The Second epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians

by J.W.Weeda

Introduction:

In this second letter/epistle to the saints at Thessalonica we can read about their growing faith/belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. We read this in 2 Thessalonians 1:3: “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth” According to this Scripture we see that their love towards each other, the brotherly love, the love of Christ in them groweth aboundently and also their faith in Him. They had to endure a lot of persecutions and tribulations and through this their faith groweth exceedingly and the charity to each other aboundeth. They suffered a lot the believers of Thessalonica! Here in the Netherlands and also in the United States we have freedom of believing in Christ and stand for the truth, the gospel of the grace of God Acts 20:24, Romans 16:25-26.Here in the Netherlands in spite of freedom to believe we suffer spiritural. We have not yet to be afraid that they bring us in jail because of believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and evangelize. However there are a lot of countries in this world where believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are very hard persecuted and not only spiritural but also physical like the apostle Paul who stood for the truth and at the end was beheaded because of the Truth, the Gospel of the Grace of God. In a country like North Korea it is very dangerous to be a believer in Christ. If they catch you they put you in a concentration camp and you will never come out of it! Through Open Doors, the organization World wide you read about this. It is the most dangerous country in the world for believers in Christ. So we have to be glad that we have a freedom here in Western Europe and in the United States to believe the Truth, the Gospel of our Salvation, The Gospel of Grace!

Theme:

The theme of this second epistle or letter of the apostle Paul is the hope of the Body of Christ! Why this second letter to the Thessalonian believers in Christ? The answer is that the believers in Thessalonica were troubled and shaken in mind because of false teachings who came in the local church. There were some false teachers who told them that the persecutions who they endure were the persecutions just before the great and terrible day of the Lord and that they had to through the big great tribulation. Even today this false teaching you find in Christianity! So the believers in Thessalonica were shaken by this false doctrine and forgot their hope, the eternal hope which the apostle Paul told them in I Thessalonians 4:13-18 to comfort each other! Some of them thought that the day of Christ was really coming in those days and gave up their work and became disorderly. 2 Thessalonians 3: 7.

The letter to the Thessalonians has 5 divisions:

2 Thessalonians 1: 1-4 it is the salutation

2 Thessalonians 1: 5-12: comfort in the persecution.

2 Thessaloians 2: 1-12: The day of the Lord and about the man of sin.

2 Thessalonians 2-3:15: Commands of the apostle Paul

2 Thessalonians 3: 16-18: Last words of the apostle Paul

2 Thessalonians 1: 1-2

“Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”

Verse 1: Net including his first letter to the Thessalonian believers to greet them the apostle Paul greet them the same with Paul, Silvanus or Silas and Timotheus to the believers in Christ in Thessalonica. Why Paul is not telling them, the brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ in Thessalonica that he is a apostle? To the Corinthians you see that he uses his apostleship, to Timothy he does the same. Well dear reader he, Paul, didn't mention that he is a apostle for the reasons that first there were no serious problems in the local church in Thessalonica. They were an example for other believers in the wide surroundings. Second Paul was together with them bitterly persecuted and through this there was a close relationship between Paul and the brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ at Thessalonica.

Who was Silas or Silvanus? Silas or Silvanus was a ally or partner in the Lord Jesus Christ and a brother in Christ who was with Paul on most of his journey's. In Acts 16: 40 we read for the first time about Silas or Silvanus and they were together when Paul visit the local church in Thessalonica Acts 17:1-4. The second man here is Timotheus. Who is Timothy? In the book of Acts chapter 16 we read for the first time about Timothy. Timothy was the son of a believing Jewish mother and he had a Greek father. From Timothy there was a good report of the brethren in Lystra and Iconium. Timothy was a disciple. In Act 16:3 we read the following Scripture: “Him (Timothy) would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters; for they knew all that his father was a Greek”

So Timothy joined Paul and Silvanus or Silas on the journey's afther this. Later Timothy became the leader of the local church at Ephesus and the apostle Paul wrote 2 letters to Timothy namely one and second Timothy, the pastoral epistles!

Unto the church of the Thessalonians! This was the local church in Thessalonica. To the members of this local church. This letter is also to the CHURCH, the Body of Christ so this epistle of the apostle Paul is also addressed to us! We are also members of the Body of Christ. We who live 2000 years later!

Verse 2: Grace and peace! These are two words the apostle Paul begins in all his epistles. From Ephesians 2:8-9 we can know the following: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast”

Grace and peace! Does this come from men? No Grace and peace come from God Himself. He gives Grace and peace. He only can give this and as long as this dispensation of the Grace of God endures God gives every day Grace and peace! He gives this freely!

In this sinful World there is no peace and grace. People from nature on do not know what Grace and peace mean because every man and woman in this world by nature come from Adam. Read Romans 5:12. Adam as you have read in this verse first sinned against God and so sin came into this world. That's why we have a sinful world today. Instead of peace we have a lot of wars here in this world. Think about the war in Syria, Lybia, Iraq for example! How can a man receive this Grace and peace? Grace and peace come in a man's life on the moment man accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. After that moment man can know the Grace and Peace from God because he is saved by God's grace and have peace with God. We read Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is the position we got when we come to know our Savior Lord Jesus Christ! That is fantastic! To know our Savior Jesus Christ and to experience this Grace and peace from God through the Lord Jesus Christ. What does it mean the word GRACE? GRACE comes from the Greek word CHARIS which means GIFT. God's grace in Jesus Christ for us is a GIFT. Through Him our sins are forgiven by His blood read Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:14. Not only our sins are forgiven: we have also eternal life through Him and we are righteous and justified in Him! And we have all the blessings in Him! Ephesians 1:3! Romans 4:24-25 tells us: “But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification”

We are as members of the body of Christ new men in Him, in Christ. Full grown sons in Him. We have also peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans 5:1-2 we read “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God”

II Thessalonians 1: 3-4

“We are bound to thank God always for you brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure”

Verse 3: Between the first Epistle to the Thessalonian believers in Christ and this Second Epistle to this brethren in Christ something remarkable happened! The believing men and women of the local church at Thessalonica were already examples for other people in Christ. We read again I Thessalonians 1:7-8 “So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the Word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing” Between I Thessalonians and II Thessalonians their faith groweth exceedingly! To the Colossians the apostle wrote the following words: “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus The Lord, so walk ye in Him; Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2: 6-7) That is Gods will, to grow in the knowledge of His grace. Not only in knowledge but also in the practical walk with the Lord! You see here: they had charity and this charity they showed /gave it to each other in the local church. Their was real charity between the brethren and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ and that is what is pleasing God. And this charity abouded more and more. This is for us , who live 2000 years later than the Thessalonian believers, really an ensemple. We have to follow this example in the Lord Jesus Christ, only through Him, otherwise we cannot grow in faith (knowledge and practice).

Verse 4: Despite of persecutions and tribulations that the brethren and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ in Thessalonica endure, they remain patient and had faith in Lord Jesus Christ! They endure not only spiritual persecution and tribulation but also physical. We can read in Acts 17: 5-6 the following text to prove this : “But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring the out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; ”

Today we live 2000 years later and we hear and read a lot of persecutions and tribulations our brethren and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ had to endure. Think for a moment of a Country like North Korea! There are a lot of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who are in concentration camps. They subjected to torture! Torture until they die! They cannot escape such camps. This is a awful situation and it remembers me that this is the same what the Germans did in the Second Word War with Jews and other people! To destroy them!

II Thessalonians 1:5-6

“Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;”

Verse 5: The brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ in Thessalonica were persecuted very hard. We saw this in Acts 17:5-6.They suffered a lot for the Lord Jesus Christ. In spite of their sufferings and persecutions the Lord counted them worthy of the kingdom! Which Kingdom is spoken here. Is this the Kingdom on earth? The answer is no. It is not the kingdom on earth. It is the heavenly Kingdom which is spoken here. The Thessalonian brothers and sisters had/have a heavenly hope and this is to be part of the heavenly Kingdom and we too brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ. We too have this hope and as God counted them worthy of the Kingdom of God so He count us, members of the body of Christ, The CHURCH, also worthy for the Heavenly Kingdom! We also suffer. Maybe not so hard like the Thessalonian believers in Christ. We suffer more spiritual. We suffer too in this world which is a lost world. Most of the people in this world don't believe in Christ. They don't want to hear from Him or believe in Him! We live under them and sometimes it is difficult for us to live in this world. The last 20 years it's becoming here in Europe and specially the Netherlands more difficult to evangelize and tell people the truth about the finished work of Christ on the cross on Calvary! We believe in Christ so the sufferings are also a part of it. We read Philippians 1:28-30: And in nothing terrified by your adverseries which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but als to suffer for His sake; Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

The apostle Paul had the same conflict. He suffered and was persecuted more than we! We read the words of the apostle Paul in II Corinthians 12:10: Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. What a strong words the apostle here mentioned! This my brother and sister in the Lord Jesus Christ gives us also the courage and motivation to stay in the belief in Christ and stand for the truth, the gospel of the Grace of God Acts 20:24, Romans 16:25-26! And we may know one thing: the Word of God in Romans 8: 35-39: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” Wow, what fantastic to believe this and made it our own! MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM THAT LOVED US. And still He loves us and holds us. We cannot be separated from Him! Oh, what a wonderful good news and brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ. This we have to tell other brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ that they may also believe this truth!

Verse 6 From this verse we learn that it is manifest that the persecuted person is better off than the person who persecutes him or her. Because God will recompense tribulation people who persecuted the believers in Thessalonica and He shall also recompense tribulation on them who persecute and trouble the believers now at this moment. Think of a lot of countries in this world. There are a lot brothers and sisters who,  because of belief in Christ, are in prisons or concentrationcamps like in North Korea. I heard and read a book of believers who they locked up in containers. That is the prison. It is really a awful situation our brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ are in. We have to pray for our brothers and sisters in the Lord in such circumstances that they will not give up their belief in Christ. The people who now persecute believers God will recompense them with tribulation. What is the meaning of recompense? It is a reward. God will reward those people with tribulation! A lot of trouwbles they got in the future! Thank the Lord that it is now the day of of His Grace and the day of salvation! Read II Corinthians 6:2. Almost 2000 years we live now under His Grace. Here in the Netherlands at this moment no one will go to prison if he or she believes in our Lord Jesus Christ. There is here in this country freedom to believe what you want. These are ideal circumstances in a world which is really angry and it is becoming more angrier! It's really a mad world we live in and thank the Lord we are not from this world but from Him, Jesus Christ. Let's pray brother and sister in the Lord Jesus Christ that more and more people first come to know our Savior Jesus Christ as their Savior too and to the knowledge of Gods truth! Acts 20:24, Romans 16:25-26.

II Thessalonians 1: 7-8

“And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and thay obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Verse 7: The apostle Paul speaks here in this verse to the brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ in Thessalonica. To us, who live 2000 years later and are members of the body of Christ , the apostle Pauls speaks indirect is this verse also to us. The brothers and sisters in Thessalonica were troubled! Really troubled. But what do we read here! They can rest with Paul and his fellowlaborors. Rest in what? In the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Hope and peace so also for us like the brothers and sisters and Paul there is rest and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ. After the troubling there is refection! In Romans 12:12 we read the following text: “Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer” And we have another text/verse and that is in 2 Timothy 1:8. We read there: “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God” In Romans 8:18 we read: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” Dear brother and sister in the Lord Jesus Christ: our hope is in Christ Jesus. On the day He will bring us to His home in heaven, the rapture, we shall have refection, real peace and complete glory in Him! We shall rejoice, really rejoice on that day, when we are litteraly in heaven with new bodies! For us there is no condemnation and tribulation. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins and we are complete in Him without guilt. Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. “

Dear brother and sister in our Lord Jesus Christ: let we rejoice in Him, in Christ. We are saved for eternity and we can say with the apostle Paul the following words: “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20)

Verse 8: The Lord Jesus Christ shall revealed from heaven with His mighty angels! When shall this take place? When the Lord will come on earth! This will be His second coming. In His second coming He will in flaming fire take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Which gospel? This is the gospel of the Grace of God. God will judge all people in the future according the gospel of Grace. In Romans 2:16 we read : “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel” God will do that. He, the Righteous Judge shall judge every person according to His grace! The unbelievers who didn't (or do not) accept Christ as their Savior shall in that day also be judged by this glorious gospel of Grace! This will be in flaming fire! They shall go to the place of torment and there they shall be punished forever and ever.

This is a call for you reader/friend: If you don't know Christ in your life as personal Savior: first reckon that you are a sinner from birth and that you need Him as personal Savior. Believe that He died for you on the cross of Cavalry in your place! Receive Him now as your personal Savior and you will be saved! Tomorrow is maybe too late! Now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation! Do it now before it is too late! If you receive Him as your personal Savior you will receive eternal life in Him and all the blessings in Christ Jesus like sins forever forgiven, a new life in Him, no condemnation or punishment. Think about it!!!

II Thessalonians 1:9

“Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power”

Verse 9: These words sounds hard, very hard! But God is a righteous God. He shall the unbelievers judge according to His Gospel of Grace in the future! This is the gospel the apostle Paul preached! God will not judge according the Law of Moses because Christ is the End of the Law!!! So He, God shall judge all the unbelievers in the future according through His Grace! This judgment shall be a terrible judgment. Think of it: they shall be punished with everlasting destruction! Some people think now in the world that they live in a hell. Well if you think about Aleppo where the war destroyed everything you can imagine that people began to think that they live in a hell. But this isn't hell dear reader! It is really awful what happend there in Syria and in other countries but The Lord is at hand and is not far from everyone of us. He is alive and have everything in His hand! Lets read the verse in Act 17: 24-27: “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. Neither is worshipped with mens hands , as though He needed any thing, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though he be not far from every one of us” In this world we have a lot of unbelievers. Most of the people are unbelievers. For us, believers in Christ it is our task to bring the Good News of Gods Grace to people and tell them that Christ died for their sins too and that He rose again that they become righteous for God too as we. He, my dear friend, He loves you so much that He died for you, in your place on that cross on Calvary: to die your death! Believe this!!! Receive the Lord Jesus Christ and you are saved . Acts 16:31! Another verse is in Romans 5:8: But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” What a love.

Now is the day my dear friend of salvation. Don't wait to long! 

Tomorrow it can be too late!  Do it now!!!Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”

 Your sins will be forgiven on the moment you receive Christ as personal Savior and you will be saved, not for a moment but forever and you will have peace with God Romans 5:1. And more blessing you receive! You will be more happier than you are now at the moment you know not Christ in your life! 

Everlasting destruction and from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power shall happen in the future. It is not now at this moment! In Acts 20:11-15 you can read over this! Be happy that this is not so far and that we still live under Gods Grace and under His presence and glory and power! Now under the dispensation of Grace which we are living under, it is Grace and peace from God. He had already made peace and Grace to this world. With the Word of God we say with Paul to everyone who will listen: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”

II Thessalonians 1: 10-11

“When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power”

Verse 10. In the last verse we could read that people who don't believe in Christ and have not receive(d) Him as personal Savior will be punished forever and ever. In this verse we read about His coming and His gloryfying in His saints. We, the members of the body of Christ shall at one day, in a moment and in a twinkle of an eye, be changed and He shall be glorified at that day in His saints (us)1 In Ephesians 2:6 we read “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” We already now are in Christ and our position is in Him in heaven. In the meanwhile we live here on earth in a world full of sin. God through our Lord Jesus Christ delivered us out of this world. We are not a part of this world because we are of Him. We as members of the body of Christ, THE CHURCH, are not litteraly in heaven yet. We wait here on earth that Christ will bring us HOME. That moment can be every moment. We don't know when. Only God knows this. It will be a wonderful day when we are in heaven and have left this terrible world we live in. In the meanwhile we are ambassadors for Christ. Our task we read in II Corinthians 5:19-21! And we may know that in Christ we are more than conquerors Romans 8:37!

Verse 11: Paul and his co-workers like Silvanus or Silas and Timothy prayed always for the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. What a example for us to follow. We have also to pray for our brothers and sisters and special for the ones who know the gospel of grace that they continue to stand for the Truth, the Gospel of Grace! Also for the brothers and sisters who don't know the good news of Grace that one day they may understand it. In spite of all the sufferings they had to endure in Thessalonica God counted them worthy of this calling. God called them for His work. We can read the following text: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” Ephesians 2:10. He called them to walk in His Work, the finished work of our Lord. He fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power. He does all this work in the believers in Thessalonica and also in us who live almost 2000 years later! He calls us too like the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. That is very wonderful! We have a great and powerful God!

In II Timothy 1:9 we read the following: “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began”

And in Ephesians 4:1-2 we read about the practice: “Therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocations wherewith ye are called. With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love” This is Gods will according to His calling! This also applies to us because we live still under the dispensation of the Grace of God almost 2000 years now and are members of the Body of Christ too.

II Thessalonians 1:12

“That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Verse 12: We have seen in verse 10 that one day He, the Lord Jesus Christ shall be glorified in His saints and admired in all people who believe. That will be with the rapture of the CHURCH, the Body of Christ. When all of us will be in heaven literally! In the meanwhile when we are still on this earth His Name should or may be glorified in us now at this moment and everyday we live longer on this earth! In the practice the wish was for the believers in Thessalonica that Jesus Christ will be glorified in them according to Gods Grace. This Word of God sounds very strong and powerful! As this was the wish for the brothers and sisters at Thessalonica it is also for us who live almost 2000 years later and are members of the Body of Christ, the CHURCH too!!!! Everyday we live longer on this earth let this be our goal in daily life: THAT HE, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST MAY BE GLORIFIED AND ADMIRED IN US NOW, THROUGH GOD'S GRACE!

Dear reader if you don't know the gospel of the Grace of God. This is your daily bread, living bread! The gospel of the Grace of God you will find in the epistles of the apostle Paul. Only there and they are written for the CHURCH, the body of Christ. You and me are members of this Body and this is our daily mail!!! This Gospel of Grace strenghten us in our daily life and God's will is that we learn this. This is the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2: 3-4. Read these epistles and believe them as God's Word for today, for you personally! And make it your own! Read Romans 16:25-26!

II Thessalonians 2:1-2

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand”

Verse 1 This chapter is about the confusion under the brothers and sisters in the Lord in the local church at Thessalonica. There came into the local false brethren who bring false doctrines and a lot of the brethren were confused after they heard those words of these brethren. The devil is the one who is behind this. He can very well pervert the Word of God. He is a master in perverting Gods Word! Paul, in his first letter to them told them about the rapture, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 the following words: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, taht ye sorrow not, even as others which ahve no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” The apostle Paul told those words to the brethren and sisters in Thessalonica. This is the hope in Christ and this is also our hope, everlasting hope. The apostle Paul believed that this would happen in his time when he was still on earth but this moment have not taken place yet till now. We live now 20 ages further on in 2016 and this moment still have not taken place. We still live under the dispensation of the Grace of God Ephesians 3:1-3. Thanks to our Lord that it is still the day of salvation! This first verse here in this chapter is a part of the praying Paul did for the brothers and sisters at Thessalonica and this started in verse 11 of chapter 1. First the apostle Paul mentioned in this praying for his brothers and sisters at Thessalonica that God would count them worthy of the calling and fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power. Second: that the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in them and they in Him. This is also for us brothers and sisters. We who live 2000 years later and are members of the Body of Christ. Those words are also for us! Now in verse 1 the apostle Paul beseeched them. He urged them by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and also us.

Verse 2: What must the brethren and we not do? Answer: not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter! The brothers and sisters became anxious because they heard some people say that the day of Christ is at hand! What is the day of Christ? This is the day of the Lord. Some believers told them this false words that we as believers shall overcome the day of Christ and that they (we) will be judged by God.

II Thessalonians 2:3-4

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God”

Verse 3: This is a warning from the apostle Paul to the Thessalonian believers and also it is a warning for us. We who live 2000 years later than the brothers and sisters in Christ in the time Paul wrote these words. The message is clear: let no man deceive you! In Ephesians 5:6 we read: “Let no man deceive you with vain words” And here in II Thessalonians 2:3 let no man deceive you by any means! Satan is the biggest deceiver and he is the deceiver from the beginning. He deceived Eve in the beginning of human history! See Genesis 3:1-5 and read this for yourself! He tries always to pervert the Word of God which is the truth! Through his ministers he tries this now under this dispensation of Grace Ephesians 3:1-3 In II Corinthians 11: 13-15 we read: “For such are false apostles, decietful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers als be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

In this verse, the apostle Paul, warned the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica about the following: there were people who told the believers in the local church at Thessalonica that the day of Christ or the day of the Lord should come very soon or forthcoming. So a lot of the Thessalonian believers were shaken in mind and became uncertain about their hope, their eternal hope in Christ. Still it is a warning also for us. Clearly the apostle said here in this verse that that day shall not come except something must happen before this! What must first happen before the day of the Lord or the day of Christ? The answer is this: that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first. Thus the falling away must come first. What is the falling away? This word comes from the Greek word Apospao from the word apo what means divorcement or separation, departure. Thus something must first seperate or depart from. We use in this world depature often times. When a train departs from the railwaystation or a plane will depart from a airport. That comes also originally from this word. So something must depart. What must depart before the day of the Lord will be and the man of sin will be revealed, the AntiChrist! The answer is: The Body of Christ, the heavenly CHURCH withhold this. You and me, believers in Christ are now in the Body of Christ, in that HEAVENLY CHURCH. And when our departure comes, the rapture of the CHURCH than after this the AntiChrist will come, the man of sin will be revealed and later the Day of the Lord. We still live now under the dispensation of grace and now is the Day of salvation. How long this will continue we don't know, only God knows this. The dispensation of Grace Ephesians 3:1-3 will come to a end with the rapture of the CHURCH. We will be caught up tot heaven to meet our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in heaven. He will bring us there. This is our hope and we can find those blessed words in I Corinthians 15:51-53! Let's read it! : “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put ons incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” Other scriptures are I Thessalonians 4:13-18, Titus 2:13, Philippians 3:20! Read them all because this is our eternal hope, our hope in Christ!!!

So to repeat: First the falling away,  the rapture of the CHURCH or depature of the CHURCH from this world,  than the Great Tribulation with the AntiChrist and the Beast and after this the Day of Christ or the Day of the Lord.

Remember brother and sister in the Lord Jesus Christ. For us there is no condemnation Read I Thessalonians 1:10 and Romans 8:1 (read them carefully!). We shall all be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye! What a great God we have. This will be the most wonderful moment brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ!!!!

Verse 4 The man of sin. That's what in this verse is talking about. This is the antichrist! He will opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped. This antichrist shall be really a dictator here on earth. Now readers can say there are at the moment so much dictators on this planet earth and from Hitler people told also that he was the antichrist! But Hitler was not the antichrist.

Why not? The first reason is that : the antichrist is not being revealed yet . We have learned that something witholdeth him and that is the CHURCH, the body of Christ and you and I are members of this Body, the TRUE CHURCH.

Second: he shall opose and exalt himself above God.

Third: He shall sit in the temple of God. At this moment there is no temple in Jerusalem. So the temple must be rebuild!

Fourth: The CHURCH must be raptured, caught up in heaven, otherwise that man of sin cannot come here on earth.

This all didn't happen in the Second World War when Hitler and his men conquered a lot of countries in Europe.

What also important is that this antichrist must be a Jew because it was only allowed for Jews to be in the temple. He shall be a dictator over all the world. In Matthew 24:15-28 we read over this period that shall come. When the antichrist is on earth first there comes a time like peace 3,5 years. Than after this a terrible time will come with war etc. This shall end with the coming of Christ on earth. The day of the Lord. Read Metthew 24:29-31!

But brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ we don't live in this period of Tribulation, the Great Tribulation. We live under the dispensation of Grace Ephesians 3:1-3. Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation! Every person in this world can be saved by grace alone, by faith alone in Christ alone! Our task as ambassadors is to tell unbelievers that they can be saved through Christ! See II Corinthians 5:19-21 and Acts 16:31! Brother and sister in our Lord Jesus Christ: let us rejoice in the fact that we stil live under the dispensation of Grace Ephesians 3:1-3. Under God's administration of Grace.

II Thessalonians 2: 5-6

“Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time”

Verse 5: When the apostle Paul was with his brothers and sisters in Thessalonica he told them all over the rapture of the CHURCH and the Great Tribulation and the first 3,5 years of a kind of peace and the Day of the Lord. This shall follow each other. In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 we read the following verses: “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly taht the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness”

These words the apostle Paul say in his first letter to the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. And this is also for us brother and sister in the Lord because we still live under the Dispensation of Grace! We are also just as the Thessalonian believers the children of light. We are of the day and not of the night! That's why that day, the day of the Lord will not overtake us as a thief. We read in I Thessalonians 1:10: “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come” Brother and sister in the Lord Jesus: this is our hope!!! We will not come or will live in the Great Tribulation. Before this God will bring us home to heaven at the rapture of the CHURCH 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, I Corinthians 15:51-53.

We have not to mislead ourselves or let mislead because other people tell us some other things and not the truth. So in I Thessalonians 5: 11 we read what we must do: “Wherefore comfort yourselves together and edify one another, even as also ye do”

Verse 6: Who withholdeth the man of sin? Who is that man of sin? The man of sin is the antichrist. The son of perdition who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or to worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (verse 3-4). Many people shall follow this man because he has a lot of charisma what also dictators have. He let people know all over the world that he is God and that they have to worship him as God. He brings also false peace. In this same chapter in verses 10 and 11 we read this: “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie” In that time during the Great Tribulation people will believe the lie, they will believe this antichrist, this man of perdition/sin and they shall receive the mark of the beast 666 on their head or hand. Without this sign people cannot buy or sell goods. Read for yourself Revelation 13:16-18! Now again the question: who withholdeth the man of sin and the beast? The answer for this is the CHURCH, the body of Christ. As long as the Body of Christ, the CHURCH is present here on earth, that man of sin cannot not come. After the Rapture of the CHURCH, the body of Christ (and we are members of this CHURCH brother and sister in the Lord!), this terrible Great Tribulation will begin and the man of sin will in that time be revealed! Some people think and believe that we for half live under the Great Tribulation. Others believe that we are not far away from it and see signs here in this world that this time will come very soon. They say that we live in the endtime. Dear reader or brother and sister in the Lord Jesus Christ: we don't live in the endtime or times. We live in the last days under the Dispensation of Grace! We read II Timothy 3:1 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come” Read for yourselves the whole chapter of II Timothy 3! Under this dispensation of Grace there are no signs. We live under grace and we live by faith and not by what we see! We read II Corinthians 5: 6-7: “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: For we walk by faith, not by sight” As long as God worked with the folk Israel there were signs and wonders! “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks (non Jews) seek after wisdom” I Corinthians 1:22! Dear brother and sister: Signs and wonders or something you would like to see or are not for the body of Christ! We live under a signless administration of God! What we see is this worldwide: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” My dear reader, brother or sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ: this is what we see and I hope you will see it too. There are so many Christian doctrines, doctrines of men, men who think that they have the truth but they believe and preach false doctrines! And not what God says in His Word. His gospel of Grace Acts 20;24, Romans 16:25-26: “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures fo the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith” Dear reader, brother and sister in the Lord Jesus Christ: in general this gospel of Grace which Paul preached and his epistles are not preached in this world. There are some people who stand for this and preach this and I am happy that they continue in it. Most people are not awake, they sleep and they like to believe false doctrines because that give them a good feeling and they think that they are mature (man) in Christ. It become more and more difficult to reach people with this glorious Gospel of Grace Acts 20:24. So dear reader, brother and sister: come to the truth if you don't know the truth! This is what Gods will is for us. Not only to be saved but also to come to the knowledge of the truth Colossians 1:5, I Timothy 2:3-4 Read for yourself!

II Thessalonians 2: 7

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way”

Verse 7: What do we understand about the mystery of iniquity that already works? The word iniquity means unrighteousness or evil! So the mystery of evil works in this world and you see it all around you in this evil world. We know that satan has a lot of power and can work also wonders and het tries to tempt people so that they depart from the faith and from Gods Word. Satan is no figure with horns and a tail. He let people believe this is true and that they focus on this figure. In II Corinthians 11:13-15 we read the following verses: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” This is how satan works dear brother and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ. He changed himself as an angel of light and his ministers he uses they look that they are ministers of righteousness but this isn't. He deceits people with lying about Gods Word. That is his work: to change the truth into a lie and let people to believe the lie instead of the truth!

Last year we got here in the Netherlands the newest Dutch Bible translation: the Bible in the common language (Dutch). I have read some verses from this Bible and came to the conclusion that through this translation of the Bible you cannot find that men are from nature all bad and need a Savior. Most people in the world see no need of a Saviour for themselves and come the the knowledge of the truth. Acts 16:31, Romans 4:25, I Corinthians 15:3-4, I Timothy 2:3-4. This world became more evil and we see that we live in the last days of this Dispensation of Grace Ephesians 3:1-3. The mystery of iniquity is working you see brother and sister! Only what withholdeth this man of sin we know because this is the Body of Christ, the true CHURCH! Till the time the CHURCH shall be taken out of the way, this man of sin, the antichrist shall not appear! Thanks be unto God that we still live under the Dispensation of Gods Grace and that people can be saved by grace alone, by faith alone and in Christ alone!

II Thessalonians 2:8

“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming”

Verse 8: After the rapture of the CHURCH shall that Wicked, the man of sin be revealed. That man of sin shall reveal himself and shall sit in the temple in Jerusalem. The temple must be rebuilded. He shall be a Jew. He, the man of sin shall have a lot of power here on earth at that time. He shall be a worldleader, a dictator and he shall have a lot of charisma so that people would believe him that he is God himself. In the next verse, verse 9 we read the following: “Even him, whose coming is after the working of satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” People who live in that time, in the Great Tribulation, shall see the power and signs and wonders who are not true, but shall believe them. As you know satan is the father of lies and that he can do this in the time when the antichrist will be here on earth. He is behind this all. He is a master to withdraw people from Gods Word and tell people lies and let people believe the lie. Het is murderer from the beginning. People shall be whole influenced by him and shall obey him and shall do what he ask from them. To have the mark of the beast on the forehead or hand. When the Lord shall come back on earth than He shall destroy the antichrist and the beast and shall begin His 1000 year reign here on Earth. He shall be King of Kings and Lord of Lords! You can read more over this in the book of Revelation and Daniel 9: 24-27.

II Thessalonians 2:9

“Even him, whose coming is after the working of satan with all power and signs and lying wonders”

Verse 9 In verse 8 we already saw what kind of man this is: the man of sin. He shall come in this world after the working of satan. Satan shall have in that time more power and this shall be manifested in this man of sin! That man of sin shall come when the CHURCH will be in literally in heaven with the Rapture! So after the rapture the man of sin shall come. Satan shall work in him fully with works of power, signs and wonders and lyings. Human being is easy to deceive because of the Adamic nature, because we all are sinners. People in that time of the Great Tribulation shall believe him who sits in Jerusalem in the temple. Everyone on earth than shall hear and see him. How? We have now social media. Personally I believe through this (internet, TV etc) people can see him and hear him and they will believe it because it is a lie! They think he is the redeemer of their lives and wil listen to him what he asks them to do.

II Thessalonians 2:10

“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of truth, that they might be saved”

Verse 10: The temptation shall be complete in that time when the man of sin is manifest here on earth in Jerusalem. It shall look that the man of sin had all the powere of this world in his hand and this shall be in unrighteousness. People who will believe him are unbelievers who live after the rapture of the CHURCH. They shall live than and shall worship the man of sin as their god. Them that perish, that are the unbelievers in that time because they refused to receive the love of the truth of God. If they did it they could also be saved! But this shall not happen. What is the truth? That Christ died for their sin too and is resurrected for their righteousness Romans 4:25 but instead to receive Him as personal Savior they will refuse Him and will turn to the lie and will believe the man of sin with his wonders and power and lying, who will be manifested than.

Dear reader, dear brother and sister in the Lord Jesus Christ: this time of the man of sin isn't yet now!! We still live under the Dispensation of the Grace of God Ephesians 3:1-3. Now is the day of Salvation II Corinthians 6:2! Dear reader if you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ in your life as personal Savior you can receive Him now as personal Savior! Believe that He died on the cross for you too for your sins and that He is resurrected for your righteousness and give you eternal life. Believe this and you will be saved forever and have eternal life Romans 5:8 and 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” Acts 16:31

II Thessalonians 2:11

“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie”

Verse 11: Here we see that God will send them a strong delusion. Who is them? The answer for this are the unbelievers who will live under the man of sin in the Great Tribulation. He, God, shall give them over to the lie and in wrong thinkings! Why is this. Will God not love those people? The answer is no. He loves everyone but not every person will receive the truth of Gods love in Christ: that He died for mankind instead of men on the cross and that He rose again to give eternal life. I Corinthians 15:3-4. These people in this period of time, didn't want to receive this love of God, the y refused it. That's is why God will send them a strong delusion that they should believe the lie. They shall believe the man of sin and shall believe that he is God because of his lying wonders after the working of satan. Satan shall manifest himself very strong in this man of sin! Now at this moment satan and his hosts are in high places. With the coming of the man of sin, the antichrist he will be on earth and manifest himself through this man!! This man of sin shall bring signs and wonders and shall bring also a kind of peace but this no peace but people will believe this that this is real peace. He will let know people that he is God and that they must believe him and follow him as the only leader of this world.

Brothers and sisters: this terrible time or the Great Tribulation will not overcome us! We are not of darkness but we are in Gods light! For us there is no need to be worry about that we will go through the Great Tribulation or a part of it. God will save us from this terrible period! In I Thessalonians 1:10 we read the following: “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come” You see brother and sister: He will deliver us from the wrath to come!” And in Romans 8:1 we read: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”

II Thessalonians 2:12

“That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness”

Verse 12: They all might be damned. The apostel Paul is speaking here about unbelievers. That are the unbelievers who will live under the Great Tribulation and believe the lie and shall have pleasure in unrighteousness. This are the people who will be followers/ slaves of the man of sin, the anti-christ. What we already saw in the last verse is that God will send them a strong delusion that they should believe the lie. They will believe satan and the working power from him through the anti christ: the lying wonders and signs. They will not believe in the loving Grace of our God in Jesus Christ Who died for them too on the cross for their sins and rose again for their righteouness. At the end of the Great Tribulation shall the Lord Jesus Christ come on earth. The Lord Jesus Christ shall consume him, the man of sin, the beast and false prophet with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming. (verse 8). In Chapter 1 verse 8-9 we read already the following: In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel fo our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power” They all shall be damned forever Revelation 20: 15! We cannot imagine what this will be: to be punished by God with everlasting destruction from the presence of Him and without His glory and power! Everyday! This must be terrible/awful. Now the Lord is at hand. Under this dispensation of Grace our Lord is loves this world so much. He had made peace with this world and the world rejects Him. Let us read II Corinthians 5: 19-21: “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”

Now is the accepted time dear reader, the day of salvation! Receive the Lord Jesus Christ, Who died in your place on the cross for you sins and rose again from the dead for your righteousness, as personal Savior! I Corinthians 15:3-4! Believe on Him and you will be saved forever and shall not come under the comdemnation!

II Thessalonians 2: 13-14

“But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief on the truth: Whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Verse 13: The apostle Paul gave always thanks to God the Father for the brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ who were in the church at Thessalonica. What a beautiful example for us brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ to follow this example and to pray to God and always thank Him for the brothers and sisters in Him who had also accepted the gospel of the Grace of God and stand for this and that they may stand for it. God had the believers in Thessalonica chosen to salvation in Christ through sanctification of the Spirit and belief on the truth. What is sanctification? It comes from the original Greek Word hagiasmos what means purification, purity (state) holy. So the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica were saved, sanctifified or holy through our Lord Jesus Christ because of the belief on the truth! We as members of the body of Christ, who live almost 2000 years later brother and sister in the Lord Jesus Christ have this same position in Christ what they had in HIM! The finished Work on the cross is still the same and holy means apart. We are apart in Him. That is our position or state! Ephesians 2:8-9 we read the following: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast” It is God's gift, His cadeau. We cannot boast in ourselves because of ourselves we are nothing but in Him we have all the blessings! What a wonderful God we have my dear brother and sister in Christ.

Verse 14: We are the beloved of God. We are saved by grace alone, by faith alone in CHRIST alone! And this through the gospel! Which gospel is this! The gospel or good news the apostle Paul preached and this is The Gospel of the Grace of God. Acts 20:24: “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus , to testify the gospel of the Grace of God” The apostle Paul tells us He called you by our gospel. Our gospel? Yes the gospel of the Grace of God which apostle Paul preached with Silvanus and Timotheus, his fellow laborers. By this Gospel

we are called my dear brother and sister! Not by another gospel. There are more gospels in the Bible. We live under the Dispensation of Grace Ephesians 3:1-3 and we live under the Gospel of Grace. Romans 16:25-26. My dear brother and sister in Christ: read for yourself the epistles of the apostle Paul: Romans – Filemon and study them. This is your personal MAIL. You shall be build up in Christ through this. Believe not what men say to you but believe and listen what God says to you. It shall be a blessing for your spiritual life in Christ. It shall change your life!!! It changed my life so it can also change your life!

II Thessalonians 2: 15-17

“Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work”

Verse 15: Therefore means having all said what is before this. It means because of this and then the apostle Paul admonishes the brethren, inclusive women, at Thessalonica to stand fast and hold the traditions which they have been taught by Gods Word which the apostle wrote down to them in his epistle(s). He admonish us too, we who live almost 2000 years later and are also members of the Body of Christ, The CHURCH.

First: Stand fast! In 1 Thessalonians 3:8 we read the following verse: “For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord” What does it mean to stand fast? It comes from the Greek word steko what means stationary. It means steady, permanent or constant. It means we have the position in Christ: we are saved by grace alone, by faith alone and in Christ alone. We have our hope in HIM! Not in anybody else! In our walk with the Lord daily we are stationair. We stay with the Grace of God, with the gospel of Grace Acts 20:24, Romans 16:25-26 which stablish us everyday and this is for the obedience of faith in Christ. Everyday we stand fast with this. We are not going to another gospel because there is no other gospel than the gospel of Grace my dear brother and sister in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Second: The second here is to hold the traditions which ye have been learned by word or epistle. What are these traditions? Traditions comes from the Greek word paradosis. It means that the believers at Thessalonica and we too brothers and sisters, not listen to false doctrines of men who tell us that we for example we are going through the Great Tribulation as believers or a part of the Great Tribulation or that we have to go back to the Law of Moses and more other false doctrines like we will meet the Lord on earth and have a part in the Kingdom on earth. In Ephesians 4:14 we have a wonderful verse: “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive” Oh brother and sister in Christ Jesus: let not people deceive you with false doctrines but hold fast in the gospel of the Grace of God. Read the epistles of the apostle Paul. This is the truth for us today, everyday! This is your daily bread/word/mail!

For us there is no comdemnation so how can we go through the Great Tribulation. In that period God will make war with this world! Now we have a living God who made peace. He is the God of peace. It is now Grace and Peace, not war! People make war in this world. Oh if people would listen to Gods Grace and the gospel of Gods Grace it would be a better world today! You, my brother and sister listen what Gods says in His Word, in His epistles Romans -Filemon. Trust Him at His word. His Word is truth instead trusting the word of men! Don't mix the hope of Israel, the coming of the Lord for Israel on earth with the coming of the Lord for HIS CHURCH, the body of Christ I Thessalonians 4:13-18, I Corinthians 15:51-53! (read those verses and study them carefully!)

Verse 16: From this verse 16 we learn and read that our Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father are one! God loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die in our place on the cross. We were the enemies my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ. We were enemies and He died for us! We couldn't bear our sins because we are sinners. He was and is without sin so He could die in our place on the cross on Calvary! He didn't die His own death, He died our death and took all our sin in His body on the cross, yes from all the world! From the people who lived before the cross, people who lived at the time of the cross and people who live after the cross. This is not to imagine for us how great offer this was and is! Let us read Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”

And Galatians 2:20B tells us the following: “Who loved me, and gave Himself for me” Yes brother and sister in Christ: this is what happened on the cross on Calvary. The cross is always the meetingplace between men and God. This is the centre of the Bible. Much more God gave us! He hath loved us and gave Himself for us and He gave us also everlasting consolation! What is consolation. This comes from the Greek word paraklesis what means comfort. He has given us everlasting comfort and good hope through grace. What does it mean good hope through grace? This is the hope, the everlasting hope of our Lords coming before the Great Tribulation to take us to Himself into heaven where He is on the Righthand of the Father. What a blessing my dear brother and sister and my prayer is that you see it too as I see it and believe it. Read again I Thessalonians 4:13-18, Philippians 3:20, Titus 2:13, I Corinthians 15:51-53, I Thessalonians 1:10. It makes me glad and rejoice in my life to wait for Him and that is my hope, my only hope because in this world there is no hope! Stand still by this and think about it and you will rejoice also and will be glad. WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE IN HIM and at one moment WE SHALL BE CHANGED and will get a new body, a spiritual body! Philippians 3:21: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself” Isn't that wonderful, my dear brother and sister in Christ. What a wonderful God we have! Our hope is in Christ in heaven!

Verse 17 He, God in Christ comfort our hearts and stablish us in every good word and work. He does the working in us. Not we. It is His work and we are His workmanship! Let us read Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we hould walk in them” Every good Word and work according to the gospel of the Grace of God. Acts 20:24. Again brother and sister in Christ: read the epistles of the apostle Paul!  This is your peronal mail for today and this is what stablish you and makes you strong in Christ! 

II Thessalonians 3: 1-3

“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, Who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil”

Verse 1: Finally. It means that it comes to the end of a letter or epistle in this case. The apostle Paul and his co-workers like Silvanus and Timothy ask the brothers and sisters in Christ in Thessalonica the following: that the Word of the Lord may have free course. That there will be open doors so that people will receive the Gospel of the Grace of God as the brothers and sisters did in Thessalonica. They received the Word of God, the Word of His Grace not as from men but directly from God. In I Thessalonians 2:13 we read: “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe”

The brothers and sisters in Christ in Thessalonica had received the Word of God in this manner and had believed it. Because believing is upon hearing and hearing through the Word of God. We can read this is Romans 10:17 (read this for yourselves). It still works now at the moment because we still live under the Dispensation of Grace and our gospel is the Gospel of Gods Grace Acts 20:24. So Paul is asking his brothers and sisters in Thessalonica that the Word of Gods Grace, the wonderful message of Grace will come to every person and that every person he met shall receive the Word of God like the Thessalonian believers. And that the Word of God may be glorified. In Ephesians 6:19 we read: “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel” Which gospel? The gospel Paul preached, the gospel of Grace. We live almost 2000 years later and this still the same now. We have to pray for each other and special for the ones who will bring the Gospel or Good News of Gods Grace with much utterance and with directness. We can say that we live in the last days of this Dispensation of Grace and it becomes more and more difficult to reach people with this wonderful news of Gods Grace. The reason is that people become more individually, egoistic etc. What is the reason for this? Personally I think it comes through the big social media (internet, mobiles, whats app, facebook etc.). Most people are not so concentrated anymore. Also of bad Bible translations people cannot hear the origin anymore. A lot of believers in this world are confused because of false or wrong doctrines of churches etc. There are more reasons and through all those reasons it becomes more and more difficult to reach people with the Gospel of Grace. And then in II Timothy 4:5 we read the following verse: “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry” This is what we have to do everyday my dear brother and sister in the Lord Jesus Christ: Do the work as an Evangelist with the gospel of Gods Grace and hold fast this sound Doctrine and teach no other doctrine!!!

Verse 2 : The praying what the apostle Paul asked of his brothers and sisters in the Lord was not ready. Here we have more what he asked and this is very important and also for us. He says: that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for all men have no faith. Unreasonable comes from the Greek word atopos that means disonest, unfair. This were people who were against Gods Word of Grace and you have them too now at the moment in this world. Lets read the following verses Acts 17:13-14: But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the Word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as I were to the sea; but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.” So you see my dear brother and sister: those wicked men, Jews stirred up the people and the brethren there in Berea sent Paul away. He has to run for his life. It became very dangerous.

Years ago in 1984 I visit Israel and I was in Jerusalem in the modern city of it. On the street there were a group Christians (Messiah believing Jews) and they sang songs to give out the good News about Christ. They had instruments with them to play on it. Suddenly came there orthodox Jews people and they hear them singing about Christ and became angry and very aggressive. They tried to brake the instruments and became to scream too and tried also to beat the Jewish believers.

Than some strong men later stopped those orthodox Jewish people so that they couldn't destroy the instruments and beat the people. There was anothter man of two men I do not remember, who protected those Christians. I saw it from a distance and I saw the hatred of those orthodox Jews in their faces/eyes. It made a lot of impression upon me and after this I understood what the apostle Paul meaned with these words here in this verse to be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men! In Romans 15:30-31 we read: “Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints”

More times you see that the apostle Paul asked brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ that they will pray for him that he may be delivered from wicked unbelieving people special from Judea. The conclusion of this is that he could bring Gods Word of Grace unhindered to people everywere.

Also now, almost 2000 years later you have in this world wicked and unreasonable people who will not believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray for those people too that they may receive Christ as their personal Savior too.

II Thessalonians 3:3-4

“But the Lord is faithful, Who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you”

Verse 3: In verse 2 the apostle Paul asked the brethren in Thessalonica to pray for him and for Silas or Silvanus and Timothy that they may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men and here in this verse se see at first the Lord is faithful. He is faithful. God is always faithful. In I Thessalonians 5:24 we read: “Faithful is He that calleth you, Who will do it” He will do it if we have a open heart and we will it, otherwise God cannot work in us with His Holy Spirit. In I Corinthians 1:9 we read: “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord” And in I Corinthians 10: 13 we read: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”

And we have another verse in 2 Timothy 2:13: “If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself”. He, God is always faithful. He cannot lie or deny Himself! We are liars, men are liars because we are sinners. For example politics is most of the time lying! But God cannot lie! What he says He will do it. That was in the time when Paul lived and his letter to the Thessalonian brothers and sisters wrote and now almost 2000 years later God hadn't changed. This is His character. Now the question How can God keep us from evil and stablish us. My dear brother and sister the answer for this is Sound Doctrine! What is that Sound Doctrine? The Sound Doctrine is to find in Romans 16:25-26! We read again those verses: “Now to Him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures fo the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith” Through this my dear brother and sister in our Lord Jesus Christ God can stablish us and keep us from evil! Let's hold as Timothy endure this Sound Doctrine, the gospel of Grace Acts 20:24 which the apostle Paul preached. All the epistles of Paul we have to read and study and know that this is our private mail for today. This will hold us from false doctrines and from other evil things and our adversary satan for him it becomes difficult to deceive us. God makes us strong through this gospel of Grace and stablish us if we will be stablished! Everyday we have to make choices and we may know that our war is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers who are evil: satan and his hosts and his ministers!  We may also know that in in Christ we are more than conquerors Romans 8:37! Oh my dear brother and sister in Christ, what fantactic: we are more than conquerors in Him, Christ! This is more than all the golden medals you have on for example Olympic games. He loved us and loves us everyday and hold us! This is good to know and believe!

Verse 4: In this verse we see that the apostel Paul had a lot of confidence in the Lord. He trusted the Lord that his brothers and sisters in Christ should do the things what he had asked them: to pray for him and his fellowlaborors Silas and Timothy that the gospel of Gods Grace will go further on through the preaching and that they Paul, Silas and Timothy should not be hindered when they preached the Gospel of Gods Grace. Read Colossians 1:5-6 and Acts 20:24. On the other side it was to ask the believers at Thessalonica to do this but it is also a command we see here in this verse.

What good is in this verse is that the Lord is 100% to trust, people not because we all are sinners. In Ephesians 3:20 we read: Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” With this in mind and in the heart of the apostle Paul he had fully confidence in the Lord touching them. Only in Him we too can have confidence/trust because God is to trust for 100%. He never lies because He cannot lie!

It is not one time to pray. It is regular praying for the apostle Paul and Silas and Timothy. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we read : “Pray without ceasing” My dear brother and sister in Christ Jesus: this is what the Thessalonian believers had to do and we who live almost 2000 years later have also to pray for the ones who bring the gospel of Grace and the rightly dividing the Word of truth that they may continue and that the gospel of Grace have open doors everywhere because it's getting worser and worser in this world. The world is becoming more dark and there are a lot of false teachings, teachings of men. Satan tried to resist the Gospel of Grace with withdrawing the Word of Gods Grace. He tried to deceive people with his lyings that people believe him more than God. He is a killer of men from the beginning. But God is more powerful than satan and He had defeated already satan that's why satan hates the Grace of God. So brother ans sister in the Lord: don't trust teachings of men but trust or have confidence in God and in His Word of Grace Romans 16:25-26. Don't forget we are more than conquerors in Him, Christ Jesus! Romans 8:37. Praise God for this!

II Thessalonians 3:5

“And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ”

Verse 5: The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God. He works in the Thessalonian believers in Christ. He directs them. As He works in them and directs them He works also in us who 2000 years later live and still under the Dispensation of Grace Ephesians 3:1-3. Let us read brother and sister the following verse Philippians 2:13: “For it is God Which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” . He works in us my dear brother and sister. His love is working in us through His Spirit who is given to us. He works in us as long as we are open for Him and His Word of Grace, the gospel of Grace and stand for this. This is the first part of this verse 5. The second part is and into the patient waiting for Christ! The endurance of Christ. In this case we read: “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for His Son from heaven, Whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, Which delivered us from the wrath to come” I Thessalonians 1:9-10. This is the meaning of the patient waiting for Christ: THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST!!! This has not happen yet brothers and sisters so we wait patient of this moment! He shall deliver us from this world, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye I Corinthians 15:51-53. He will bring us litteraly in heaven! He shall us deliver from the Great Tribulation! Read I Thessalonians 4:31-18 and comfort one another with these words so that more and more people, brothers and sisters in Christ may know this and believe this wonderful hope!!!!

II Thessalonians 3:6

“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the traditions wich he received from us”

Verse 6: From this verse till almost the end of the chapter it is about the walk in Christ everyday! We are his sons and daughters and we have not to walk disorderly! That is the point here, the theme! First we read Ephesians 4:17-20: “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” This we have to do first because we are in Christ so let us not walk as the people who do not know God in their lives! Now God is saying here that we have to withdraw ourselves from brothers and sisters who walk disorderly. What does it mean disorderly? This word comes from the Greek word aktakteo or ataktos and it means irregular. There were brothers and sisters of course, who walked disorderly and were lazy. They didn't want to work what God had command to do. They didn't want to have responsibility so they were lazy and didn't want to work for their own alimentation. Some believers in the local church at Thessalonica were deceived by false doctrines that Jesus Christ would come very soon to this earth so they became to think to stop their work. The apostle Paul warns here in this verse believers in Christ at Thessalonica to withdraw themselve from such brothers or sisters. For us this is also a learning. We live 2000 years later but this is also for us. We have to work with our own hands for our living and for our families. If we have no work because we are fired (what the reason may be) it is not fine to have no work. My advice for you my dear brother and sister in Christ: if you have no work at this moment try to do voluntary work and in the meanwhile you may have enough time to study Gods Word and special the truth, the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24, Romans 16:25. And do a course, correspondence course from a Bible school who rightly dividing the Word of truth 2 Timothy 2:15. If you have work: don't give up this work until you have other work! Work is very important under this dispensation of Grace because it is a command from God. Read verse 10 of the same chapter!

II Thessalonians 3:7

“For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us; for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you.

Verse 7: The brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ at Thessalonica knew how they had to follow Paul and Silas and Timothy. They had seen their example because Paul, Silas and Timothy were among them and they behaviour was according to Gods will. In I Thessalonians 1:6-7 we read the following: “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.” Here in this verse 7 the apostle remembered them on it how to behave themselves as they did, to follow the example of the apostle Paul and Silas and Timothy. For us this is als real. The apostle Paul is also our apostle so we have to follow his example in daily life. Read I Corinthians 4:16, I Corinthians 11:1.

In I Thessalonians 2:5-6 we read: “For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetouness; God is witness; Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome as the apostles of Christ”

In verse 8 my dear brother and sister we read: “Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you” That is how Paul, Silas and Timothy behaved themselves among other believers and this is also Gods will for today that He wants this same walk from us. It is a matter of attitude. In the local church, at work you can behave yourselve like this. Read also Ephesians 6:5-8. In work: do as good as you did it for the Lord Jesus Christ!

I Thessalonians 3:8-9

“Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: Not because we have no power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.”

Verse 8: You may be ask yourselves brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ why the apostle is writing this? Answer: in the context there were people in the local church at Thessalonica who stopped working because they have heard that Christ should come very soon. So they asked themselves why they should work until that moment. Maybe it was better to stop. So they stopped their work and did idle things. Things who were not useful. The apostle Paul let see in this verse that he was not a beggar. He didn't asked money or goods from people. He worked with his own hands and so his co-workers did the same. We read in Acts 18:1-3 the following verses: “After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; because Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome: and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought; for by their occupation they were tentmakers” This is what the apostle Paul did: to make tents and he was very busy with it, day and night. Think of it: to work with your hands very hard to provide for your own income. This is what the apostle did. He didn't beg from people and so my dear brother and sister in the Lord Jesus Christ for us this example is to follow too. We have also to work for our own income because this is the will of God for today under the Dispensation of Grace see verse 10! We have to walk in the footsteps of the apostle Paul. We are only responsible for the Lord in this because we are from Him and in Him! If we have work we have to do it so good as possible as for the Lord and not for men.

We read Ephesians 6:5-7: “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men” This because of servants, slaves, to masters but we too have almost the same situation in work. Thus Paul was a hard worker and he gave the person who invited him for dinner at his home always something in the form of goods or money. This is a good example for us to follow. We can too preach the gospel or do the work as a evangelist and it is good also to work for our living so that nobody could speak bad things over us to others. To have no work I know as writer what this is and I was personally happy when I get my job in the hospital. I work with pleasure and happy and satisfied with this job. My advice for you my dear brother and sister in the Lord: if you have a job work with pleasure and be happy with it. If you dont have a job try to find a job and if this is not possible very soon do voluntary work! Do all the work with pleasure as for the Lord!

Verse 9: Sure the apostle Paul could eat with people who invited him to eat and pay not but he didn't want it. Why the apostle Paul didn't want this? He had the power to do this! The only reason is that he wanted to be a example that people could follow him and his co workers too. In I Thessalonians 2:9 we read the following verse: “For ye remember, brethren our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God” Again my dear brother and sister in Christ: Paul and his co-workers didn't want to be beggars. He didn't want to have money when he, Paul, preached the gospel of God, the gospel of Gods Grace Acts 20:24. Beside preaching the gospel of the Grace of God the apostle was tentmaker and worked very hard for his own living etc. We have my dear brother and sister to follow Paul in this. They could live from the good News of Grace but than people could accuse him of begging etc that's why he worked with his own hands as tentmaker. If you know the gospel of the Grace of God Romans 16:25-26 and stand for this my dear brother and sister the most beautiful there is to make it known to this world and beside this you can work with your hands!

II Thessalonians 3:10

“ For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat”

Verse 10: A week of 3 or 4 was the apostle Paul the first time in Thessalonica with his brothers and sisters in Christ. We read from the first time in Acts 17. Later he was for 3 months there. The commandment is: that if any would not work he or she shall not eat. Now we live 2000 years later. We have here in the Netherlands an maybe also in the VS a lot of unemployed people. What the reason for this we don't know always. If people cannot work because of health people get money from the government and this is also for people who get fired of work what the reason will be. 2000 years ago if any man would not work he shall not eat, there was no food for him and the result could be begging from others. There were people in Thessalonica who didn't want to work but did idle works. They lived under disorder. They walked disorderly and this was not good. The others from the church had to withdraw themselves from such a person. (verse 6). Why to withdraw yourself from such a person? To be not occupied by this false influence of the person who doesn't want to work. It leads to irresponsibility. This is also too important for us as believers. With whom you rub shoulders? Disorderly people we have to keep distance from. It was 2000 years ago and still this is also for today.

II Thessalonians 3:11-12

“For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread”

Verse 11: Through other believers the apostle Paul and his co-workers (Silas and Timothy) heard that some believers from the local church at Thessalonica walked disorderly. They didn't work and maybe they didn't want to work. They had stopped their work because they were confused through false teachings. It could be and maybe they were deceived not to work anymore. Anyway they were not working at all! They were busybodies. What does this mean the word busybodies? Before we answer this the following verse we will share: “And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not” I Timothy 5:13. Here in this verse there is again this word busybodies. What does that mean? To work all around this is the meaning of this word. They did idle things and say words what was not profitable. This is what the apostle Paul heard and was not happy with it. That's why he comes with a answer to them who do this. We can read this in the following verse. Now we live almost 2000 years later and there are people in our societies, countries in this world who do the same as believers in Thessalonica did. For them we have the answer from the apostle Paul in the next verse.

Verse 12: Now comes the commandment and exhortation from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ throught the apostle Paul to us: with quietness to work with our own hands and to eat our own bread. This is a lesson for us all. To work with our own hands. No matter what kind of work it is only when it is against Gods Word. As believers in Christ my dear brother and sister, we are not to work in for exampele the sex-industry, prostitution. This is against Gods will and Word! For years I work in the health care. I like to do this work. Others want to work as a accountant for example or to be busdriver or whatever else: this depends on the person what is his or her capability and what he or she likes to work in. What very clear is that we have to work under this Dispensation of Grace Ephesians 3:1-3, till we reach the age we can stop with work. Here in the Netherlands when you are 67 you can stop with work. Some people are stopping earlier because of health or some other reasons. Anyway after we stopped we got our pension and here in the Netherlands also state pension benefits. This is upon our pension!

Work brings order and regularity in somebody's life and that is neccesary for men. In Genesis 3:19 we read: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread , till thou return unto the ground;”

This is the general rule God made for men to do. To work with his own hands and eat bread. Men have to work hard for their own bread. Thousands and thousands of years this rule is in this world. So brother and sister: if you have work keep going on with your work and do your best as good as you do it for the Lord Himself. If you don't have work try to find it or do voluntary work in the meanwhile. If you don't have the capacity to work because of health (mentally or physically or both) you cannot help it. You got money from the government (here in the Netherlands, I cannot speak for other countries).

II Thessalonians 3:13-15

“But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother”

Verse 13: Here the apostel Paul admonish the brethren (sisters) in the Lord Jesus Christ at Thessalonica and this is also for us brother and sister in our Lord Jesus Christ! He may say in this verse the following: don't stop with working, go on . So we must go on with working if we have not the pension age. Look if we are physically or mentally ill or handicapt we can't work through this than we have a good reason. Are you without work, try to find work and in the meanwhile you can do voluntary work for example. When I was unemployed in my life it was not good to be at home. You became lazy etc. Personally I was very happy that I got work after a couple of weeks. At the moment I work in the hospital and I like it. During the evenings I am free and I can do other things like to give Biblestudy or working on this website. It is also very important to spread the good News of the Grace of God and thats the will of God. And there are more good things: to pray for other brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyway work brings order and discipline in someone's life.

Verse 14: If any man obey not our word by this epistle. What does that mean? If any man doesn't want to work what we see in the context my dear brother and sister. What the Thessalonian believer s and we too have to do with this person who have this style of life. Note that man, an have no company with im that he may be ashamed. My dear brother and sister: disorder is irresponsibility. It is very important for us to have a order in thinking and conduct in our life. We have to reject company of them who walk disorderly. It makes a difference what company we keep. We can as brothers and sisters to admonish such a brother or sister in our Lord Jesus Christ and let see his or her irresponsibility and disorder. If he or she doesn't want to listen to our admonishing than we have to leave such a person that he may be ashamed and begin to think about it.

To the Colossian believers the apostle Paul wrote the following verse: For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ” The apostle Paul was glad with the brethren in Colosse because of their belief in Christ and that there was order.

He was sad about the disorder in the church at Cortinth. They, the Corinthian believers had company with fornicators. Read I Corinthians 5:9

So the apostle here in this second epistle to the Thessalonian believers is withdraw themselves from those who walk disordely and have no company with such persons. Note means mark for avoidance!

Verse 15: The instruction is very clear. See a person, who walk not according the Word of God and this epistle in Christ, him or her not as a enemy because they are a brother and sister in Christ. Our attitude must be friendly because Jesus Christ died too for him or her who walk disorderly. Let them see what is wrong in this walking and help him or her to do better, to walk better through Gods Word. All of this must be through the love of God, not through ourselves.

I Thessalonians 3:16-18

“Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen”

Verse 16: The Lord of peace Himself give you peace. Now at this moment under this Dispensation of Grace God is the Lord of peace. He doesn't make war with this world! He made peace with this world. My dear brother and sister in Christ we read II Corinthians 5: 19-21: “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” This is what God has done for you and me and for all the world! He is the God of peace and gives us peace always!!! By all means. What does that mean? The answer is certainly, yes, absolutely! What a wonderful God we have. He gives us peace and that's why we have peace with Him through Christ Jesus Romans 5:1!

And my dear brother and sister: the Lord is always with us! He will not leave us, He never leaves us. We can have the feelings that He is far away but He isn't. He lives in us throught His Holy Spirit, that's why He is always with us!!! What good to know this and again we have a wonderful God! Praise Him!

Verse 17: The apostle Paul saluted always in every epistle he wrote. He wrote this epistle with his own hands. For example Tertius wrote the epistle to the Romans see Romans 16: 22. The apostle Paul his eyes were not very well so maybe it was difficult to write with his own hands to all the local churches. See Galatians 6:11.

Verse 18: Every epistle ended with the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you (all). Amen.

This is the token in every letter or epistle of the apostle Paul. We live under God's Grace and His Grace is in our Lord Jesus Christ. We live not under the Law of Moses anymore Romans 6: 14! but under God's Grace my dear brother and sister.

AMEN