Week 28: The Day of the Lord

The Big Picture

This week we complete Paul’s correspondence with the Thessalonians and witness the beginning of his third missionary journey. The dominant theological theme is eschatology – the doctrine of last things – but in Paul’s hands this is never abstract speculation. The Day of the Lord, the man of lawlessness, the return of Christ: all of these cosmic realities are brought to bear on the most practical questions of daily Christian living. How should we live while we wait? How do we discern truth from deception? What does faithful endurance look like when persecution intensifies?

First Thessalonians 5 completes the first letter with a rapid-fire series of instructions that have shaped Christian devotion for two millennia: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.” These are not pious platitudes but descriptions of a life oriented entirely toward the returning Christ. The Day of the Lord will come “like a thief in the night,” Paul warns, but believers are not in darkness – they are children of light, armed with faith, love, and hope. The eschatological framework that has pervaded the entire letter now becomes an ethical imperative: because Christ is coming, live this way now.

Second Thessalonians, written shortly after the first letter (probably still from Corinth around 51 AD), addresses two problems that have emerged or intensified in the community. First, the Thessalonians are suffering even more severe persecution, and Paul writes to encourage them with the assurance that God’s justice will ultimately prevail. Second, someone – perhaps through a letter falsely attributed to Paul – has told the Thessalonians that “the Day of the Lord has already come” (2 Thessalonians 2:2). This has caused alarm and confusion. Paul corrects this error by teaching that certain events must precede the Day: a great rebellion (apostasia) and the revelation of “the man of lawlessness” who will set himself up in God’s temple. This is one of the most debated passages in the New Testament, and we will explore it carefully.

The week closes with Acts 18:18-28, which narrates Paul’s departure from Corinth, his brief stop in Ephesus (planting a seed he will later water at length), and his return to Antioch via Caesarea and Jerusalem. Luke also introduces Apollos, the eloquent Alexandrian Jew who knew only the baptism of John until Priscilla and Aquila “explained to him the way of God more accurately.” These transitional verses set the stage for Paul’s third missionary journey, which will center on Ephesus and produce some of his most important letters.

This Week’s Readings

Key Characters

• Paul – Writing from Corinth to address confusion about the Day of the Lord and problems of idleness
• Silas & Timothy – Co-senders of both Thessalonian letters
• Priscilla & Aquila – Travel with Paul to Ephesus, where they instruct Apollos
• Apollos – Eloquent Alexandrian Jew, mighty in the Scriptures, who learns “the way of God more accurately”
• The Man of Lawlessness – Mysterious eschatological figure who must appear before the Day of the Lord

Key Locations

• Corinth – Where Paul writes 2 Thessalonians and eventually departs from
• Cenchreae – Eastern port of Corinth, where Paul cuts his hair in fulfillment of a vow
• Ephesus – Major city in Asia Minor where Paul briefly stops and leaves Priscilla and Aquila
• Caesarea & Antioch – Paul’s route back to his sending church before beginning the third journey

Key Themes

• The Day of the Lord – A central Old Testament concept now reinterpreted through the lens of Christ’s return
• The man of lawlessness – An eschatological figure of deception who must be revealed before the end
• Faithful endurance under persecution – God’s justice is certain even when it is delayed
• The dignity and necessity of work – Idle living dishonors the community and contradicts the gospel
• The ongoing need for accurate teaching – Even Apollos, brilliant as he was, needed correction and further instruction

Memory Verse

“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” – 2 Thessalonians 3:3