1 Thessalonians 3

Koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Visiting Professor

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

3^rd August 2012

           Already we have the picture of Paul. They were preaching to the Thessalonians apparently near Athens and then were arrested by the Jews and interrogated for an hour but requested then from the Thessalonians to be left alone which means the Thessalonians went back by themselves. While they were increasing in the faith and numbers in their church in Thessalonia, they developed a strange feeling that Paul abandoned them and does not like them. All wrong, Paul insisted throughout the letter, his whole mind is full of them. Satan prevented him from coming to them but when he has a chance, he will surely come to them. Timothy was sent in the place of Paul and his company to strengthen the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 3:2).

          The Thessalonians are suffering similar afflictions that Paul and his company had suffered. They must remember that suffering these afflictions means "we were destined unto these things" (1 Thessalonians 3:3). To be destined unto afflictions does not mean that some are destined to be saved and others are destined to be lost, as was concluded by the successor of John Calvin, Theodore Bezae.

           When they were together with them, they told the Thessalonians that they are going to suffer affliction and it came to pass (1 Thessalonians 3:4). Then follows a referential statement "as it also happened and you also know". There is no room here for a gloss with this phrase. It is normal in everyday communication, even in modern times to have such referential statements. They serve to remind the person that Paul and they are together aware of the factuality of the event(s) and the knowledge/experience thereof. These phrases are essential for Paul to use for the Thessalonians since he cannot see them for quite a while altough he hope to see them in the near future. We again make reference to the conclusion of Daryl Schmidt that these phrases indicate evidence for interpolation.

           Their faith, the Thessalonians faith with endurance, was a mirror for Paul as to how he should endure his own situation (1 Thessalonians 3:5). He sent someone to find out about the Thessalonians faith, not to spy on them or other reasons, but that there stories of survival in faith can help him, Paul in his own. Paul admit that spy is not the word, but they were wondering if the Thessalonians slipped back into their past ways. "not how he has tempted you the temptor and became unto nothingness, our suffering work".

           Paul and his companions fear were shortlived when Timothy arrived back with the news about the Thessalonians: their faith, their love, that they think kindly of them, that they long to see them (1 Thessalonians 3:6).

           Hearing from Timothy story after story, witness after witness, testimony after testimony, Paul and his company, although they are in affliction, were consoled and strengthened (1 Thessalonians 3:7). For now Paul may live if they were really standing in the Lord (Paul used the double second person plural as separate pronoun and as suffix to the verb) (1 Thessalonians 3:8). It is essential that it is not fake but reality. Their faith would give Paul and his companions reason to live through their own suffering.

           Two separate actions happen in verse 9 that may give us something about their culture as well. First of all they want to thank the Lord for what they heard and that it was positive. They want to pray for the Thessalonians specifically. But, they also were exuberant with joy before God for all the good news they heard about them. They experience a joy and happiness about what they heard and so were happy before God. So the happiness before God give them a reason to pray for them before God (1 Thessalonians 3:9).

           Night and day they are praying to see the Thessalonians again (1 Thessalonians 3:10). They wish to see them to complete an unfinished task, namely that which they lack of their faith (1 Thessalonians 3:10).

           The possibility to see them again has to do with whether God and the Lord Jesus Christ direct their way again to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 3:11). Notice that Paul is using the adversative particle de, thus "but". This means that Paul is addressing the negative thinking of the Thessalonians as to why he did not come to them by saying "but only if God sent us". In the next sentence we have the second negative phrase indicating that the Thessalonians may have had also problems: love towards one another.

           Paul said "But (de) may you increase and abound in godly love towards one another and unto all just as also we for you". Paul godly loves God and God loves Paul. Paul godly loves the Thessalonians and he wishes that they will godly love each other (eis allelous) but also unto all (eis pantas) (1 Thessalonians 3:12).

           In verse 13 Paul shows himself a careful reader of the Old Testament. The verse is loaded with theology of the Old Testament. "Unto the establishment of your hearts, blameless and holy before God". The purpose of the Investigative Judgment since 1844 is just this: that Christ our High Priest establishes now the proper role of our stigma before God and all the unfallen beings. Our right to also live in heaven is establish through the Advocate Christ. What Satan destroyed in his rebellion in heaven as Lucifer before Creation, was the makon of Daniel 8:11. This is also a word that is used in relation with the judgment in Micah 4:1. Micah is aware of that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established at the top of the mountains. It is a figure of the sanctuary. All actions in the history of salvation is coming from the temple or sanctuary and going towards it. God rules from the sanctuary. Salvation has to be addressed there and history closes there and eternity starts when Christ's High-Priestly function is done. Grace is free but not easy. If sin can be forgiven without judgment and the determination of the case of evil and good, then death is no longer the wages of sin. The earthly Levitical system was weak and inadequate since it worked with distance from God. Christ in the Heavenly sanctuary represents man's proper relationship with God. Christ played a role but is also playing a role since salvation is by humble dependence on the Advocate in the Sanctuary in heaven and not our rigtheousness. These are all thoughts expressed by Edward Heppenstall in his book Our High Priest chapter 4. The center of Christian faith is outside us and not inside humans and furthermore, more work was to be done after the cross. The divine administration of the Kingdom of God is not in the heart, it is from the mountain of Micah 4:1. God's battle is directed from the Sanctuary in heaven to victory (see Heppenstall, Our High Priest chapter 1 paragraph 36). Satan's attack in Daniel 8:11 (in the heart of the Little Horn of verse 10 and 12) is to attack the Sanctuary and Throne of God, thus His sovereignty (Heppenstall, Our High Priest chapter 1 paragraph 21). The sanctuary truth has Satan as enemy in a war with Christ that affects everyone (Heppenstall, Our High Priest chapter 1 paragraph 23).  When all evil will be eradicated in the eschaton, says Micah 4:2, the Torah of the Lord shall come forth out of Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. First the righteous will be judged in their absence in the Investigative Judgement since "He shall judge between many peoples" (Micah 4:3). Micah says that He shall "reprove mighty nations afar off" and this is a description of the later executive judgment when He will eradicate all evil in finality since Micah 4:3 ends "neither shall they learn war anymore [wlo yilmedun od milhamah]". This is not just figurative language or prophet's excitement over the Assyrians' evil in Micah's days. Like the Middle Age Rabbis Ibn Ezra and Abarbanel said: "Since there has never been an era in which nations have not waged war with each other, this is definitely a prophecy for the Messianic Era". What Christ is doing in the heavenly sanctuary is what Micah outlined in Micah 7:18-19 "Who is a God like You, Who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not maintain His anger unto the endpoint for He, He desires loving-kindness. He shall return and make /cause us compassion. He shall hide our iniquities and You shall cast into the depths of the sea all their sins". When this High-Priestly role of Christ is done in the Heavenly Sanctuary running full course from 1844, then He establish their hearts unblamable in holiness before God and our Father in the Parousia = Second Coming of our Lord Jesus with all His holy angels (1 Thessalonians 3:13). The past intentional sins will be hidden and the unintentional sins will be cast in the depth of the sea. We have highlighted here only Micah but the doctrine is spread out throughout the Old Testament and was understood as such by all great men like Abel, Noah, Abraham and the other patriarchs, Moses, Samuel, David and the prophets.