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NOTES ON THE EPISTLES TO THE THESSALONIANS - THE SECOND EPISTLE

The summary of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians is this. False teachers had come, taking advantage of the little light which the Thessalonians (as yet young in the faith) possessed on the Lord’s return; and seizing the occasion of their tribulation, they had thrown them into trouble of mind by telling them, “The day is present.” In opposition to this work of the enemy, Paul reassures them by writing to them this epistle, the object of which is to shew them that the day of the Lord was not yet present. These data are the key to the book.

⁺The doctrine of perfect sanctification, preached by Wesley, does not admit of the communication of life which is made to the believer; it only requires the action of the Spirit on man such as he is. “The Holy Spirit,” it says, “sanctifies the body, the soul, and the spirit.” At bottom, this is to set aside regeneration; and it is perhaps for that very reason that the same doctrine will see something good in man, and gives this definition of sin, “a wilful transgression of the law.” If sin is merely a wilful transgression of the law, Paul was wrong to express such grief about sin where it was not wilful; Romans 7.

^[p. 301] Chapter 1. In this epistle, as in the preceding one, Paul, in saluting the church of the Thessalonians, sees it “in God our Father,” verse 1, 2.

Then, before entering upon the special subject, the apostle considers the circumstances of the Thessalonians; and, on the occasion of their sufferings for the gospel, he recognises their good estate in Christ, and finds in their tribulations an evidence that they were really in the Christian position. “Your faith,” he says, “increases exceedingly and your love abounds, so that we ourselves make our boast in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions ... . For these tribulations are the portion of those who inherit the kingdom of God,” verse 3-5.

Then he shews in what an end these tribulations would issue and the change of position they were preparing between the persecuted and the persecutors at the appearing of the Lord Jesus. In that day we shall be at rest while the wicked will find themselves in tribulation. The Lord will manifest against them His retributive justice. This change of condition is not mentioned, as though it were only to be accomplished at the Lord’s appearing; but the words by which it is expressed shew what will be the respective condition of saints and unbelievers at that moment. It is already a first intimation, shewing that the Lord will not put the saints into sorrow and trouble when He comes; verse 5-10.

Verse 5. “A manifest token of the righteous judgment of God.” The persecutions which the Thessalonians endured proved they were “counted worthy of the kingdom of God.” The judgment of God would bring this into evidence, as it would also manifest what had been the conduct of the persecutors.

Verse 8. There are two classes of persons on whom the vengeance of the Lord will come at His appearing: those who knew not God (that is, sinners in general), and those who do not obey the gospel.

^[p. 302] Chapter 2. While declaring, in the preceding verses that the Lord, in His day, will manifest His retributive justice, Paul lays down a general truth which governs the subject. Now he enters upon the special point: — Is that day come?

Verses 1, 2. Read, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind ... as that the day of the Lord is present.” The coming of Jesus, and the gathering together of the saints to Him at His coming, is a motive, for the latter, not to be troubled as if they were to be included in the judgments which the day of the Lord would usher in. They will be with Him before that. When He shall be revealed from heaven, the saints will have rest; chapter 1: 7. Evidently they will no longer be on this world’s scene, for it is not then that there will be rest on earth.

The seducers told the Thessalonians, “The day is present”; and not “the day is at hand.”⁺ The Greek word is the same that is used in Romans 8: 38, and 1 Corinthians 3: 22, to signify, “things present,” in contrast with “things to come.” The language of the seducers signified that this day had been already entered on.

Having the declaration that the Lord should come and gather them together to Himself before that day, and being themselves still on earth, the Thessalonians had, by this very fact, a proof that the day was not yet present.

Verses 3, 4. Here is another proof. The one who will be the object of the Lord’s judgment in that day was not yet on the scene. As long as, on the one hand, those who are to be on the seat of judgment are not gathered together (the saints above), and while, on the other hand the criminal is not brought to the bar, there can be no judgment.

Verse 6. “What withholdeth.” It is not in order to prevent the revelation of the lawless one that God has put a restraint; it is to prevent his being revealed before his time. The adversary is always ready for evil. In the day that God takes away the bridle, Satan will immediately shew himself at work to drag men into apostasy.

“That which restrains;” the Greek means a thing. What is it? God has not told us what it is, and this, doubtless, because the thing which restrained then is not that which restrains now. Then it was, in one sense, the Roman empire, as the fathers thought; who saw in the power of the Roman empire a hindrance to the revelation of the man of sin, and thus prayed for the prosperity of that empire. At present the hindrance is still the existence of the governments established by God in the world; and God will maintain them as long as there is here below the gathering of His church. Viewed in this light, the hindrance is, at the bottom, the presence of the church and of the Holy Spirit on the earth.

⁺If we change the word “present,” the whole epistle becomes unintelligible.

^[p. 303] The Antichrist will be the head of the ecclesiastical apostasy. He “denieth the Father and the Son.” He “denieth that Jesus is the Christ.” He will be at the same time a civil head, although the first beast (Revelation 13: 1-10) will be the one to whom the authority and throne of the dragon will be given. The Antichrist, whose seat appears to be in Judea, will be a kind of lieutenant of the beast. Herod might furnish us an example.

Verse 8. “The Lord shall consume ... with the brightness of his coming.” Mark these last words. The lawless one shall be consumed by the presence of the Lord, manifested at His appearing. This leads us to distinguish between the coming of Jesus and His appearing. The Lord will first come, and then He will manifest Himself — He will appear.

Verse 9. “With all power and signs and lying wonders.” It is very solemn to see the terms used by Peter, in his preaching at Jerusalem (Acts 2: 22), to denote the works of power which accompanied the ministry of Jesus, now used by Paul in this epistle to express what the man of sin will do. What seduction there will be then!

Elijah’s miracles will also have their counterfeit. The lawless one will cause fire to come down from heaven. And here are signs which, in the days of Elijah, were the touchstone of truth — signs by which one recognised that Jehovah was God, which now will be accomplished in behalf of the beast! (Revelation 13).

Verses 9-12. These verses furnish circumstantial but most solemn details concerning the ecclesiastical action which will take place then, and the power of seduction which will be at work among men. The lawless one will come “with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish.” God will send “strong delusion,” and men will believe what is false, that they all may be judged who have not believed the truth.

^[p. 304] Such will be the moral state of things during the great tribulation which is to come on the earth. Two passages in the prophets (Jeremiah 30: 7, and Daniel 12: 1), as well as two passages in the gospel (Matthew 24: 21 and Mark 13: 19), tell us of this great tribulation. There we remark that it will fall more especially on the Jews, although it may happen that the Gentiles also shall suffer from it. It is to the sorrows of this crisis that the sufferings of that remnant refer, which we find on the scene in the Psalms. The tribulation will take place during the latter half of the last week mentioned in the book of Daniel (chapter 9), and will last until the Lord’s appearing.

Besides, there are two passages in the Revelation which speak of a general tribulation. The first is Revelation 3: 10, where we read these words, “The hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try,” etc. Then we have Revelation 7: 9, 17, where we find persons saved out of “all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongue,” coming out of the great tribulation. From the evidence given by these passages, we find that there will be a general tribulation on the whole earth; then, at the last moment, a more special tribulation for the Jews.

The church possesses the inestimable privilege of exemption from going through these evil days. Not only will it not be on the earth at the appearing of Jesus (and this is what we have seen at the beginning of the chapter), but, besides, it will not be there at the time of the great tribulation. The Lord has said, “I also will keep thee out of the hour of temptation.” We shall not therefore pass through that hour.

Verses 13, 14. There are persons who obey not the gospel; but you, Thessalonians, you have obeyed it. But this was before ordained of God, because He has chosen you from the beginning (according to a counsel determined before all ages), in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, which are things accomplished in time.

“Chosen you to salvation” — such is the object which God has purposed in Himself. “In sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” — such is the effect produced in the elect, conformably to God’s purpose. “Our gospel” — such is the means used of God to produce that effect.

^[p. 305] Chapter 3 contains various exhortations and wishes of Paul in behalf of the Thessalonians. It mentions prayer, obedience, love, and the patience of Christ; also how to treat any walking disorderly: then salutations.

Verse 5. “The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of the Christ.” The teachers who told the Thessalonians, “the day is present,” had not that patience.

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