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Despite suffering, the Thessalonians readily accepted the Gospel as the Word of God (see Gal 1:11-12), a fact confirmed by its effect.
In words echoing 2Ch 36:16 and Mt 23:29-36, Paul denounces his opponents (see 1Co 2:8). In their zeal for God, they really were opposing God and were hostile to humanity because the Gentiles were prevented from hearing the Gospel. Hence, his opponents experienced God’s wrath now.
Paul’s opponents did not wish to exclude the Gentiles. But neither could they accept Paul’s view that Gentiles could enter the covenant without first becoming Jews. In Paul’s view, they were simply obstructing the Gentile mission.
Paul was a Jew, a man of his time, and a Christian. If these are his words (but see Bruce, 49), they need to be understood on his terms. Paul held that judgment comes upon all who reject God’s salvation in Christ. To impede the progress of the Gospel is to resist God. To reject Christ is to incur God’s wrath.
Despite these disclaimers, the seemingly anti-Semitic tone of this passage remains. It “sounds like an echo of slanders current in the Greco-Roman world” (Bruce, 46). It is small comfort to note that Christians themselves are similarly slandered. More disturbing is the way in which generations of Christians have misused passages like this as warrant for unspeakable atrocities against Jews. May God forgive us.