1

IN FLAMING FIRE!• “TO YOU WHO ARE TROUBLED, REST,

WITH US, WHEN THE LORD JESUS SHALL BE REVEALED FROM HEAVEN, IN FLAMING FIRE TAKING VENGEANCE ON THOSE WHO KNOW NOT GOD AND THAT DO NOT OBEY THE GOSPEL, WHO SHALL BE PUNISHED WITH EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD…”

2

PERSECUTION AND PAROUSIA

• THESSALONIANS BEING PERSECUTED

• 1 THESS. 2:15-17• 2 THESS. 1:4F– THLIPSIS FOUR

TIMES (PRESENT PARTICIPLE)• THLIPSIS– MT. 24:9– JUST AS JESUS

PREDICTED!!• NOT CANCER, FINANCIAL, TEEN

AGERS, NOT NORMAL HUMAN EXPERIENCE- PERSECUTION!!

3

PAUL’S PROMISE• TO YOU WHO ARE TROUBLED,

REST• TROUBLED- THLIPSIS- PRESSURE

(ARNDT, THAYER)

• REST- ANESIS - RELIEF FROM PRESSURE (ARNDT, THAYER, ET. AL)

•NOT REWARD!!NOT REWARD!!

4

PAUL’S PROMISE• PAUL PROMISED THE LIVING,

BREATHING THESSALONIAN CHRISTIANS OF THE FIRST CENTURY, BEING PERSECUTED FOR THE NAME OF CHRIST, THAT THEY WOULD BE GIVEN RELIEF FROM THAT PERSECUTION!

•WHEN?WHEN?

5

RELIEF WHEN?• WHEN THE LORD JESUS IS REVEALED

FROM HEAVEN IN FLAMING FIRE TAKING VENGEANCE ON THOSE THAT KNOW NOT GOD!

• THESSALONIANS WOULD RECEIVE RELIEF FROM PERSECUTION WHEN THE LORD CAME!

• DID HE COME?• DID HE GIVE THEM RELIEF?

• YES OR NO?

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CHOICES• IF CHRIST DID NOT COME IN THE

FIRST CENTURY:• 1.) THESSALONIANS ARE STILL

ALIVE AND UNDER THLIPSIS.• 2.) PAUL LIED• 3.) INSPIRATION FAILS• 4.) CHRIST FALSE• RELIEF WHEN THE LORD JESUS

IS REVEALED FROM HEAVEN!

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MATTHEW 23 1 THESS 2:15-17

PROPHETS PROPHETS

JESUS JESUS

APOSTLES APOSTLES

FILLING THE MEASURE FILLING THE MEASURE

JUDGMENT IMMINENT JUDGMENT IMMINENT

AT CHRIST’S COMING(A.D. 70)

AT CHRIST’S COMING(A.D. 70)

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1 THES 2 AND 2 THES 1• WRITTEN TO THE SAME CHURCH

• WRITTEN ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM (THLIPSIS)

• SAME PROMISE GIVEN• RELIEF FROM PERSECUTION- AT

THE PAROUSIA, WHEN ISRAEL JUDGED, FOR PERSECUTING THE SAINTS!!

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1 THESS. 4:13F 2 THESS. 1:4F

THE LORD HIMSELF SHALL DESCEND

THE LORD JESUS SHALL BE REVEALED

WITH THE ANGELS WITH THE ANGELS

RESURRECTION RESURRECTION

REWARD OF DEAD VINDICATION OF MARTYRS

THOSE OF US WHO ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN UNTIL THE COMING OF THE LORD

TO YOU WHO ARE TROUBLED, REST, WITH US, WHEN THE LORD JESUS IS REVEALED

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ARGUMENT• 1 THESS. 4:13-18 AND 2 THESS. 1:4F

SPEAK OF SAME TIME AND EVENT.

• BUT 2 THESS. 1 IS THE SAME AS 1 THESS 2:15F—THE AVENGING OF THE SUFFERING OF THE CHRISTIANS

• 1 THESSALONIANS 2:15F = A.D. 70

• THEREFORE, 1 THESS. 4:13F = A.D. 70.

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ARGUMENT• THE DEAD (SOME OF THE DEAD), OF 1

THS. 4 WERE MARTYRS (1 THS. 2:15; 2 THS. 1)

• THE MARTYRS WERE TO BE VINDICATED IN A.D. 70 (MT. 23-24)

•THEREFORE THE DEAD OF 1 THS. 4 WOULD BE VINDICATED IN A.D. 70

12

Jesus, Isaiah 2-4, and Thessalonians

• Luke 23:28-31– “And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. 28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 "For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 "Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!"’ 31 "For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"

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Jesus and Isaiah 2-4• Jesus alludes directly to Isaiah 2:9f;

19f.• His citation is almost universally

applied to the impending fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

• Thus, Jesus applied Isaiah to his judgment coming against Jerusalem for killing him.

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IMPORTANT FACT• PAUL’S ESCHATOLOGY (2 THES. 1!), WAS

NOTHING BUT THE HOPE OF ISRAEL• ACTS 24:14- THE PROPHETS– “THE LAW”-

(resurrection)• ACTS 26:22-NO OTHER THING THAN

MOSES AND PROPHETS

•MATTHEW 5:17-18!!

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ISAIAH 2-4 AND 2 THESS.• 2 THES 1:9 IS ISAIAH 2-4 (DIRECT QUOTE

2:10-12, 19f-- LXX)• BUT THE COMING OF ISAIAH 2-4 WOULD

BE FULFILLED IN THE LAST DAYS WHEN ISRAEL JUDGED FOR HER BLOOD GUILT (IS.4:4 and Lk 23:28f)

• ISRAEL JUDGED FOR BLOODGUILT IN A.D. 70 (MT. 23)

• THEREFORE, 2 THESSALONIANS 1= A.D. 70

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THE CONNECTIONS• ISAIAH 2-4 = 2 THES. 1• BUT ISAIAH 2-4 = MT.23 AND MT. 23=

A.D. 70.• THEREFORE 2 THS. 1 = A.D 70• FURTHERMOREFURTHERMORE—• MT. 23 = 1 THS. 2:15F• BUT 1 THES. 2 = 2 THS 1• THEREFORE, 2 THS 1 = A.D. 70

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Jesus, Paul, Isaiah- Thess.• Jesus cited the prediction of the Day of

the Lord in Isaiah 2 and applied it to the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

• Paul quotes from the same verses that Jesus cites (2 Thess. 1:9- part “b”).

• If Jesus applied Isaiah 2 to his coming in judgment of Israel for killing him, what is our justification for saying that Paul quoted from the same verse, on the same theme, to speak of a coming of the Lord totally unrelated to what Jesus predicted?

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MATTHEW 13 1 THESSALONIANS 4

PAROUSIA PAROUSIA

WITH THE ANGELS WITH THE ANGELS

END OF THE AGE END OF THE AGE

RESURRECTION RESURRECTION

WHEN HOLY PEOPLE DESTROYED (A.D. 70)

WE WHO ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN UNTIL THE COMING

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MATTHEW 13 AND 1 THES. 4:13-18 FORETOLD THE SAME EVENT AND THE SAME TIME, THE END OF THE AGE.BUT, MATTHEW 13 WOULD BE FULFILLED WHEN DANIEL 12:3 WAS FULFILLED.DANIEL 12:3 WOULD BE FULFILLED WHEN THE POWER OF THE HOLY PEOPLE WAS COMPLETELY SHATTEREDTHEREFORE, 1 THES. 4:13F WOULD BE FULFILLED WHEN THE POWER OF THE HOLY PEOPLE WAS COMPLETELY SHATTERED.

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2 THESSALONIANS AND THE PAROUSIA

• CHURCH NOT ON EARTH AT THE 2ND COMING (PENTECOST, WALVOORD).

• CHURCH NOT IN OR DELIVERED FROM THE GREAT TRIBULATION

• BUT, 2 THESSALONIANS 1 IS THE 2ND COMING-PROMISING RELIEF TO THE

CHURCH--FROM TRIBULATION!

21

SUFFERING AND RELIEF• ROMANS 8: SUFFERING OF THIS

PRESENT TIME- GLORY ABOUT TO BE REVEALED

• 2 COR. 4:16- FOR A MOMENT- EXCEEDING GLORY

• HEBREWS 10- GREAT STRUGGLE OF SUFFERING-A BETTER, SUBSTANCE- V. V. 37!37!

• JAMES 5- BE PATIENT- PAROUSIA HAS DRAWN NEAR!

• 1 PETER 1- YOU ARE IN TRIALS- FOR A LITTLE WHILE

• REVELATION- BROTHER IN THLIPSIS- LORD IS AT HAND!

22

THE ISSUES STATED• ISRAEL WAS THE PERSECUTOR OF THE

THESSALONIAN CHURCH (ACTS 17; 1 THS 2)• MILLENNIALISM HAS NO PLACE FOR THIS

DURING THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.• PAUL WAS WRITING TO LIVING HUMANS

EXPERIENCING PERSECUTION AT THE HANDS OF THE JEWS.

• PAUL PROMISED THEM RELIEF FROM THAT PERSECUTION!

• WAS PAUL’S PROMISE FALSE? (MT. 23)

23

REMEMBER!• REMEMBER OUR QUESTION:

• DID JESUS COME, IN FLAMING FIRE, IN THE LIFETIME OF THE 1ST CENTURY THESSALONIANS, AND GIVE THEM RELIEF FROM THEIR PERSECUTION?

•YES??YES??•NO??NO??

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SUMMARY• THESS. BEING PERSECUTED.• PAUL PROMISED RELIEF

•RELIEF AT PAROUSIA•1 THS. 2:15 / 2 THS. 1• MATTHEW 23 AND THES.• THESSALONIANS AND ISAIAH• MT. 13 AND THESSALONIANS• PAROUSIA IN A.D. 70!

25

Conclusion• It is an indisputable fact of history that in

the war of 66-70. the Jews, who had been persecuting the Christians on an organized scale, suddenly became the persecuted!

• The tables were turned: the persecutors became the persecuted!

• This is precisely what Paul predicted!• Prophecy fulfilled!• Jesus vindicated.

• Scripture confirmed!