Posted on 08/22/2018 2:27:04 PM PDT by pcottraux
Wednesday night Bible study is here!
This week is part 3 of the "Why the Books of the New Testament Were Written" vlog series. We're focusing on why Paul wrote I and II Thessalonians.
Why Paul Wrote the Thessalonian Letters
Video clocks in at 20:55. A bit longer than the last two, but the story behind Paul's Second Missionary Journey, which included planting the churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Ephesus is very complicated.
You can also subscribe by entering your email in the subscription box on the home page, read all my past blogs on the Archives page, or follow me on:
Twitter: @DepthsPentecost
YouTube: Depths of Pentecost
Instagram: @DepthsofPentecost
Thanks for reading/watching, and God bless!
This is the official ping list for Depths of Pentecost: I’m a Christian blogger who writes weekly Bible lessons. Topics range from Bible studies, apologetics, theology, history, and occasionally current events. Every now and then I upload sermons or classes onto YouTube.
Let me know if you’d like to added to the Depths of Pentecost ping list. New posts are up every Saturday.
bkmk
Thanks for the post and citations of the other videos.
Your effort is appreciated.
ptsal
Looking forward to the read. God bless!
Dude. You need to sit down. You trash pretty much anyone who has a blog. Why don’t you offer something constructive for a change.
“Even though you have no idea who they are, you assume yourself superior to them. I hope you fall into a hole, you arrogant puke.”
Let me get this straight. You’re wishing harm to a fellow Freeper for being a Bible teacher?
Does it differ from this 2 minute version?
The City of Thessalonica. It was founded by Cassander, King of Macedon 315 B. C., and was about a hundred miles west of Philippi. It was a great commercial center of Paul’s time, the inhabitants being Greeks, Romans and Jews. It still exists under the name of Saloniki, and has a population of from 75,000 to 85,000 about half of whom are Jews.
The Church of Thessalonica. Upon being delivered from prison at Philippi. Paul continued his second missionary journey to Thessalonica, having also Silas and Timothy with him (Acts 17:1-5). He spent three Sabbaths there, but on account of the persecution of the Jews, went from there to Berea, then to Athens, and then to Corinth where he spent 18 months. The first letter bears testimony to the splendid Christian character of these new converts from heathenism.
First Thessalonians.
This is probably the first epistle written by Paul and perhaps the first written document of the Christian religion. It is not doctrinal, has no element of controversy and is one of the most gentle and affectionate of Paul’s letters. It is notable for its special salutations and refers to their expectations of the immediate return of Jesus. Its main idea is consolation (4:17-18), its keynote hope and its leading words affliction and advent. Its purpose was: (1) to send affectionate greetings, (2) to console them in their afflictions, (3) to correct their wrong, their mistaken views of Christ’s second coming, (4) to exhort then to proper living as against certain immoral tendencies.
Date. From Corinth A. D. 53.
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/1-thessalonians.html
The second epistle to the Thessalonians begins with almost the same wording as the first epistle. Timothy and Silas/Silvanus who were the apostle’s companions on his second missionary journey (51 to 54 AC) were with him now also. Paul refers to an earlier epistle (chap. 2:15). He reminds the Thessalonians of his habitual way of writing (chap. 3:17) and he mentions that he has received fresh news of some that walked among them (chap. 3:11). From these references one concludes that Paul wrote this second epistle after the first and probably still during his 18 month stay in Corinth in the year 52 AC (Acts 18:5-11).
The main subject of the second epistle is the same as in the first one: the coming of the Lord. While the first epistle deals mainly with the rapture of the believers the second epistle centres on Christ’s appearing in this world.
The Thessalonians still suffered heavy persecution from the enemies of the gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:4; compare 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 2:14; 1 Thessalonians 3:3-4). Also fanaticism had come in among them. These people announced that the day of the Lord had already started (probably by means of a falsified epistle, which Paul was claimed to have written). See 2 Thessalonians 2:2.
Thus the Thessalonians who were still young in their faith had been confused and wearied in their living hope of the coming of the Lord. Paul had heard of it and is now writing a second epistle to teach and encourage them. This epistle’s note is slightly less warm than the first one’s was and the grievances are clearly talked about. However this epistle is still a document of the apostle’s pastoral care. The first epistle shows Paul more as a nourishing woman or as a mother while the second shows him more as a father with his beloved children in the faith (see 1 Thessalonians 2:7-11).
Paul starts with the comforting words that those who now are persecuted for their faith in Christ will receive peace on earth at His public appearing, while their persecutors will receive their recompense be they heathen not knowing God or be they Jews not believing the Lord Jesus (chap. 1).
In chapter 2 the apostle writes on their anxiety as the Thessalonians had started to believe that the day of Christ was at hand. Paul gives a short but exact overview on the events preceding that day. Thus he proves that the day of Christ had neither dawned nor can even dawn before the rapture of the believers. The Christian therefore neither awaits the day of Christ nor the tribulation preceding it but the coming of the Lord to gather the believers into heaven.
In chapters 2:13 to 3:5 Paul encourages the Thessalonians to hold fast to the gospel of faith and concludes the epistle with some solemn admonitions regarding those Christians who thought it no longer necessary to work for their living.
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/2-thessalonians.html
“It might interrupt their ‘teaching’ of their ‘inferiors’ though.”
As someone who has personally spent thousands of hours reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on the Bible, my assessment of pcottraux’s Bible knowledge is that it is well above average. I have personally learned a thing or two from this recent series of videos.
It is God’s design of the church for some to have the gift of teaching. Being called to teach the Bible does not make a person superior to other Christians. While God does want Christians to study the Bible for themselves, He also does not want us to become so arrogant that we think we can figure out everything there is to know on our own.
I understand that you are the in-house FR defender against blog pimps. I don’t feel this applies to pcottraux. He is providing his lessons in video form. I don’t see any indication he is stealing FR traffic to make money off of a monetized Youtube channel. So, my opinion is that he is providing a worthwhile contribution to those who are interested in what he has to say. The discussion of the topics he is covering could lead to him learning more as well, as there are many students of the Bible on this forum.
bfl
“In chapter 2 the apostle writes on their anxiety as the Thessalonians had started to believe that the day of Christ was at hand. Paul gives a short but exact overview on the events preceding that day. Thus he proves that the day of Christ had neither dawned nor can even dawn before the rapture of the believers. The Christian therefore neither awaits the day of Christ nor the tribulation preceding it but the coming of the Lord to gather the believers into heaven.”
Paul does not so much “prove” that day of Christ had not yet come as much as he asserts so, with apostolic authority. He recounts some specific events that must occur prior to the Day of the Lord. These events had not yet happened and supports Paul’s assertion.
It is incorrect to say that the Christian does not await arrival the Day of Christ but the coming of the Lord. They are synonymous occurrences. Christ’s return for the church will signal the arrival of the Day of the Lord. For Christians it is a Day of Christ at which point believers are gathered to Him. For unbelievers it is the Day of God’s Wrath it is a time when God’s judgment of the earth by fire will occur.
It is also incorrect to say this epistle indicates that Christian do not need to await the tribulation which proceeds the Day of Christ. The Thessalonians were already going through severe tribulation:
2 Thessalonians 1:4-6
So that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you.
One of the signs that will precipitate the Great Tribulation and the subsequent, imminent return of the Lord is the abomination of desolation. Daniel spoke of it (chapters 9-12). Christ referenced it in the Olivet discourse. Paul had already taught the Thessalonians about it and further reminds them of his expository teaching of Daniel and how it fits into the eschatological context of the return of Christ.
Paul argues that the abomination of desolation has not yet occurred, so the Day of Christ had also not arrived. One of the reasons this is an important sign for believers to be aware of is because the church WILL face the Antichrist.
Acts 14:21-22
And when they [Paul and Barnabas] had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”
1 John 2:18
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
bump for later
If you go way, way back.... the comments were okay. Time, gravity and other age-related issues have set in and diminished the quality of the comments.
If you do not like the commentary, tell Jim Robinson. Do not be fooled by the “banned” Freepmail site. That is bogus.
If someone of humble orgins has offended you, say so.
Just a suggestion.
ptsal
Thanks for the ling ... great History lesson! Putting the missionary journeys into a timeline connected with letters is good stuff for bible study. J. Vernon McGee did this with every book as he read Through The Bible on the radio.
Took me a little bit longer than 2 minutes to read that.
The focus was supposed to be on the history behind why Thessalonians were written than the theology, though I did get into that a little bit. But the background has to get into the locations of Paul's second missionary journey; why he went, where he went, whom he took with him, etc. Thessalonica played an interesting role in the list of places Paul visited planting churches.
Put all together, I'm hoping to form a cohesive narrative of New Testament history.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.