2 Thessalonians

A few months had passed since Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians. Though unable to visit them (1 Thess. 2:18), the apostle had maintained contact with the church. He was generally pleased with their progress (2 Thess. 1:3–4), yet there were still some issues that needed to be resolved.

In his second inspired letter, Paul addressed three essential matters. The persecution, which had begun while Paul was there, was still ongoing. In chapter 1, he encouraged the Thessalonians to stand firm and remain faithful to the Lord despite their suffering. Paul had instructed the Thessalonians about the end times while he was with them (2 Thess. 2:5), and in 1 Thessalonians (4:13–5:11).

Yet they were still confused, fearing they had missed the Rapture and were in the Day of the Lord. Though the severity of the persecution they were undergoing contributed to that mistaken belief, the main reason for their confusion came from some false teachers who taught that the Day of the Lord had arrived. Those lying deceivers claimed Paul, Silas, and Timothy now taught that, even producing a forged letter supposedly from the apostle Paul to support their claim. Paul wrote chapter 2 to calm the Thessalonians’ fears, clarify his teaching, and thus reassure them that the Day of the Lord had not arrived.

Finally, the problem of idleness Paul had addressed in his first epistle (1 Thess. 4:11–12) had escalated. Some, expecting the Lord to return at any moment, had stopped working altogether. The apostle sternly dealt with those idle loafers and the related issue of church discipline in chapter 3.

MacArthur New Testament Commentary