I THESSALONIANS--INTRODUCTION
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Paul comes to Macedonia Acts 16: 6-10
There was something driving him relentlessly on the Aegean Sea. So he came to Alexandrian Troas, still uncertain where he ought to go; and then there came to him a vision in the night of a man who cried, "Come over into Macedonia and help us."Paul set sail, and for the first time the gospel came to Europe. W.B.
Paul left Alexandrian Troas which was called after Alexander the Great; he came to Macedonia which was Alexander's original kingdom; he worked at Philippi which was called after Philip, Alexander's father (Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy first arrived in Philippi where they led Lydia and her household to Christ and there established a church. Paul and Silas were arrested on false charges, beaten, and put into jail. But God delivered them and they were able to lead the jailer and his household to faith in Christ.); he went on to Thessalonica (100 miles from Philippi) which was called after Alexander's half-sister. (Cassander had rebuilt the city and renamed it Thessalonica, the name of his wife, who was a daughter of Philip of Macedon and a half-sister of Alexander the Great. The whole territory was saturated with memories of Alexander; and Paul must surely have thought, not of a country nor of a continent, but of a world for Christ. W.B.
B. Background on Thessalonica
Thessalonica used to be known as Salonika. Today it is known as Thessaloniki. It is an important industrial and commercial city in modern Greece and is second to Athens in population. It served as an important Allied base during WW I. In WW II, it was captured by the German army, and the Jewish population of about 60,000 persons was deported and exterminated.
It is an ancient city, originally named Therma from the many hot springs adjacent to it. In 315 B.C. it was renamed Thessalonica after the half sister of Alexander the Great. When Rome conquered Macedonia in 168 B. C., the city was made the capital of that entire province. In Paul's day 200,000 people lived there, most of them Greeks, but also many Romans and a strong Jewish minority. Today, it has a population of 300,000, and is one of the few cities that has survived from the NT era of apostolic ministry. W.W.
The supreme importance of Thessalonica lay in this--it straddled the Via Egnatia, the Egnation Road, which stretch from Dyrrachium on the Adriatic to Constantinople on the Bosphorus and thence away to Asian Minor and the East. Its main street was part of the very road which linked Rome with the East. East and West converged on Thessalonica; it was said to be "in the lap of the Roman Empire." Trade poured into her from East and West, so that it was said, "So long as nature does not change, Thessalonica will remain wealthy and prosperous." W.B.
It is impossible to overstress the importance of the arrival of Christianity to Thessalonica. If Christianity was settled there, it was bound to spread East along the Egnation Road until all Asia was conquered and West until it stormed even the city of Rome. The coming of Christianity to Thessalonica was crucial in the making of it into a world religion. W.B.
C. Paul's stay at Thessalonica
The story of Paul's stay at Thessalonica is in Acts 17:1-10. He preached in the synagogue for three Sabbaths (Acts 17:2) which means that his stay there could not have been more than three weeks in length. W.B.
Does the statement "three Sabbath days" mean three weeks only, or that he preached in the synagogue only three weeks but continued in another place? We know that Paul was there long enough to receive two "home missions offerings" from the Church in Philippi (Phil 4:16). Also, Paul worked at his tentmaking trade to support himself ( 1 Thes. 2:9; 2 Thes. 3:6-15). W.W.
Paul had such tremendous success that the Jews were enraged and raised so much trouble that Paul had to be smuggled out, in peril of his life to Berea (40 miles from Thessalonica). The same thing happened in Berea (Acts 17:10-12) and Paul had to leave Timothy and Silas behind and make his escape to Athens. When Paul left for Athens, He told Timothy and Silas to remain there and help the new church and then to join him later. When they did meet again, Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to encourage the Christians and assure them of his love and concern. From Athens, Paul traveled to Corinth. It was when Timothy rejoined Paul at Corinth and gave him the report on the new church that Paul wrote 1 Thes. He wrote 2 Thes. just a short time later. The letter to the Thessalonians was written either from Athens or Corinth.
D. Date of the Letter
Two of Paul's earliest letters are 1 and 2 Thessalonians. It is generally agreed by scholars that this epistle was written in the early fifties (50 -51 A.D.). If this is correct, 1 Thessalonians would be the oldest preserved Pauline epistle, although some date Galatians earlier. (It is possible that Galatians was written first.)
E. Purpose of the Letter
1. To assure his friends of his love and concern. After all, he left the city hastily at night and he did not want them to think he had deserted them.
2. Paul's enemies were attacking his character and telling the new believers that
their leader was greedy, preaching for money.
1 Thes 2:5, 9
3. The preaching of the Second Coming had produced an unhealthy situation in which people had topped working and had abandoned all ordinary pursuits to await the Second Coming with a kind of hysterical expectancy. So Paul tells them to be quiet and to get on with their work. (1 Thes 4:11)
4. They were worried about what was to happen to those who died before the Second coming arrived. Paul explains that those who fall asleep in Jesus will miss none of the glory. (1 Thes. 4:13-18)
5. Because the persecutions were so intense, some of the believers thought "the Day of the Lord" had arrived. (It is possible that a forged letter contributed to this
confusion. See 2 Thes. 2:1-2).
6. He encouraged them to live holy lives. There was the ever-present danger that they would relapse into immorality. Keep in mind that temptations to immorality
were many in the cities then, and that sexual sins were not condemned by
most people.
7. Paul sought to correct some weaknesses in the church: Some members were
not respecting and honoring their spiritual leaders as they should.
1 Thes 5:12 -13 And there was some confusion in their public services.
1 Thes. 5:19-21
F. The Blessing
It is the message of the return of Jesus Christ and how this vital doctrine can affect our l lives and make us more spiritual.
Each chapter ends with a reference to the second coming of Christ, and relates His coming to:
1. Salvation and Assurance 1:9-10
2. Soul-winning and Service 2:19-20
3. Stabiltiy in Christian Living 3:13
4. Strenth in Sorrow 4:18
5. Sanctification of Life. 5:23
G. Before We Begin
Paul did not write these letters to stir up a debate. His desire was that these letter bless our lives and our churches. The doctrine of our Lord's return is not a toy to play with, or a weapon to fight with, but a tool to build with. Believers may disagree on some of the fine points of Bible prophecy, but we all believe that Jesus Christ is coming again to reward believers and judge the lost. And we must all live in the light of His coming.
The study of these letters should give us assurance of the future, encouragement in witnessing and walking with the Lord, comfort in the loss of Christian loved ones, and stability in a world that is very unsure of itself. W.W.
It is not my desire to lose any friends in this study. L.S.
H. My Position
I have personally avoided the teaching of such chapters and concepts because:
1. It is my feeling that these doctrines require extensive study and preparation time. History is such a component of proper interpretation that a person should be very well aquainted with the various kingdoms, Jewish customs, wars, etc. relating to all periods of time since Adam to present.
2. The teaching/study of such topics often create and excitement that is not long lasting. That is, what should bring us into maturity and comfort, sometimes has no more effect than the passing of something such as Halley's Comet. It passes by and so do they who follow it. It will not be back for another 76 years. Some church persons follow such a pattern.
3. It is obvious that we as individuals have had different life experiences. We have been subjected to various ideas and personalities. When people hold a certain idea to be truth, it may be truth to them because they were taught it so. Therefore, when a new idea, method, or teaching comes along, it is rejected totally on the basis that it is contrary to what they have been taught in the past by an influential person in their lives. Where does this place me? Possibly in opposition when I present something differently. I only ask, "Study to show thyself approved."
4. I have been taught, and accept to be true that Christians will not experience the wrath of God. That is, I hold the position of Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church.
