2 Thessalonians 2

Chapter 2 confirms two things very strongly. One, there had to be an apostasy before the second coming. The words falling away were translated from the Greek apostasia which means apostasy, revolt, to break away. The English word apostasy means the renunciation of religious belief. The second thing is how Christ allows this to happen so that people are responsible for their choices. Wrong choices allow Satan to do his work. He opposes everything that is good, makes the false seem true and the truth appear to be false. He is the master deceiver and is extremely good after thousands of years of practice. By destroying the free agency of individuals and gaining power over them, he exalts himself to a position of god and sits on his throne thinking he is god. When Christ comes, the brightness of his glory will expose Satan and his nothingness. There will be no darkness, no doubt between what is good and evil. Satan's influence will be destroyed. All untruth, all lies, all evil, all of his secret work will be revealed. The scriptures say that when Satan is revealed, we will marvel that such weakling had so much power over the world.

2 Thessalonians 1

The Thessalonian members of the church had received Paul’s first epistle and evidently were trying to do all that he had counseled them. They were still being persecuted for their beliefs and still had questions about the second coming of the Christ and when it would be. Paul attempted to put this at rest by teaching them that there has to be an apostasy before the second coming and this is the theme of this epistle.

One sentence, a half sentence really, jumps out at me. “And to you who are troubled, rest with us…” There are times when our responsibilities, our trials, whatever combination of burdens it may be, weigh down on us heavily. We are left with no choice but to see it through. The promise is there will come a time of rest, of peace, of release from all that makes life difficult to bear. If we keep that hope, we can endure it. Without that hope, life would seem unbearable. Moroni asked, “How is it that ye can obtain faith, save ye shall have hope?” The two go together, but I think hope leads to faith. We hope it’s true, we hope we’ll be able to endure, and as we hope, our faith increases and the Lord gives us the strength we need. But in the end, there will be peace and rest and the satisfaction that we did what at times seemed absolutely impossible.

Thessalonians 5

Living in this world where life is fairly routine, it’s sometimes hard to keep in mind that the second coming of Christ is real, it’s near and will come unexpectedly. If we are as Paul says, children of the light, if we don’t hinder the Spirit, we will be aware of the signs and know to prepare and be ready if it should happen in our lifetime. But Paul didn’t know when it would come. I think he knew it wouldn’t be anytime soon because of all the signs that had to be fulfilled. On the other hand, he’s telling the Thessalonians to be ready. Joseph Smith didn’t know and didn’t think it would be in his lifetime. We do know in general when he will come, just not the hour or day. In another place, Paul compares it to a woman who gives birth. She knows about when it will be, but not the exact hour or minute. Paul’s instructions are to be “awake” and not asleep on the watch.

In closing this epistle, he gives the Thessalonians some counsel, rules which are good for all of us on how to live, and at the same time will keep us prepared for the Savior’s second coming.

1. Comfort and teach each other
2. Know and esteem your leaders
3. Be at peace with each other
4. Comfort the despondent
5. Support those that are weak
6. Do give evil for evil
7. Always rejoice
8. Pray without ceasing
9. Give thanks for everything
10. Don’t hinder the Spirit
11. Prove all things and hold fast to what is good
12. Abstain from all evil

Thessalonians 4

In Chapter 4, Paul talks of sanctification or becoming holy. For some, holiness has taken on the connotation of being “holier than thou.” But what it means is to rid ourselves of any impure or unclean habits or thoughts. The more we gain self-control, not only do we become stronger and more self-disciplined, we gain more power in directing our lives towards those things that matter most. Every day, we take a shower or bath and clean ourselves in preparation for the work we have to do. The clean feeling we get after a shower always feels good and invigorating. You feel more ready to take on the day. Some times, it washes all the stress out and helps us to feel free of all the burdens that we have been feeling. Some days, we work hard and get extra dirty and it feels extra good to get rid the dirt and grime. Each week when we take the sacrament, it is our spiritual shower. When we strive to keep our lives morally clean, it is as if we are baptized and cleansed again. Each week, the degree or level of our sanctification can increase. I think it is a gradual process. Perhaps that is why so many elderly people seem so pure and full of love. Through this process, we see and feel more clearly. We feel renewed and strengthened. The Holy Ghost isn’t hindered from influencing, teaching, guiding and protecting us, often times without our being aware of his presence.

Sanctification increases our ability to love. That is why being “holier than thou” is actually the antithesis of it. Notice that Paul says to live a quiet life, to mind our own business and to do the work required of us. There is no process of comparison with other people in this. The only comparison is between who we have been and who we are now. So I believe that a sanctified person is able to love more easily and as a result, get along with all people regardless of their beliefs and life styles. President Hinckley was a prime example of this. He never sacrificed his values, but used them to bless others. People were drawn to him, felt better for having been around him. And he never caused a person to feel less because of the type of person he was.

Thessalonians 3

I'm so impressed with Paul. I have to think he was an intense person, the kind that you sit back and wonder how he does it all. But what impresses me in these chapters is his humility and love. He sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to see how the saints were doing and Timonthy returns and reports that they are wonderful, enduring a lot of tribulation, but staying strong and faithful. For this success, Paul doesn't take any credit but gives the credit to God and thanks Him for this great blessing. He says, "For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy where with we joy for you sakes...?" Then he tells the Thessalonians how he prays they will love each other and become perfect in their faith. This is the hope of every missionary whoever baptized someone, that the person they taught and brought into the church will stay strong. And like Paul, every missionary knows that it was not them, but the Lord who touched the convert's heart and made the conversion possible.

Thessalonians 1

This is Paul's first epistle, probably written around 52 A.D. Greece was divided by Rome into two provinces, Macedonia and Achaia. Thessalonica, named after the sister of Alexander the Great around 350 B.C., was the capital of Macedonia. During Paul's second mission, he had been driven from Thessalonica by Jews but the church took hold and Paul later sent Timothy and Silvanus (Silas) back to see how the saints were. They found that the members of the church were being persecuted but remaining faithful. Evidently, the saints in Thessalonica were a model for all believers throughout all of Greece. So Paul praises them in this first chapter.

Verse 5 teaches a very important principle. Anyone can have the word of the gospel. It can come in the form of words spoken or from books. But the gospel must come in power also and power can only come to man from God. Without power, there is no scripture given, no new revelation. Without power, there are no saving ordinances making salvation possible. The Savior gave is apostles and prophets sealing power to bind in earth and in heaven. If there are no sealing powers, there are no eternal families. Anyone can claim to have the gospel in an intellectual sense, and even have spiritual confirmation as to their belief. But the fulness of the gospel can only exist where the power of God has been given.

Thessalonians 2
The first verses in this chapter describe how the gospel was brought to the people by Paul and his associates. They were gentle, affectionate, fair, holy and upright. As Elder McConkie points out, this is quite a contrast to the way the gospel was taken by force during the apostasy. It was taken through civil war in England, through the Inquisition in Spain, through the sale of indulgences in Europe, through the swords of Cortez in Mexico. Crusaders killed non-believers and burned their villages. Christians were kept in darkness and were refused access to the scriptures. It was against the law to read them. But Paul's efforts were similar to the words in D&C 12:8 where the Lord says, "No one can assist in this work except he shall be humble, and full of love, having faith, hope, and charity, being temperate in all things, whatsoever shall be entrusted to his care."

Paul talks of how the saints in Thessalonica are their hope, their joy, their glory and crown of rejoicing. Elder McConkie says this; "No man can conceive how great is the worth of souls. One soul saved which would have been lost means added kingdoms and worlds, added spirit children born to exalted beings, added hosts of intelligent beings going forward everlastingly in eternal progression."

Colossians 4

Colossians 4
I like the way Paul instructs the Colossians to always speak with grace, seasoned with salt, so they know how to converse with every person. I think he is telling them (and us) to always speak with kindness and thoughtfulness. Salt was the symbol of the covenant. If you consider that and salt being a seasoning, I think he saying that we should the kind of person that enhances or improves the quality of a conversation.

Verse 10 refers to another epistle to the Colossians and verse 16 mentions an epistle to the Laodicians. These are writings of the apostles we do not have. Other scriptures mentioned in the Bible that we do not have are:

book of the covenant
book of the wars of the Lord
book of Jasher
a book of Samuel
the book of Gad the seer
the prophecy of Ahijah
the visions of Iddo the seer
the book of the acts of Solomon
book of Samuel the seer
book of Nathan the prophet
book of Shemmaiah
Acts of Abijah
book of Jehu
the sayings of the seers
the acts of Uzziah written Isaiah
the book where it says Christ shall be called a Nazarene
writings of Enoch
another epistle of Paul to the Corinthians
possibly an earlier epistle to the Ephesians

These books are written off by other churches by saying if the Lord wanted us to have them, they would be in the Bible. If they were to appear, I wonder if they would accept them if they were verified to be those mentioned in the Bible, but contradicted with their doctrine. I do not believe they would contradict truth. And I don't think our scriptures will ever be complete and they shouldn't be. Revelation came to prophets and they wrote it for the instruction and help of the people at that time. More than any other time in history, we need revelation and guidance to face the complexity and number of problems our world faces. I'm so grateful for prophets and revelation. It gives us something firm to stand on in a world that is a very slippery slope.