2 Thessalonians

1a. Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him,

Paul is writing to "brothers" whose faith and love is abounding in the midst of persecutions. Having just reminded them of the righteous judgment of God at the coming of Jesus Christ to the end that they may endure and be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, he proceeds to correct certain wrong views about eschatology in 2:1-12. He states his focus in 2:1-17 which is the Second Coming of Christ and our gathering together to meet Him.

1b-2. we ask you not to be quickly shaken in your mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter as if from us, saying that the day of Christ has already come.

By spirit: that is by a prophetic spirit supposedly coming from God. God's revelation cannot contradict itself or contain error. All claims must be tested by scripture which is most certainly from God. Demons are able to perform signs and Satan is able to decieve, so signs, miracles, and spirits must be tested. Any attempts of others to set a time, whether century, decade, year, day, or hour, to Christ's second coming must not be heeded since his coming will be as a thief in the night.

By word: that is by reasoning. We must not be carried away by the wisdom of men. Reason and arguments, mathematical and astronomical calculations, or any other attempt that goes beyond or against the Word. Even that which seems to carry a large amount of probability.

By letter: that is by misusing Scripture or mis-alledging what the Scriptures are. This is done by forging and counterfeiting letters, by passing non-scriptural books off as Scripture, by plausible, enticing interpretations and arguments which are in fact false, or by counsels, traditions of men, teaching offices, or anything else that is put on level of God's Word which is not.

1a. Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him,

1b-2. we ask you not to be quickly shaken in your mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter as if from us, saying that the day of Christ has already come.

John Squire comments, "Here then we discover three fountaines of errours, and false doctrine: Inspiration, Disputation, and Quotation. By Inspiration, and the Spirit, they deceive the Ignorant: By Disputation and Word they deceive the Learned: By Quotation, or Letter, or mis-alledging the Scriptures, they deceive both the Learned and the Ignorant: S. Paul doth arme them against all these, with this Caveat: Bee not shaken in minde, nor troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by Letter as from us." (A Plain Exposition on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-13, Proving the Pope to be Antichrist).