Thessalonica was a large city in Macedonia. Macedonia included
the north part of the country that we call Greece. It also included the south
part of the country that we call Yugoslavia. We think that Paul, together with
Silas and Timothy, went to Thessalonica about the year *AD 50. That was about
20 years after Jesus died. Paul went there for a short time, to tell the people
about Jesus Christ. A few months after that, Paul wrote his first letter to the
Christians who lived at Thessalonica. Paul wrote that first letter when he was
in Corinth city. Corinth was about 300 kilometres (200 miles) south from
While Paul was still at Corinth, people told him some news. The news
was about the Christians who lived at Thessalonica. So, he wrote this second
letter to them, only a short time after he had sent his first letter.
Paul knew that some people were still causing bad trouble for
the Christians at Thessalonica. So he wrote to help them to be brave (chapter
1). He says that God knows about their troubles. God has a purpose in
everything, and he will *punish his people’s *enemies in the end.
Also, some people were teaching that Jesus had already
returned to the earth. Other people were teaching that he would return very
soon. Some of the Christians at Thessalonica may have believed what these
people taught. We think that some of the Christians may even have stopped
working as a result. So, Paul writes to explain that Jesus will not return yet.
Certain things must happen before he returns (chapter 2). Paul also says that
nobody should stop working (chapter 3). People should work so that they can get
their own food.