Paul's discussion of the final doom of the man of lawlessness leads him naturally to the consideration of the destiny of Christian believers.  His readers were not in that crowd discussed in the earlier verses of this chapter.  His pastoral affection for his people comes through loud and clear in these verses as he speaks intimately to his family of faith. 

God never gives specific dates nor times for the return of Christ, but He does allow us to look in to the future and see a panoramic view of what lies ahead.  Paul, inspired by the Spirit, offers a glimpse of God's victory and evil's doom, inspiring courage, perseverance, and hope.  The great value of the doctrine of the Second Coming is that it provides a guarantee that history is not random, but proceeding with purpose.

In his first letter to this church, Paul expressed unrestrained enthusiasm for church life in Thessalonica.  A second letter follows quickly after the first one because a problem surfaces regarding daily work ethic of some in light of the coming return of Jesus.  Paul begins this new letter with a reminder of his pride in them and his specific prayers offered for them.

Evergreen, like every church, is a complex community including a great variety of personalities. There are leaders and followers, those weak in faith and those strong, optimists and pessimists, the cynical and the gullible. Yet, encouraged by our common hope in the return of Jesus, Evergreen believers breathe an atmosphere of love and service together.

The rapture always stirs debate about sequences and events, but Christ’s return is as certain as God Himself. Jesus will come. He will rule. He will be glorified. Knowing this produces two things in the believer: obedience and courage. C.S. Lewis remarked, “It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.” The second coming of Jesus energizes His followers for endurance.

Too often today, Christian faith is held as a purely intellectual pursuit. We believe certain things and remain content to give mental assent to the idea of being a disciple without ever practicing the tangible life of a Jesus-follower. Paul will not allow that as a viable option. The life of Christ in us is practical, visible, and influential by action and not just word.

In the next two chapters, Paul appeals to two related motivations for believers to live up to the high ethical standards of God’s Kingdom. The first motivation is internal—to please God. The second is external—to live in a way that earns the respect of those outside the gospel. These compelling motives strengthen our determination in the pursuit of Christlikeness.

In the first chapter, Paul describes what a great church looks like. Now, he outlines what the relationships within that church look like—godly pastors and devout believers sharing life and living to please the Father. Jesus says that the world will identify us by our deep, abiding love for one another in the church. Our joint participation in the Body of Christ is a great gift.

How do you build a great church? How do you recognize a great church? What traits characterize a great church? Paul knew the answers to these questions and he often pointed to the church at Thessalonica as an example of a great church. Such a church is not defined by size or programming. Rather, a great church demonstrates a faithfulness that pleases God.

Peter is writing to a church in the middle of suffering persecution for their faith.  The persecution is a current reality for them.  Peter points them to the ultimate reality in their hope and faith in the Lord Jesus.  It is the nature of that reality and the concept of submission which Peter uses to help the believers deal with their current situation.