I Thessalonians 2:14 “For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: 15 Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: 16 Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.”
Paul presents clear charges against “the Jews”, specifically the Jewish leadership in the time of the Apostles. First, they “killed the Lord Jesus”; that is, they presented false charges against Him to the Roman authorities who then crucified Him. This crucifixion was intended to be a cruel and vile instrument of His death, so grotesque that His followers would be dissuaded from following after Him. In their vain minds and hearts and purposes, they “killed the Lord Jesus”; but our Lord declared His Sovereign Power this way, “… I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. …” (John 10:16-17). Second, they have also killed “their own prophets”; both in the Old Testament and New Testament times. When the Lord’s “prophets” declared His truth to the leadership, they didn’t want to hear it, so they persecuted and killed them. Third, Paul declares that they “have persecuted us”; that is, the Apostles and preachers that God has called to declare His glorious Gospel and lead and care for the Churches of Jesus Christ. Fourth, “they please not God”; while they purported themselves ministers of God; they were actually ministers of themselves. They sought to glorify themselves, honor themselves, empower themselves, reverence themselves, gratify themselves, and enrichen themselves. Fifth, because of their self-interest, they “are contrary to all men”; that is, “all men”, all their “countrymen”, suffer because of their lusts for power and control and wealth and imposed honor. Sixth, “Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles”; that is, in their arrogant prejudice they made it a crime for the Jews to have any association with the “Gentiles”, even to preach the Gospel to them. The Jews tried to prevent the Apostles and Preachers from speaking to “the Gentiles that they might be saved”; that is, “saved” from the awful peril of ignorance of the Gospel Truth of Jesus Christ. The Lord had already completely and finally and fully saved “his people from their sins” to Eternal Heaven (Matthew 1:21; John 19:30). But, as Paul prayed “my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Romans 10:1-3). This ignorance greatly imperiled them; for, He had just warned them concerning “the Lord of Sabaoth” (the Lord of Hosts, Isaiah 1:9) who had destroyed “Sodoma” and “Gomorrha” (Romans 9:29). Thus, by hindering the spread of our Lord’s precious Gospel, they do “fill up their sins alway”; that is, they are guilty of heinous sins before God; thus, “the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost” – they didn’t have to wait until the last day, in just a few years they found out what that meant!