Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Thessalonians 2:1

"Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him;" — 2 Thessalonians 2:1 (ASV)

Brothers—The Apostles gained a hearing for the true doctrine of the Advent by their sympathetic treatment of it in the previous chapter; now they soften their correction of the false doctrine by using affectionate names.

By the coming—Literally, for the sake of the coming, just as in English we implore people to do something “for God’s sake.” It is a stronger form of appeal than the simple “by,” since it implies that the thing or person invoked will be affected if the action is left undone. The coming of Christ and the meeting with the beloved dead would not be so bright, so perfect, or perhaps so soon, if the Thessalonians allowed themselves to be misled concerning it.

Our gathering together—The particular Greek word is the same as that used in Hebrews 10:25 for the assembling for the Lord’s Supper, and nowhere else, so some have interpreted it in the same sense here. In verb form, it is used this way in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. The close connection between the two “gatherings together” can be seen in 1 Corinthians 11:26. The word “our” signifies the meeting of the dead and the living together.