The authors applaud the Thessalonians for their positive response to the gospel and their quick turn from idolatry. Paul reminds them of how he was gracious and encouraging when he came to then, how fond he is of the Thessalonians, and again is thankful that they received the gospel as the word of God and not simply a message from men. He hated to leave them, he says.
Paul tells how they sent Timothy to Thessalonica (Acts 17) and were delighted by the messages he brought back, speaking of the Thessalonians’ faith. He reminds the people to live a righteous life serving God and each other.
Christ will return, Paul says, suddenly and with a mighty shout. Until that time, Paul reminds them again to do what is right, as they have been doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:24, almost the last verse in the book, is yet another piece of encouragement: “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”
2 Thessalonians begins in a similar way, with more cheerful words. Paul wants God to be glorified by the words and actions of the Thessalonians, so he encourages them to continue in their good works.
Paul then warns of false prophets who come to bring false messages from Satan about the Day of the Lord; the Thessalonian Christians have been chosen and saved for the purpose of standing firm in the truth.
In the last chapter of this little letter, Paul warns the people against slacking off in their normal daily lives. This is where the phrase “He that does not work, shall not eat” originates (3:10). The Day of the Lord is coming, but that does not mean that you should not plow your fields and clean your house.
Again, Paul ends this letter with a blessing: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all. Amen.” (3:18).
Overall, 1 & 2 Thessalonians are very cheerful books. There is much encouragement to be found there; these letters make good reading for a dreary day.
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