“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1–2 (ESV)
The Apostle Paul, along with Silas and Timothy, returned to the topic of the Lord Jesus Christ’s return to earth in power, might and glory “Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him.” Scripture promises the Lord Jesus is coming (παρουσίας; parousias). When Jesus comes, He will gather together His church to Himself.
Being gathered together (ἐπισυναγωγῆς; epissynagoges) is not a verb phrase but rather a possessive noun. In other words, all believers in Christ are solely the gathered together ones. They alone belong to the Lord. Anyone without a covenant relationship with God the Father, by grace alone through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone, are condemned (Eph. 2:1-3).
The missionary trio wrote of this subject extensively in their first epistle to the Thessalonian believers (I Thess. 4:13-5:11). Why was it necessary to again speak of this doctrine? It was because the Thessalonians believers were troubled. Paul told them “Not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed.”
Quickly (ταχέως; tacheos) means swiftly and hurriedly. Shaken (σαλευθῆναι; saleuthenai) refers to being unsettled, swayed and deeply distressed. This potential swift and deep distress was occupying the Thessalonian’s mind (νοὸς; noos) or thinking. It had the potential to cause them to be alarmed (θροεῖσθαι; throeisthai) troubled and startled.
Why were these believers distressed? Paul stated it was because of a letter they received, supposedly from the apostle, saying the day of the Lord had already come.
“Paul had written about the sudden character of Christ’s (second) coming (Parousia; see 1 Thess. 2:19) and about the necessity of being prepared for it (1 Thess. 5:1–11). Apparently, this message had been misinterpreted, as if “sudden” coming meant “immediate” coming. Paul had also made known to the Thessalonians what the Lord had revealed to him regarding the “gathering together to (meet) him” (1 Thess. 4:13–18). He had stressed the impartial character of this great future event: survivors would have no advantage over departed ones. Together the two groups (now united) would ascend to meet the Lord in the air to be with him forever. But though this teaching must have comforted the readers, the comfort had to some extent been offset by the excitement about the “imminent” coming,” writes Dr. William Hendriksen.
“Believers were behaving like ships that have become the victim of waves and winds and are being blown hither and thither. It seems that in the case of some the Parousia had become the main subject of conversation, the one important and ever-recurring theme for discussion. People were “losing their heads” over it, so that some decided to stop working altogether. They were perturbed because of it, terribly “shaken up;” yes, “shaken (σαλεύω, σαλευθῆναι from σάλος, the rolling swell of the sea, cf. Luke 21:25) from their (normal state of) mind.”
Paul endeavored to assure the church the Lord’s coming had not yet occurred. He also wanted them to know whatever epistle they received causing such distraction was not from him.
Dr. R. C. Sproul writes, “Paul dealt with this issue at length in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:11, but some confusion remained regarding the eschaton (the last day) in the interim between the Thessalonians’ receiving Paul’s first epistle and the Apostle’s writing the second. The Thessalonians had heard that “the day of the Lord has come” (2 Thess. 2:2).”
“Commentators are not sure what this means. Some suggest that someone had taught the Thessalonians that the entire complex of the events of the last day had begun but that Christ had not yet returned. Others believe that some people were teaching a false doctrine like the one that was current among the first-century Corinthian Christians—that the final resurrection had already happened in a spiritual sense and that there was no future bodily resurrection (1 Cor. 15:12). Whatever the case, Paul sets out to correct the Thessalonians, letting them know that the return of Christ had not yet come when he wrote his second letter to them.”
In our own day, there are many false teachers claiming the Lord has already returned, or purporting to know exactly when He will return. I encourage you to no longer listen to them.
“The false teaching that troubled the Thessalonians apparently came to them in a letter purporting to be from Paul and from a supposed “spoken word” of prophecy (2 Thess. 2:1–2). This reminds us that many people will try to speak in the name of the Lord or one of His Apostles when they deliver false teaching. The only way we can keep from being deceived is to test the teaching we hear according to the Word of God,” concludes Dr. Sproul.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
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