As Paul carried the gospel westward during his second missionary journey, he founded the church at Thessalonica, only one hundred miles or so from Philippi. Here Paul sought to teach the Jews that it was necessary for Christ "to suffer and rise again from the dead" (Acts 17:3). Soon, there were a number of Gentile and women believers which stirred the jealousy of the Jewish leaders who, in turn, accused Paul and his followers of proclaiming another king besides Caesar. As a result, Paul left town; but he left a thriving young church behind. It is likely that Paul left Timothy behind to look after the new converts. Soon, however, Timothy joined Paul with good news regarding the faith of the Thessalonian believers. It was the news that Timothy brought that encouraged Paul to write:
But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? (1 Thessalonians 3:6-10)
It is Paul's teaching in 1 Thessalonians that provides the best picture of the future glory of the church anywhere in the Bible:
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not 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 and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18)
This complementary passage to his teaching to Corinth:
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-25)
Together, these two passages provide a full picture of Christ's plan for the Church: to return to claim His bride; to take her with Him to heaven – both the dead and the living who will be changed in the "twinkling of an eye" into their resurrection bodies. This is a marvelous passage, and the church at Thessalonica was the first to hear the message.
2 Thessalonians
Shortly after Paul sent his first letter to Thessalonica in AD 52, he sent a second letter. This second letter is apparently in response to a misunderstanding of the phrase, "we who are alive, who are left" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Paul's response is one of caution:
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)
Because of this confusion in Thessalonica, God has revealed details in regard to the Day of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12) that are revealed no place else in the Scriptures.
Click on the link to read day 33: Colossians 1:24-2 Thessalonians 3:15
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