The One Who the Lord Jesus Will Overthrow
Comments for Study 1
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I. Greetings (1:1-2)
>1. Who is the sender of this letter?
* 2 Thessalonians 1:1 "Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:"
* "Paul"
* "Silas"
* "Timothy"
* Paul wrote this letter shortly after 1 Thessalonians.
The young congregation in that city had been suffering persecutions and trials. I have too. These things are a part of the lives of Christians. Jesus said these would come. Interesting how trials and judgement is one of the points in this chapter. I am being tried by troubles to see if I will continue to believe the gospel.
Relief will come when Jesus comes again. He is coming in power and glory, in blazing fire. He is coming for judgment and for rescue. Those who do not obey the gospel of my Lord Jesus will be punished for they did not know God and did not obey the gospel. Those who remain under the law do not obey the gospel. The gospel is good news. It is freedom. It is living by faith and perseverance in time of trial.
Jesus in his power will bring to fruition my every desire for goodness and my deeds prompted by faith in him. I still believe. Though all is taken and given away I still believe.
>Who is the recipient?
* "To the church"
* "of the Thessalonians"
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>How are they identified?
* "in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ"
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>How did they hear the gospel? (Acts 17:1-4)
* Acts 17:1-4 "When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women."
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>2. Where can we obtain grace and peace?
* 2 Thessalonians 1:2 "Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
* "Grace"
* "peace"
* "to you"
* "from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ"
>Why list both, why that order, and what does this personally mean to you?
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II. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians Faith (1:3-12)
>3. Why was Paul thankful? (3)
* 2 Thessalonians 1:3 "We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing."
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>What does the fact that faith can grow imply?
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>What does the fact that love increases imply?
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>4. What did Paul boast about? (4)
* 2 Thessalonians 1:4 "Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring."
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>What kind of trials and persecutions did they endure? (Acts 17:5-9)
* Acts 17:5-9 "But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus." When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go."
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>How is this an inspiration to us today?
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>5. How is God's present and future judgement made right in perseverance under persecution? (5)
* 2 Thessalonians 1:5 "All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering."
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>Should we repay persecution with persecution? (6)
* 2 Thessalonians 1:6 "God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you"
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>6. What does Jesus soon coming mean to believers in him? (7)
* 2 Thessalonians 1:7 "and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels."
* "and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well"
* "This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed"
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>Where will Jesus come from?
* "revealed from heaven"
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>What will he look like?
* "in blazing fire"
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>Who will come with him?
* "with his powerful angels"
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>What will many who are alive and see this think is happening?
* Modern media has been preparing the unbelieving masses to believe that Jesus' coming in glory is aliens coming to take control of the earth. Jesus is not an alien.
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>7. What two "do not" peoples will be punished? (8)
* 2 Thessalonians 1:8 "He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus."
* "those who do not know God"
* "do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus"
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>What is the threefold nature of their punishment? (Matt. 8:10-12, 13:40-43, 49-50, 22:11-14. 24:48-51, 25:28-30)
* 2 Thessalonians 1:9 "They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power"
* Matthew 8:10-12 "When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
* Matthew 13:40-43 "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."
* Matthew 13:49-50 "This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
* Matthew 22:11-14 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are invited, but few are chosen."
* Matthew 24:48-51 "But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
* Matthew 25:28-30 "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"
* Daniel 12:1-3 "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people--everyone whose name is found written in the book--will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever."
>What will Jesus' coming mean to Jesus' believers, including the Thessalonians who received this letter? (10)
* 2 Thessalonians 1:10 "on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you."
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>How does this fact prompt Paul, Silas and Timothy to pray as it should us to? (11)
* 2 Thessalonians 1:11 "With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith."
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>Why should we pray this? (12)
* 2 Thessalonians 1:12 "We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
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III. The Man of Lawlessness (2:1-12)
>8. What seems to have happened in the congregation at Thessalonica and is still happening today? (2:1-2, 5)
* 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 "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."
* 2 Thessalonians 2:5 "Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?"
* Reading these verses about the man of lawlessness being reveled and the world believing his lie is unsettling. I can see why the young congregation at Thessalonica was concerned that the day of the Lord had already come. The day of the Lord is a phrase in the Old and New Testements referring to the time of Jesus's coming. They were being persecuted and experiencing all kinds of trouble. So they believed reports that the troubled end was at hand.
Fear of the future is a matter of perspective. Jesus will overthrow the lawless man with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. These are comforting words in times of trouble. Yet what about the immediate future?
Last night was one of troubled sleep. My mind jotted around my life circumstances. Much is unknown. Knowing I will be going to be with Jesus brings some comfort. Knowing that many Christians have and still are experiencing what I am now also brings some comfort. Yet these do not completely settle down my heart.
I have today because God gave me today. Jesus told me not to worry about tomorrow for I have today. I can live in today. I can look around me and find what God is doing today and be thankful for these things today. God, thank you for today and all you gave me today.
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>What will happen before Jesus comes again? (3)
* 2 Thessalonians 2:3 "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."
* "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way"
* "that day"
* "for that day will not come until"
* "the rebellion occurs"
* "the man of lawlessness is revealed"
* "the man doomed to destruction"
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>What will the man of lawlessness do?
* 2 Thessalonians 2:4 "He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God."
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>Why hasn't he been revealed yet? (6, 7b)
* 2 Thessalonians 2:6 "And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time."
* 2 Thessalonians 2:7b "but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way."
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>Does this mean that he is not at work now? (7a)
* 2 Thessalonians 2:7a "For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work"
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>9. What will Jesus do to the lawless one when he comes?
* 2 Thessalonians 2:8 "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."
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>How will he do this?
* "with the breath of his mouth"
* "and destroy by the splendor of his coming"
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>Who is behind the lawless one's power? (9-10a)
* 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10a "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. "
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>What will he enable the lawless one to do?
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>10. Why will God punish people? (10b)
* 2 Thessalonians 2:10 "They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved."
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>What happens to those who hear the truth and refuse it? (11)
* 2 Thessalonians 2:11 "For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie"
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>Why? (12)
* 2 Thessalonians 2:12 "and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness."
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>What can be learned about the proper response to the truth?
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