2 Thessalonians 2:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?

NIV: Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?

NASB: Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?

CSB: Don’t you remember that when I was still with you I used to tell you about this?

NLT: Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you?

KJV: Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

NKJV: Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?

The Thessalonians should have known this information because Paul had taught them about the day of the Lord when he was with them. He asks, "Do you not remember . . . I told you these things?" Paul had been in Thessalonica for only three Sabbaths, and yet he had taught the believers a great deal about the rapture and the day of the Lord. He did not shrink from teaching prophecy to new believers,. Paul had also expressed many of these ideas in a prior letter (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13–17; 5:1–11).

It is important to remember biblical teaching, because false teaching abounds. The best defense against the temptation to doubt or forget or contradict God's Word is to meditate upon it and memorize it. When the Lord appointed Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, He commanded him to meditate on the Book of the Law day and night so he would carefully obey it (Joshua 1:8).

Second Thessalonians 2:1–12 discusses the ''day of the Lord'' as an event from which Christians are exempt. Some Thessalonian believers were confused, thinking they had entered this time of hardship and judgment. Paul tells them to put such thinking aside, regardless of the source. He assures them the day of the Lord will not commence until a rebellion or apostasy occurs, followed by the emergence of the man of lawlessness. This figure will try to take on the role of God and deceive those who are lost and had rejected the truth. Empowered by Satan, the man of lawlessness will deceive unbelievers by performing signs and wonders. But at His coming, Jesus Christ will destroy the man of lawlessness.

The Christians of Thessalonica have not missed out on the events described in Paul's prior letter. Despite what some teachers apparently thought, they were not experiencing the ''day of the Lord,'' a time of God's great wrath and judgment. As proof, Paul offers instruction on events which had yet to occur, prior to the coming of the day of the Lord. The first is a rebellion, or a ''falling away.'' The second is the emergence of a ''man of lawlessness'' who will demonstrate satanic power. This will correspond with God removing His restraint, in some way, leaving sin freer rein to enable His judgment.

Chapter 1 praised the Christians of Thessalonica for their spiritual growth and acts of love. This chapter seeks to correct a discouraging error present in that same church. Paul encourages these believers by stating that they have not missed out on the events described in his prior letter and have not entered into the judgment of the ''day of the Lord.'' Before that catastrophic time can begin, certain events must occur. These include a widespread spiritual apostasy and the rise of a satanically-empowered figure. Chapter 3 commends the value of a strong work ethic, both in a spiritual and a secular sense.

Second Thessalonians follows Paul's earlier letter to the same group of Christian believers. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul had praised them for their faithfulness and given them reassurances about the day of the Lord. This included teachings on the rapture and a description of death as ''sleep'' from a Christian viewpoint. In this second letter, Paul corrects possible misunderstandings about those ideas. Among his teachings here are the importance of a good work ethic and God's impending judgment on sin, including judgment on those who persecute the Christian church. Paul also provides the Thessalonians with reassurances that they have not somehow missed out on Christ's return.

Accessed 11/8/2024 8:38:25 PM