2 Thessalonians 2

Paul appealed to them to “calm down” on the basis of the truth he had taught them in his first letter: the Lord would return and catch up His own to meet Him to the air (1 Thess. 4:13–18). This is “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and … our gathering together unto him” (2 Thess. 2:1). Not two separated events, but one great event that will occur suddenly and without warning.

Once the church is out of the world, Satan and his forces will unfold their program. The day of the Lord is the period that follows the rapture of the church. It will be a time of tribulation for the people on earth: Satan and his hosts will be working on earth, and God will send righteous judgments from heaven. Revelation 6—19 describes this period for us.

Why is Satan unable to reveal his “man of sin” sooner? Because God is restraining the forces of evil in the world today. Satan cannot do whatever he wants to do, whenever he pleases. Our sovereign Lord is able to make even the wrath of man to praise Him, and “the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain” (Ps. 76:10). In 2 Thessalonians 2:6–7, Paul mentioned a restraining force that even today is helping keep everything on schedule.

Who or what is this restrainer? Paul told the Thessalonicans when he was teaching them personally, but he did not put this information in either of his letters. This restrainer is now at work in the world and will continue to work till it (or he) is “taken out of the midst” (literal translation of 2 Thess. 2:7b).

Notice that in 2 Thessalonians 2: Paul referred to this restrainer in the neuter gender (“what restraineth”), while in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, he used the masculine gender (“he who now hindereth”). The restrainer is a person who is today “in the midst,” but will one day be “taken out of the midst.”

Many Bible students identify this restrainer as the Holy Spirit of God. Certainly, He is “in the midst” of God’s program today, working through the church to accomplish God’s purposes. When the church is raptured, the Holy Spirit will not be taken out of the world (otherwise nobody could be saved during the tribulation), but He will be taken out of the midst to allow Satan and his forces to go to work. The Holy Spirit will certainly be present on the earth during the day of the Lord, but He will not be restraining the forces of evil as He is today.

In spite of its weakness and seeming failure, never underestimate the importance of the church in the world. People who criticize the church do not realize that the presence of the people of God in this world gives unsaved people opportunity to be saved. The presence of the church is delaying the coming of judgment. Lot was not a dedicated man, but his presence in Sodom held back the wrath of God (Gen. 19:12–29).

There are two programs at work in the world today: God’s program of salvation, and Satan’s program of sin, “the mystery of iniquity.” God has a timetable for His program, and nothing Satan does can change that timetable. Just as there was a “fullness of the time” for the coming of Christ (Gal. 4:4), so there is a “fullness of the time” for the appearance of Antichrist; and nothing will be off schedule. Once the restraining ministry of the Spirit of God has ended, the next event can take place.

The purpose of Bible prophecy is not for us to make a calendar, but to build character. Paul emphasized this fact in both of his Thessalonian letters, and our Lord warned us not to set dates for His coming (Matt. 24:36, 42). Date-setters are usually upsetters, and that is exactly what happened in the Thessalonican assembly.

Someone had deceived the believers into thinking they were already living in the day of the Lord. The teaching probably first came through a “prophetic utterance” in one of their meetings, and then it was further enhanced by a letter claiming to come from Paul himself. The believers were instantly shaken by this teaching and continued to be deeply troubled. Had God changed His program? Had not Paul promised them deliverance from the tribulation (see 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9)?

To calm their hearts and stabilize their faith, Paul explained that they were not in the day of the Lord. The reason was simple: that day could not arrive till certain other events had taken place. Paul then stated for them the prophetic events that make up God’s timetable.

Paul did not use the term Antichrist in his letter. This term is used in the New Testament only by John (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7). But this is the name we use to identify the last great world dictator whom Paul designated as “that man of sin,” “the son of perdition” (2 Thess. 2:3), and “that lawless one” (2 Thess. 2:8, literal translation).

Satan has been at war with God ever since he, as Lucifer, rebelled against God and tried to capture God’s throne (Isa. 14:12–15). He tempted Eve in the garden and, through her, caused Adam to fall (Gen. 3). In Genesis 3:15, God declared war on Satan and his family (“seed”) and promised the coming of the Redeemer who would finally and completely defeat Satan.

The Greek prefix antihas two meanings: against, and instead of. Satan not only opposes Christ, but he wants to be worshipped and obeyed instead of Christ. Satan has always wanted to be worshipped and served as God (Isa. 14:14; Luke 4:5–8). He will one day produce his masterpiece, the Antichrist, who will cause the world to worship Satan and believe Satan’s lies.

Paul had explained all of this to the believers in Thessalonica, referring them, no doubt, to the relevant Scriptures in the Old Testament. We are fortunate to have the entire Bible to study, so we can get the total picture of Antichrist and his career. Prophetic students may not agree on every detail, but the main facts, when they are related, give us the following description of Antichrist in the last days.

The peacemaker (Rev. 6:1–2). Certainly, this man will be on the scene before the rapture of the church. He will be a peaceful political leader who unites ten nations of Europe into a strong power bloc (see Rev. 17:12–13). The rider on the white horse imitates Christ (Rev. 19:11ff.). He goes forth to conquer peacefully: he has a bow, but no arrows. He will bring a brief time of peace to the world (1 Thess. 5:1–3) before the storm of the day of the Lord breaks loose.

The protector (Dan. 9:24–27). We cannot examine the exciting details of this prophecy, but it is important to note several facts. First, the prophecy applies to Israel, Jerusalem, and the temple, and not to the church. Second, it announces the time when Messiah will come and accomplish certain purposes for the Jewish people. The word week refers to a period of seven years; seventy weeks are equal to 490 years. Note that these 490 years are divided into three parts: seven weeks or forty-nine years, during which the city would be rebuilt; sixty-two weeks or 434 years, at the end of which time Messiah would come and be cut off; one week or seven years, during which a “prince” would have a covenant with Israel.

Notice that two princes are involved in this prophecy: Christ, Messiah the Prince (Dan. 9:25), and Antichrist “the prince that shall come” (Dan. 9:26). “The people of the prince that shall come” are the Romans; for it was they who destroyed the city and the temple in AD 70. The coming Antichrist will belong to a nation that was part of the old Roman Empire.

Finally, note that there is a parenthesis between the sixty-ninth and the seventieth week. We are now living in that parenthesis. The sixty-ninth week ended with the ministry of Christ. The seventieth week will start with the arrival of Antichrist. He will make a covenant with Israel to protect her and permit her to rebuild her temple. This covenant will be for seven years. He will temporarily solve the Middle East crisis. Israel will rebuild her temple in peaceful times. It is the signing of this covenant, not the rapture of the church, that signals the start of Daniel’s seventieth week, that seven-year period known as the day of the Lord.

The peace-breaker (Dan. 9:27). After three and one-half years, Antichrist will break his covenant with the Jews and take over their temple. This was what Paul termed “the falling away” (2 Thess. 2:3b). A better translation would be “the rebellion, the apostasy.” Not simply a rebellion, but the rebellion. Up to this point, Antichrist has been a peacemaking leader of ten European nations, obligated to protect Israel. But now he reveals his true character by taking over the Jewish temple and demanding that the world worship him (see Rev. 13).

Since Antichrist will be energized by Satan, it is no surprise that he will seek worship, for Satan has always wanted the worship of the world. There have been various “apostasies” in church history, when groups have turned away from God’s truth; but this final rebellion will be the greatest of all. The man of sin will oppose everything that belongs to any other religion, true or false. He will organize a world church that will, by worshipping him, worship Satan.

Our Lord predicted this apostasy; He called it “the abomination of desolation” (Matt. 24:15), a clear reference to Daniel 9:27. The world will wonder at this great leader who, with Satan’s power, will perform signs and wonders and deceive the nations.

The persecutor (Rev. 13:15–17). Most prophetic students agree that the abomination of desolation will occur three and one-half years after the Antichrist makes his covenant with the Jews. (Dan. 9:27—“in the midst of the week” or three and one-half years.) This will usher in a period of intense persecution and tribulation. Jesus said, “For then shall be great tribulation” (Matt. 24:21). Satan will vent his wrath against Israel. He will so control the world’s economic system that citizens must bear “the mark of the beast” to be able to buy and sell (Rev. 13:16–17).

People often ask, “Will anybody be saved during the seven-year period?” The answer is yes! Revelation 7:1–8 states that 144,000 Jews will be saved (probably as was the apostle Paul, by a dramatic vision of Christ) and will carry the gospel to the nations. The apostle John described a great multitude of Gentiles who will come out of the great tribulation (Rev. 7:9–17) as converted people. Even though the Holy Spirit will be “out of the midst” as the restraining power, He will still work with redeeming power.

However, it will cost dearly to trust Christ and live for Him during that time. Believers will refuse to bow down to the beast’s image and will be slain. They will refuse to wear his mark and thus be unable to get jobs or make purchases. It will be quite a contrast to our situation now, when even famous people admit that they are “born again.”

The prisoner (Rev. 19:11–21). Keep in mind that God has a timetable. Satan will not be permitted to control the world forever. Jesus Christ will return “in power and great glory” and take Antichrist and his associates prisoner—and also Satan—and cast them into the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:1–3). This will be the climax of the great Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:16) during which the nations of the world unite with Satan to fight Jesus Christ. This leads to our next event.

This is His return to the earth in glory and judgment, the event described in 2 Thessalonians 1:5–10 and Revelation 19:11ff. It will occur at the end of the seven-year tribulation period when the “mystery of iniquity” (Satan’s evil program) will have ended with the battle of Armageddon. It is important that we distinguish His rapture of the church from His return to the earth. The first event is secret, as the church is caught up to meet Him in the air. The second event is public, when the church returns with Him to defeat Satan and his hosts.

His judgment of Antichrist (vv. 8–9). Nobody on earth will be able to overcome the Antichrist and his forces, for he is energized by Satan. “Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Rev. 13:4). Satan will enable his false messiah to perform “power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9). This, of course, is in imitation of Jesus Christ who performed “miracles and wonders and signs” (Acts 2:22).

Satan has always been an imitator. There are false Christians in the world who are really children of the devil (Matt. 13:38; 2 Cor. 11:26). He has false ministers (2 Cor. 11:13ff) who preach a false gospel (Gal. 1:6–9). There is even a “synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2:9), which means a gathering of people who think they are worshipping God but who are really worshipping the devil (1 Cor. 10:19–21). These false Christians have a counterfeit righteousness that is not the saving righteousness of Christ (Rom. 10:1–3; Phil. 3:4–10). They have a false assurance of salvation that will prove useless when they face judgment (Matt. 7:15–29).

During the apostolic age, miracles were given to verify the message (Heb. 2:1–4). God’s chosen apostles used miracles as their credential to prove they were sent by God (2 Cor. 12:12). However, miracles alone never prove that a man is sent from God: his message and his character must also be considered. John the Baptist was “a man sent from God” (John 1:6), yet “John did no miracle” (John 10:41).

Satan can perform miracles that seem to rival those of the Lord. This is how he opposed Moses in the court of Pharaoh (Ex. 7:8–12, 20–22, 8:5–7). In the final judgment, some people who performed miracles in the name of Jesus will be rejected by the Lord because they were never saved (Matt. 7:21–23). Judas performed miracles, yet he was never born again (John 6:66–71; 13:11, 18).

The purpose of God’s miracles was to lead people to the truth; the purpose of Antichrist’s miracles will be to lead people to believe his lies. Paul called them “lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9), not because the miracles are not real, but because they persuade people to believe Satan’s lies. The world would not long follow a leader who practiced cheap trickery (see Rev. 13:13–14).

When Jesus Christ returns, He will judge Antichrist by “the spirit of his mouth … and the brightness of his coming” (2 Thess. 2:8). The verbs “consume” and “destroy” do not mean annihilate, for Revelation 20: indicates that Satan and his associates will be tormented in the lake of fire forever. You could translate this statement: “whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth, and bring an end to his operations by the outshining of His presence.”

As the coming of the Lord for His church draws near, Satan’s operations in this world will intensify (read 1 Tim. 4; 2 Tim. 3). Since Satan is a liar, we must resist him through the truth of God’s Word (Eph. 6:17). It was this sword that our Lord used when He defeated Satan in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1–11). Satan is a liar and a murderer (John 8:44). God gives life through His truth; Satan slays with his lies. We are encouraged to know that one day Jesus Christ will completely overthrow Satan and his system.

His judgment of the unsaved (vv. 10–12). We have noted that a great number of Jews and Gentiles will be saved during the seven-year tribulation period. But the vast majority of the world’s population will be lost. Many will die in the terrible judgments that God will send on earth (see Rev. 6:7–8; 8:11; 9:18; 11:13). Others will perish in judgment when Jesus Christ returns and separates the saved from the lost (Matt. 25:31–46).

It is important to note that these people did have opportunity to believe and be saved. God has no delight in judging the lost (Ezek. 33:11). God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). These people will be judged and will suffer forever because they would not receive and believe the truth. In fact, their hearts will be so evil that they will not even have any love for the truth. Those who love lies and make lies will be excluded from the heavenly city (Rev. 22:15) and sent to the lake of fire.

In this paragraph, Paul taught a sobering truth: a person can so resist the truth that he finally becomes deluded and has to believe a lie. There can be no neutral ground: either we believe the truth or we believe a lie. To reject the truth means to receive the lie.

Does this mean that God is to blame for a man’s rejection of Christ? No more than God was to blame for Pharaoh’s spiritual condition when Moses was bringing the plagues on Egypt. Pharaoh heard God’s Word and saw God’s wonders, yet he refused to bow to God’s will. Pharaoh occasionally relented and gave lip service to God’s will, but he always resisted in the end and refused to obey God. He hardened his heart so that he could not believe the truth, and this led to God’s final judgment of the land of Egypt.

Second Thessalonians 2: reads literally, “That they should believe the lie.” What is “the lie”? Satan is the liar and has foisted many deceptions on the human race. But there is one “lie” that, from the beginning, has led people astray. Satan first spoke it to Eve: “You shall be as God!” The lie is the idea that man is his own God and therefore can do whatever he pleases and better himself by his own human efforts. The process is described in Romans 1:18ff. Note especially Romans 1:25: “Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (literal translation).

All of which means that Satan appeals to man’s pride. It was pride that turned Lucifer into Satan (Isa. 14:12–15; Ezek. 28:11–18). It is pride that traps men into doing Satan’s will in this world (see 2 Tim. 2:24–26).

A friend told me about a church officer on the mission field who was causing great problems in the church. Whenever the missionary was in the village, the officer lived a godly life, but no sooner did the missionary leave than the man began to behave as though he were controlled by Satan. Finally the missionary and several church leaders confronted the man in the name of Jesus Christ, and they discovered the truth: Satan was using pride to control the officer’s life.

“When I was ordained an elder,” the man explained, “I heard a voice say to me, ‘Now you are somebody important.’ I yielded to that voice, and Satan took over in my life.” He confessed his sin, the church prayed, and God delivered him.

“Now you are somebody important!” “Worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator.” This is Satan’s lie, and I fear it is what rules the world today. God originally made man in His own image. Today, man is making God in his own image.

The people Christ will judge not only do not love the truth, but they have “pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thess. 2:12). Read Psalm 50:16–21 for one description of this kind of person, and also Psalm 52. The chief priests actually were glad when Judas promised to help them kill Christ (Mark 14:10–11). I mentioned before that this process of believing the lie is described in Romans 1. The closing verse of that section (Rom. 1:32) states this truth clearly: “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Does this mean that those who have heard the gospel before the rapture of the church cannot be saved after the rapture? Not necessarily. If that were true, then our witness to the lost is condemning them, should Christ return. However, it does mean that no lost sinner can afford to treat God’s truth carelessly or reject God’s Son repeatedly. The human heart becomes harder each time the sinner rejects God’s truth; and this makes it easier to believe Satan’s lies.

How much better it is to follow the example of the Thessalonican believers who received the Word of God “not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13). They received the truth and were saved.

Have you received the truth?

Paul was a balanced Christian who had a balanced ministry, and we see evidence of this as he brought his letter to a close. He moved from prophecy to practical Christian living. He turned from the negative (Satan’s lies) to the positive (God’s truth), and from warning to thanksgiving and prayer.

We desperately need balanced ministries today. I have attended Bible conferences where the only emphasis was on what Christ will do with the Jews in the future, to the total neglect of what He wants to do with the church in the present. We must never permit the study of prophecy to be an escape from responsibility today.

Paul’s emphasis was on the truth of God’s Word, in contrast to Satan’s great lie, which Paul discussed in the previous section. Every believer has four responsibilities to God’s truth.

We have noted Paul’s repeated thanksgiving in his letters to this church (1 Thess. 1:2; 2:13; 3:9; 2 Thess. 1:3; 2:13). He gave thanks for the way they responded to God’s work in their lives. In these two verses, Paul reviewed the stages in their salvation experience.

God loved them (v. 13a). Whatever God does for the lost world springs from His eternal love. We must never conceive of His great plan of salvation as an impersonal machine. His salvation is rooted and grounded in His love (John 3:16). God proved this love at the cross where Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world (Rom. 5:8).

God chose them (v. 13b). It is not love alone that saves us, for God loves the whole world, and yet the whole world is not saved. Love reveals itself in grace and mercy. God in His grace gives us through Christ what we do not deserve, and God in His mercy does not give what we do deserve—but He gave that to Christ! We dare not explain away God’s election of sinners (1 Thess. 1:4; Eph. 1:4; 1 Peter 1:2).

God set them apart (v. 13c). The word sanctify means “to set apart.” There is a progressive sanctification that makes us more like Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 5:23). But the sanctification Paul mentioned here refers to the Spirit’s work in leading the unbeliever to faith in Christ. “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit” (1 Peter 1:2). It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring conviction to the sinner (John 16:7–11). Though I did not realize it at the time, as I look back I can see how the Spirit led in bringing me to faith in Christ; and this is the experience of every believer.

God called them (v. 14a). The same God who ordained the end (salvation) also ordained the means to the end (“belief of the truth”). The person who says, “God already has His elect, so there is no need for us to pray, witness, and send out missionaries” does not understand divine election. The greatest encouragement to evangelism is the knowledge that God has His people who have been prepared to respond to His Word (read Acts 18:1–11).

In order for God to fulfill His eternal plan, He sent Paul, Silas, and Timothy to Thessalonica to preach the Word of God. What was ordained in eternity was accomplished in time. God used human instruments to bring the gospel to the lost; and by trusting Christ, these people proved their “election of God” (1 Thess. 1:4). The call of God went out to the whole city, but it was effective only in those who believed the truth and trusted Christ.

It is dangerous to engage in idle speculation about divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Both are taught in the Bible. We know that “salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9), and that lost sinners can never save themselves. We must admit that there are mysteries to our salvation; but we can rejoice that there are certainties on which we can rest. We must not use the doctrine of election to divide the church or disturb the weak, but to glorify the Lord.

God gave them glory (v. 14b). What began in eternity past reaches its climax in eternity future: we share in the glory of God (John 17:24; Rom. 8:29–30). What begins with grace always leads to glory. This is quite a contrast to the future assigned to the lost (2 Thess. 1:8–10). Believers already possess God’s glory within (John 17:22; note the past tense in Rom. 8:30—“glorified”). We are awaiting Christ’s return, and then the glory shall be revealed (Rom. 8:17–19; 2 Thess. 1:10).

When sinners believe God’s truth. God saves them. When they believe Satan’s lie and reject the love of the truth, they cannot be saved (2 Thess. 2:10–12). Being neutral about God’s truth is a dangerous thing. It has tragic eternal consequences.

Paul had told them about the future rebellion against the truth (2 Thess. 2:3), the great apostasy headed by the Antichrist. But he also warned in his letters that there was a present danger, and that the church must guard God’s truth and not turn from it. There are repeated warnings about this in the New Testament: 1 John 2:18–24; 4:1–3; 2 Peter 2; 1 Timothy 4; and 2 Timothy 3, to name only a few.

God works in this world through the truth of His Word, and Satan opposes this truth by substituting his lies. Human nature is prone to believe a lie and resist the truth. Satan accomplishes his best work through people in so-called Christian institutions (churches, schools, and so forth) who do not believe God’s truth. They have “a form of godliness” but have never experienced the power of God’s saving truth.

When Paul used the word traditions, he was not referring to man-made religious ideas that are not based on the Word of God. Our Lord rejected man’s religious traditions (Mark 7:1–13). Paul warned against them in Colossians 2:8. It is sad to see religious people argue over man’s traditions and, at the same time, reject the simple truth of the Word of God.

The word tradition simply means “that which is handed down from one person to another.” The truth of the gospel began as an oral message proclaimed by Christ and the apostles. Later, this truth was written down by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and it became Holy Scripture (see 2 Tim. 3:12–17; 2 Peter 2:16–21). God’s truth was not invented by men: it was handed down from God to man (1 Cor. 15:1–6; Gal. 1:11–12), and each generation of believers had guarded this truth and passed it on to others (2 Tim. 2:2).

Paul stated clearly the believers’ dual responsibility in guarding the truth: “stand fast, and hold the traditions” (2 Thess. 2:15). Stand fast means “Do not move away from the truth of the gospel” (see 1 Cor. 16:13; Col. 1:23). When my wife and I visited the Tower of London and saw the royal jewels, we noticed that the crowd was kept moving, but the guards stood still. They were constantly watching the visitors, and nothing could move them from their appointed places. You and I are helping to guard the “precious faith,” and we must not be moved by the wiles of Satan or the praises of men.

If we stand, then we can hold. This word means “to hold fast, to hold firmly.” It is related to a Greek word that means “strength, might, power.” We are not to hold God’s truth in a careless way, but grasp it firmly with power and never let it slip from us. Each generation of Christians must receive the truth from others, guard it, and make sure it is kept intact for the next generation.

It is not easy to stand or hold, because forces around us want to move us from the faith. Satan knows how to use lies to oppose God’s truth, and he seeks to do this within the fellowship (Acts 20:28–32). Sometimes faithful believers must refuse the fellowship of those who have rejected the faith (Rom. 16:17–20; 2 Cor. 6:14— 7:1; 1 Tim. 6:3–5; 2 John 7–10).

Let me sum this up with two words of caution. First, “the faith” that has been handed down to us must not be confused with man’s interpretations and ideas. The Pharisees made their own interpretations as sacred as the Word of God (Mark 7:7–9). The basic doctrines of God’s Word are held by all evangelical believers, but not all believers agree on minor matters of interpretation (especially in the area of prophecy) or matters of church order. It is dangerous to make man’s ideas a test of fellowship or spirituality.

Second, we must not embalm the truth so that it loses its life and power. We are to be like faithful householders who bring out of God’s treasury of truth “things new and old” (Matt. 13:52). There is yet more truth to be found in God’s Word, and we must not think that we know it all. The Word is like seed (Luke 8:11), and when seed is sown, it produces plants, fruit, and more seed. While it is good to “tell the old, old story,” it is also good to let the Spirit teach us new truths from the Word and to make new applications of old truths.

It is not enough to believe the truth and guard it; we must also practice it. If we hear the Word, but do not obey it, we are only fooling ourselves (James 1:22–25).

These two verses record Paul’s desire and prayer for his friends: he wanted God to encourage them (“comfort your hearts”) and establish them (“stablish you”) “in every good word and work.” Both of these words are prominent in the Thessalonian letters.

When Paul was with them, he encouraged them individually as a father does his children (1 Thess. 2:11). He sent Timothy to encourage them (1 Thess. 3:2), and Paul himself was greatly encouraged with Timothy’s report of their faithfulness (1 Thess. 3:7).

Paul encouraged them to walk to please God (1 Thess. 4:1), and to grow in their love for others (1 Thess. 4:10). He taught them about the rapture of the church in order that they might encourage each other (1 Thess. 4:18). To calm their fears, he explained the day of the Lord to them (1 Thess. 5:11). In addition to his teaching, he urged them to minister to each other (1 Thess. 5:18).

Establishment in the Lord is also an important theme. Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica that he might establish them in their faith (1 Thess. 3:2); and Paul prayed that God might establish them (1 Thess. 3:13). The child must be taught to stand before he can learn to walk or run.

It is God who establishes, but He uses people to accomplish His work. A great need in our churches is for Christians who will take time to establish the younger believers. Group Bible studies are very valuable, as are the public meetings of the church, but individual discipling is also important. Paul encouraged the Thessalonican believers on a one-to-one basis, and we should follow his example.

Paul was concerned about two aspects of their Christian life: their word and their work, their saying and their doing. If our walk contradicts our words, we lose our testimony. Our “walk” and our “talk” must agree; good works and good words must come from the same yielded heart.

We are not saved by good works (Eph. 2:8–10; Titus 3:3–7); but good works are the evidence of salvation (Titus 2:11–15). It is not enough to depend on good words; the words must be backed up by the deeds (1 John 3:18). It must be a steady practice, not an occasional one. We must be established in our words and works.

How is this possible? Only God can do it by His grace; and this is what Paul desired for his friends. God has given us eternal encouragement and good hope through His grace. Notice that Paul’s words united the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father in such a way that he affirmed the deity of Christ. The two names for God in 2 Thessalonians 2: are governed by a singular verb, not a plural, which means they are equal. He used the same construction in 1 Thessalonians 3:11, again affirming the equality of the Son with the Father.

Too many Christians today emphasize guarding the truth, but downplay living the truth. One of the best ways to guard the truth is to put it into practice. It is good to be defenders of the faith, but we must not forget to be demonstrators of the faith. Lazarus did not have to give lectures on the resurrection. People had only to look at him and they believed (John 12:9–11).