The Final Decade Before The End by Ed. Stevens

Page 37

36 (Galatians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, and 1 & 2 Corinthians). Paul’s epistles were placed more in the order of size and importance of content, rather than chronologically. Soon after Paul arrived in Thessalonica, the Jewish community there stirred up a persecution, which threatened to kill Paul. So Paul was escorted out by his fellow Christians, and went to Berea where he found a more noble-minded group of Jewish folks. There were some Thessalonian Christians who evidently were killed in the local persecution there, and the living Christians were worried that the dead ones would miss out on all the benefits that would come to the living saints at the Parousia. Paul reassured them that their departed loved ones would not miss out on any of the benefits, but instead would be raised first before the living got any benefits, and then together with the living and remaining saints would be caught up to be with Jesus. The living saints would be reunited with their resurrected loved ones at the Parousia when both the resurrected dead and the changed living saints were caught up together as one group to meet Jesus in the unseen spiritual realm at His Parousia. This reunion idea forces the conclusion that the living would be changed (without physical death) into the unseen realm, where they would join with the resurrected dead to be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air, and then remain there with Him forever. Paul tells them to comfort one another with these words. If they had to wait until their death to be reunited, this language here about the living saints being gathered together as one group with the resurrected dead makes no sense. In order for there to be a real reunion at the Parousia with their departed loved ones, the living would have to be changed (1 Cor. 15:51-54) and caught up together with them into the presence of Christ, where they would remain forever afterwards (1 Thess. 4:17-18). One of the more fascinating features of the two Thessalonian epistles is their similarities with Matthew’s version of the Olivet Discourse (a.k.a. Matthew 24). In our comments about the date of Matthew’s gospel above, we documented those similarities between Matthew 24 and 1 Thess 4-5; 2 Thess 2. Those connections are numerous and unmistakable, leaving little room for doubt that Matthew’s gospel was written and in circulation before Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in AD 51-53.

AD 52-53 – 2 Thessalonians.

Paul wrote Second Thessalonians while still at Corinth (on his second missionary journey). 2 Cor. 1:19; Acts 18:18-21. He was in Corinth for a year and a half (two Winters and the year between). Knowing the date of these two epistles to Thessalonica helps tremendously in interpreting their eschatological content. Paul had taught them about a great tribulation that would usher in the Day of the Lord (Second Coming, Resurrection, Judgment). Because the Thessalonians were experiencing a heavy persecution at that time (but it was only a local persecution, not empire-wide), they were tempted to think that the Day of the Lord must have arrived (2 Thess. 2:2). But Paul reminded them of all the things that were still yet to happen before the Day of the Lord could come. There would first have to be an “apostasy.” The commentaries are split over what this word “apostasy” (Gk. apostasia) means. Some think it is referring to the Great Tribulation upon the whole church scattered throughout the empire (i.e., the Neronic persecution in AD 64-66), not just a local persecution like they were experiencing there in Thessalonica in AD 51. That empirewide persecution would tempt many to turn away from the faith (apostatize). There are no critical problems with that approach, since it falls within the same historical time-frame. But others (including this writer) think this “apostasy” may be talking about the revolt of the Jews in AD 66. We point out that this word “apostasy” (Gk. apostasia) is translated “rebellion” or “revolt” in Josephus [e.g., War 7.82, 7.164, and Life 43]. Several bible translations also render it as “rebellion” or “revolt” (e.g., NET, NIV, CEB, CEV, NJB, REB, ESV, GWord, CENT, CNT, NRSV, et al). It is only used twice in our NT (Acts 21:21 and 2 Thess. 2:3). In Acts 21:21 the Judaizers were accusing Paul of teaching Jewish Christians outside Palestine to abandon (rebel against)


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They were not expecting to be left behind not even knowing it happened

14min
pages 271-274

BIBLIOGRAPHY

5min
pages 281-284

Aug 66 – Cessation of Sacrifices for the Romans and all Gentiles

7min
pages 263-264

Aug 66 – Josephus returned from Rome

4min
page 261

Apr 66 – Abomination of Desolation (“Jerusalem encompassed by armies”

8min
pages 247-248

Questions About Pella and the Rapture

3min
page 249

Pentecost and Wheat Harvest Typology

3min
page 256

Neronic persecution was the great tribulation (upon the church

3min
page 251

What Did the Priests Experience?

3min
page 257

Apr 66 – Eleazar, the Man of Lawlessness?

3min
page 246

June 66 – Pentecost - Priests in the Temple heard a multitude of voices

3min
page 255

Apr 66 – Lawlessness Was Increased. (Eleazear’s Lawless Actions

3min
page 245

Apr 66 - This was an attempt to bring idolatrous coinage into the temple

3min
page 244

This attempt to get control of the temple

4min
page 243

Who were those supposed ‘Christians’ in Pella

3min
page 232

Text of the Historical Fulfillments Referenced by Numbers Above

47min
pages 215-228

Matthew 24 Fulfillment Documented (Chart with Reference

14min
pages 207-214

What Did Jesus Promise, What Did They Expect (Chart

4min
pages 204-205

HOW were “these things” fulfilled?

8min
pages 201-203

Explaination of the Chronological Charts Above

6min
pages 199-200

Chronological Arrangement Of The Olivet Discourse

4min
pages 191-198

the Rescue, and the Wrath-Outpouring

2min
page 190

Late 64 – How widespread was the Neronic persecution?

7min
pages 180-181

How the Tribulation Fits into the Olivet Discourse

3min
page 189

Late 64 – Matthias b. Theophilus was appointed High Priest

3min
page 183

The Neronic Persecution and the Great Tribulation (AD 64

3min
page 185

Aug 64 – Was Josephus involved in the plot to kill Christians?

7min
pages 178-179

AD 64 – Correspondence between Paul and Seneca

3min
page 177

Aug 64 – Nero began the Persecution of Christians

6min
pages 175-176

The few remaining went into hiding until the rapture

3min
page 173

June 64 – The Literary Efforts of the Apostles Ceased

3min
page 172

Late 64 – Peter’s Martyrdom in Jerusalem just before the Neronic Persecution

4min
page 169

Comments on Jude and Second Peter

7min
pages 165-166

June 64 – 2 Peter was probably written about the same time as Jude

3min
page 168

Some excellent online resources for Jude and 2 Peter

3min
page 163

Sep 63 – 2 Timothy Written After Paul Was Arrested

7min
pages 156-157

July 63 – Jesus b. Gamaliel was appointed High Priest

3min
page 154

Internal Evidence of 1 Peter for its Date

11min
pages 150-152

Mar 63 – Did Paul visit Jerusalem after his release

3min
page 144

Who was the Courier for Hebrews? (AD 63

3min
page 140

Early Date of Hebrews (AD 62-63

7min
pages 136-137

Why Was Hebrews Written?

7min
pages 138-139

To Whom Was Hebrews Written?

3min
page 135

More Information about Clopas, Symeon, Joseph and Mary

7min
pages 123-124

July 62 – Simeon b. Clopas was appointed Bishop In Place Of James

24min
pages 116-122

Early 63 – Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians Was Written

11min
pages 131-133

2. No Church in Smyrna Before AD 70?

3min
page 103

Don Preston’s Article. “Revelation 2:9 Smyrna: Did It Exist at an Early Date?”

3min
page 108

What Happened to the Seven Churches of Asia?

3min
page 109

The Meaning of Polycarp’s Statement

14min
pages 104-107

1. Laodicea’s Quick Recovery From the Earthquake

6min
pages 101-102

Luke-Acts Written in Rome (AD 61-62

3min
page 75

Two Possible Preterist Solutions

14min
pages 92-95

Apr 62 – Ananus II arrested James and some of his companions

26min
pages 82-88

Here is the story of Jude’s grandsons in Eusebius

3min
page 90

The Identity of Theophilus

7min
pages 77-78

1 John – Two possible dates

4min
page 73

Overview of the Sequence and Dates for John’s Writings

7min
pages 66-67

The Earliest and Best Tradition about John: (external evidence

2min
page 65

AD 61-63 – Paul’s first Roman imprisonment continued for “two full years”

3min
page 61

AD 60 – Earthquake in Laodicea and the Lycus valley

4min
page 57

June 58 – More than forty Jews plotted to kill Paul

7min
pages 50-51

June 58 – Paul arrived in Jerusalem and met with James

7min
pages 46-47

AD 54 – Wars and Rumors

3min
page 40

AD 51-53 – Production of the NT canon was definitely underway

3min
page 38

AD 58-60 – What Kind of Resurrection was Paul preaching?

3min
page 49

AD 52-53 – 2 Thessalonians

3min
page 37

Dating the Gospel of Matthew (AD 31-38

18min
pages 20-24

Galatians: Three Possible Dates (AD 49-55

20min
pages 29-34

Oct 51 – Galatians

3min
page 35

Dating the Gospel of Mark (AD 38-44

7min
pages 25-26

Introduction

11min
pages 16-18

AD 51-52 – 1 Thessalonians

3min
page 36

The Synoptic Problem

6min
pages 27-28
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