1 Thessalonians 2:15

“who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove out us, and pleased not God, and are contrary to all men”

“Who”: The Jews in Judea, and Paul had been one of those men who was contrary to all men. “Killed the Lord Jesus”: “All attempts (also modern attempts) to mitigate the guilt of the Jews in killing Jesus (by saying that not they but the Gentiles--particularly Pilate--committed this crime) are crushed by this passage” (Hendriksen pp. 71-72). Compare with Acts 2:23; Acts 4:10; Acts 5:28. “And the prophets”: Probably the Old Testament prophets. “What happened to Jesus should have been no surprise to those who knew what happened to the prophets before him, Matthew 23:29; Luke 11:47” (Marshall p. 79). “Paul emphasizes the heinousness of this crime, and proceeds to bring out the point that it was no

isolated act” (Morris p. 90). (Acts 7:52). “And drove out us”: “Paul's vivid description of the scene told in Acts 17:5 ff” (Robertson p. 22). “Banish, to chase out as if. wild beast”. “And please not God”: “A typical understatement” (Hendriksen p. 72). God didn't give them any credit whatsoever for their misdirected zeal. One cannot atone for their own sins, by being "religiously busy", and there is no salvation, even when is dedicated to religious error. “Contrary to all men”: “Show themselves foes of all men” (Amp). “Are enemies of all mankind” (Con). This expression is further explained in the next verse.