Rumors and Disinformation

Rumors about the Day of the Lord caused alarm and confusion in the Thessalonian congregation – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2.

The Apostle Paul addresses false claims about “the Day of the Lord” in his second letter to the Thessalonians. Incorrect information concerning Christ’s return was disrupting the congregation. Paul attributes the disinformation either to a “spirit,” word (‘logos’), or a letter, “as if from us”; supposedly, from Paul and his coworkers.

The Church of Jesus Christ has been plagued by false information and overheated expectations about Christ’s return since its founding. Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians attest to this reality.

[Letters Photo by Joanna Kosinska (Leeds, UK) on Unsplash]

Paul listed two events that must occur before Christ’s ‘Parousia’ or “arrival” (παρουσια), the final day when he will gather his saints. Firstly, the “revelation of the Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction.” Secondly, “the Apostasy.” The fact that neither event occurred by the time Paul wrote this letter demonstrated that the Day of the Lord remained in the future.

Paul prepared his readers for this discussion in the first chapter of Second Thessalonians. Despite hostility from pagan society, the church has exhibited “endurance and faith in all their persecutions and tribulations.” God will “afflict those men who afflict” His saints, and He will provide “rest” and “glory” to faithful Christians when Jesus is “revealed from Heaven” - (2 Thessalonians 1:3-10).

More dangerous than persecution, however, is the threat posed by deceivers who spread false information that could cause believers to apostatize. Jesus also warned us not to be “troubled” by deceivers who disseminate false reports about his return:

• “Take heed that no man deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, I am the anointed one, and they will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” – (Matthew 24:4-6).

The church of Thessalonica was facing the very challenge Jesus warned would come when he taught his disciples about the future while on the Mount of Olives.

• (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2) - “But we request you, brethren, in behalf of the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, that you be not quickly tossed from your mind nor troubled, either by spirit or by discourse or by letter as by us, as that the day of the Lord has set in.”

The English term “arrival” in the preceding passage translates the Greek noun ‘Parousia,’ the word applied by Paul to the coming of Christ in several of his letters, including both letters he sent to the Thessalonians. The Greek noun means an “arrival” or “presence,” the arrival of someone or something- (1 Thessalonians 2:19, 3:13, 4:15, 5:23, 2 Thessalonians 2:1, 2:8-9).

Paul refers to the saints being “gathered together” to the Lord. This echoes the words of Jesus when he predicted that upon the arrival of the Son of Man “on the clouds,” he would send the angels to gather his saints. Paul, likewise, refers to this gathering of the saints on that day in his first letter to the Thessalonians:

• “For as the lightning comes forth from the east and is seen even to the west; so, will the arrival [‘Parousia’] of the Son of man be. <…> And he will send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” – (Matthew 24:27-31).

• “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left unto the arrival [‘Parousia’] of the Lord, will in no way precede those who are 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, who are left, will together with them be caught up in the clouds, to a meeting with the Lord in the air. And thus, we will be with the Lord forevermore” – (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

Paul locates this gathering of the elect on the Day of the Lord (“as that the day of the Lord is at hand”). Jesus will arrive in glory to gather his church to himself on that great final day. The Bible associates this day with the arrival of Yahweh to save His people - (Joel 2:31, Acts 2:20, 1 Corinthians 1:8, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 6:12-17).

Paul exhorts the Thessalonians not “to be troubled.” The verb translated as “troubled” or ‘throeō’ occurs in the Greek New Testament only here and on the lips of Jesus in his Discourse on the Mount of Olives. The Apostle is echoing Christ’s warning about coming deceivers (“See that you are not troubled!” – Matthew 24:6, Mark 13:7).

The followers of Jesus must not believe false information about Christ’s coming, regardless of its source - “Whether by spirit or by discourse or by letter, as by us.” Paul is unsure at this point how the false rumors arrived in the congregation. The term “spirit” is ambiguous, but it may refer to a spiritual gift such as prophecy.

The Greek word translated as “word” or ‘logos’ could refer to several types of verbal communication. The significance of the noun “letter” is obvious. The clause, “as if by us,” means that someone erroneously attributed this information to Paul and his coworkers.

THE DAY OF THE LORD

The “Day of the Lord” is a common term in the Hebrew Bible for the time of visitation of God to save and vindicate His people, and to judge His enemies and the nations - (Isaiah 2:12, Joel 1:15, 2:1, 2:31, 3:14, Malachi 4:5).

Paul uses the same phrase in his first letter to the Thessalonians and compares that day’s sudden arrival to “a thief in the night,” the same analogy Jesus applied to his future return. That day will bring unexpected destruction on those who oppose the Gospel and persecute the Church.

• “For yourselves know accurately that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. When they are saying, Peace and Security, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they will not escape” - (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3).

• “Know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched and not have allowed his house to be broken through. Therefore, you be ready also, for in an hour that you do not think, the Son of man is coming” - (Matthew 24:43-44).

• “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief, in the which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be consumed” - (2 Peter 3:10).

Elsewhere in Paul’s letters, “the Day of the Lord” becomes “the Day of Jesus Christ,” the hour when he will vindicate the righteous, but he will also judge the wicked and the nations - (Matthew 24:42-44, 25:31, Luke 12:39, 1 Corinthians 1:8, 5:5, 2 Corinthians -32, 1:14, Philippian 1:10, 2:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).

• “Being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ” – (Philippians 1:6).

• “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. And before him will be gathered all the nations. And he will separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” – (Matthew 25:31-32).

The English phrase “has set in” of 2 Thessalonians 2:2 translates the Greek verb ‘enistemi,’ which means “to stand in, to set in.” In the Greek clause, the verb is in the perfect tense, signifying a completed action. In this verse, it indicates something imminent, or perhaps an event that has begun and is now underway.

The rumors being disseminated among the Thessalonians pointed to the supposed imminence of the Day of the Lord. Thus, Paul responds by reminding the congregation of the two key events that must occur before that day.

The reference to the “word” received “as from us” is a verbal link to the conclusion of this literary section, where Paul encourages the Thessalonians to adhere to the Apostolic doctrines:

• “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, since God chose you from the beginning for salvation, in sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth, to which he called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions that you were taught, whether by word or by epistle from us” – (2 Thessalonians 2:13-15).

Regardless of the source, believers must not heed voices that deviate from the Apostolic teachings, including supposed inside information about the end of the age and the coming of Jesus.

By adhering firmly to the teachings of Jesus and his Apostles, we will avoid apostasy and deception, and thereby, we will attain salvation and glory when Jesus appears - (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).

[PDF Copy]

SEE ALSO:

• The Day of the Lord - (Jesus will arrive to gather his people on the Day of the Lord, and in the New Testament, this event becomes the Day of Christ)

• "Peace and Security!" - (Paul continued his discussion about Christ’s arrival by addressing what will occur on the Day of the Lord – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3)

• Just Judgment - (The arrival of Jesus will mean vindication and rest for the righteous, but everlasting loss for the wicked - 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)

• Rumeurs et Désinformation - (Les rumeurs sur le Jour du Seigneur ont semé l'inquiétude et la confusion dans l'Église des Thessaloniciens – 2 Thessaloniciens 2: 1-2)