2 Thessalonians

Definition and Meaning

Second Thessalonians is the fourteenth book of the New Testament and consists of 3 chapters and 47 verses. Its opening (2 Thessalonians 1:1) names Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy as the senders, and it is therefore classified among the Pauline epistles. It is addressed to the church in Thessalonica, a port city in the region of Macedonia. The letter has three main themes:

• Comfort for believers under persecution
• A right understanding of the day of the Lord, that is, the day of Christ's return
• A warning against idleness

Biblical and Historical Background

According to Acts 17, Paul and his companions preached the gospel in Thessalonica and a church was established there, but they met opposition and soon left the city. Tradition holds that Paul wrote this letter from Corinth not long after sending 1 Thessalonians, and it is usually dated to the early 50s of the first century. Since the modern era, some scholars have regarded it as a later work written in Paul's name, pointing to differences in style and eschatology from the first letter. Conservative scholars, by contrast, uphold Pauline authorship.

The chapters may be outlined as follows:

• Chapter 1: Commends the readers' perseverance amid tribulation and speaks of God's righteous judgment.
• Chapter 2: Urges the readers not to be shaken by claims that the day of the Lord has already arrived. Before that day there will come a falling away, and the "man of sin" will be revealed (2:3); for now, however, there is one who restrains him (2:6–7).
• Chapter 3: Rebukes those who live disorderly lives without working, declaring, "if any would not work, neither should he eat" (3:10). The letter closes with a greeting written in Paul's own hand (3:17).

Use and Interpretation

Interpretations differ as to the identity of the "man of sin" and the "restrainer." These differences follow theological positions on eschatology rather than denominational lines.

• Those who hold dispensational premillennialism often identify the restrainer as the Holy Spirit or the church indwelt by the Spirit. They hold that the man of sin will be revealed after the church has been caught up in the Rapture.
• Other positions, such as the amillennialism of the Reformed tradition, sometimes identify the restrainer as the legal order of the state or the preaching of the gospel, or maintain that the text alone does not permit a definite identification. The differences among these positions are treated in more detail in the article on the Millennium.

Second Thessalonians 2:1–3 is also cited as grounds for warning against date-setting eschatology, which fixes a date for the Second Coming and waits for that day.

In Korean Protestant churches, 2 Thessalonians 3:10 is frequently cited in sermons on diligent labor and self-reliance. In response to claims such as those surrounding the so-called "Rapture uproar" in Korea in 1992, Korean churches have cautioned against predicting dates, citing this passage along with Matthew 24:36 and other texts.