Years before writing Romans or Ephesians, Paul sent a pair of letters to a new church in Thessalonica. Three concerns governed Paul’s teaching in these letters: What makes a healthy church? How should we view God’s Word? What does a Christian life look like? Richard D. Phillips’s commentary considers these foundational issues in a scholarly, pastoral, and practical manner and also explores Paul’s end-times teaching—the clearest found in the New Testament. Through these studies, readers will find a refreshingly clear biblical summary of what will happen before, during, and after the Second Coming. Just as importantly, by touring Paul’s singular teaching in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, readers will recover a joyful anticipation of Christ’s return and receive hope for life in a challenging world.

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Reviews

“As Christians, Bible teachers, or gospel ministers, we take our first step in the study of the Bible by going directly to our copy of God’s Word. Then, seeking to plumb the depths of the text and avoid handling it wrongly, we secure accurate and thoughtful commentaries from trusted commentators. That is precisely what we have in Rick Phillips’s insightful, faithful, and instructive commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians, which navigates Paul’s Holy Spirit–inspired treatment of wide-ranging, yet ever-relevant gospel issues for life and eternity.” — Harry L. Reeder, Pastor/Teacher, Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Alabama

“The books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians have a crucial message for the world today, but they can be hard to understand. What does the Bible teach about the return of Christ? What should we think about the ‘rapture’? Who is the man of lawlessness? With theological precision and the care of a seasoned pastor, Richard Phillips reveals the sure biblical path through the underbrush of end-times confusion, and explains the relevance of Paul’s letters for today. Readers will be instructed and encouraged to follow Christ anew, trusting in the God who sovereignly directs history. Highly recommended.” — Brandon D. Crowe, Assistant Professor of New Testament, Westminster Theological Seminary; Book Review Editor, Westminster Theological Journal

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Richard D. Phillips (MDiv, Westminster Theological Seminary) is the senior minister of Second Presbyterian Church of Greenville, South Carolina. He is a council member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, chairman of the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, and coeditor of the Reformed Expository Commentary series.