Chapter 22—Thessalonica
This chapter is based on
Acts 17:1-10
.
After leaving Philippi, Paul and Silas made their way to Thessa-
lonica. Here they were given the privilege of addressing large congre-
gations in the Jewish synagogue. Their appearance bore evidence of
the shameful treatment they had recently received, and necessitated an
explanation of what had taken place. This they made without exalting
themselves, but magnified the One who had wrought their deliverance.
In preaching to the Thessalonians, Paul appealed to the Old Testa-
ment prophecies concerning the Messiah. Christ in His ministry had
opened the minds of His disciples to these prophecies; “beginning at
Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scrip-
tures the things concerning Himself.”
Luke 24:27
. Peter in preaching
Christ had produced his evidence from the Old Testament. Stephen
had pursued the same course. And Paul also in his ministry appealed
to the scriptures foretelling the birth, sufferings, death, resurrection,
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and ascension of Christ. By the inspired testimony of Moses and the
prophets he clearly proved the identity of Jesus of Nazareth with the
Messiah and showed that from the days of Adam it was the voice of
Christ which had been speaking through patriarchs and prophets.
Plain and specific prophecies had been given regarding the ap-
pearance of the Promised One. To Adam was given an assurance of
the coming of the Redeemer. The sentence pronounced on Satan, “I
will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed
and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel”
(
Genesis 3:15
), was to our first parents a promise of the redemption to
be wrought out through Christ.
To Abraham was given the promise that of his line the Saviour of
the world should come: “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth
be blessed.” “He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one,
And to thy seed, which is Christ.”
Genesis 22:18
;
Galatians 3:16
.
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