CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
CHARLES R. SWINDOLLS W I N D O L L’ SLIVINGINSIGHTSN E W T E S TA M E N T C O M M E N TA RY1 & 2 THESSALONIANSTyndale House Publishers, Inc.Carol Stream, Illinois
Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, Volume 10Visit Tyndale online at www.tyndale.com.Insights on 1 & 2 Thessalonians copyright 2016 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc.Cover photograph of red rocks by Sebastian Boguszewicz/Unsplash.com. All rights reserved.Photograph of notebook copyright jcsmilly/Shutterstock. All rights reserved.Unless otherwise noted, all artwork copyright Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rightsreserved.All images are the property of their respective copyright holders and all rights are reserved.Maps copyright 2016 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.Designed by Nicole GrimesPublished in association with Yates & Yates, LLP (www.yates2.com).Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For permission to quote information, visit http://www.lockman.org.Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of TyndaleHouse Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.The “NASB,” “NAS,” “New American Standard Bible” and “New American Standard” trade‑marks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by The LockmanFoundation. Use of these trademarks requires the permission of The Lockman Foundation.TYNDALE, Tyndale’s quill logo, New Living Translation, and NLT are registered trademarks ofTyndale House Publishers, Inc.Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataNames: Swindoll, Charles R., author.Title: Insights on 1 & 2 Thessalonians / Charles R. Swindoll.Other titles: First & second ThessaloniansDescription: Carol Stream, IL : Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2016. Series: Swindoll’s living insights New Testament commentary ; Volume 10 Includes bibliographical references.Identifiers: LCCN 2016033146 ISBN 9781414393728 (hc : alk. paper)Subjects: LCSH: Bible. Thessalonians—Commentaries.Classification: LCC BS2725.53 .S95 2016 DDC 227/.8107—dc23 LC record available athttps://lccn.loc.gov/2016033146Printed in the United States of America22 21 20 19 18 17 167 6 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTSAuthor’s Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vThe Strong’s Numbering System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viiIntroduction: 1 Thessalonians. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Turning from the Past to the Present (1 Thessalonians 1:1–3:13). . . . . . . 11A Church with the Right Stuff (1 Thessalonians 1:1‑10). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12A Leadership Style That Works—Guaranteed (1 Thessalonians 2:1‑12). . . . 17The Flip Side of Leadership (1 Thessalonians 2:13‑20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26When Your Comfort Zone Gets the Squeeze (1 Thessalonians 3:1‑8). . . . . 35What Does It Mean to “Really Live”? (1 Thessalonians 3:9‑13). . . . . . . . . . 41Living in the Present for the Future (1 Thessalonians 4:1–5:28). . . . . . . . 48Straight Talk about Moral Purity (1 Thessalonians 4:1‑8). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Behaving Properly toward Outsiders (1 Thessalonians 4:9‑12) . . . . . . . . . 57On That Great Gettin’- up Morning (1 Thessalonians 4:13‑18). . . . . . . . . . . 64Like a Thief in the Night (1 Thessalonians 5:1‑11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Back to the Basics of Christian Living (1 Thessalonians 5:12‑22). . . . . . . . 86What a Way to Say “ Good- bye”! (1 Thessalonians 5:23‑28). . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Introduction: 2 Thessalonians. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Affirmation amidst Affliction (2 Thessalonians 1:1‑12). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Affirming the Afflicted (2 Thessalonians 1:1‑5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112When God Gets the Last Word (2 Thessalonians 1:6‑12). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Explanation of Prophecy (2 Thessalonians 2:1‑17). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Lawlessness: The Man and the Mystery (2 Thessalonians 2:1‑12) . . . . . . . 125Light for Dark Days (2 Thessalonians 2:13‑17) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138Clarification regarding Response (2 Thessalonians 3:1‑18). . . . . . . . . . . . 145Cords That Hold Pastors and Flocks Together (2 Thessalonians 3:1‑5). . . . 146Buying into the Vision (2 Thessalonians 3:6‑18) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154Endnotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163List of Features and ImagesTimeline of 1 Thessalonians. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Map of Paul’s Second Missionary Journey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2The Book of 1 Thessalonians at a Glance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Snapshot of Ancient Thessalonica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Agora. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Politarch Inscription. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Quick Facts on 1 Thessalonians. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9The Theater in Thessalonica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Salpinx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Excursus: Is Paul’s “Last Trumpet” the Seventh Trumpetof Revelation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73iii
Nobody Knows the Day or the Hour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78The Different but Related Topics of 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5. . . . . . . . . . . 82Roman Soldier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83Excursus: Are There Apostles and Prophets Today?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Timeline of 2 Thessalonians. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Map of the Egnatian Way. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104The Book of 2 Thessalonians at a Glance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Egnatian Way. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Quick Facts on 2 Thessalonians. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Salvation and Judgment in 2 Thessalonians 1:5‑10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Excursus: Day of the Lord, Rapture, Tribulation, and Millennium. . . . . . 131The Day of the Lord. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Model of the Second Temple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Five Reasons God Purposefully Permits Pain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139iv
AUTHOR’S PREFACEFor more than sixty years I have loved the Bible. It was that love for theScriptures, mixed with a clear call into the gospel ministry during mytour of duty in the Marine Corps, that resulted in my going to Dallas Theo‑logical Seminary to prepare for a lifetime of ministry. During those four greatyears I had the privilege of studying under outstanding men of God, who alsoloved God’s Word. They not only held the inerrant Word of God in high esteem,they taught it carefully, preached it passionately, and modeled it consistently.A week never passes without my giving thanks to God for the grand heritagethat has been mine to claim! I am forever indebted to those fine theologiansand mentors, who cultivated in me a strong commitment to the understanding,exposition, and application of God’s truth.For more than fifty years I have been engaged in doing just t hat—and howI love it! I confess without hesitation that I am addicted to the examination andthe proclamation of the Scriptures. Because of this, books have played a majorrole in my life for as long as I have been in ministry— especially those volumesthat explain the truths and enhance my understanding of what God has writ‑ten. Through these many years I have collected a large personal library, whichhas proven invaluable as I have sought to remain a faithful student of the Bible.To the end of my days, my major goal in life is to communicate the Word withaccuracy, insight, clarity, and practicality. Without informative and reliablebooks to turn to, I would have “run dry” decades ago.Among my favorite and most well- worn volumes are those that have enabledme to get a better grasp of the biblical text. Like most expositors, I am foreversearching for literary tools that I can use to hone my gifts and sharpen myskills. For me, that means finding resources that make the complicated simpleand easy to understand, that offer insightful comments and word picturesthat enable me to see the relevance of sacred truth in light of my t wenty- first- century world, and that drive those truths home to my heart in ways I do noteasily forget. When I come across such books, they wind up in my hands asI devour them and then place them in my library for further reference . . . and,believe me, I often return to them. What a relief it is to have these resources toturn to when I lack fresh insight, or when I need just the right story or illustra‑tion, or when I get stuck in the tangled text and cannot find my way out. For theserious expositor, a library is essential. As a mentor of mine once said, “Whereelse can you have ten thousand professors at your fingertips?”In recent years I have discovered there are not nearly enough resources likethose I just described. It was such a discovery that prompted me to considerv
SWINDOLL’S LIVING INSIGHTSbecoming a part of the answer instead of lamenting the problem. But the solu‑tion would result in a huge undertaking. A writing project that covers all of thebooks and letters of the New Testament seemed overwhelming and intimidat‑ing. A rush of relief came when I realized that during the past f ifty- plus yearsI’ve taught and preached through most of the New Testament. In my files werefolders filled with notes from those messages that were just lying there, waitingto be brought out of hiding, given a fresh and relevant touch in light of today’sneeds, and applied to fit into the lives of men and women who long for a freshword from the Lord. That did it! I began to work on plans to turn all of thosenotes into this commentary on the New Testament.I must express my gratitude to both Mark Gaither and Mike Svigel for theirtireless and devoted efforts, serving as my hands- on, day- to- day editors. Theyhave done superb work as we have walked our way through the verses andchapters of all twenty- seven New Testament books. It has been a pleasure to seehow they have taken my original material and helped me shape it into a stylethat remains true to the text of the Scriptures, at the same time interestinglyand creatively developed, and all the while allowing my voice to come throughin a natural and easy- to- read manner.I need to add sincere words of appreciation to the congregations I haveserved in various parts of these United States for more than five decades. Ithas been my good fortune to be the recipient of their love, support, encourage‑ment, patience, and frequent words of affirmation as I have fulfilled my callingto stand and deliver God’s message year after year. The sheep from all thoseflocks have endeared themselves to this shepherd in more ways than I canput into words . . . and none more than those I currently serve with delight atStonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas.Finally, I must thank my wife, Cynthia, for her understanding of my addic‑tion to studying, to preaching, and to writing. Never has she discouraged mefrom staying at it. Never has she failed to urge me in the pursuit of doing myvery best. On the contrary, her affectionate support personally, and her owncommitment to excellence in leading Insight for Living for more than three anda half decades, have combined to keep me faithful to my calling “in season andout of season.” Without her devotion to me and apart from our mutual partner‑ship throughout our lifetime of ministry together, Swindoll’s Living Insightswould never have been undertaken.I am grateful that it has now found its way into your hands and, ultimately,onto the shelves of your library. My continued hope and prayer is that you willfind these volumes helpful in your own study and personal application of theBible. May they help you come to realize, as I have over these many years, thatGod’s Word is as timeless as it is true.The grass withers, the flower fades,But the word of our God stands forever. (Isa. 40:8, nasb)viChuck SwindollFrisco, Texas
THE STRONG’SNUMBERING SYSTEMSwindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary uses the Strong’s w ord- study numbering system to give both newer and more advanced Bible studentsalike quicker, more convenient access to helpful original- language tools (e.g.,concordances, lexicons, and theological dictionaries). The Strong’s numberingsystem, made popular by the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, isused with the majority of biblical Greek and Hebrew reference works. Thosewho are unfamiliar with the ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek alphabets canquickly find information on a given word by looking up the appropriate indexnumber. Advanced students will find the system helpful because it allows themto quickly find the lexical form of obscure conjugations and inflections.When a Greek word is mentioned in the text, the Strong’s number is includedin square brackets after the Greek word. So in the example of the Greek wordagapē [26], “love,” the number is used with Greek tools keyed to the Strong’ssystem.On occasion, a Hebrew word is mentioned in the text. The Strong’s Hebrewnumbers are completely separate from the Greek numbers, so Hebrew num‑bers are prefixed with a letter “H.” So, for example, the Hebrew word kapporet[H3727], “mercy seat,” comes from kopher [H3722], “to ransom,” “to securefavor through a gift.”vii
INSIGHTS ON 1 THESSALONIANSWe need to make sure we don’t paint a pictureof Paul’s life and ministry that bears noresemblance to the way it actually was. It’s aclassic case of the tension between idealism andrealism. If the road of Christian life and ministryis paved with hardship, suffering, struggle, andanxiety, we need to describe it that way. If we,instead, imagine it as an ideal of constantsuccess, comfort, happiness, and tranquility,how hard it will be to deal with the real thing!
1 ThessaloniansAD 30AD 35AD 40Paul’s persecution Paul’s 3 yearsin Arabiaof ChristiansActs 9:1-2Acts 9:23-25; Gal.1:17-18Paul convertedAD 45Paul in TarsusPaul in AntiochActs 9:26-31; Gal. 1:21Acts 11:22-26Famine visit to JerusalemMarcellusAD 36–37Herod Agrippa IPontius PilateTiberiusMAD 26–36AD 14–37MarullusAD 37–41CaligulaAD 37–41Philippi ngeHAAeACJerusalem CouncilVentidius CumanusCuspius FadusAD 44–46AD 48–52Tiberius P PisidianMiletusAthensATIAGALCRETEMedSTARTand ENDof journeyIconium undBITHYNIANicaeaDorylaeumPrusaEphesus Antioch LystraCenchreaAD 41–54Black SeaONIAAC E DAmphipolisAD 37–44AD 50Paul’s 1st Paul’s 2ndmissionary Sea of Galileenean SeaSYRIATyreCaesarea MaritimaJordan River00100100200200300Jerusalem300 miles400500 kmE GY PTPaul’s Second Missionary Journey. Paul and Silas preached in Thessalonica duringtheir second major journey around Asia Minor, which extended into Macedonia andAchaia (present-day Greece). Some of the Jews there attacked the believers inThessalonica because of Paul’s message, so Paul and Silas escaped and continuedon their journey. Later, they would write to the believers in Thessalonica from Corinth.2DeadSea
2 ThessaloniansAD 55AD 60Paul underarrest inCaesareaPaul’s 3rdmissionaryjourneyPaul shipwrecked on MaltaPorcius FestusHerod Agrippa IIAntonius FelixAD 65Paul’s 1stimprisonmentin RomeAD 59–62Nero’s persecutionPaul’s winter in NicopolisLucceius AlbinusAD 70AD 75Paul’s 2ndimprisonmentin RomeAD 62–64Paul martyred? Temple destroyedJewish revolt in JerusalemGessius FlorusAD 64–66Marcus Antonius JulianusAD 66–70AD 50–93Roman Legate RuleAD 52–59NeroAD 54–68VespasianAD 69–791 THESSALONIANSIINTRODUCTIONbelieve if the apostle Paul could be transported from the first to the twenty- first century and appear on television, the interviewer wouldintroduce him with a résumé that would go something like this:We’re thrilled to have with us today the apostle Paul, a man whoprobably needs no introduction. He’s the apostle of apostles, a church- planting entrepreneur who has founded thriving minis‑tries all over Europe, an expert on healthy marriage and familyrelationships, an a uthor of numerous best- selling books, and a sought- after speaker whose messages have inspired millions!All the while Paul’s face would turn from the ashen color of revul‑sion to the crimson of embarrassment. Then, as the camera zooms inon Paul himself, his look of dismay would give way to a polite smile.He’d dismiss the flattering introduction with a wave of his hand andset the record straight:I’m the last— and least— of the apostles. Not even worthy of thetitle, if you ask me. I am no church-planting entrepreneur (what‑ever that is). In fact, I couldn’t have done any of it without my co- laborers at my side . . . and I probably have broken more min‑istry leadership rules than all of them put together. And I don’tknow where you get that “marriage and family” expert thing— I’mnot even married and prefer the single life. As far as authoringnumerous books, I almost always have had help; I wrote letters,not books, and if somebody made money off of them, it surewasn’t me! And that thing about being a sought- after speaker?Well, my preaching has gotten me kicked out of town, beaten,arrested, and stoned! In fact, I’ve been called “unimpressive”3
THE BOOK OF 1 THESSALONIANS AT A GLANCESECTIONTURNING FROM THE PASTTO THE PRESENTLIVING IN THE PRESENTFOR THE FUTUREPASSAGE(1:1–3:13)(4:1–5:28) Looking BackLooking Ahead Thanksgiving Personal concern Remembering Comfort and relief Affirming ReportingTHEMES Sexual purity Prophetic urgency The pastor before the flock The flock’s response to thepastor Stay alert! Encourage one another! Live in peace!Wrath . . . Faith, Hope, Love . . . Coming . . . EncourageKEYTERMS4ImitatorSanctificationLaborSeize
INTRODUCTIONand “contemptible” in my speech. Sir, I don’t know who you’reintroducing, but it doesn’t sound like me!Clearly, before we launch into Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians,we need to put things in the proper perspective. We need to make surewe don’t paint a picture of Paul’s life and ministry that bears no re‑semblance to the way it actually was. It’s a classic case of the tensionbetween idealism and realism. If the road of Christian life and ministryis paved with hardship, suffering, struggle, and anxiety, we need todescribe it that way. If we, instead, imagine it as an ideal of constantsuccess, comfort, happiness, and tranquility, how hard it will be to dealwith the real thing! In 1 Thessalonians, Paul deals with life and ministr
Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, Volume 10 . Series: Swindoll’s living insights New Testament commentary ; Volume 10 Includes bibliographical references. . serious expositor, a li
Swindoll, Charles R. Insights on 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus / Charles R. Swindoll. pages cm. -- (Swindoll's living insights New Testament commentary ; Volume 11) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-4143-9373-5 (hc) 1. Bible. Pastoral Epistles—Commentaries. File Size: 915KB
of any edition of the Bible. In The Swindoll Study Bible, you will also find several different ways that Chuck Swindoll will come alongside you to help you understand and apply the message of the Bible. BOOK INTRODUCTIONS will help you understand what each indi-vidual book
GOD KNOWS WHAT HE S ABOUT God Keeps His Promises Isaiah 7:14; 9:6 7; Micah 5:2 Tools for igging eeper Let Earth Receive Her King by Stonebriar Community Church Choir and Orchestra and Charles R. Swindoll DVD A Promise Kept by Insight for Living Ministries Pictorial devotional God Knows What He s About by Charles R. Swindoll CD series
13. Laminated wood rocking chair with fiber webbing 14. Daybed with woven rattan E.G. Ostrom 15. Dining table 16. 2-foot divider unit 17. 4-foot divider unit Charles Eames Charles Eames Charles Eames 18. Molded plastic chair, metal legs Charles Eames 19. Molded plastic rocking chair Charles
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our Attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you We are in charge of our Attitudes. – Charles R. Swindoll
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL xi. fellowship that gathered one evening each week, during which he taught them the same techniques he’d been teaching us. A conta-gious spirit of excitement swept across our campus as husbands and wives were involved in their own study of the Bible, many of themFile Size: 1MB
Romans 14:1-23 [Taken from The Grace Awakening by Charles Swindoll. (Dallas: Word, 1990] Introduction We have spent our time talking about the vertical grace that comes from God to us. Tonight, we will begin talking about the horizontal grace that we should have with each other.
The American Revolution: a historiographical introduction he literary monument to the American Revolution is vast. Shelves and now digital stores of scholarly articles, collections of documents, historical monographs and bibliographies cover all aspects of the Revolution. To these can be added great range of popular titles, guides, documentaries, films and websites. The output shows no signs .
