The Regular Guys Bible Study
The Regular Guys Bible Study podcast -- RGBS -- is a podcast for regular guys by regular guys (not theologians) studying the Bible together. It's brought to you by a couple of goofy guys who just want to study the Bible together and show you that anyone can read and study the Bible. In fact, you SHOULD read and study the Bible yourself. We're here to show you how we do it, and, hopefully, we can have some fun along the way.
The Regular Guys Bible Study
2 Thessalonians 1
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The Regular Guys Bible Study podcast begins a new study of 2 Thessalonians, exploring Paul's letter to a church experiencing severe persecution. Ken and Steve discuss how this letter, written just 3-6 months after 1 Thessalonians, offers encouragement to believers suffering for their faith.
• Paul repeatedly mentions "God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" in his greeting
• The Thessalonian church is commended for their faith and love despite persecution
• Their suffering is evidence of God's righteous judgment
• God promises to repay those who persecute believers—but not until Christ returns
• Eternal separation from God awaits those who reject the gospel
• Christians should be motivated to share their faith with non-believers
• Believers glorify Christ in this life while Christ will glorify believers in eternity
Read 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 before our next episode as we continue our study through this powerful letter.
You are listening to the Regular Guys Bible Study Podcast, the Bible study for regular guys by regular guys. We are your hosts, ken and Steve and we are just regular guys studying the Bible together not the Bible together. Not theologians.
Speaker 2Steve, Happy Monday Ken.
Speaker 1Happy Monday. Did you have to belch during the opening? I mean, that's like, do you think?
Speaker 2you can hear that.
Beginning Second Thessalonians Study
Speaker 1Oh yeah, oh yeah, I could hear that. If I can hear it, then they can hear it. And now I've got to hit the explicit check mark when I post it I don't think that qualifies as explicit. Just joking, steve, I'm not a complete idiot, just partially. Well, all right, we are on our first chapter of our new season, season called what is it? Season nine, and it's called Second Thessalonians.
Speaker 2You know, I feel like Thessalonians should just be a season to itself, first and second, because they're so short.
Speaker 1That's a good point. Maybe we should keep. Okay, I'm for that. We'll keep this as season eight. Season eight and just a continuation, because one thing I learned about Thessalonians, steve, is they weren't written very far apart from each other no, they weren't like, like they're guessing and they don't really know for sure.
Speaker 2Um, but what I read was uh, three to six months between the two letters, oh wow that's really close yeah, really close, and and if you notice that, was hardly enough time for timothy to get back from delivering the first letter I know his, his, his feet were probably still sore, um, but you notice the three, the three guys are still together, um well, you're, you're good, you're skipping ahead now.
Speaker 1Oh yeah, you haven't even read it yet and if you haven even read it yet, we haven't read it yet.
Speaker 2And if you haven't read it yet. You should hit pause right now and go read it.
Speaker 1That's right. Thank you, Steve, for reminding me.
Speaker 2Usually Ken says that. I know I'm tired of hearing him talk, so I thought I'd say it.
Speaker 1Thank you, Steve. Sometimes I get tired of hearing me talk too, so I'm glad you said it, but now I don't know what to say.
Speaker 2How about too? So I'm glad you said it, but now I don't know what to say. How about I read the first couple?
Speaker 1of paragraphs here. How about, instead, we sit in silence for a little bit, maybe just?
Speaker 2that's not a great podcast oh okay, that's true, all right not that ours is a great podcast, but we're never going to get great sittingon sitting in silence.
Speaker 1All right, go ahead and read, steve. This is 2 Thessalonians. 1. Hold on, stop, stop, pause. Okay, not you, everybody who hit pause. You can hit play again, but you couldn't hear me say that if you actually hit pause, uh-oh, that could be horrible. Anyway, steve, what translation are you reading from?
Speaker 2Es-V.
Speaker 1You're reading from Es-V, all right.
Speaker 2E-S-V.
Speaker 1E-S-VI read from N-I-VI, preferred it. I read both, but I preferred N-I-V. But go ahead. I'm not saying you're wrong or anything.
Speaker 2Go. You just called me a goat Goat head.
Speaker 1You called me a goat head.
Speaker 2All right, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the Church of the Thessalonians and God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace from God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to you, to God for you, so in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. So you know, there's something that he does three times in this first chapter, and I've read two of them already in these five small verses. Four small verses.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2He repeats God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ in the first two sentences.
Speaker 1That's interesting. In God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2And we haven't gotten there yet. But in verse 12, it says God and the Lord Jesus Christ and we haven't gotten there yet. But in verse 12, it says God and the Lord Jesus Christ took out the Father.
Speaker 1And God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, okay.
Speaker 2I was wondering if that is some sort of literary device. To repeat that, it just seems a little awkward the way the first two sentences read.
Speaker 1I noticed that the first two sentences are almost a repeat of each other. I'm checking some other translations to see if they all say God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, they do, my God, okay. Some manuscripts on the second verse say God, the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, not that that's different, really. Okay, I don't know what to do with that, steve. I know it's an observation you have. I don't know what to do with it, steve. I know it's an observation you have.
Speaker 2I don't know what to do with it. That makes two of us All right.
Speaker 1So I know there's a lot of talk about the Trinity in the church God, the Father and the Holy Spirit. So, why do you think he just says mentions God, our father and Jesus?
Speaker 2Oh, I hadn't even noticed he left out the spirit. Huh, I don't know. I don't either.
Speaker 1I don't know, that is really weird so um, all right, yeah, that's something to ponder, but I don't know why I don't yeah, I mean I know why to ponder it. I don't know why. He did it all right. So um you what? I think it's interesting in verse three that he says we ought always to thank God for you, instead of saying we do always thank God for you. It's like he's being extremely honest.
Speaker 2It's like you know so I feel like, as an engineer, for me to say always for anything, I would be lying yeah, but but paul does this all the time in fact later on he says something we always do this, we always well, we'll get there later pray for you
Speaker 1yeah, but um, I think you know there's. There's some things that we only remember when we think about it. You know what I mean. Like the he's, while he's writing this letter, he's realizing how thankful they are for the Thessalonian church and that's why he's saying you know, we really ought to always thank God for you. Do you ever do that? I mean, as you're, you know you're trying to write something or you know whatever you're doing, but especially when you start writing things down or sending an email or a message, it brings to mind something, and I think that's what is happening here.
Speaker 2Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1So what else do you got here, Steve.
Speaker 2So he says in four that they are models of faith in the midst of persecution. So you said it was three to six months since the first letter. I'm wondering what happened.
Speaker 1I mean, they were already being persecuted in the first letter, but I think something really bad happened in between um to cause him to write this maybe not, may it's possible, but I was thinking, since they are going through this extreme persecution, that maybe he just felt like he needed to write them again quickly, but maybe so, I don't really know. Do you know of something they were going through, steve?
Speaker 2no, I have no idea.
Speaker 1So, but we do know from this that they were going through persecute, persecutions, and I would argue that because they're mentioned here, they are pretty tough, or because I think all the churches were persecuted in some way. But you know, to mention it here, I think it's probably pretty tough.
Speaker 2Yeah, he probably felt like he had to give them a bit more encouragement.
Speaker 1Yep, okay.
Speaker 2That's all I've got for that first little section.
Speaker 1All right, so let me see what do you want me to read to Steve?
Speaker 2The end of the chapter.
God's Righteous Judgment Discussion
Speaker 1All right okay so this is one paragraph yeah, I know this is um second those thessalonians, chapter one, verse five to the end. Uh, so that's five to twelve. All right, all this is evidence that god's judgment is right and, as a result, you will. You will be counted worthy. Oh, do you want me to go back to esv?
Speaker 2I should I don't care we should stay in one.
Speaker 1All my notes are, though, in the other, but that's fine. Let me start over with that. 2 Thessalonians 1, verse 5 to the end in ESV. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering, since, indeed, god considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflicted you and to grant relief to you who are afflicted, as well as to us.
Speaker 1When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
Speaker 1To this end, we also pray for you that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. So, by the way, I remembered while I was reading this why I read NIV. By the way, I remembered while I was reading this why I read NIV. The whole affliction and afflicted and affliction stuff is just. We don't really use that in the same way and the NIV, I think, uses it more. It says all this is evidence that God's judgment is right and, as a result, you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are suffering. That instead of using these affliction words.
Speaker 2And he pays back trouble instead of affliction.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah. So that's why I decided I preferred NIV for this section. But it's okay, steve.
Speaker 2It's all right. You could read it again in NIV, if you want.
Speaker 1No, I don't, but that's okay. So anyway, to summarize, well, do we want to summarize this?
Speaker 2Go for it.
Speaker 1I hadn't thought about it. It seems like I would have taken a note that says this is a good summary, um, but let's think about what the summary would be, um they're.
Speaker 2They are suffering for the kingdom. God will repay with affliction or trouble on those that are doing this to them.
Speaker 1But it starts off with all this is evidence that God's judgment is right. What is that? What's all this?
Speaker 2what is that? What's all this? I think we're talking about the persecutions and afflictions. That is evidence, Because we're told that we will be persecuted and we should count it joy that we are worthy to be persecuted. For him.
Speaker 1Yes, so in what we just read prior, in verse 3 and 4, if you recall, it says that they ought to always thank God for them, because of their faith and their love, and they ought to boast about or therefore, among God's churches, we boast about your perseverance and faith, even though you're being persecuted. And so then he says all this is evidence. So he's saying the fact that you love each other and have great faith, that you know you are living a life of love for each other and maintain faith through all these trials and persecution. This is like. This is the evidence that God's judgment is right on these, on this world. And what does that mean? That it's right?
Speaker 2I'm hoping you have an answer.
Speaker 1Well, I'm saying that all these people right after this, you know he talks about, god's going to come down and he's going to, like, burn these people with fire and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, you know, have vengeance on those who don't believe right. Have vengeance on those who don't believe right. And so basically, he's saying that all this judgment that God is going to do, and then he tells us what he's going to do, all that's justified and all of it's right and the evidence is how you can live your life like you do, loving others, maintaining the faith even in the midst of persecution.
Speaker 1Yeah, part of this made me feel like he's saying don't worry, they're going to get theirs. Yeah, he is saying that right yeah and he's also, I think, saying he doesn't say this, but I think he's saying don't think you need to go handle this, you know, don't right. Yeah, this vengeance is God's and he will give it. But when does he say God will give us or give them relief from their troubles?
Speaker 2Not until he returns.
Speaker 1Yep, he does not promise. He does not promise it like oh, just wait it out another month.
Speaker 2This was 2,000 years ago. Maybe a little less, but was 2,000 years ago. Maybe a little less, but roughly 2,000 years ago.
Speaker 1Yes, yep.
Speaker 2And we're still waiting.
Speaker 1Yeah, we're still waiting, but that's okay. You know we may be waiting, but I promise you that God has already taken some vengeance on on those people.
Speaker 2That's true.
Speaker 1Well, I don't know. I say I promise you, I don't, I don't know the whole heaven.
Speaker 2With our, our current understanding of when you end up in heaven and hell, I'd think that the ones that failed to obey and believe in him are probably already there.
Speaker 1Yes, I think that's true. All right, what else do you got, steve?
Speaker 2So one of the key words I took out of this was obey. It's in verse 8. Let me just read the whole sentence In flaming fire inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. So the gospel is that he died for our sins. So how do you obey that?
Speaker 1How do you obey?
Speaker 2Or does he just mean believe in the gospel?
Speaker 1I think it just means it'll be, oh yeah, believe what does the niv use there? Where? What verse is that?
Speaker 2eight. Uh, let's see, he'll punish those who do not know god and do not obey the gospel of our lord jesus. It's about the same.
Speaker 1I did not even notice that. Obey the gospel. The gospel is the good news of Jesus. Yeah, I would think that just means obeying the what's the word? The theology.
Speaker 2Commandments love God with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Speaker 1To obey and meaning to embrace the fact that Jesus is the Christ, that Jesus came for our sins and took them.
Speaker 2And rose from the dead.
Speaker 1And rose from the dead. Yes, he did.
Speaker 2All right, what do you have?
Speaker 1All right. So verses 8 through 10 made me think a little bit. And let me read 8 to 10 in NIV, because that's how I read it most of my days, most of my mornings. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.
Speaker 1This includes you, because you believe our testimony to you. So when I read that and I think about some of the evil people in this world, you know, I think I still am sad a little bit, but you know they get what they deserve from their lifestyle and what they've done. When I read that and think about my friends who don't know Jesus, the people I you know some close acquaintances that I not quite friends, but very close acquaintances that you know they're generally okay people, right, they seem to be good people, but they don't follow Jesus, they don't know Jesus.
Speaker 2But for the grace of God, so would we.
Sharing Faith with Non-Believers
Speaker 1Yes, but it really makes me realize how I should be sharing my faith with these people. And you know, we have friends, steve, that are going to hell, and it's like. You know, it's not like, oh, they're just going to die and go to hell. You know it's everlasting destruction.
Speaker 2Yeah Well, and, more importantly, shut out from the presence of the Lord.
Speaker 1Yeah, so it really, um, it made me hurt. It made me hurt some Steve reading that and thinking about my friends.
Speaker 2So what are you going to do differently?
Speaker 1I'm going to. I don't know. I don't know. There's one friend of mine who I've talked to and he says that's my faith, is my personal thing. Don't talk to me about it. I don't think it's my, I don't know. I don't think I can share with him, you know.
Speaker 2Yeah, it's difficult, yeah, there's. I find that those people that fall into that category, that say they have faith but you don't really see the fruit yeah, I it's like those that say oh, I'm a Christian, my parents were a Christian, yeah, okay. Well, what are you doing? I mean, I know it's not about works, but yeah, yeah, I'm a Christian.
Speaker 1I'm sure my kids don't know anything about it, but Mm-hmm, that's the real crime. Yeah, that is the worst. All right, anyway, that makes me sad and I think I need to be more open to sharing my faith.
Speaker 2I think you need to be more offensive and in their face.
Speaker 1Maybe you know I did. My wife and I were riding our bikes this. When was that? Sunday, I guess Sunday evening, so yesterday and we saw our neighbor walking down the street and, um, I felt like I needed to stop and talk to her and, so oh my gosh.
Speaker 1No, we stopped and talked to her and she is one of these that she would call herself a christian. In fact, she does call herself a christian, but she thinks there's lots of different paths. Um, not, it's not just jesus, um, but she also. She has lots of health issues and, uh, my wife and I were able to pray with her on the street, so I'm hoping that that has some fruition. So I'm not bragging here. What I'm saying is I am trying to make some changes, trying to improve. I'm trying to make some changes in how I share my faith, because I think praying with her over health issues can be a big step. It's like is it Jesus, jesus, somebody? I'm horrible at quoting scripture. I'm pretty good at paraphrasing scripture. Somewhere, jesus says something about you know what good is it to say somebody see somebody hungry on the street and you say, oh, go in peace, or I'll pray for you, go in peace, or something like that.
Speaker 1And when what he needs is food and water. That's a horrible paraphrase.
Speaker 2Yeah, I think you got the gist of it though.
Speaker 1Yeah, so anyway, I think if we help the people around us, we'll have opportunities to share. That's my point.
Speaker 2Yeah. All right, sorry about that what else you got? That was a long thing, that's a good, it was a good thing.
Glorifying Christ and Final Thoughts
Speaker 1Okay, that was a long thing. That's a good, it was a good thing. Okay, I've got one more note at the very last verse, and it says we pray this so that the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. So what does that mean? And you in him, Jesus Christ. So what does that mean? And you in him?
Speaker 2Does this mean that your name our name should be glorified in Jesus. We pray this so that the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1So Jesus is glorified in us and he's saying and you in him.
Speaker 2Well, that's when they pass on. They are glorified by him opening the gates of heaven and taking on their sin. Okay, I mean that's While we're here. We're glorifying him by proclaiming his gospel.
Speaker 1I see. So you're saying the and you and him is post-mortem.
Speaker 2That's how I'm reading it. I don't know if that's right.
Speaker 1Okay, no, that makes sense, I think, because we're talking about the angels coming and slaughtering people and stuff, all right, well, so I think that's kind of cool, that I've never that they're slaughtering people. No, that we are glorified in Christ and Christ is glorified in us. So that's all I got.
Speaker 2Yeah, I didn't have a whole lot of notes this time. It's a pretty short chapter and it's the introduction.
Speaker 1Yeah, how many chapters are in this one? Two, three, just three. Okay, so we've just got probably two more.
Speaker 2We've tried really hard. We probably could do it in one more session, but we'll do it in two.
Speaker 1Chapter two is pretty short too. Yeah, let's spread it out, all right. Well, that's it, guys. Uh, make sure you read, uh. Second thessalonians, chapter two esp or niv yes, read multiple versions. Do it the Regular Guys. Bible Study is a Chasm LLC production. All rights reserved.
