1 Thessalonians 2: What to expect before Jesus returns?

The Thessalonians received a false letter of Paul saying that Jesus had already returned. They were facing troubles due to their faith, but if Jesus had already returned so, were everything in vain? were they abandoned by the Messiah? Paul wrote:

1-3 Now, friends, read these next words carefully. Slow down and don’t go jumping to conclusions regarding the day when our Master, Jesus Christ, will come back and we assemble to welcome him. Don’t let anyone shake you up or get you excited over some breathless report or rumored letter from me that the day of the Master’s arrival has come and gone. Don’t fall for any line like that.

Paul wrote that Jesus hadn't return and there will be signs before it happens:

- the apostasy 

- the man of Lawlessness - one man that sits in the temple of God (in Jerusalem?) proclaiming to be God.

Paul said that there is a Restrainer - one that is restraining the power of the Lawlessness.
Paul said:

13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold on to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.

According to Paul, I (or a Thessalonian) was chosen for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the Truth, so that I may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the Spirit work on me; may I grow in the Truth; may I obtain the glory of Jesus (be resurrected).

2 Thessalonians 1

In this second letter to the Thessalonians, we find the same subjects of the first letter. The first chapter, deals with tribulation /  Thlipsis θλῖψις. It means to "press" or "squeeze". The Thessalonians are evicted by their families because they don't worship the same gods. They are seen by the Thessalonica city as rebels against Caesar because they proclaim that "Jesus is Lord". In this context, it is difficult to work, to have clients.

Paul give reasons for being glad in tribulation:

1) Hope: Jesus will return - there will be a reversal
5-10 All this trouble is a clear sign that God has decided to make you fit for the kingdom. You’re suffering now, but justice is on the way. When the Master Jesus appears out of heaven in a blaze of fire with his strong angels, he’ll even up the score by settling accounts with those who gave you such a bad time. His coming will be the break we’ve been waiting for. Those who refuse to know God and refuse to obey the Message will pay for what they’ve done. Eternal exile from the presence of the Master and his splendid power is their sentence. But on that very same day when he comes, he will be exalted by his followers and celebrated by all who believe—and all because you believed what we told you.

2) Growth: The discomfort makes us grow:
3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is only fitting, because your faith is increasing abundantly, and the love of each and every one of you toward one another grows ever greater.

1 Thessalonians 5 - What to do waiting for Jesus return?

Imagine a church very focused on Jesus return. The focus is on the future where things will be changed: there will be a reward for those who believed in Jesus as the Messiah whereas there will be a punishment for those who rejected the gospel. The problem is that too much focus on the future may imply in a bad behavior in the present. For instance: why work? why build new things? why improve in life? In chapter 5, Paul addresses the problem: What to do waiting for Jesus return? In resume, we are to live the life that reflects the life that the Lord designed for us.
We are to have communion with the Lord through prayer, and to grow as a community that loves the Lord:

13-15 Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

In a way, this life is about to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth.

1 Thessalonians 4: Stewardship, not Escapism

Paul had been preaching the Messiah, a life surrendered to him and His return when His enemies would be conquered.
Some people listened to this message and thought: "why to work if this world will come to an end? if this world will be conquered by Jesus?". So, some people stopped working and began to live by the charity of others, giving a very bad testimony to outsiders. We read:

11-12 Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You’ve heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.


Jesus loves his creation; He loves us and He wants us to love, to serve, to be useful.
Some people died while waiting for Jesus return. It was troublesome because they thought that Jesus would return very soon. What would happen to the dead?
In this chapter, we read about the rapture, perhaps the only place in the Bible that talks about it:

15-18 And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master’s word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they’ll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God’s trumpet blast! He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they’ll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.

It is very interesting that some people think that as we are meeting Jesus in the air, we will go and live in heaven. No. The Bible says in many passages that we are living here in Earth, but a recreated Earth, governed by the Messiah. The New Jerusalem comes to Earth and not goes to heave. So, why are we meeting Jesus in the air? At that time, when the king came to his town, the city would meet him in the gates of the town and bring him in; as we meeting Jesus in the air and return to earth.

So, again this text is about stewardship (I serve the Master), not escapism (to escape from this world). Although our life is on earth, the vision of the coming Messiah is very important to keep our faith alive.

1 Thessalonians 3: Paul received good news from the Thessalonian church.

The Thessalonian church was persecuted by three kinds of people: 1) it was very offensive to the Romans to listen that "Jesus is Lord". 2) it was very offensive to families and co-workers to abandon their false gods so the church was ostracized from their families or from their jobs. They faced a social pressure by their families and an economic pressure from their jobs. 3) the Jews were against them and used the Romans to persecute them, as in Acts 17:5.  

Paul was eager to know how these new church was facing persecution, so he sent Timothy to know the situation. He received the good news that they were enduring persecution and he became very glad to listen to it.

It is very interesting to see how powerful is the message, the good news that "Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God that came to redeem us" because it was necessary the Lord's power to endure what the Thessalonian church was facing. It was also necessary strong ties among the church members to support one another; including people who lost financial support. Today, we abandon the church for little things showing the fragility of our faith.

1 Thessalonians 2: Paul reinforces his love to the Thessalonians

Paul left Thessalonica in a hurry (as in Acts 17). Some in the church might find that Paul was abandoning them. He explains that in fact he loves them. His message was given to the Philipians when he was beaten and jailed. Why would he repeat the preaching again in Thessalonica with similar results? Not to explore them but because he wanted them to leave their false gods and believe in Jesus as their Messiah. In doing he behaved as father and mother who cares for their children. In fact, Paul is proud of them. He said:

19 For who is our hope, or joy or crown of pride, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Or is it not indeed you? 20 For you are our glory and joy.

I would like to be in church where the pastor imitates Paul. 

1_Thessalonians 1: First letter of Paul in New Testament?

1_Thessalonians 1: First letter of Paul in New Testament?

The letters of Paul in New Testament are placed from the greatest to the least. Many people believe that 1 Thessalonians were the first letter of Paul that survived in the New Testament. It was written around 50 -51 AD, less than 20 years after the resurrection. In this blog, we will read the letters of Paul chronologically.

This letter must have been written during Paul’s second missionary journey. In Acts 17, Paul preaches in Thessalonica. It was a great city in a road connecting Rome to Byzantium (Via Egnatia). It was also a port. It was a "civitas libera", free city. The Thessalonians supported the right side on the civil wars and they were allowed to govern themselves. The message of the gospel declaring Jesus as King, Jesus as Lord, was very offensive to them in general. Paul preached but had to flee from the city. He got news from the converted Thessalonians and wrote a letter to them. He said:

2-5 Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you’re in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn’t just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.

Some missionaries want to gain souls to Jesus and stop there. Here, Paul wrote a letter to guide the Thessalonians in their new life with Jesus, in a empire hostile to another Lord, but Caesar.

Acts 28: Paul in Rome

The Lord had been guiding Paul. In Acts 27, Paul said to the crew of the ship:

23 For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong, whom I also serve, came to me, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has graciously granted you all those who are sailing with you.’

Paul was confident that the Lord was with him, guiding his ways. After the shipwreck, Paul is in Malta Island. He miraculously saved from a snake bite. There, he made new friends such as Publius who had a sick father.
He finally arrives in Rome. He is welcomed by the church in Rome. He preaches to the Jews: some accept the gospel, other reject. Although Paul is a prisoner, he lived in a rented house, where he welcomed everyone who wanted to know more about Jesus.

That is the end of the book of Acts which is somehow strange given that Paul was executed by Caesar Nero. There is a theory that Luke wrote to Theophilos in order to defend Paul in his judgment. If so, the book of Acts must have been helpful in order to sustain that Paul was not guilty. Soon after he must have traveled to Spain (according to "The Muratorian Fragment"). He was killed by Nero around AD 64 and AD 67 in a persecution to Christians.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:1): "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." ; indeed, Paul is an example of to place the Lord Jesus in first place.

Acts 27: Paul is sent to Rome with two friends

Paul is a Roman citzen and a prisioner who appealed to Ceasar. He was in Ceasaria Martima that worked like a great Airport Hub with ships to many destinations. He had been previously many times there. Now, Paul is sent to Rome in a ship to Sidon with two friends: Luke and Aristarchus.
Although I live in large city, I don't have many friends. Paul was a prisioner with two leal friends but not only that, he was always gaining friends in his life. He was assigned under the care of the centurion Julius who became friend of Paul. They changed to an Egyptian ship full of wheat (a valuable cargo) which was destroyed in a shipwreck. In a way, Paul was taking care of all in the ship, he wanted them all alive.
Paul had a mission and he cared for people (not only Christians). No wonder he had friends.

Acts 26: The importance of resurrection to Paul

Paul is before king Agrippa (who knows the prophets and the Jewish tradition) and Festus (a Roman governor appointed to rule Judea). In today terms, Festus would be a "rational" guy who doesn't believe in resurrection. Thus, Paul is glad to be listened by king Agrippa who can understand the situation. In the book of Acts, it is the third time that the conversion of Paul is told. In his explanation, he is saying that he was like his enemies - who was also against the followers of Jesus; but he saw Jesus resurrected. He reread all the Tanakh and concluded that it was all about Jesus. Paul said to king Agrippa:

22-23 And everything I’m saying is completely in line with what the prophets and Moses said would happen: One, the Messiah must die; two, raised from the dead, he would be the first rays of God’s daylight shining on people far and near, people both godless and God-fearing.

Paul had a mission given by Jesus:

17-18 “‘I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.’

For Festus, Jesus is dead; but for Paul, Jesus is not only alive, but He is the reason of his life.

Acts 25: Felix to Festus, change of the Roman governors of Judea

In Acts 25, Felix is substituted by Festus as the new governor of Judea. Although Felix kept Paul in prison for two years (expecting bribery), Festus decided to judge Paul as soon as he came into power. The enemies of Paul asked Festus to judge Paul in Jerusalem when in fact they had a plot to kill him; however Paul refused to go to Jerusalem and appealed to Ceasar, to be judged by the Ceasar Nero.
The king Herod Agrippa I had died in Acts 12, but now his son, Agrippa II received part of Agrippa I territories but not Judea. Festus (who was indeed ruling over Judea) invited Agrippa II to study the case of Paul because it was very difficult to document the accusation against him. Agrippa II realized that Paul was not guilt under the Roman law.
Paul belongs to the kingdom of God. It is very interesting how the kingdom of God grew and gained power in a very humble way; for instance, Paul uses the circumstances to present the kingdom of God when being judged.

Acts 24: Paul was good to Felix

Paul was taken to Ceasarea by commandant Claudius Lysias. There, he stood before Ananias and the procurator/governor Felix. Both Ananias and Felix were evil men. Felix was a slave who conquered a very high position. He was married to three queens, but in particular, Drusilla. Drusilla was married to king of Emesa but left his husband to marry Felix. Josephus hints that Felix hired the assassins of the High Priest Jonathan because Jonathan kept lecturing him on how to govern better. It is interesting how Paul addresses to Felix:

10 And when the governor had nodded for him to speak, Paul responded: “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge to this nation, I cheerfully make my defense, (...)

Paul was very respectful to Felix, but Felix even knowing that Paul had done nothing wrong kept him in prison, expecting some bribe from him.

We read:

24-26 A few days later Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, sent for Paul and listened to him talk about a life of believing in Jesus Christ. As Paul continued to insist on right relations with God and his people, about a life of moral discipline and the coming Judgment, Felix felt things getting a little too close for comfort and dismissed him. “That’s enough for today. I’ll call you back when it’s convenient.” At the same time he was secretly hoping that Paul would offer him a substantial bribe. These conversations were repeated frequently.

Thus, Paul didn't judge Felix as a bad man , however, he talked about how important is to have a right relation with God and this implies in a change of life. Felix stopped Paul because he was not interested in a relationship with God. That is: Paul didn't presuppose that Felix wasn't an elect of God. Despite Felix's character, Paul was good to Felix.

Acts 23: Paul in the Sanhedrin

The Sanhedrin is the council composed by the chief priest, and the leaders of Pharisees and Sadducees. At that time, the chief priest was Ananias. At Jesus time, the chief priest was Caiaphas, son in law of Annas (and not Ananias). Ananias was a violent, greedy and a volatile person that was assassinated by Jewish Zealots in 66.

1-3 Paul surveyed the members of the council with a steady gaze, and then said his piece: “Friends, I’ve lived with a clear conscience before God all my life, up to this very moment.” That set the Chief Priest Ananias off. He ordered his aides to slap Paul in the face. Paul shot back, “God will slap you down! What a fake you are! You sit there and judge me by the Law and then break the Law by ordering me slapped around!”

Thus, it is bizarre how the good man (Paul) was being judged by the bad man (Ananias). It reminds the judgement of Jesus.

6 Paul, knowing some of the council was made up of Sadducees and others of Pharisees and how they hated each other, decided to exploit their antagonism: “Friends, I am a stalwart Pharisee from a long line of Pharisees. It’s because of my Pharisee convictions—the hope and resurrection of the dead—that I’ve been hauled into this court.”

This statement caused a great confusion in the Sanhedrin because the Sadducees didn´t  believe in resurrection. Paul was taken out alive from the Sanhedrin by the Romans. The nephew of Paul (from his sister) heard a conversation where 40 Jews vowed to not eat until they kill Paul. Who were these Jews? Probably they ware Zealots. The Zealots couldn't think of gentiles (not as converted Jews), being accepted by the Lord. For them, Paul was betraying Israel.

Acts 22: Paul's discourse

The crowd in Jerusalem (near the temple) thought that Paul was some kind of helenist guy, that didn´t care about the Lord or the people of Israel. The proof to it was that they thought that Paul was leading some gentiles inside the inner courts of the temple (which would profane the temple). The crowd wanted to kill him, but when Paul was being rescued by the Roman commander in the stairs of of the Fortress of Antonia, he asked the commander to speak some words to the crowd (who was against him). 
His purpose was to explain that his acts were not against the Lord but by the opposite: his acts were in obedience to the Lord.
He began to talk in Aramaic, not in Greek. He began saying about his high level Jewish degrees (education, obedience to the tradition, etc.). In a way, he was far superior in Jewish tradition than the normal crowd. He explained that Jesus (who was crucified and cursed by the Lord) was indeed resurrected and alive.
We read:
21 And He/Jesus said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
22 They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a man from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!”

Why the sentence in 21 made the crowd so angry? 
They always say the Gentiles as the uncleans while they were the chosen people of the Lord. It seemed very offensive to them that the Messiah would accept the Gentiles as his people.
And here I am: a gentile in 2026, that belongs to the Messiah, chosen by the Messiah.

Acts 21: Paul cared about the Jews to the point of risk his own life

Paul loved the gentiles and saw the Spirit changing their hearts. Paul also loved the Jews in the Jerusalem church and cared about what they were thinking. Some Jews were suspicious of Paul: wouldn't he be teaching the gentiles that the Mosaic law is useless? Paul had decided to go to Jerusalem and bring a great donation from the gentiles to them. However, the daughters of Philip, the Evangelist and Agabus were predicting that he would be captured there, so they were advising him not to go to Jerusalem. He said:

13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

So he went there. He wanted to show that he was not against the Mosaic Law, but that backfired and he was captured.
People are very difficult to change opinion. I am reluctant to say things that are against others opinion. In doing so, I live in a comfortable world where I really don't interact very much to other people. Paul was different. He wanted to unite Jews and gentiles in the people of the Lord and he was not afraid to risk his life to get on it. Paul loved and was loved.