Disinformation

Rumors about the Day of the Lord caused alarm and confusion among the believers of Thessalonica – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2. The Apostle Paul addresses false claims about “the Day of the Lord” in his second letter to the Thessalonians. Incorrect information concerning Christ’s return was disrupting the congregation. Paul attributes the disinformation to either a “spirit,” a word (‘logos’), or a letter, “as if from us”; supposedly, from Paul and his coworkers.

The Church has been plagued by false information and overheated expectations about Christ’s return since its founding. Paul’s two letters to the Thessalonian congregation attest to this reality.

Paul listed two events that will occur before Christ’s ‘Parousia’ or “arrival” (παρουσια), the final day when he will gather his saints. First, “the revelation of the Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction.” Second, “the Apostasy.” Both events must take place.

[Letter - Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash]

Paul prepared his readers for this discussion in the first chapter of this letter. Despite hostility from the surrounding pagan society, the church has exhibited “endurance and faith in all their persecutions and tribulations.” God will “afflict those men who afflict” His saints, and He will provide “rest” and “glory” to faithful disciples of Jesus when he is “revealed from Heaven” - (2 Thessalonians 1:3-10).

More dangerous than persecution, however, is the threat of deception from deceivers and false prophets who disseminate false information that could lead believers to apostatize. Jesus also warned us not to be “troubled” by false teachers who spread false reports about his return. The church of Thessalonica was facing the very challenge that Jesus warned us would come:

• “Take heed that no man deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, I am the anointed one, and they will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” – (Matthew 24:4-6).

• “Now, we urge you, brethren, concerning the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, that you are not quickly shaken from your mind, neither troubled, whether from spirit, whether from word or from letter, as by us, specifically, that the day of the Lord is imminent” - (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2).

The English term “arrival” in the preceding passage translates the Greek noun ‘Parousia,’ the word used by Paul for the return of Christ in several of his letters, including both letters sent to the Thessalonian congregation. The Greek noun means the arrival of someone or something - (1 Thessalonians 2:19, 3:13, 4:15, 5:23, 2 Thessalonians 2:1, 2:8-9).

Paul refers to the saints being gathered to the Lord. This echoes the words of Jesus. He predicted that upon the arrival of the Son of Man, he would send the angels to gather his saints. Paul, likewise, refers to this gathering in his first letter to the Thessalonians:

• “For as the lightning comes forth from the east and is seen even to the west; so, will the arrival [‘Parousia’] of the Son of man be. <…> And he will send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” – (Matthew 24:27-31).

• “And it will come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, that will remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” – (Isaiah 11:11-12).

• “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left unto the arrival [‘Parousia’] of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will together with them be caught up in the clouds, to a meeting with the Lord in the air. And thus, we will be with the Lord forevermore” – (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

Paul locates this gathering on the Day of the Lord. Jesus will arrive in glory to gather his church. The Bible associates this day with the arrival of the Lord to save His people, “the Day of Yahweh.” That day will bring judgment on the enemies of God, but also salvation for the saints - (Acts 2:20, 1 Corinthians 1:8, Revelation 6:12-17).

• “The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes. And it will come to pass, that whoever will call on the name of Yahweh will be delivered, for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those that escape, as Yahweh has said, and among the remnant those whom Yahweh does call”- (Joes 2:31-32).

Paul exhorts the Thessalonians not “to be troubled.” The Greek verb translated as “troubled” or ‘throeō’ occurs in the Greek New Testament only here and on the lips of Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount of Olives. The Apostle is echoing Christ’s warning about coming deceivers (“See that you are not troubled!” – Matthew 24:6, Mark 13:7).

The followers of Jesus must not believe false information about Christ’s coming, regardless of the source - “Whether by spirit or by discourse or by letter, as by us.” Paul is unsure at this point how the false rumors arrived in Thessalonica. The term “spirit” is ambiguous, but it may refer to a spiritual gift such as prophecy.

The Greek word translated as “word” or ‘logos’ could refer to several types of verbal communication. The significance of the noun “letter” is obvious. The clause, “as if by us,” means that someone erroneously attributed this information to Paul and his coworkers.

TWO EVENTS

The English phrase “imminent” of 2 Thessalonians 2:2 translates the Greek verb ‘enistemi,’ which means “to stand in, to set in.” In the Greek clause, the verb is in the perfect tense, signifying a completed action. Here, it indicates something imminent, or perhaps an event that has begun and is now underway.

The misinformation spreading in the congregation pointed to the alleged imminence of the Day of the Lord. The Apostle Paul responds by reminding believers of the two key events that must occur before that day: the Apostasy and the unveiling of the Son of Destruction.

The reference to the “word” received “as from us” is a verbal link to the conclusion of this literary section (1 Thessalonians 2:1-17). Near the end of this section, Paul encourages the Thessalonians to hold fast to the Apostolic doctrines they have received from him and his coworkers:

• “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, since God chose you from the beginning for salvation, in sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth, to which he called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions that you were taught, whether by word or by epistle from us” – (2 Thessalonians 2:13-15).

Regardless of the source, believers must not heed voices that deviate from the Apostolic Tradition. By adhering firmly to the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles, we will avoid apostasy and deception, and thereby attain salvation and glory when Jesus appears.

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SEE ALSO:

• Just Judgment - (The arrival of Jesus will result in vindication and rest for the righteous, but everlasting loss for the wicked - 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)

• The Day of the Lord - (Jesus will arrive to gather his saints on the Day of the Lord, and in the New Testament, this event becomes the Day of Christ)

• The Apostasy - (Paul warned of the coming Apostasy and linked it to the unveiling of the Man of Anarchy when he will take his seat in the Assembly)

• Rumeurs et Désinformation - (Les rumeurs sur le Jour du Seigneur ont alarmé et semé la confusion parmi les croyants de Thessalonique – 2 Thessaloniciens 2: 1-2)

[Note: Text printed in small capital letters represents citations of, or allusions to, passages from the Old Testament]