2 Thessalonians: Structure

The second letter to the Thessalonians seems to be a sort of reworking of the first letter to the Thessalonians.

Like 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians begins according to a fixed pattern: sender, addressees, greeting and thanksgiving to God for the recipient of the letter. 2 Thessalonians 1:1-2 includes the senders and the addressees and the greeting (“Grace to you and peace …”, ESV).
In 2 Thessalonians 1:3-5 we find a short thanksgiving, which leads on directly to a description of the coming of Christ and the judgement which that will bring with it. The reason for the delay in Christ’s coming is given in 2 Thessalonians 2. In 2 Thessalonians 3:1-16 believers who neglect their work are called to order. The letter ends in 2 Thessalonians 3:17-18 with final greetings.