Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series
The Books of First & Second Thessalonians
Looking for Christ’s Return
by
Mike Stallard
General Editors
Mal Couch and Ed Hindson
© 2009 by Scofield Ministries. Database © 2010 WORD search Corp.
who assisted me in this project and
who joins me in eagerly awaiting the return of the Lord
Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series®
Mal Couch, Th.D., and Ed Hindson, D.Phil.
The New Testament has guided the Christian church for over two thousand years. This one testament is made up of twenty-seven books, penned by godly men through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It tells us of the life of Jesus Christ, His atoning death for our sins, His miraculous resurrection, His ascension back to heaven, and the promise of His second coming. It also tells the story of the birth and growth of the church and the people and principles that shaped it in its earliest days. The New Testament concludes with the book of Revelation pointing ahead to the glorious return of Jesus Christ.
Without the New Testament, the message of the Bible would be incomplete. The Old Testament emphasizes the promise of a coming Messiah. It constantly points us ahead to the One who is coming to be the King of Israel and the Savior of the world. But the Old Testament ends with this event still unfulfilled. All of its ceremonies, pictures, types, and prophecies are left awaiting the arrival of the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
The message of the New Testament represents the timeless truth of God. As each generation seeks to apply that truth to its specific context, an up-to-date commentary needs to be created just for them. The editors and authors of the Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series have endeavored to do just that. This team of scholars represents conservative, evangelical, and dispensational scholarship at its best. The individual authors may differ on minor points of interpretation, but all are convinced that the Old and New Testaments teach a dispensational framework for biblical history. They also hold to a pretribulational and premillennial understanding of biblical prophecy.
The French scholar René Pache reminded each succeeding generation, “If the power of the Holy Spirit is to be made manifest anew among us, it is of primary importance that His message should regain its due place. Then we shall be able to put the enemy to flight by the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.”
The Thessalonian epistles were probably the first letters written to the churches by the apostle Paul. F. F. Bruce said: “They were written not more than twenty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, at a time when the gospel was already making headway in the Gentile world.… The letters reflect basic Christian teaching of the period—teaching maintained both in the church of Jerusalem and in the Gentile mission.”
Richard Mayhue observes: “Resulting from his several months’ ...
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About 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Living for Christ's ReturnHow do we find hope when our world is falling apart? Every human being on earth is unique, and every person has their own struggles and trials. When trials are at their worst, when hope seems unimaginable, believers may be tempted to question the hand of providence. In the deepest of trials, they must keep walking a righteous path, and take comfort in the fact that God will make all things right. It was on in the history of the Church, just twenty years or so after the death and resurrection of Christ, when persecution ripped Paul from his young gathering of believers in Thessalonica. Filled with anxiety and undergoing strong persecution, these believers were certainly feeling like everything was caving in around them. Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians to encourage them in their suffering and to draw their attention to the comfort that can be found in the second coming of Christ. With 2 Thessalonians Paul continues to remind them that Christ's return will vindicate their place as rightful children of the living God. He corrects the false teachings of some who said that the seven year Tribulation had already begun and the Lord's return was so imminent that people should quit their jobs. In this commentary, Mike Stallard's sound biblical teaching and compassionate heart combine to encourage readers to walk in righteousness and find hope in the second coming of Christ. About the Author Dr. Mike Stallard s currently serving as Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of Ph.D.Studies at baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. he is the founder and director of Mission Scranton , a ministry established to foster church planting and inner city outreach in the Scranton, PA area. He is the founding pastor of New Life baptist Church in Scranton where he currently serves as Interim Pastor and assistance worship leader. Dr.Stallard has authored articles for publications like The Conservative Theological Journal, The Journal of Ministry and Theology, and Bibliotheca Sacra and is a speaker at the Conservative Theological Society, Pre-Trib Study Group and the Evangelical Theological Society. He assisted in work on Wilmington's Bible Handbook, and has published the Early Twentieth-Century Dispensationalism of Arno C.Gaebelein. |
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