Paul Contrasts the Lawless with the Saved
(2 Thessalonians 2:13-17)

© 2006 Steve Lewis - contact@SpiritAndTruth.org

COURSE

Paul's Contrast (2 Thess. 2:13-14)

Paul contrasts the followers of Christ in Thessalonica with the followers of Antichrist in the Tribulation.

The Thessalonians are among the group of chosen believers:

A Summary of Paul's Contrasts:

In the second chapter of 2 Thessalonians so far we have seen the following contrasts between the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and the followers of the man of lawlessness:

Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ Followers of the "man of lawlessness"
Those who are loved and chosen by God from eternity (2 Th 2:13) Those who [by their own choice] perish (2 Th 2:10)
Those who put their faith in the Truth (2 Th 2:13) Those who do not receive the love of the truth (2 Th 2:10), but put their faith in falsehood (2 Th 2:11-12)
Those who are sanctified by the Holy Spirit (2 Th 2:13) Those who are deceived by Satan (2 Th 2:9), so that wickedness seems good to them (2 Th 2:12)
Those who are called through the gospel (2 Th 2:14) Those who reject the gospel which could have saved them (2 Th 2:10)
Those who are destined for glorification (2 Th 2:14) Those who are destined for condemnation (2 Th 2:12)

These two verses form a miniature systematic theology of salvation!

 

Paul's Directions for their Conduct (2 Thess. 2:15)

Paul's Prayer for their Comfort and Encouragement (2 Thess. 2:16-17)

Paul again puts the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father on an equal plane of deity.

Two things that characterize God (2 Thess 2:16)

Paul's two-fold prayer (2 Thess 2:17)

  1. Comfort = to console, encourage, support -- this is the verb form of the noun used in the previous verse.
  2. Strength = to make stable, place firmly, set in a fixed position (see 1 Th 3:13).

Points of Application: