Bible Query from 1 Thessalonians

Bible Query from 1 Thessalonians

August 2008 version. Copyright (c) Christian Debater(r) 1997-2007. All rights reserved except as given in the copyright notice.
Chapter: 1 2 3 4 5

Q: In 1 Thess 1, how do you pronounce the city "Thessalonika"?
A: It is usually said as "THESS-a-lon-I-ka", with the accent on the second to last syllable. Cruden’s Concordance and the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary say the same.

Q: In 1 Thess 1, what do we know about the city of Thessalonika?
A: It was originally called "Therma" because of hot springs close by the city. The gulf is called the Thermaic Gulf. One of Alexander the Great’s generals, Cassander married Alexander’s half-sister, who was named Thessalonica. Asimov’s Guide to the Bible p.1060 says he built a new city near Therma in her honor. Thessalonika had a large Jewish population. The NIV Study Bible p.1819 says it was the largest city in Macedonia, with a total population was about 200,000. (For comparison, Corinth had a population of 650,000.)

Q: In 1 Thess 1:2 and Php 1:3, how can we always be thankful in prayer?
A: We should pray unceasingly, and our prayers should be filled with thankfulness. Thankfulness is not just words we say, but an attitude of living out our life. See Now That’s a Good Question p.476-478 for more info.

Q: In 1 Thess 1:8, how was the Thessalonians’ faith known everywhere?
A: Their faith was well-known among Christians everywhere.

Q: In 1 Thess 2:4, what is unusual about this verse?
A: This verse is a play on words. It can be translated, "As God, who tests our hearts, has attested our fitness to be entrusted with the Gospel", according to The Expositor’s Greek Testament p.26-27.

Q: In 1 Thess 2:13, how can any word of finite, fallible, imperfect man actually be the word of God?
A: It might seem impossible if someone focus solely on man’s inabilities. However, Almighty God, for whom nothing is impossible (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37), was able to communicate his message to Balaam through a donkey. He is powerful and intelligent enough to communicate His message clearly through imperfect tools. Not only did God communicate with the level of precision required, but He preserved His word with the level of precision and accuracy required so that we could still understand His message.
For more, one can read the article on this topic by J.I. Packer in Inerrancy p.197-226. For an extensive teaching on the whole issue of the adequacy of religious language, please consult Philosophy of Religion, 2nd edition p.211-291.

Q: In 1 Thess 2:14-15, is this anti-Semitic?
A: No. Nobody can seriously mean this is ethnically Anti-Semitic, since Paul was a Jewish person, who as Romans 3:1-2 shows, saw great advantage in his heritage. Perhaps they think it was religiously Anti-Semitic.
However, it is not religiously Anti-Semitic, since it was written by someone who loved the Jewish people and cared for them deeply, despite them not accepting Christ, as Romans 9:1-5 and 10:1 show.
You must realize that some people think something is against them if it says anything negative at all about any members of their ethnic group. I suppose someone could say the Bible is anti-everyone, by this strange definition, because the Bible says everyone has fallen short of God’s standard, and some people do not like any criticism or negative comments about anything.
Of course, if some people think they must never be negative about any members of a religious group, when a religion teaches that all who are not Christians, Muslims, or Jews, should be killed if they do not convert to Islam, they have no basis for criticism to say that is wrong.
See Hard Sayings of the Bible p.659-660 for more info.

Q: In 1 Thess 2:15, why did Paul say some of the Jews were hostile to all men, since those Jews undoubtedly had friends and had people they cared about?
A: Granted, these Jews may have acted friendly toward many. However, if they were persuading people to reject Jesus, in the most significant way possible, they were hostile to all.

Q: In 1 Thess 2:16, since God is so loving, how can people sin up to a limit?
A: Romans 11:22 says we should consider both the kindness and sternness of God. God is the most loving being in the universe, but also the most severe. Paul had personal experience with those who tried to keep others from hearing in Acts 13:8-11 with Elymas.

Q: In 1 Thess 3:3, why does God deliberately destine us for trials?
A: God works out everything in conformance with His will (Ephesians 1:11; Proverbs 16:4; ~Romans 8:28)
Also, each of our days was written in God’s book before one of them came to be in Psalm 139:16.
Parents "choose with regret" for their children to receive painful shots and painful lessons from their kids’ mistakes. Christians have even been proud when their children, wives, and husbands have died while trying to save the life of another or stand up for their faith. No parent chooses this kind of pain for its own sake, but for the greater good. Likewise, God chooses to permit these things, not because He is some kind of sadist, but rather:
1. for the discipline or greater good of the individual (Hebrews 12:4-15)
2. for the benefit of others (Philippians 1:22-25; Colossians 1:24-25)
3. For God’s glory (such as the example of Job)
4. Because God in the end will make all our trials seem insignificant compared to our future glory (Romans 8:18; 1 Peter 4:12-14)

Q: In 1 Thess 3:3, how could those who persecute Paul be doing wrong? They must have been doing God’s will, since God destined Paul for those trials.
A: They were wrong, and they were responsible for their evil deeds. Three points to consider in the answer.
1. God works out all things with His will (Ephesians 1:11; Proverbs 16:4).
2. God uses many tools to accomplish His ultimate ends, and the Bible is forthright in showing that people’s evil decisions are among the tools God uses (Genesis 50:20).
3. God planned beforehand to use Judas’ wicked intentions (Acts 2:23; John 13:18; Psalm 41:9), yet Judas had full responsibility for his actions (Mark 14:21; Luke 22:21-22). Likewise, God’s planned use of other’s wicked actions does not lessen their responsibility for their evil choices.

Q: In 1 Thess 4:13-14, are Christians who have already died in "soul sleep", or are they conscious in Heaven?
A: The main verses showing current consciousness of believers in heaven are 2 Corinthians 5:6, Luke 16:19-31; Philippians 1:23; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-11, and other verses of conscious praise in Revelation. 2 Corinthians 5:8 says, "...to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
Concerning the Martyrdom of Polycarp ch.2 p.39 says that absent from the body is communing with the Lord. Tertullian, writing 200-240 A.D., mentions that a Christian wife who died is already in the Lord’s presence. On Exhortation to Chastity ch.11 p.56. See When Critics Ask p.491 for more info.

Q: In 1 Thess 4:13-16, 1 Thess 5:10, and 1Cor 15:51, does "asleep" prove dead people are unconscious?
A: As Jesus chided his disciples in John 11:11-14, when he said asleep, he simply meant dead. Asleep was a common term for death, as the following verses show:
2 Peter 3:4; Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 15:6;18,20 Matthew 27:52; 28:13, Deuteronomy 31:16, and numerous other Old Testament passages "so-and-so slept with his fathers..."
Early Christian writers likewise understood sleep as meaning dead, as Athenagoras (177 A.D.) shows in The Resurrection of the Dead chapter 16. The New Geneva Study Bible p.1898 also adds that sleep was a metaphor for death among pagan as well as Christian writings.
So these verses neither prove nor disprove that people are conscious after death. For proof that they are conscious after death, see the previous question.

Q: In 1 Thess 4:15 (KJV), what does "prevent" mean?
A: This archaic meaning of prevent means "precede". We who are still alive will not go to be with Jesus before those who have already died.

Q: In 1 Thess 4:15, since Paul write "we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord", why was Paul killed before Christ’s return?
A: God did not want us to know when Jesus would return. Paul could have used three pronouns here.
"They": If God had told Paul to say "they" it would have been a tip-off that it would be after Paul died.
"I": If Paul had said "I" it would mean that Christ would certainly return before Paul died.
"We": "We" is equivalent to those of us who are still alive, and "we" is the only pronoun Paul could use that would not restrict Christ’s return to either before or after Paul’s death.
See also Difficulties in the Bible 178-182 for more info, and the answers to the next two questions.

Q: In 1 Thess 4:15, did Paul think he would be alive when Christ returned?
A: See the previous question for the use of the pronoun. Paul wrote this, without error, by not specifying what he was not told. There are six points as to why Paul would do this.
1. Paul never claimed to know when Jesus would return. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2)
2. He hoped it might be in his lifetime. (1 Thessalonians 4:15)
3. Paul taught that a peace (1 Thessalonians 5:3) and a great apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10) will be prior to the return.
4. Paul was watching and longing for Christ’s return, as we should be, which is the blessed hope in Titus 2:13.
5. Paul, Christ, and others told us to keep watch for Christ’s soon return. (Matthew 24:42; Mark 13:35; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6; 1 Peter 4:7; Revelation 3:3; 22:20)
6. As 1 Timothy 3:15 shows, Paul understood well the concept of telling people to be on good behavior, because he is not saying when he will return. See especially Matthew 24:36-25:13.
In Summary, God did not tell Paul everything, Paul told us what God told him, but Paul did not tell us what God did not tell him. See When Critics Ask p.492 for more info. See also the discussion on Philippians 4:5, 1 Peter 4:7, and Revelation 22:6-20.

Q: In 1 Thess 4:15, why did God not want us to know when Christ would return?
A: It is like a master telling a servant to be diligent, because he can unexpectedly return at any time as Luke 12:35-48 shows. In the Bible, reasons for living an "expectant life" longing for his return are for strength, encouragement, and comfort (1 Thessalonians 5:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17;) and to be vigilant to be blameless whenever Christ comes (1 Thessalonians 3:13; 5:23).

Q: In 1 Thess 4:16, does Christ being accompanied by the voice of an archangel show that Jesus is the archangel, like some Jehovah’s Witnesses teach?
A: No. while there might be other archangels in addition to Michael, that is beside the point here.
A trumpet call of God accompanying Jesus does not necessarily mean Jesus blew the trumpet Himself. Likewise the voice of an archangel is likely the voice of an archangel who accompanied Jesus here.
Even if the voice here was Jesus speaking in a voice of an archangel, this does not mean He is not God. It would seem strangely redundant, for example, for someone to say on earth Jesus acted or spoke like a man, since Jesus was a man. If this did somehow prove that Jesus was an archangel, then the trumpet call of God would prove here that Jesus is God.
People do not need to resort to ambiguous verses like this to settle of the question of whether or not Jesus is God. One could simply "ask Thomas" by reading John 20:27-28, "ask John" by reading John 1:1, or ask the author of Hebrews by reading Hebrews 1:8-9. Do you honor the Son as the Father as John 5:23 commands? Do you worship Jesus, as the angels do in Hebrews 1:6? Do you praise Jesus, as well as the Father, as those in Heaven do in Revelation 5:9-13; 11:15
See the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.2038 and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : New Testament p.704 for more info.

Q: In 1 Thess 4:16, which trumpet blast is this?
A: Scripture does not explicitly say whether it is one of the seven trumpets in Revelation 8-11 or if it is another trumpet.

Q: In 1 Thess 5:9, how is it God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, since Eph 2:3 says that like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath?
A: All people (Adam, Eve, and Jesus excepted) were born with a fallen, sinful nature, and by nature were objects of wrath. However, God has given His children new birth, new life, and a new and certain hope through Jesus Christ taking our punishment.

Q: In 1 Thess 5:14, since we are to be patient with all men, why weren’t Paul and Jesus did not seem patient with all men?
A: Both were very patient, but that does not mean they could not also rebuke people sharply as needed.
John Chrysostom (c.396 A.D.) put it well in the opening of his Commentary on Galatians. "For always to address one’s disciples with mildness, even when they need severity is not the part of a teacher but it would be the part of a corrupter and enemy. Wherefore our Lord too, though He generally spoke gently to His disciples, here and there uses sterner language, and at one time pronounces a blessing, at another a rebuke."

Q: In 1 Thess 5:17, should we pray without ceasing, or use few words as Mt 6:7 says?
A: Both. As Bible Difficulties and Seeming Contradictions p.236-237 says, our whole life should be a life of prayer, in constant communion with God. Yet, we should not think that God hears a particular request because of the repetition of many words.

Q: In 1 Thess 5:22 what does from every/all form of evil avoid / keep back" mean?
A: The Greek word for "form", eidos, can also mean appearance, fashion, shape, sight. According to Strong’s Concordance, it comes from the word for "view". As a side note, Aland et al. does not indicate any manuscript variations, so this is strictly a translation issue, not a manuscript issue. Here are other translations.
"Be holding yourselves back from every form of perniciousness." (Wuest)
"From every form of evil keep back" (Green’s Literal Translation)
"Abstain from all appearance of evil" (KJV)
"Abstain from every form of evil" (NKJV, NRSV)
"Continue to abstain from every sort of evil" (Williams)
"Avoid every kind of evil" (NIV)
The Believer’s Bible Commentary p.2044 says that 1 Thess 5:22 "may mean false tongues, prophecies, or teachings, or it may mean evil in general"
The Bible Knowledge Commentary : New Testament p.709 says in part, "On the other hand counterfeit teaching and living should be rejected and avoided. Not only should pseudo-prophecies be discarded but also, as Paul broadened his warning, every king and form of evil should be avoided. What may only appear to be bad also falls under this warning. However, … it is not always possible to abstain from everything which may appear to a narrow and foolish judgment"
Conclusion: Based on the Greek word form/kind/view, etc. both views can be true. We are to avoid every type of evil. In addition, we are to avoid being viewed doing genuinely evil things. In addition, 2 Corinthians 8:22 shows that Paul wanted to do right in the eyes of everyone.
However, 1 Thessalonians 5:22 does not cover us letting people see us doing good things (such as preaching the Gospel) because they mistakenly think this is evil.

Q: In 1 Thess 5:26, Rom 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12; and 1 Pet 5:14, should Christians greet one another with a holy kiss?
A: In the culture of that time, a holy kiss was appropriate. In American and Chinese culture, the equivalent is a hug or handshake. See Building Up One Another p.103 for more on the kiss mentioned in Scripture.

Q: How do we know that Paul wrote 1 Thess?
A: There are at least two reasons.
1. 1 Thessalonians says so, and the early church never questioned this.
2. Tertullian said Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in Tertullian Against Marcion book 14 chapter 5 (207 A.D.). It was a book "that comes down from the apostles, which has been kept as a sacred deposit in the churches of the apostles."
Others probably wrote of 1 Thessalonians too.

Q: When was 1 Thess written?
A: We know rather precisely when it was written: c. 51-52 A.D. 1 Thessalonians 3:1-7 shows it was written after Paul left Athens and was at Corinth. Acts 18:12,17 says that Gallio was the proconsul of Achaia. The NIV Study Bible p.1819 says that an inscription at Delphi shows that Gallio was only proconsul from c.51-52A.D. Others interpret the date to be 52-53 A.D. Even the skeptical Asimov’s Guide to the Bible p.1135 says 1 Thessalonians was written about 50 A.D.
It a skeptic claims Paul’s letters were written much later by someone else, and the words of 1 Thessalonians about it being written by Paul were a lie, then the burden of proof is on them to provide any evidence at all that the words were a lie. There are few fields of study where one can claim a document is bogus with no evidence whatsoever.

Q: In 1 Thess, what else do we know about the Gallio inscription?
A: What archaeologists call the Gallio inscription currently is in a museum in Delphi. It is in at least seven different pieces. Lines 5-6 mentions an edict by the Roman emperor Claudius, who reigned from 41-54 A.D., referring to Lucius Junius Gallio, proconsul of Achaia. The Dictionary of New Testament Background p.53-54, from which this was taken, says the "chronology is dependent on other temporal calculations. However, most scholars are confident that, on the basis of this inscription, as well as the fact that proconsuls usually served one-year terms, it is possible to date Gallio’s term of office as proconsul of Corinth [in Achaia] to A.D. 51/52."