2 Thessalonians 2:1

2 Thessalonians 2:1

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

a. NLT: Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.

b. NIV: Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,

c. YLT: And we ask you, brethren, in regard to the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of our gathering together unto him,

d. Amplified Bible Classic: But relative to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and our gathering together to [meet] Him, we beg you, brethren,

e. Worrell Translation: Now we request you, brethren, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him.

f. Wuest Translation: Now, I amd requesting you, brethren, with regard to the coming and personal presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, even our being assembled together to Him.

1. “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…”

a. Now [Strong: 1161 de deh a primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and, etc.:--also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).]

b. we beseech [Strong: 2065 erotao er-o-tah'-o apparently from 2046 (compare 2045); to interrogate; by implication, to request:--ask, beseech, desire, intreat, pray.]

c. you [Strong: 5209 humas hoo-mas' accusative case of 5210; you (as the objective of a verb or preposition):--ye, you (+ -ward), your (+ own).]

d. by [Strong: 5228 huper hoop-er' a primary preposition; "over", i.e. (with the genitive case) of place, above, beyond, across, or causal, for the sake of, instead, regarding; with the accusative case superior to, more than:--(+ exceeding, abundantly) above, in (on) behalf of, beyond, by, + very chiefest, concerning, exceeding (above, -ly), for, + very highly, more (than), of, over, on the part of, for sake of, in stead, than, to(-ward), very. In the comparative, it retains many of the above applications.]

e. the [Strong: 3588 ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.]

f. coming [Strong: 3952 parousia par-oo-see'-ah from the present participle of 3918; a being near, i.e. advent (often, return; specially, of Christ to punish Jerusalem, or finally the wicked); (by implication) physically, aspect:--coming, presence.] [Zodhiates: Presence, coming, arrival. A technical term used of the coming of Christ. The term parousia refers to the Second Coming of the Lord, but the Second Coming is not just one event taking place at a particular time. Rather it is made up of a series of events. We can understand which event is referred to only by a careful examination of the context in which the term occurs.]

g. of our [Strong: 2257 hemon hay-mone' genitive case plural of 1473; of (or from) us:--our (company), us, we.]

h. Lord [Strong: 2962 kurios koo'-ree-os from kuros (supremacy); supreme in authority, i.e. (as noun) controller; by implication, Master (as a respectful title):-- God, Lord, master, Sir.]

i. Jesus [Strong: 2424 Iesous ee-ay-sooce' of Hebrew origin (3091); Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites:--Jesus.]

j. Christ [Strong: 5547 Christos khris-tos' from 5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:--Christ.]

2. “…and by our gathering together unto him”

a. and [Strong: 2532 kai kahee apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

b. by our [Strong: 2257 hemon hay-mone' genitive case plural of 1473; of (or from) us:--our (company), us, we.]

c. gathering together [1997 episunagoge ep-ee-soon-ag-o-gay' from 1996; a complete collection; especially a Christian meeting (for worship):--assembling (gathering) together.] [Zodhiates: The act of gathering or assembling together (2 Thessalonians 2:1 [cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:17)]

d. unto [Strong: 1909 epi ep-ee' a primary preposition; properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution (with the genitive case), i.e. over, upon, etc.; of rest (with the dative case) at, on, etc.; of direction (with the accusative case) towards, upon, etc.:--about (the times), above, after, against, among, as long as (touching), at, beside, X have charge of, (be-, (where-))fore, in (a place, as much as, the time of, -to), (because) of, (up-)on (behalf of), over, (by, for) the space of, through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), with. In compounds it retains essentially the same import, at, upon, etc. (literally or figuratively).]

e. him [Strong: 846 autos ow-tos' from the particle au (perhaps akin to the base of 109 through the idea of a baffling wind) (backward); the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative 1438) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons:--her, it(-self), one, the other, (mine) own, said, (self-), the) same, ((him-, my-, thy- )self, (your-)selves, she, that, their(-s), them(-selves), there(-at, - by, -in, -into, -of, -on, -with), they, (these) things, this (man), those, together, very, which.]

1). In studying the context we can see this context is referring to the rapture of the church to which Paul wrote to these same Thessalonians in his first epistle to them.

a). 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Psalm 127:1

Psalm 127:1

Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

1. “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it…”

a. Note the co-laboring: the LORD builds and they (the husband and wife build.)

1). 2 Corinthians 6:1 We then as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

2). 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

b. vain [7723 * shav’][Strong: in the sense of desolating; evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, objective; also adverbially, in vain):--false(-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity.][Gesenius: evil, wickedness, iniquity, falsehood, emptiness, vanity.]

c. Vain in Psalm 127:1 is referring to trying to build the house without His help (His grace.) In 2 Corinthians 6:1 coupled with 1 Corinthians 15:10 hints to do nothing with the grace (ability) He has given us is to receive it in vain.

d. Paul’s statement concerning the word of God and grace is very applicable here.

1). Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

e. Glory to God, His word is full of grace! Want more grace? Get into His word.

1). 2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

2). Through His word we get built up with grace through revelation that enables us to access the promises and be a partaker of his divine nature.

Acts 15:41

Acts 15:41

And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.

a. NLT: Then he traveled throughout Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches there.

b. NIV: He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

c. YLT: And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the assemblies.

d. Amplified Bible Classic: And he passed through Syria and Cilicia, establishing and strengthening the churches.

e. Worrell Translation: And he went through Syria and Celicia, confirming the assemblies.

f. Wuest Translation: And he went through Syria and Celicia, establishing the assemblies.

1. “And he went through Syria and Cilicia…”

a. And [Strong: 1161 de deh a primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and, etc.:--also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).]

b. he went through [Strong: 1330 dierchomai dee-er'-khom-ahee from 1223 and 2064; to traverse (literally):--come, depart, go (about, abroad, everywhere, over, through, throughout), pass (by, over, through, throughout), pierce through, travel, walk through.]

c. Syria [Strong: 4947 Suria soo-ree'-ah probably of Hebrew origin (6865); Syria (i.e. Tsyria or Tyre), a region of Asia:--Syria.]

d. and [Strong: 2532 kai kahee apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

e. Celica [Strong: 2791 Kilikia kil-ik-ee'-ah probably of foreign origin; Cilicia, a region of Asia Minor:--Cilicia.]

1). For the churches in Syria, we have Antioch of course. There had to be a church or a group of Christians in Damascus because that is where Paul was going to make his arrests, Acts 9:1, 2. Ananias was there, but so also was a group of believers, Acts 9:19. It is probable that because of the threat of being captured by the governor Acts 11:32, 33, or being killed by the Jews of the city Acts 9:22-24, that Paul steered clear of Damascus during the approximate 8 years he was in Tarsus. In Acts 9:30 he leaves for Tarsus and in Acts 11:25, 26 he comes to Antioch from Tarsus. I venture to say Paul used Tarsus as a home while he ministered in the regions of Syria and Celicia. In Galatians Paul gives us a glimpse of what he did during those years while living in Tarsus.

a). Galatians 1:21-24 Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;

1:22 And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:

1:23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.

1:24 And they glorified God in me.

b). There were churches in Celicia, though none are named. The Scripture though is clear that after Paul went back to Tarsus and before Barnabas came to get him to come to Antioch, Saul preached Jesus. I am fully persuaded that portions of the persecutions that Paul lists in 2 Corinthians were experienced during this time, in particular 2 Corinthians 11:24.  

2. “…confirming the churches.”

a. confirming [Strong: 1991 episterizo ep-ee-stay-rid'-zo from 1909 and 4741; to support further, i.e. reestablish:--confirm, strengthen.]

b. the [Strong: 3588 ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.]

c. churches [Strong: 1577 ekklesia ek-klay-see'-ah from a compound of 1537 and a derivative of 2564; a calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both):--assembly, church.]