>>>Does the Greek construction allow for the phrase "hWS hOTI ENESTHKEN
>>>hH hHMERA TOU KURIOU" to serve as the beginning of v 3 rather than the
>>>ending of v 2?
<snip>
>>Besides, what sense would you make of it, if you took it with verse 3?
>
>My basic problem is understanding v 2 -- what would trouble the
Thessalonians
>about the coming of the day of the Lord.
>
>So, I thought, if we could drop the "day of the Lord" reference in v 2,
then
>the context would seem to shift to the persecutions and trials the
people
>were experiencing which could be a source of alarm, even causing some to
turn
>away from Christ. This then could lead some people, for the purpose of
>encouraging the weak, to claim that the current tribulations were the
prelude
>to the day of the Lord which was soon to be upon them. Then, Paul would
set
>the record straight in v 3 -- "hWS hOTI ENESTHKEN hH hHMERA TOU
>KURIOU, let no man deceive you by any means..." Paul's point would be
that >the tribulation faced by the Thessalonians was the norm and not an
>extraordinary event signaling the soon return of Christ.
>
>So, now I am back to square one. What does v 2 mean?
This may be precisely the reason both the KJV and the ASV preferred to
render ENESTHKEN as "is at hand" and "is just at hand," respectively.
ENESTHKEN, of course, can go like this, as well as "has come" (so most
modern day translations). If so, then the ASV and KJV renderings make
better sense. After all, wouldn't it seem a bit far-fetched to have the
Thessalonians actually thinking they had missed the return of the Lord,
and the gathering together unto Him of all the saints (v.1)? Had they
really thought this, surely Paul would have said something directly to
that effect.
No, I personally favor the ASV and KJV renderings. In fact, it makes
good sense to see that the Thessalonian error was that they believed in
imminency, that is, the belief that the next prophetic event to be
fulfilled was the coming of the day of the Lord, which is started by the
coming of the Lord and our gathering together unto HIm (v. 1).
They knew, rightly so, that such was preceded by the great tribulation, a
period of severe persecution and suffering. They thought they were in
that period. But, they were not thinking straight. Paul reminds them
that before the day of the Lord comes (and before the great tribulation)
the apostasy must take place and the man of lawlessness be revealed.
Since neither one of the these prophetic events had been fulfilled, then
neither could they be in the great tribulation and the Lord's return was
not imminent.
By the way, this line of reasoning works the same, even if we take
ENESTHKEN as "has come."
Paul Dixon