Quizzing the New Testament : 2 Thessalonians

Answer: Their perseverance

"Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring." (2 Thessalonians 1 v. 4)

Perversely, the early church came to see persecution not as failure but as a sign that they were on the right track. They also felt that it was through such troubles that God was able to form character within them:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1 v. 2-4)

Answer: They will be punished with everlasting destruction

"They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed." (2 Thessalonians 1 v. 9-10)

It is worth noting that Paul is not talking about unbelievers in general but those people that are troubling and persecuting the Thessalonian church.

Answer: All of these

"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. 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." (2 Thessalonians 1 v. 11-12)

Reading between the lines, it seems likely that the Thessalonians were worried about their ability to stand firm under pressure and had written to Paul to say so. In this prayer and elsewhere, Paul offers words of reassurance and prays that they would not fall short in any way. The prayer appears to be an early example of a Trinitarian formula, if you accept that the power of God refers to the Holy Spirit.

Answer: The day of the Lord had already come

"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 v. 1-2)

In his first letter, Paul had already written that nobody had any knowledge of dates or times and that Jesus would come "like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5 v. 2).

Answer: Perform counterfeit miracles

"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. 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." (2 Thessalonians 2 v. 8-10)

The imminent return of Jesus was taken as fact by the early Christians. The details, though, were unknown and many different stories must have been circulating. In light of this, it is perhaps surprising how close Paul's story is to that of John in Revelation and this teaching may, therefore, go back to the apostles. Revelation has a false prophet, empowered by a beast, that is able to deceive the world by performing miracles:
"Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth." (Revelation 13 v. 11-14)

Answer: Hold on to what Paul had taught them

"So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter." (2 Thessalonians 2 v. 15)

Paul distinguishes between the spoken word he has preached to them and the letters he has written to them. They would probably have been amazed, obsessed as they were with thoughts of an imminent second coming, that there would come a time when these written instructions would be collected together to be treated as scripture.

Answer: He made tents

"After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them." (Acts 18 v. 1-3)

When Paul wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians, he appears to have been responding to a charge that he was looking to gain financially from his preaching. Here, the motivation is different. He is using his own experience as an example to the church that all should work for a living.

Answer: He was a rabbi and rabbis were required to support themselves

In Paul's time, all priests were supported by the Jewish people but rabbis were required to learn a trade and support themselves financially. That is why Jesus is so critical of those that abused their position:
"As he taught, Jesus said, 'Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.'" (Mark 12 v. 38-40)

Note that Paul does NOT say that all Christian leaders should be unpaid. In other places, he stresses the responsibility of supporting them.

Two caveats should also be noted about the use of the word rabbi. Firstly, although the role existed at this time, the precise title of rabbi does not appear until two centuries later. Secondly, Paul's description of his Jewish background and education in Jerusalem has led scholars to presume that, pre-conversion, he had operated as a "rabbi", but nowhere does Paul specifically say so himself.

Answer: If a man will not work, he shall not eat.

"For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.' We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat." (2 Thessalonians 3 v. 10-12)

The very specific context seems to have been that some people in the Thessalonian church, expecting the end of the world at any moment, had given up working. We are not told whether they were using their time to pray and evangelise or simply to run around like headless chickens. Paul's concern about their irresponsibility was probably threefold. They were denying a God-given responsibility to provide for themselves; they were placing an unnecessary burden on their fellow Christians; and they were setting a bad example to the outside world. He urged his readers to have nothing to do with them if they persisted.

Answer: Peace

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." (2 Thessalonians 3 v. 16)

This is also one of those rare occurrences when Paul draws attention to his own handwriting, as if to authenticate the letter:
"I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write" (2 Thessalonians 3 v. 17).
This may relate back to chapter 2 and the circulation of false reports in Paul's name.