II Thessalonians

II Thessalonians was written by Paul to the church in Thessalonica shortly after he wrote I Thessalonians.  Paul begins the letter by speaking of how the Thessalonians have been in persecution but promises them that on the day that Christ is revealed from heaven he will pay trouble back to the afflicting and will reward the afflicted.  He refers to these events as happening on the same day which clearly says that Christinas will be required to go through the time of tribulation.  This totally rules out the possibility of the system of thought called Dispensational Premillenialism.  In chapter two, Paul speaks of the antichrist and reminds the Thessalonians that the antichrist will not come until there be a great apostasy in the church.  Dispensationalist premillenialists often take the words falling away and interpret them conveniently as catching away.  Paul speaks of the antichrist coming in a time in accordance with all kinds of lying miracles, signs, and wonders.  If it were to be in our time, then the most likely movements that fit this description are the rapidly changing denomination of Pentecostalism and the Word-Faith Movement.  Apparently, based on the context of chapter two, someone had sent a false report to the Thessalonaisn telling them that they had missed the return of Christ.  That must be the reason that Paul felt the need to write back to the church for he encoruages them not to let anyone deceive them in such manner. In chapter two, Paul also speaks of a restrainer who if often erroneously interpreted as the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is mentioned several hundred times in scripture and is never once directly associated with restraining.  The archangel Michael is mentioned five or six times and is always restraining.  He plays a special restraining role as protector of the nation of Israel in the book of Daniel.  In Revelation 12, it is Michael who hurls the ancient serpent called the Debil down to the earth.  Paul encourages the Thessalonians to be bold and strong in their faith.  He warns them against being too idle.  .  He also encourages themnever to tire in  doing what uis right.  He then closes the book with final greetings.