2 Thessalonians 2:1 - Now we request... - Verse-by-Verse Commentary 2 Thessalonians 2:1 2-Thessalonians 2:2 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, Adam Clarke Commentary We beseech you - by the coming of our Lord - It is evident that the Thessalonians, incited by deceived or false teachers, had taken a wrong meaning out of the words of the first epistle, 1 Thessalonians 4:15, etc., concerning the day of judgment; and were led then to conclude that that day was at hand; and this had produced great confusion in the Church: to correct this mistake, the apostle sent them this second letter, in which he shows that this day must be necessarily distant, because a great work is to be done previously to its appearing. Of the day of general judgment he had spoken before, and said that it should come as a thief in the night, i.e. when not expected; but he did not attempt to fix the time, nor did he insinuate that it was either near at hand, or far off.

Now, however, he shows that it must necessarily be far off, because of the great transactions which must take place before it can come. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Bibliography Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ - The phrase “by the coming,” is not here, as our translators seem to have supposed, a form of solemn adjuration. It is not common, if it ever occurs, in the Scriptures, to make a solemn adjuration in view of an event, and the connection here demands that we give to the phrase a different sense. It means, respecting his coming; and the idea of Paul is: “In regard to that great event of which I spoke to you in my former epistle - the coming of the Saviour - I beseech you not to be troubled, as if it were soon to happen. As his views had been misunderstood or misrepresented, he now proposes to show them that there was nothing in the true doctrine which should create alarm, as if he were about to appear.

And by our gathering together unto him - There is manifest allusion here to what is said in the First Epistle 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “then we shall be caught up together with them in the clouds;” and the meaning is: “in reference to our being gathered unto him, I beseech you not to be shaken in mind, as if that event were near.” Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Bibliography Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ I. The nature of it. Christ came. He comes. He is to come. 1. He came in the flesh. The long line of predictions from Adam to Malachi were accomplished at last, after long delay and anxious expectation. 2. He comes continually. 3. He is to come. The consequences to His people will be-- (a) Their redemption, i.e., their final deliverance from the power of death. (b) Their complete conformity to the likeness of Christ. (c) Their perfect enjoyment of that kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. II. The time. 1. It is unrevealed. 2. It is to be unexpected.

3. It will not be until the conversion of the Jews and the calling in of the Gentries. Did the apostles expect Christ in their day? We must distinguish between their personal expectations and their teaching. The latter alone is infallible. III. Points of analogy between the first and second comings. 1. Both predicted. 2. Anxiously and long expected. 3. The subjects of much speculation as to time and mode. 4. Disappointing in the one and the other. IV. The state of mind which the doctrine should induce. 1. A firm belief in the revealed fact that He is to come. This faith should not be shaken by long delay. How long Abraham waited and died without the sight. 2. Earnest desire. The hopes of the ancient people were concentrated on the coming of the Messiah. This led them to bear patiently what they had to suffer. To set their hopes on the future and not on the present. The same effect should be produced on us. 3. Watchfulness and anxiety, lest that day should overtake us as a thief in the night. We should have our lamps trimmed and our lights burning. It would be a dreadful thing for Christ to come and find us immersed in the world. 4.

Prayer and waiting. 5. Solicitous efforts to prepare others for His coming, and to prepare the way of the Lord. He will not come to the individual nor to the Church till His way is prepared. This includes-- The coming of Christ I. The coming of Christ to judgment is a truth-- 1. Well known by all the saints (Jude 1:14; Psalms 96:13; Psalms 98:9; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). 2. Firmly believed (2 Peter 3:3-5; Titus 2:11-13). 3. Earnestly desired (Song of Solomon 8:14; Revelation 22:20). Why? (a) The Spirit of Christ (Revelation 22:17). The Holy Ghost creates this desire: it is His great work to bring Christ and us together.

(b) The graces planted in us--faith, which takes Christ at His word (John 14:2); hope, which is faith’s handmaid (1 Peter 1:3); love, which is an affection of union (Philippians 1:23). (c) Christian privileges; believers then find the fruit of their interest in Christ, and have their reward (Revelation 22:12; 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4). II. When Christ shall come all the saints shall be gathered with him. There shall be-- 1. A congregation (Matthew 25:32; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Adam will then meet all his posterity at once. All distinctions of age, quality, wealth, nation, etc., will disappear. 2. A segregation (Matthew 25:32-33). There may be some confusion now, but there shall be a complete separation then (Matthew 13:49). 3. An aggregation: believers are gathered together for several ends. 1.

Real Christians seem few (Luke 12:32): but when there assembled they shall be a multitude that no man can number (Revelation 5:9; Revelation 7:9). 2. Christian friends are now separated--then they shall meet to part no more (Matthew 24:31; 1 Thessalonians 4:17). 3. The Church seems in a degenerate state--then it shall be without spot. (T. Manton, D. D.) Reunion 1. The exact word occurs only again in Hebrews 10:25, and that gathering is typical of this. When we meet in the House of God, for prayer, praise, instruction and communion, we are practising for that other gathering, which shall be perfect. The verb, however, occurs in two other places: one is where our Lord reminds Jerusalem how He would have gathered her children together. That idea of safe keeping, cherishing under the wing of the mother, is involved in the “gathering” of the Second Advent. The other text is Mark 13:27, the interpretation of the text before us. 2.

The text is used not as a terror but as an attraction. “We beseech you by it,” as those who would not part with it for their life. The Advent, as a regathering, is full of consolation. But it implies-- I. Dispersion. There are senses in which this is tolerable. The severance of nations by dividing seas and deserts, and by the Babel judgment of divided tongues, is no affliction. It is as a type that we must read it to enter into its significance for sorrow. 1. It tells of sons and mothers parted for a lifetime by calls of duty or self-made necessities; of friends closer than brothers bidding each other a long farewell at a noisy station or a sea-washed pier; of vows of lifelong friendship broken in sudden passion; of discords which a breath would have healed; hence severance. 2. There is a dispersion of divided tongues concerning Christ in God’s behalf. Men made offenders for a word; men unable to read in identical phrase some microscopic doctrine; men, kneeling in the name of one Saviour, imputing wilful blindness to one another. 3.

Then the uncharitableness of individual men must be made the watchwords and heirlooms of parties and Churches. Creeds and articles must adopt the quarrel, and anathematize the deviation as a crime. So Christ’s house is divided. 4. Behind and beneath all these dispersions there lurks the giant disperser, Death. Those unaffected by the other dispersions are all doomed to suffer from this. 5. But the greatest is sin. Brothers and friends may part and not part; even in this life they may be divided, and yet know that they have one home and Father. But sin divides even in its joining. Where sin is there is selfishness, and selfishness is severance. II. The regathering. To Paul, and to all whose hearts are large and deep, there was a peculiar charm in the thought of this. “I beseech you,” as though no motive could be more persuasive. 1. The scene thus opened is august even to oppressiveness. Expanded from one end of heaven to the other, enhanced by multiplication of generations, till it has embraced all the living and dead who have possessed the one Divine faith which makes the communion of saints, it overwhelms and baffles the soul’s gaze.

2. But we must seek to refine and decarnalize our conceptions. “There is a spiritual body,” doubtless like that of the risen Jesus which entered the room whose doors were shut. We must reassure ourselves by thoughts of the possibility of a communion in which mind shall touch mind, and spirit breathe into spirit, and soul kindle soul with no cumbersome machineries or limiting measurements. 3. Even now we feel within ourselves an instinct of the regathering. There are those who profess to have the key of death, and to hold commerce with the departed. We could better believe them if we found in their supposed communications profiting or solemnity. But the instinct of reunion is there; we read it even in its follies. 4. Still more do we long and yearn in ourselves for that kind of union which can come only to the immortal. Here we meet and part with a sense of unrest which leaves us to the end hungry and desolate. To the friend of our souls we cannot say one half of what we meant to say, and that was not fully understood. Our love he read not, and our passing humours he took as a changed affection.

But then friend shall meet friend in absolute oneness, knowing as known, because loved as loving. 5. The condition is “unto Him.” There are many human heavens for one Divine. We picture to ourselves a future bright with earth’s joys, and cloudless of earth’s troubles; but have we remembered that “the light thereof” is the Lamb. The promise of the text is vocal only to the Christian. Conclusion: Make now the great decision. If we will here trifle together, live for the world, neglect Christ, mock at sin, we must look abroad for some other hope: there is none for us in the gospel. The Advent regathering is for those only who in life “have loved the appearing.” (Dean Vaughan.) The Advent as a motive “By” is not a formula of adjuration. There would be no point in saying, “I beseech you by the day of the Lord, not to suppose that the day of the Lord is at hand.” It must be taken in the sense of “on behalf of,” as though he were pleading in honour of that day, that the expectation of it might not be a source of disorder in the Church. (Prof. Jowett.) Caution against error I.

The error which the apostle disproves--that the day of Christ was then at hand. II. The effect which this error might produce--trouble and unsettledness of mind. This implies-- 1. That errors breed this disquietude. 2. That Christians should be firmly established against them. III. A removal of the foundation of this error. The brethren were not to be shaken either by spirit, by word, or by letter. (W. Burkitt, M. A.) Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission. Bibliography Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible 2 THESS. 2 The great feature of this chapter, of course, is Paul's great prophecy of "the man of sin" (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10), for a full discussion of which, see excursus at the end of the chapter. The prophecy is preceded by a warning that the Thessalonians should not expect the Second Advent immediately (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2), and followed by an expression of renewed thanksgiving and prayer upon their behalf (2 Thessalonians 2:13-17).

Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; (2 Thessalonians 2:1) This outlines the chapter, which regards the Second Advent, an event which the Thessalonians had mistakenly assumed to be "just at hand," some of them actually having stopped work in anticipation of it! The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ ... For comments on this title, see under 2 Thessalonians 1:2. "Coming" in this place refers to the final Advent and not to some manifestation of power and grace prior to the Advent. Our gathering together unto him ... The great feature of the final day will be the uniting of believers with the Lord. The expression "gathering together" is found nowhere else in the New Testament except in Hebrews 10:25, where it signifies the gathering together of the Christians for worship.[1] ENDNOTE: [1] Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, Epistles to the Thessalonians (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1956), p. 124.

Copyright Statement James Burton Coffman Commentaries reproduced by permission of Abilene Christian University Press , Abilene, Texas, USA. All other rights reserved. Bibliography Coffman, James Burton. "Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:1". "Coffman Commentaries on the Old and New Testament". // Abilene Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999. John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible Now we beseech you, brethren,....

The apostle having finished his first design in this epistle, which was to encourage the saints to patience under sufferings, proceeds to another view he had in writing it, and that is, to set the doctrine of Christ's coming, as to the time of it, in its proper light; and this is occasioned by what he had said concerning it in the former epistle, which was either misunderstood or misrepresented; and as he addresses the saints with a very affectionate appellation as his "brethren", so by way of entreaty "beseeching", and yet in a very solemn manner: by the coming of our Lord Jesus: which is to be understood not of the coming of Christ in the flesh, to procure the salvation of his people; nor of his coming in his kingdom and power to take vengeance on the Jewish nation, for their rejection of him as the Messiah; but of his coming to judge the quick and dead, than which nothing is more sure and certain, being affirmed by angels and men, by prophets and apostles, and by Christ himself, or more desirable by the saints; wherefore the apostle entreats them by it, that whereas they believed it, expected it, and wished for it, they would regard what

 he was about to say: so that the words, though an entreaty, are in the form of an adjuration; unless they should be rendered as in the Ethiopic version, as they may, "concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ"; and so express subject matter of the discourse now entering upon, with what follows: and by our gathering together unto him; which regards not the great gatherings of the people to Christ the true Shiloh upon his first coming, and the preaching of the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles, when there were not only great flockings to hear it, but multitudes were converted by it; nor the greater gatherings there will be in the latter day, at the time of the conversion of the Jews, and when the fulness of the Gentiles shall be brought in; nor the conversion of particular persons, who are gathered in to Christ, and received by him one by one; nor the assembling of the saints together for public worship, in which sense the word is used in Hebrews 10:25 but the gathering together of all the saints at the last day, at the second coming of Christ; for he will come with ten thousand of his saints, yea, with all his saints,

 when their dead bodies shall be raised and reunited to their souls, and they with the living saints will be caught up into the air, to meet the Lord there and be ever with him; when they will make up, complete and perfect, the general assembly and church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven: this will be the gathering together of all the elect of God; and so the Arabic version reads, "the gathering of us all"; and which, as it is certain, is greatly to be desired; it will be a happy meeting and a glorious sight; by this the apostle entreats and adjures them to regard what follows.

Copyright Statement The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernised and adapted for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved, Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario. A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855 Bibliography Gill, John. "Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:1". "The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible". // 1999. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17. Correction of their error as to Christ‘s immediate coming. The apostasy that must precede it. Exhortation to steadfastness, introduced with thanksgiving for their election by God. Now — rather, “But”; marking the transition from his prayers for them to entreaties to them. we beseech you — or “entreat you.” He uses affectionate entreaty, rather than stern reproof, to win them over to the right view. by — rather, “with respect to”; as the Greek for “of” (2 Corinthians 1:8).

our gathering together unto him — the consummating or final gathering together of the saints to Him at His coming, as announced, Matthew 24:31; 1 Thessalonians 4:17. The Greek noun is nowhere else found except in Hebrews 10:25, said of the assembling together of believers for congregational worship. Our instinctive fears of the judgment are dispelled by the thought of being gathered together UNTO HIM (“even as the hen gathereth her chickens under her wings”), which ensures our safety. Copyright Statement These files are a derivative of an electronic edition prepared from text scanned by Woodside Bible Fellowship. This expanded edition of the Jameison-Faussett-Brown Commentary is in the public domain and may be freely used and distributed. Bibliography Jamieson, Robert, D.D.; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:1". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible". // 1871-8. Wesley, John. "Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:1". "John Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible".

// 1765. Calvin's Commentary on the Bible 1Now I beseech you, by the coming. It may indeed be read, as I have noted on the margin, concerning the coming, but it suits better to view it as an earnest entreaty, taken from the subject in hand, just as in 1 Corinthians 15:31, when discoursing as to the hope of a resurrection, he makes use of an oath by that glory which is to be hoped for by believers. And this has much more efficacy when he adjures believers by the coming of Christ, not to imagine rashly that his day is at hand, for he at the same time admonishes us not to think of it but with reverence and sobriety. For it is customary to adjure by those things which are regarded by us with reverence.

The meaning therefore is, “As you set a high value on the coming of Christ, when he will gather us to himself, and will truly perfect that unity of the body which we cherish as yet only in part through means of faith, so I earnestly beseech you by his coming not to be too credulous, should any one affirm, on whatever pretext, that his day is at hand.” As he had in his former Epistle adverted to some extent to the resurrection, it is possible that some fickle and fanatical persons took occasion from this to mark out a near and fixed day. For it is not likely that this error had taken its rise earlier among the Thessalonians. For Timothy, on returning thence, had informed Paul as to their entire condition, and as a prudent and experienced man had omitted nothing that was of importance. Now if Paul had received notice of it, he could not have been silent as to a matter of so great consequence. Thus I am of opinion, that when Paul’s Epistle had been read, which contained a lively view of the resurrection, some that were disposed to indulge curiosity philosophized unseasonably as to the time of it.

This, however, was an utterly ruinous fancy, (636) as were also other things of the same nature, which were afterwards disseminated, not without artifice on the part of Satan. For when any day is said to be near, if it does not quickly arrive, mankind being naturally impatient of longer delay, their spirits begin to languish, and that languishing is followed up shortly afterwards by despair. This, therefore, was Satan’s subtlety: as he could not openly overturn the hope of a resurrection with the view of secretly undermining it, as if by pits underground, (637) he promised that the day of it would be near, and would soon arrive. Afterwards, too, he did not cease to contrive various things, with the view of effacing, by little and little, the belief of a resurrection from the minds of men, as he could not openly eradicate it.

It is, indeed, a plausible thing to say that the day of our redemption is definitely fixed, and on this account it meets with applause on the part of the multitude, as we see that the dreams of Lactantius and the Chiliasts of old gave much delight, and yet they had no other tendency than that of overthrowing the hope of a resurrection. This was not the design of Lactantius, but Satan, in accordance with his subtlety, perverted his curiosity, and that of those like him, so as to leave nothing in religion definite or fixed, and even at the present day he does not cease to employ the same means. We now see how necessary Paul’s admonition was, as but for this all religion would have been overturned among the Thessalonians under a specious pretext. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Bibliography James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary THE SECOND COMING ‘Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him.’ 2 Thessalonians 2:1 When will this ‘gathering’ be?

It will be at the end of the world, when Christ returns to earth the second time. Visibly He went away, visibly in the body He will return; and the very first thing that He will do will be to ‘gather together’ His people (Matthew 24:31). I. What will be the manner of this ‘gathering’?—This is plainly revealed in Holy Scripture. The dead saints shall be raised, and the living saints shall all be changed (Revelation 20:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52). And this ‘gathering’ will be great, wonderful, humbling: (a) Great—because all the people of God, from the first saint of God’s to the last born at the time of His Coming, out of every nation, all shall be assembled together.

(b) Wonderful—because His saints in different ages and from different climes, who have never seen each other in the flesh, nor know each other’s native tongues, shall form one harmonious throng; the confusion of tongues shall cease (Revelation 5:13; Revelation 7:9-10). Moreover, many will be there whom we might never have expected to see at all (St. Matthew 19:30). (c) Humbling—because an end will then be made of all that disfigured and hampered the ‘Church’ on earth—an end to bigotry, party spirit, religious jealousy, and pride. They will meet there in perfect agreement who refused to meet on earth; all differences will be sunk, for at last all will be completely ‘clothed with humility’ (1 Peter 5:5). II. What will be the object of this ‘gathering’?—For the safety and reward of Christ’s people. However fearful the signs of the impending Judgment, His saints will have no cause to tremble, or to dread the great day of their ‘gathering together’; they shall be hidden in the secret place of the Most High.

And this ‘gathering together’ will mark the inauguration of their exceeding great and final reward; complete justification from all guilt will be declared to all; each will receive that ‘crown of glory which fadeth not away’ and ‘the kingdom prepared before the foundation of the world’; and the great throng will be admitted publicly into the joy of their Lord. III. Why is this ‘gathering together’ of His people a thing to be desired?—Because (a) It will be a state totally unlike their present condition. To be scattered rather than gathered seems to be the rule on earth. Few continue long together even during their lives here. Children, parents, friends, fellow-workers, fellow-Christians, are being continually forced asunder from various causes; and, as life draws to its close, many a one is left almost alone. The hour is coming when there shall be no such thing as separation and loneliness. There will be no lack of company in that great ‘gathering together.’ (b) It will be an assembly of one mind and one heart. There are none such now. Mixture, hypocrisy, disunion, false profession, discord, creep in everywhere here. The tares grow together with the wheat.

The foolish virgins tarry along with the wise. There is a Judas and a Demas in every Christian congregation; and wherever the ‘sons of God’ come together, Satan is sure to appear among them. But this will cease on that Day, when our Lord shall present to the Father a perfect Church ‘having neither spot nor wrinkle, nor any such thing’ (Ephesians 5:27). (c) It will be a ‘gathering’ at which none shall be absent. The weakest lamb will not be left behind in the wilderness. We shall hold communion with all the saints of God who have fought the good fight before us from the beginning of the world. We shall once more see our dear ones who fell asleep in Jesus, better, more beautiful, than we knew them on earth. (d) It will be a ‘meeting’ without a ‘parting.’ There are no such meetings now. ‘Good-bye’ is ever treading on the heels of ‘How are you?’ The cares and duties of life seem to eat up all our days and to make any appreciable period of inter-communion impossible.

But the hour cometh when ‘farewell’ shall be buried for ever; when we shall meet in that endless state of ‘blessedness’ to part no more. No wonder the Apostle Paul bids us look up and look forward. —Bishop J. C. Ryle. These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission. Bibliography John Trapp Complete Commentary 1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, Ver. 1. Now we beseech you, brethren] Christ’s spokesmen must be fair spoken, so wooing for him that they may win upon men’s hearts, leading by the hand those that are willing, and drawing after a sort those that are less willing, that they may present them as a chaste virgin to Christ, 2 Corinthians 11:2. This earnest obtestation imports that it is both easy and dangerous to be carried away by seducers; for the Scripture doth not use to "cleave straws with beetles" to be so serious in a slight matter.

"We beseech you," of all loves, ερωτωμεν (from ερως, love). Brethren, womb brethren, as near in nature as is possible. {a} "By the coming of our Lord Jesus," whom you love, look and long for; "and by your gathering together," επισυναγωγη, as ever you desire and hope to hover under his wings, as the chickens under the hen’s, that the infernal kites catch you not at that day. By the coming of our Lord] He draweth an argument from the matter underhand wherewith their hearts were now heated beforehand. It must be an elaborate speech that shall work upon the heart. And by our gathering together unto him] In that last and great day, when all the eagles shall be gathered to that once dead, but now all-quickening carcase, Matthew 24:28; when the sign of the Son of man shall be lifted up as an ensign, and all the saints shall repair to it, as the soldiers do to their colours, Ephesians 1:10.

{a} αδελφος, from α and δελφυς uterus: fratres uterini. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission. Bibliography 2 Thessalonians 2:1 The Re-gathering of the Saints. We have now before us the time and the season of which St. Paul speaks in the text, and we have to observe that he uses it not as a terror but as an attraction—"we beseech you"—as those that would not part with it for their lives. The advent, a re-gathering, is in St. Paul's view a prospect full of consolation. What is it that makes the world the wilderness it is? In a large part it is that of which the re-gathering is a direct reversal—dispersion. There are senses, no doubt, in which dispersion is tolerable; the separation and severance of nations, not more by dividing seas and deserts than by dividing tongues. It would be foolish to say that this is to any one man a loss or an affliction. It is as a type that we must read it if we would enter into its significance.

Sin is the great dividing force. Sin divides even its joys. Where sin is there is selfishness. Hand may trust hand, lips may speak of love and vow affection, yet in the very sinning there is a breach, and in the recoil and rebound there is severance. Sin is selfishness hidden in the act; selfishness perceived in the consequences. Sin is dispersion alike in its loves and its remorses. Well may it close the dark category in the dark page of sorrow for one of light and gospel consolation. II. On the loving heart of St. Paul—a heart large without limit, yet stretched almost to bursting by the multitude of its sympathies, there lay the sorrow of the dispersion. He felt it in every sense; felt it in its very distance. Yet more bitterly did Paul feel this dispersion to be an intolerable burden of suspense and anguish, while he knew not for certain how a letter had been taken or an injunction obeyed, or whether a door had been opened for successful ministry. It is the division of bodies or the division of souls which distracts him. Even death—and you might think that St. Paul would have been above it with his strong faith and bright hope—even death troubled him.

He felt as a dispersion that death which he dreaded not as a destruction. III. Therefore, with St. Paul, as to all whose hearts are like his, big and warm in their affections and sympathies, there was a peculiar charm in the thought of the advent as a re-gathering. "I beseech you," he says, as though no other entreaty could equal it in strength, "by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him." Here we meet and part; we commune and separate with a sense of unrest and dissatisfaction which leaves us in the end desolate. To the friend of our soul we say not one half of that which we meant to say; we said not the thing which we meant, or he misheard or misinterpreted the thing spoken.

Our love he read not; our passing humour he took as a change of affection; our soul speaking to his soul with the soul's voice was not recognised as the soul's, and we almost begin to say, "I will keep my love till it can speak the one tongue of the immortals." When Christ comes friend shall meet friend in absolute oneness—no earthborn, sinborn cloud to come between; knowing at last as known, because loved as loving. C. J. Vaughan, Penny Pulpit, new series, No. 514. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission. Bibliography Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament As if the apostle had said, "Brethern, we beseech you, as you assuredly expect the coming of Christ, and do love, look, and long for, that day when it shall go well with you, and Christ will appear to your glory, that you be not troubled," &c.

Learn hence, that the coming of Christ to judgment is a truth well known, firmly believed, and earnestly desired, by all true Christians; well known, because the apostles, when they went abroad to proselyte the world, usually began with this point; firmly believed, for a day of judgment was never denied by any but those whose interest it was that there should be none; and earnestly desired, in respect of Christ our Judge and Saviour, and in respect of ourselves, who shall be sharers in the happiness of that day. Observe, 2. The apostle calls the coming of Christ, a gathering together unto him; intimating, that when Christ shall come, all the saints shall be gathered together unto him: at the day of judgment there shall be both a congregation and a segregation; a congregation of all believers, to make up the number of Christ's train and attendants, and that in one troop they may be brought unto his heavenly kingdom; and a segregation, he shall separate the sheep from the goats, and sever the wicked from among the just; Matthew 13:44. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.

Bibliography Burkitt, William. "Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:1". Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament. // 1700-1703. Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary 1.] But (passing from those things which he prays for them, to those which he prays of them) we entreat (reff.) you, brethren (to win their affectionate attention), in regard of (the Vulg., E. V., and many ancient Commentators, render ὑπέρ, ‘per,’ ‘by,’ and understand it as introducing a formula jurandi, as in Il. ω. 466, καί μιν ὑπὲρ πατρὸς … λίσσεο. But this construction is not found in the N. T.; and it is most unnatural that the Apostle should thus conjure them by that, concerning which he was about to teach them.

It is best therefore to take ὑπέρ, as so often, not quite = περί, but very nearly so, the meaning ‘on behalf of’ being slightly hinted—for the subject had been misrepresented, and justice is done to it by the Apostle; and so Chrys. ( περὶ τῆς παρουσίας τ. χριστοῦ ἐνταῦθα διαλέγεται κ. περὶ τῆς ἐπισυναγ. ἡμῶν) al.: see reff.) the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together (i.e. the gathering together of us, announced in 1 Thessalonians 4:17) to Him (Lün. condemns to, and would render ‘up to’ as 1 Thessalonians 4:17; but so much does not seem to lie in the preposition), Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission. Bibliography 2 Thessalonians 2:1.

ʼερωτῶμεν δέ] passing from what the apostle prays for the Thessalonians (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12) to what he requires of them. On ἐρωτᾶν, see on 1 Thessalonians 4:1. ἀδελφοί] an affectionate and winning address. ὑπέρ] is in the Vulgate, as well as by Pelagius, Faber Stapulensis, Bugenhagen, Clarius, Erasmus, Zwingli, Calvin, Hemming, Hunnius, Justinian, Estius, Piscator, Balduin, Aretius, Cornelius a Lapide, Beza. Fromond., Calixt, Bern. a Piconius, Nat.

Alexander, and many others, understood as a form of adjuration (per adventum); and then the meaning attributed to it is either: si vobis dies ille tremendus est … obtestor vos per illum (Zwingli), or: si vobis animo carus est adventus domini, si desiderabile est vobis ad ipsum dominum colligi, etc. (Hemming), or lastly: quam vere exspectatis domini adventum, etc. (Beza). Certainly ὑπέρ, as elsewhere πρός, sometimes occurs in protestations with the genitive; comp. Hom. Il. xxiv. 466 f. καί μιν ὑπὲρ πατρὸς καὶ μητέρος ἠϋκόμοιο | λίσσεο καὶ τέκεος, ἵνα οἱ σὺν θυμὸν ὀρίνῃς, Bernhardy, Syntax, p. 244. But (1) such a usage is entirely foreign to the N. T.

(2) It is hardly conceivable that Paul should have chosen that as an object of adjuration, concerning which he was about to instruct them in what follows. Therefore Zeger, Vorstius, Grotius, Hammond, Wolf, Noesselt, Koppe, Storr, Heydenreich, Flatt, Pelt, Schott, de Wette, Winer (p. 343 [E. T. 479]), Baumgarten-Crusius, Wieseler, Bloomfield, Alford, Ewald, Bisping, Riggenbach, and others more correctly take ὑπέρ in the sense of περί, in respect of. Comp. Romans 9:27; 2 Corinthians 1:8; Passow, A 3; Bernhardy, Syntax, p. 244; Kühner, II. p. 288. Yet this does not prevent the maintenance of the special import of the preposition also here. The meaning is in the interest of the advent, namely, in order to preserve it from everything that is erroneous.

When, then, the apostle says: we entreat you in the interest of the advent, the meaning of this abbreviated form of expression is: we entreat you in the interest of the advent, namely, to guard it against all misrepresentations, not to deviate from the correct view concerning it. παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου] here also, as everywhere with Paul, is nothing else than the personal coming (return) of Christ at the completion of the kingdom of God. ἐπισυναγωγή] points back to 1 Thessalonians 4:17, denoting the act by which all believers are caught up to Christ, or gathered together to Him, to be then eternally united to Him, following the resurrection and change. ἡμῶν] is placed first in order to obtain a more direct contrast to κυρίου. ἐπʼ αὐτόν] up to Him. Incorrectly Grotius, Koppe, Heydenreich, Pelt, Alford, and others, that it is equivalent to πρὸς αὐτόν. Copyright Statement These files are public domain.

Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission. Bibliography Meyer, Heinrich. "Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:1". Heinrich Meyer's Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. // 1832. 2 Thessalonians 2:1. ἐρωτῶμεν, we beseech) There are five divisions of the epistle, of which the principal one begins here. I. The Inscription, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-2. II. Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4. With prayer, 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12. III. The Doctrine concerning the man of sin, who is to come before Christ, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. Whence he comforts the saints against that calamity, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14. With the addition of exhortation and prayer, 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17.

IV. An exhortation to prayer, accompanied also with a prayer for them, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2. And an exhortation to reduce to order the brethren who are walking disorderly, with a prayer also for them subjoined, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-7; 2 Thessalonians 3:16. V. Conclusion, 2 Thessalonians 3:17-18. — ὑπὲρ) with respect to [not by, as Engl. Vers.]. The particle is intended for clearly indicating the subject in hand, not for adjuration; although the subject under discussion ought in itself to rouse the Thessalonians: comp. ὑπὲρ, 2 Corinthians 5:20.(7)— ἐπισυναγωγῆς, (final) gathering together) which will take place at the time of the coming of Jesus: care must be taken lest any falls away. Believers are already gathered in to the Lord; but that gathering together then at last will be the complete and crowning one.

This is the force of the double compound when it is broken into its component parts: comp. Hebrews 10:25, note. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission. Bibliography Bengel, Johann Albrecht. "Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:1". Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament. // 1897. 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Paul warneth the Thessalonians against the groundless surmise that the day of Christ was near at hand, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 showing that it would be preceded by a great apostacy, and that the man of sin would be first revealed, and by his wicked impostures draw many into perdition. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 He repeateth his good hopes concerning them, 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17 exhorting them to stand fast in his doctrine, and praying God to comfort and stablish them in all goodness.

The apostle now comes to refute the opinion that some at least of these Thessalonians had received, as if the day of Christ was near at hand. He having said, 1 Thessalonians 4:17: We which are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, & c., then some might think his coming would be in the apostle’s time, or some other way they might fall into this conceit; and some do conceive this was the chief reason of the apostle’s writing this Epistle. And because this mistake might be of dangerous consequence, therefore he is very vehement and particular in refuting it: for hereupon they might be brought to question the truth of the whole gospel when this should not come to pass: they might be unprepared for the sufferings that were to come upon the church; their patience might fail in expecting this day, and their minds be doubting about the coming of Christ at all.

This opinion also would much narrow their thoughts about Christ’s kingdom, and the enlarging of the gospel among other Gentiles; and the profane might abuse it to sensuality, as 1 Corinthians 15:32: Let us eat and drink, & c. That he might the better persuade, he calls them brethren, and beseeches them, &c. And next, conjures them, using the form of an oath, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, & c. We conjure men either by what they love, or by what they fear; as they would enjoy the one, or avoid the other. The coming of Christ was what they desired and rejoiced in, as that which would bring rest to them, and tribulation to their adversaries; and by this he doth therefore beseech or adjure them: and therefore we must understand this of Christ’s last coming, as the word parousia, in the text, is still applied to this coming, 1 Thessalonians 2:19 3:13, &c.; and not of his coming to destroy the Jewish church and state, for that coming was at hand.

And by our gathering together unto him; at his last coming, when the whole body of Christ shall be gathered to him, to meet him in the air, 1 Thessalonians 4:17. And then the sense is: As ye hope ever to see such a blessed meeting, and to be of that number, so take heed of this opinion. Yet some read the text otherwise, because in the Greek it is not dia, but uper thv parousiav, and so the same with peri, not we beseech you by, but concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him, as denoting only the subject matter treated of. I prefer the former; and so the apostle conjures them not to be soon shaken in mind, but to stand fast in the truth about the doctrine of Christ’s coming, which they had been taught, and very lately taught, and therefore it was the greater evil to be soon shaken; as the apostle upbraids the Galatians, Galatians 1:6, and God the Israelites, Psalms 106:13. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com .

Used by Permission. Bibliography Poole, Matthew, "Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:1". Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible. // 1685. Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges 1. Ἐρωτῶμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, ὑπὲρ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ κυρίου [ἡμῶν] Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἡμῶν ἐπισυναγωγῆς ἐπʼ αὐτόν. But we ask you, brothers, on behalf of the coming of the [or our] Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to (meet) Him. By δέ of contrast we pass from the certainty and blessedness of the παρουσία (2 Thessalonians 1:5 ff.) to the state of disquiet about it into which this Church is in danger of falling.

For ἐρωτάω in requests, see 1 Thessalonians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:12, and note on the former verse; as in the above instances, ἀδελφοί is naturally interjected where common Christian interests and sentiments are involved. Ὑπέρ may be nothing more than an equivalent for περί (about, concerning), stating the matter of request (see, for περί in like connexion, 1 Thessalonians 5:10, and note; 1 Corinthians 7:1; Philemon 1:10, &c.); but it may be questioned whether ὑπέρ in St Paul ever quite loses the stronger meaning, on behalf of: cf. 1 Thessalonians 3:2; 2 Corinthians 1:6; 2 Corinthians 13:8; Philippians 2:13. “In the interest of” that very advent, in which their future happiness is wrapped up (ἡμῶν ἐπισυναγωγῆς), the Apostles warn their readers against deception.

The Latin rendering, followed by the A.V., per adventum, is certainly erroneous: this ὑπέρ obtestationis, frequent in Homer after λίσσομαι (see e.g. Iliad xv. 660), is rare otherwise. The full title, “our Lord Jesus Christ,” heightens the solemnity of the appeal; see note on 1 Thessalonians 1:1, also 1 Thessalonians 5:9; and, for παρουσία, 1 Thessalonians 2:19.

The writers add καὶ ἡμῶν ἐπισυναγωγῆς ἐπʼ αὐτόν, remembering what they had said in 1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:10 concerning the reunion of departed and living saints at Christ’s coming; perhaps also under the painful sense of continued separation from their “brothers” in Thessalonica and the uncertainties of meeting in “this present evil world”: see 1 Thessalonians 2:17 ff; 1 Thessalonians 3:6; 1 Thessalonians 3:11, 2 Thessalonians 1:4 f.; and the pathetic “rest with you” of 2 Thessalonians 1:7.

Ἐπισυναγωγή (the noun in Hebrews 10:25, δὶς λεγόμενον in N.T.; also 2 Maccabees 2:7, ἐπισυναγωγὴν τοῦ λαοῦ) recalls the prophetic words of Jesus in Matthew 24:31 f., Mark 13:27, ἀποστελεῖ τοὺς ἀγγέλους κ. ἐπισυνάξει τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ἀνέμων κ.τ.λ., which rest on the promise of Deuteronomy 30:4 respecting the διασπορά of Israel; cf. the echoes of our Lord’s sayings on the Last Things noted in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 to 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

The ἐπι- in this compound—a word of the κοινή, which loved cumulative prepositional compounds—implies “convening upon” some centre: Christ supplies this mark,—ἐπʼ αὐτόν (as in Mark 5:21); cf. note on ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς, 2 Thessalonians 1:10. Under the single article, παρουσία and ἐπισυναγωγή form one object of thought, the latter accompanying the former (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17); cf. εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν … καὶ δόξαν, 1 Thessalonians 2:12. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission. Bibliography George Milligan - Paul's Epistle to the Thessalonians 1–4.

‘We have been speaking of the great Day of the Lord, but that you may not fall into any mistake as to the Parousia of the Lord by which it will be ushered in, and the assembling of believers by which it will be accompanied, we beg of you, Brothers, not to allow your minds to be unsettled for little or no reason, or to be kept disturbed by any prophetic utterance, or teaching, or letter, any or all of them purporting to come from us, to the effect that the Day of the Lord has actually arrived. Do not, we beg of you, let any man lead you completely astray in this or any other way. For in no case will this Parousia take place until after the great Apostasy, and the consequent revelation of the Man of lawlessness, that son of perdition. So terrible indeed will be his revolt that, as the embodiment of Satanic power, he will be found exalting himself against every one that is spoken of as god, or that is an object of worship. Yes, he will even go the length of seating himself in the Temple of God, and claiming to be God.’ 1.

ἐρωτῶμεν δέ κτλ.] For ἐρωτάω see I. 4:1 note, and for ἀδελφοί see I. 1:4 note. ὑπὲρ τ. παρουσίας] ‘as regarding the Parousia,’ the original meaning of ὑπέρ ‘on behalf of,’ ‘in the interest of’ being here almost wholly lost sight of, cf. Romans 9:27, 2 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 8:23; 2 Corinthians 12:8, and such a passage from the κοινή as P.Tebt. 19, 9 f.

(2./b.c.) ὑπὲρ δὲ ὧν σημαίνεις κωμογραμματέων μόλις ἕως τῆς κε χωρισθήσονται, ‘regarding the komogramateis whom you mention, they will hardly depart until the 25th.’ In no case is there any warrant for the A.V. rendering ‘by’ as an adjuration (Vg. per adventum). For παρουσία see Add. Note F, and for the full title τ. κυρ. ἰης. χρ. see Add. Note D. ἐπισυναγωγῆς] The word goes back to such a saying of the Lord as Mark 13:27 καὶ ἐπισυνάξει τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς αὐτοῦ, and is found elsewhere in the N.T.

only in Hebrews 10:25 where it is applied to the ordinary religious assembling of believers as an anticipation of the great assembling at the Lord’s Parousia: cf. 2 Maccabees 2:7 ἕως ἂν συνάγῃ ὁ θεὸς ἐπισυναγωγὴν τοῦ λαοῦ with reference to the gathering of the tribes into the temporal kingdom of the Messiah. For the verb see Deuteronomy 30:4, Psalms 105. (106.) 47, Zechariah 12:3; Zechariah 12:12 :2 Maccabees 1:27, Didache 9:4, and cf. O.G.I.S. 90, 23 (2./b.c.—the Rosetta stone) τοῖς ἐπισυναχθεῖσιν εἰς αὐτὴν [λύκων πόλιν] ἀσεβέσιν.

Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission. Bibliography Whedon's Commentary on the Bible 1. Now—Rather, but. Paul has just vividly pictured the awful yet glorious advent; but their imagination must not bring that event into the present time. By—A preposition of adjuration. It is so rendered by the Vulgate and many eminent critics, as in our translation. It may, then, mean, I pray you by that so stupendous event that you do not be discomposed by expectation of its immediateness. The ordinary meaning, however, of the Greek υπερ, is, in behalf of. The true sense, then, is neither by nor exactly concerning; but in behalf of that event, that it may not be covered with misrepresentations and false alarms. Our gathering—Described in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission. Bibliography George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary And we, &c. Some impostors had taken occasion from St.

Paul's first epistle to the Thessalonians, to teach that the day of judgment was at hand. The apostle here maintains that it certainly will come, but that it will come like a thief in the night. He says nothing of the time when it is to arrive; he merely refutes those who spoke of its taking place immediately. --- By the coming, &c. Grotius and some others explain this coming, of the vengeance he took on the Jews by the arms of the Romans. It is true he speaks in many places of the destruction of Jerusalem, and of his coming at the last day, in terms exactly the same. But the context of the whole epistle demonstrates that he is here speaking of the last day. (Calmet) --- And of our gathering together (1) unto him. Literally, of our congregation unto him. That is, that you be not moved by any pretended revelation, nor by any words or letter, as spoken or written by me. (Witham) =============================== Et nostræ congregationis in ipsum, Greek: kai emon episunagoges ep auton. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.

Bibliography Mark Dunagan Commentary on the Bible 2 Thessalonians 2:1 “Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto Him” “Touching”: “Concerning” (Con). “And our gathering together unto Him”: “Our being gathered to meet Him” (TCNT). The coming of the Lord and the gathering of the saints are regarded as closely connected, as the use of a single article shows. They are two parts of one great event” (Morris p. 214). The coming of Christ and Christians ("our") being gathered together unto Him happen at the same time. We do not find two "days" of the Lord at the end of time, one for the righteous and one seven years later for the wicked (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Notice also the order of this context. The coming of Christ (including His coming for Christians) happens after the apostasy and after the man of sin is revealed, and not before. “All of this leads us to say that the idea that the man of sin is to appear after the church has been gathered out of the world cannot be true.

Strangely this is a rather popular idea. But please observe carefully that our gathering together unto the Lord, etc… is not to happen until the falling away and the revelation of the man of sin have occurred first” (Fields p. 188). The reader should note that Hal Lindsey, in “The Late Great Planet Earth” presented the view that Christians will be removed before the man of sin arrives (p. 110). That directly contradicts what Paul is teaching in this chapter. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission. Bibliography Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, Now - `But:' marking the transition from his prayers for them to entreaties to them. We beseech you - affectionate entreaty to win them to the right view, rather than stern reproof.

By , [ huper ( Greek #5228 )] - 'with respect to:' as [ huper ( Greek #5228 )] 'of,' 2 Corinthians 1:8; Philippians 2:13 - literally, in behalf the true view Christ's coming, which has been misinterpreted. Our gathering together unto him - the final gathering of the saints to Him at His coming (Matthew 24:31; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Psalms 1:5). [ Episunagoogees ( Greek #1997 ) is nowhere else found except Hebrews 10:25, the assembling together of believers for congregational worship, which is a pledge of the final assembling never to part.] Then first will believers enjoy mutual recognition. Our instinctive fears of the judgment are dispelled by the thought of being gathered together UNTO HIM ("even as the hen gathereth [ episunagei ( Greek #1996 )] her chickens under her wings"), which ensures our safety. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.

Bibliography Jamieson, Robert, D.D.; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:1". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged". // 1871-8. Concerning the coming. He had written about this in his first letter to them. See the introduction to First Thessalonians. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Bibliography Ice, Rhoderick D. "Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:1". "The Bible Study New Testament". // College Press, Joplin, MO. 1974. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers (1) Brethren.—The Apostles have won a hearing for the true Advent doctrine by their sympathetic treatment of it in the former chapter; now they soften their correction of the false doctrine by using tender names.

By the coming.—Literally, for the sake of the coming, just as in English we adjure persons to do a thing “for God’s sake.” It is a stronger form of adjuration than the simple “by,” inasmuch as it implies that the thing or person adjured by will suffer if the action be left unperformed. The Coming of Christ and the meeting with the beloved dead would not be so bright, so perfect, perhaps so soon, if the Thessalonians allowed themselves to be misled with regard to it. Our gathering together.—The peculiar Greek word is the same as that used in Hebrews 10:25 of the assembling to the Lord’s Supper, and nowhere else, so that some have interpreted it in the same sense here. In verb form it is thus used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. The close connection between the two “gatherings together” may be seen in 1 Corinthians 11:26. The “our” means the meeting of the dead and the quick together. Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission. Bibliography

Question: What is the next in this series: 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy ... ?
Answer: Titus