The Thessalonian Church had been disturbed by the circulation of a letter purporting to have come from the

Apostle, and by certain messages given by those who claimed to have `the spirit'. These messages distorted the

Apostle's teaching concerning the coming of the Lord, as taught in the church while he was with them and

mentioned in the fourth chapter of his letter :

` We beseech you, brethren ... that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word,

nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ (or the Lord) is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any

means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first' (2 Thess. 2:1-3).

Before the hope of the church at Thessalonica could be realized, certain important prophecies awaited fulfilment.

As we have seen, the hope during the period of the Acts (and therefore that of 1 Thessalonians 4) was essentially the

hope of Israel. When 1 Thessalonians 4 was written, Israel were still God's people. The Temple still stood, and the

possibility (speaking humanly) of Israel's repentance had still to be reckoned with. If the hope of Israel was about to

be fulfilled, then Daniel 9 to 12 must be fulfilled also, together with many other prophecies of the time of the end.

This we have seen to have been the testimony of the Lord Himself in Matthew 24, and so far Israel had not been set

aside (i.e. when the epistles to the Thessalonians were written).

The following predicted events must precede the coming of the Lord as revealed in 1 and 2 Thessalonians :

(1) The apostasy must come first (`falling away', Gk. Apostasia).

(2) The Man of Sin must be revealed in the Temple (the word `Temple' is the same as in Matthew 23:16).

(3) The coming of this Wicked One will be preceded by a Satanic travesty of Pentecostal gifts. (The same words

(4) This Wicked One shall be `consumed' and `destroyed' with the brightness of the Lord's coming (see

Isaiah 11:4, revised reading).

All this the Apostle had told the Thessalonian Church when he was with them, before he wrote

1 Thessalonians 4 (see 2 Thess. 2:5).

The Thessalonians had already been taught by the Apostle himself concerning the events of prophecy, and would

doubtless have read 1 Thessalonians 4 in harmony with his teaching had they not been deceived by false

interpretations. The reference to the Archangel would have taken them back to Daniel 10 to 12. The epistle of Jude

uses exactly the same word as is used here, and tells us that the Archangel's name is Michael (Jude 9). Immediately

following the great prophecy of the seventy weeks, with its climax in the `abomination of desolation', we have the

revelation of Daniel 10. There the veil is partially withdrawn, and a glimpse is given of the Satanic forces behind

the `powers that be'. Michael is said to be `your Prince', and in Daniel 12 we read :

` And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of Thy people: and there

shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation ... and many of them that sleep in the dust

of the earth shall awake' (Dan. 12:1,2).

Here we have Michael identified with the people of Israel, and when he stands up the great tribulation and

the resurrection take place. This FOLLOWS THE EVENTS OF DANIEL 11, which are briefly summarized in

2 Thessalonians 2. Compare, for example, the following passages :

` He shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God

of gods' (Dan. 11:36).

` Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped' (2 Thess. 2:4).

If the reader would read consecutively Daniel 9,10,11 and 12, 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, 2 Thessalonians 1 and 2,

and Revelation 13; the testimony of the truth itself would be so strong as to need no human advocate. Our space is