The Message of Thessalonians

Preparing for the coming King

John Stott

Rector Emeritus of All Souls Church, Langham Place, London and President of The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity

Series editors: J. A. Motyer (OT)

John Stott (NT)

Derek Tidball (Bible Themes)

InterVarsity Press

InterVarsity Press

38 De Montfort Street, Leicester LE1 7GP, England

P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515, U.S.A.

© John R. W. Stott, 1991. Originally published under the title The Gospel and the End of Time.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of InterVarsity Press.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978 and 1984 by the International Bible Society, New York, and published in Great Britain by Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. Distributed in North American with permission of Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. All rights reserved.

InterVarsity Press®, U.S.A., is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship®, a student movement active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, write Public Relations Dept., InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, 6400 Schroeder Rd., P.O. Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707-7895.

Inter-Varsity Press, England, is the book-publishing division of the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (formerly the Inter-Varsity Fellowship), a student movement linking Christian Unions in universities and colleges throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and national activities in Great Britain write to UCCF, 38 De Montfort Street, Leicester LE1 7GP.

USA ISBN: 0-8308-1237-7

UK ISBN: 0-85110-696-X

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Stott, John R. W.

[Gospel & the end of time]

The message of Thessalonians: the gospel and the end of time/John Stott.

p. cm.—(The Bible speaks today series)

Originally published as The gospel & the end of time, 1991.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 0-8308-1237-7

1. Bible. N.T. Thessalonians—Commentaries. I. Title II. Series.

[BS2725.3.S767 1994]

227´.81077—dc20

94-427

CIP

British Library Cataloging in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British library.