The church of Thessalonica was the only church in the New Testament times in which the apostle Paul acknowledged their great understanding of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The knowledge that the church of Thessalonica had can not be compared even to the most faithful churches in our days. Looking at the background of these Thessalonians that before the coming of Paul to this city, there was none even one Christian in the city. However, Paul, having spent time to teach and preach the word of God, the church had grown rapidly in their understanding of the mystery of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. At the Missionary Journey of Paul
The beginning of the church of Thessalonica was at the second missionary journey of Paul together with Silas and Timothy. Before they entered the city of Thessalonica, Paul and his companions Timothy and Silas were badly treated at the first arrival in Europe in the city of Philippi. They were unjustly beaten, put to the prison because of the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. However by the providence of God they managed to escape from this city and continued their ways westward across and reached the country of Macedonia. Act 17:1-4 recorded that their arrival was truly by the leading and direction of the Lord. It was in this time that Paul held one of the greatest Bible Conferences in all the history. “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbaths days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.”
Paul and his little band missionary arrived in the new mission field where apparently there was not even Christian there before they came. There was no any means to tell others about the gospel such TV, Radio, etc. There was not financial guarantee at all, in fact only three to four weeks available to do the necessary things and preach the gospel but it brought the greatest impact to the people. The powerful testimony for Christ was established in that city. Not only the church was established but also their understanding of the Word of God and faith had grown in their hearts of the program of God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. The Sending of the Letter to the Church of Thessalonica
The main key Luke has recorded in Acts is the teaching concerning the dead and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ as predicted in the Old Testament. After the departure of Paul and the group from the city of Thessalonica, then Paul soon wrote a little letter to them concerning the teaching of the word of God, concerning the meaning of the dead and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote to them about the heart of the gospel, he was able to tell them about the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ that amazed us that how much they knew about the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
First Thessalonians is the first letter Paul wrote to the brand new church of Thessalonica. This was written for even after Paul pleaded from that city, he still did not know what had happened to those new Christians, whether they were so discouraged and scattered, or whether the church was broken up and destroyed. The heart of Paul was deeply burnt, and then he wrote a letter to them as he said in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. (Why) For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.”
When we read that verse, we, Christians who live in this generation are amazed about the knowledge that the Thessalonians have. Their knowledge of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ was so perfect, mature, complete and even the great apostle said that he did not need to tell them about all these. The times and the seasons are prophetic time and season just like Jesus told to his disciples in Acts 1:7 that the time and the season are in the father’s hand and you do not have to know when will be the time. This is to say that the new Christians in the church of Thessalonica knew perfectly what will happen and what the order of the events when Christ returns. The church of Thessalonica was just a new-born church in which Paul served for few weeks but their understanding of the Word of God was really great. This is the question to all believers in this generation, how long have we known the Lord Jesus Christ and how long have we had the Bible in our own language to read, study and understand? We are ashamed to ourselves because of the knowledge that we have so little though we have the Bible in our own hand.
3. The Maturity of the Christians in the church of Thessalonica
The church in Thessalonica perhaps was just two months old and yet they have known so much about the significant of the dead and resurrection the Messiah predicted in the Old Testament. They also knew about the things that will happen at the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact in 1 and 2 Thessalonians Paul wrote to this little church that every single chapter of this book is referring to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For example, let us see some of the passages in first Thessalonians concerning the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the end of 1 Thessalonians 1 in verse 10 “To wait for his Son from heaven....even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come.” In 1 Thessalonians 2:19 says “For what is our hope, or joy or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? In 1 Thessalonians 3:13 “To the end he may stablish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” The Lord Jesus Christ will be coming therefore we must be prepared in our heart for that great event. This was further described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of th 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 so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” This is the great promises of the rapture of the church that will take place. In 1 Thessalonians 5 is full of prophecy of the events of the coming of the Lord and the climax is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That every part and every aspect of our being might be so sanctified and cleansed from the habits of sins for the joyful union with the Lord in that day.
In 2 Thessalonians 1 we can see also some of the things and promises that will happen at the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and His angels. Everything has been described in the book including the coming of the Antichrist as mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2 that the Antichrist will claim that he is God. Thus Paul told them in 2 Thessalonians 2:5 “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?” Paul has told them about the great apostasy and what the Antichrist will do in the temple because all these are the prophetic programs of God. Having seen all this truth mastered by the church of Thessalonians, we marvel for the zeal of learning that these believers have concerning the Word of God. It is absolutely that there is no even one church in our days that have such zeal in the Word of God. In fact we wonder when are the church and Bible classes started, how much the Bible prophetic of the word of God is given? Some may say that the study of the prophetic books is difficult to understand and complicated. But one thing that we need to know is that all the prophetic truth in the Bible is intended by God for us to know and learn.
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