGE THE PEOPLE’S CULTURE, RELIGION, LANGUAGE,OR DAILY LIFE. INSTEAD THEY ESTABLISHED A SYSTEM OF STRATEGIC CITIES OF TRADE THROUGHOUTTHE EMPIRE. THESSALONICA WAS ONE OF THESE STRATEGIC CITIES.

§         THE ROMANS CONTROLLEDTHESSALONICA WITH A LOOSE HAND ALLOWING THEM TO HAVE THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT.

Ø      IN WORLD WAR II THE NAZI’S TOOK 60,000JEWS FROM THIS CITY AND KILLED THEM ALL.

Ø      THE CITY OF THESSALONICA STILL EXISTS TODAY,BUT IT IS NOW CALLED SALONICA. THE POPULATION IS ABOUT 300,000.

v     WHAT IS THE RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND OF THE CITY OFTHESSALONICA?

Ø      THE PEOPLE OF THESSALONICA WERE PAGANS WHOBELIEVED IN MANY GREEK GODS. AN INSCRIPTION IN THESSALONICA READ, “AFTER DEATH, NOREVIVING, AFTER THE GRAVE, NO MEETING AGAIN.”

§         PAUL’S MESSAGE ABOUTTHE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH IS IN SHARP CONTRAST TO THIS HOPELESS PAGANISM.

v     WHAT IS THE PURPOSE AND THEME OF THESE TWOBOOKS?

Ø      BECAUSE PAUL HAD TO LEAVE THESSALONICA VERYQUICKLY DUE TO SUDDEN OPPOSITION FROM THE CITY GOVERNMENT, HE CONTINUED ON HIS MISSIONARYJOURNEY. WHEN HE WAS IN CORINTH, TIMOTHY AND SILAS CAME TO HIM BRINGING NEWS ABOUT THETHESSALONIAN CHURCH.

§         IT SEEMS THAT SOMEQUESTIONS AROSE IN THE CHURCH AT THESALONICA. THEY WANTED PAUL’S WISDOM IN ANSWER TOTHESE QUESTIONS. PAUL WROTE 1 AND 2 THESSALONIANS AS A RESPONSE TO THESE QUESTIONS.

·        WHAT QUESTIONS?

¨      PAUL HAD TAUGHT THE PEOPLE ABOUT THE SECONDCOMING OF JESUS CHRIST. THEY KNEW THAT HIS RETURN TO THIS EARTH WAS IMMINENT. CHRIST COULDCOME AT ANY MOMENT AND THEY MUST BE READY.

Ø      HOWEVER,SOME OF THE NEW BELIEVERS IN CHRIST HAD DIED. THE THESSALONIAN PEOPLE WANTED TO KNOW WHATHAPPENS IN LIGHT OF CHRIST’S COMING WHEN A BELIEVER DIES.

¨      BECAUSEBELIEVERS WERE EXPERIENCING PERSECUTION, THEY WONDERED IF THEY HAD MISSED THE RAPTURE ANDWERE NOW IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.

·        THETHEME OF 1 THESSALONIANS:

¨      TOANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS, PAUL EMPHASIZES THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH AS ONE EVENT OF THESECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

Ø      PAULWANTS TO ENCOURAGE THESE NEW BELIEVERS IN THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL.

Ø      PAULWANTS THEM TO BE READY FOR THE RAPTURE BY ENCOURAGING THEM TO LIVE A HOLY LIFE.

Ø      PAULWANTS THEM TO UNDERSTAND THE BLESSED HOPE OF THEIR FUTURE RESURRECTION.

·        THETHEME OF 2 THESSALONIANS:

¨      PAUL’SFIRST LETTER TO THESSALONICA BROUGHT FURTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

Ø      BECAUSETHE PEOPLE WERE ENDURING PERSECUTION AND THOUGHT THEY HAD MISSED THE RAPTURE OF THECHURCH, THEY WONDERED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN NEXT.

§         THEREFORE, IN HIS SECONDLETTER, PAUL EMPHASIZES THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING WHEN CHRIST COMES TO ESTABLISH HISKINGDOM ON EARTH.

Ø      THETHEME FOR OUR STUDY:

§         THE THEME FOR OUR STUDYWILL BE, “THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST”.

·        WEWILL STUDY THESE TWO BOOKS TOGETHER. THEREFORE, WE WILL CONSIDER THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCHAND THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.

§         A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUTTERMINOLOGY:

·        THEPHRASE “SECOND COMING OF CHRIST” WILL BE USED IN ITS GENERIC SENSE TOINDICATE ANY AND ALL INCREMENTAL EVENTS THAT MAKE UP CHRIST’S SECOND APPEARING.

¨      THEFIRST COMING OF CHRIST INCLUDED VARIOUS INCREMENTAL EVENTS SUCH AS THE VIRGIN BIRTH,JESUS’ CHILDHOOD, HIS BAPTISM, HIS EARTHLY MINISTRY, HIS CRUCIFIXION, HISRESURRECTION, AND HIS ASCENSION, ETC.

¨      THESECOND COMING OF CHRIST, GENERICALLY SPEAKING, ALSO INCLUDES VARIOUS INCREMENTAL EVENTSSUCH AS THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH, THE TRIBULATION PERIOD, THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON, THE EVENTOF THE SECOND COMING, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HIS EARTHLY KINGDOM FOR 1000 YEARS, ETC.

·        THEPHRASE “THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST” WILL REFERSPECIFICALLY TO CHRIST’S COMING AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION TO ESTABLISH HISEARTHLY KINGDOM.

¨      THISEVENT OCCURS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATIONPERIOD AND BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

v     OUTLINEOF THE TWO BOOKS:

v     1THESSALONIANS:

Ø       THEHOPE OF THE RETURN OF CHRIST (CHAPTER 1)

§         INTRODUCTION (1:1-4)

§         THE GOSPEL RECEIVED WITHASSURANCE AND AFFLICTION (1:5-7)

§         THE RESULTS OF THE GOSPEL:(1:8-10)

·        TURNING FROM IDOLS TO GOD

·        WAITING FOR CHRIST TO COME

Ø      THE COMING OF CHRIST IS A WORKING HOPE(CHAPTER 2)

§         THE MOTIVE AND METHOD OF ATRUE WITNESS (2:1-6)

§         THE MATERNAL SIDE OFPAUL’S MINISTRY—COMFORT (2:7-9)

§         THE PATERNAL SIDE OFPAUL’S MINISTRY—CHARGE (2:10-13)

§         THE BROTHERLY SIDE OFPAUL’S MINISTRY—CHALLENGE (2:14-16)

§         THE REWARD OF A TRUEWITNESS (2:17-20)

Ø      THE COMING OF CHRIST IS A PURIFYING HOPE OFSANCTIFCATION (3:1-4:12)

§         TIMOTHY’S GOOD REPORTABOUT THE THESSALONIANS (3:1-8)

§         PAUL’S CHALLENGE TOGROW IN FAITH (3:9-13)

§         HOW BELIEVERS SHOULD WALK(4:1-12)

Ø      THE COMING OF CHRIST IS A COMFORTING HOPE(4:13-18)

§         WHAT DEATH MEANS TO ACHRISTIAN

§         WHAT RAPTURE MEANS TO THECHURCH

Ø      THE COMING OF CHRIST IS A ROUSING HOPE(CHAPTER 5)

§         THE CALL TO BE AWAKE ANDALERT (5:1-10)

§         22 SPECIFIC COMMANDMENTSFOR CHRISTIANS (5:11-28)

v     2 THESSALONIANS

Ø      PERSECUTION OF BELIEVERS NOW AND JUDGMENT OFUNBELIEVERS HEREAFTER (1:1-12)

§         INTRODUCTION (1:1-2)

§         PERSECUTION AND ITS FRUITS(1:3-7)

§         JUDGMENT OF THE WICKED ATCHRIST’S COMING (1:8-12)

Ø      THE PROGRAM FOR THE WORLD AS IT RELATES TOCHRIST’S COMING (2:1-12)

§         THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH(2:1)

§         THE DAY OF THE LORD (2:2-5)

·        TOTAL APOSTASY

·        THE APPEARANCE OF THE MAN OF SIN(THE ANTI-CHRIST)

§         THE MYSTERY OF LAWLESSNESS(2:6-8)

§         THE LAWLESS ONE AND THEGREAT TRIBULATION (2:9-12)

Ø      THE PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF CHRIST’S COMING(2:13-3:18)

§         BELIEVERS SHOULD BEESTABLISHED IN WORD (2:13-17)

§         BELIEVERS SHOULD BEESTABLISHED IN WALK (3:1-7)

§         BELIEVERS SHOULD BEESTABLISHED IN WORK (3:8-18)

v     SOURCEMATERIAL FOR OUR STUDY:

Ø      FIRSTAND SECOND THESSALONIANS BY J. VERNON MC GEE

Ø      IAND II THESSALONIANS BY DR. GEORGE O. WOOD

Ø      THEGREAT MYSTERY OF THE RAPTURE BY ARNO FROESE

Ø      NEXTVISITOR TO PLANET EARTH BY MICHAEL ESSES

Ø      MARANATHA:OUR LORD, COME! BY RENALD SHOWERS

Ø      THEBLESSED HOPE BY GEORGE ELDON LADD

Ø      WHENTHE TRUMPET SOUNDS THOMAS ICE & TIMOTHY DEMY, EDITORS

Ø      THEBIBLE KNOWLEDGE COMMENTARY; NEW TESTAMENT BY JOHN F. WALVOORD AND ROY B. ZUCK

Ø      MISC.NOTES

HOMEWORK

1 THESSALONIANS — INTRODUCTION

THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERSTO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION.

v     APPLICATIONOF THE INTRODUCTION:

Ø      WRITE A PARAGRAPH DESCRIBING WHAT YOU KNOWABOUT THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH. (DO NOT USE ANY SOURCES OTHER THAN WHAT COMES TO YOURMIND.)

Ø      WRITE A PARAGRAPH DESCRIBING WHAT YOU KNOWABOUT THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. (DO NOT USE ANY SOURCES OTHER THANWHAT COMES TO YOUR MIND.)

v     PREPARATION FOR INTRODUCTION TO 1 THES:

§         PLACE THE CORRECT LETTER INTHE FOLLOWING BOXES ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU THINK IS THE CORRECT TIME SEQUENCE OF THESEEVENTS.

A…THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING OFCHRIST

B…THE TRIBULATION PERIOD

C…THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH

D…THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON

E…THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF CHRIST

 

 

v     MEMORYVERSE:  PSALMS 24:10