Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the congregation of the Thessalonians in God1 our Father, and the LORD ‘ISA2 AL-MASIH: 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the LORD ‘ISA AL-MASIH.3
3We are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers,4 even as it is appropriate, because your faith grows greatly, and the love of each and every one of you towards one another abounds; 4so that we ourselves boast about you in the congregations of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you endure. 5This is an obvious sign of the righteous judgment of God, to the end that you may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you also suffer. 6Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you, 7and to give relief to you that are afflicted with us, when the LORD ‘ISA is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, 8giving vengeance to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the Injil5 of our LORD ‘ISA, 9who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord6 and from the glory of his might, 10when he comes to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired among all those who have believed (because our testimony to you was believed) in that day.
11To this end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith, with power; 12that the Name of our LORD ‘ISA may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the LORD ‘ISA AL-MASIH.
- 1:1 God, English translation of theos. It is the Greek equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew) which are related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎
- 1:1 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH saves.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
- 1:2 AL-MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean the Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH. Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
- 1:3 The word for “brothers” here and where context allows may also be correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.” ↩︎
- 1:8 Injil, this Arabic word is derived from Euangel (Greek) and means “good news” or “Gospel” (old English for ‘good news’). Depending on context, Injil can refer to,
1. the whole Christian New Testament containing 27 books,
2. the first 4 books of the New Testament, that is, the Injil according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, or,
3. the message or “good news” of forgiveness of sins through ‘ISA AL-MASIH, revealed in the holy Injil (or New Testament). ↩︎ - 1:9 Lord, translated from the Greek kurios. Depending on context, it can refer to: 1. God, 2. ’ISA AL-MASIH, 3. men in authority, such as kings, landlords, etc., 4. a respectful salutation meaning, “sir.” ↩︎