2. NEW TESTAMENT LITERATURE 3,4 1,2THESSALONIANS

3. WHAT ARE 1,2 THESSALONIANS ALL ABOUT? A UTHOR B ACKGROUND O UTLINES U NIQUENESS T HEMES Paul, 2 nd missionary journey

5. WHAT ARE 1,2 THESSALONIANS ALL ABOUT? A UTHOR B ACKGROUND O UTLINES U NIQUENESS T HEMES Paul,2 nd missionary journey City of Thessalonica

6. CITY OF THESSALONICA 100 miles SW of Philippi, capital of Macedonia Major trade route, like Ephesus and Colosse Paul received great opposition from Jews in Thessalonica (Acts 17)

7. WHAT ARE 1,2 THESSALONIANS ALL ABOUT? A UTHOR B ACKGROUND O UTLINES U NIQUENESS T HEMES Paul,2 nd missionary journey City of Thessalonica (see front pages)

8. 1 THESSALONIANS In light of Christ’s return… Personal Instructions 1-3 Practical Instructions 4-5

9. 2 THESSALONIANS Concerning the Day of the Lord… Comfort 1 Correction 2 Charge 3

10. WHAT ARE 1,2 THESSALONIANS ALL ABOUT? A UTHOR B ACKGROUND O UTLINES U NIQUENESS T HEMES Paul,2 nd missionary journey City of Thessalonica (see front pages) Paul’s letters on “end times”

11. THEMES 1 Thessalonians The Rapture and 2 nd Coming of Christ 2 Thessalonians Corrections about the Coming of Christ

12. 1 THESSALONIANS Eschatology: the study of future events (last things)

14. 1 THESSALONIANS THE RAPTURE 1. Reasons for addressing this topic: - The Thessalonians wondered where deceased believers were - Paul does not want them to be ignorant about the “dead in Christ” - Paul does not want them to grieve like the pagans who had no hope

15. 1 THESSALONIANS THE RAPTURE 2. “Rapture”: from the Latin “rapturio” meaning “caught up, snatched, or seized” 3. The Lord will descend from heaven: - shout: authoritative command - voice of archangel: Michael - trumpet: warning! break camp!

16. 1 THESSALONIANS THE RAPTURE 4. The “dead in Christ” will rise first: - when a believer dies, his/her soul is immediately with God - at the rapture, the body will reunite with the soul in the air

17. 1 THESSALONIANS THE RAPTURE 5. Living believers are snatched from the earth and united with Christ in the air 6. Paul’s purpose in teaching this: comfort

18. RAPTURE vs. 2 ND COMING

19. Christ comes for His believers Christ comes with His believers

20. RAPTURE vs. 2 ND COMING Christ comes for His believers Christ comes with His believers Christ doesn’t come to earth- met in the air Christ comes down to earth-at Mount of Olives

21. RAPTURE vs. 2 ND COMING Christ comes for His believers Christ comes with His believers Christ doesn’t come to earth- met in the air Christ comes down to earth-at Mount of Olives No judgment of the world All living in the world judged

22. RAPTURE vs. 2 ND COMING Christ comes for His believers Christ comes with His believers Christ doesn’t come to earth- met in the air Christ comes down to earth-at Mount of Olives No judgment of the world All living in the world judged No mention of Satan being involved Satan bound for 1000 years

23. END TODAY

24. 2 THESSALONIANS Reasons for a 2 nd letter (3 mo. later) - confused by a spirit: prophetic utterance from a false prophet - confused by a message: spoken lesson from a false teacher - confused by a “letter as if from us”: false letter from “Paul”

25. 2 THESSALONIANS Has the Day of the Lord already come? Did we miss it?

26. 2 THESSALONIANS The Day of the Lord has not arrived because 3 major events must occur first: 1. the (apostasy) departure 2. the man of lawlessness 3. the restrainer removed

27. 2 THESSALONIANS 1.the apostasy (falling away/departure) an aggressive, calculated, voluntary revolt against God, or departure of something

28. 2 THESSALONIANS 2. the man of lawlessness (the beast, the lawless one) many today call him “Antichrist”

29. 2 THESSALONIANS the man of lawlessness: - opposes God or any other object of worship - displays himself as “God” in the temple - receives his power from Satan - lies and deceives using signs and false wonders

30. 3.The Restrainer What is it? Who is it? Many possibilities. No conclusive evidence. Whatever it is it is holding Satan’s wrath back and the revealing of the Anti-Christ. So whatever it is it’s a good thing.

31. 3.The Restrainer What is it? Who is it? The Holy Spirit? The Roman State? (human government) The Church? The Jewish State? Michael? (Daniel 12:1, Rev 12:7-13)

32. 2 THESSALONIANS The Day of the Lord cannot arrive until the apostasy/departure has occurred and the man of lawlessness is revealed The man of lawlessness cannot act until the restrainer is removed The restrainer has not been removed (THEREFORE THE DAY OF THE LORD HAS NOT ARRIVED!)