Will you be ready when Jesus returns?
I think it is essential to establish a mainline belief that Jesus has already been to earth as both man and deity-in one. Through this action He took on the sin and shame of His creation so that we can be reconciled to our Creator-God. So, in order for us to believe that he will return, we must believe that he has already come and gone and promises to return again.
However, the next time He comes to earth, it will be much different than when he came the first time. The Old Testament describes this as the “Day of the Lord.” The prophet Amos describes this day much differently than many of the Jewish scholars of his day. Amos discusses the judgment of God upon His people not deliverance from their oppressors as many had hoped.
It is not my intent to get into a deep discussion of eschatology and the many views of what and when and how the Lord will return. There are several views, not all of which agree with one another. Instead, I want to impart my study of 1 Thessalonians and the questions that church had regarding the Second Coming of Jesus.
The Apostle Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians around 50AD. He was in Corinth at the time and he is responding to some issues that had arisen in the Church at Thessalonica. For the most part there are false teachers that are distorting the truth about the coming of Christ. There was also some internal issues with the believers, they thought that you had to be alive when Jesus returned. Because of this fear they began to question what happens to those who have already died? Naturally, this created numerous other questions, especially in regards to the timing of Christ’s return- will it be soon?
Paul was addressing Gentiles who had heard the message of salvation and came to faith in Jesus Christ. One indication of this is that they had “turned to God from idols (1 Thes 1:9).” The Jews had put all of their idols away the last time they were exiled. (However, the Law became their idol, which is what made it so difficult for them to accept Jesus.) These Gentiles probably had a good knowledge of Old Testament teachings. Likewise, there were probably some Jews that had accepted Jesus and were there to teach them as well. In addition, there were some Gentiles who had previously accepted Judaism, they were often known as “God- fearers” ( Acts 13:16). They were circumcised according to the law and baptized or “put into” the Jewish faith publicly through ceremonial washing. (This is who John the Baptist was likely baptizing, because Jews did not need to be “put into” Judaism- they were already Jewish.”
The prevailing fear in 1 Thessalonianswas that if you were dead when Jesus came back, then you would miss out on the blessing of His return. Paul addressed this concern and warned the church to make sure their hearts were ready and to not worry about the physical condition. Paul gave pretty clear instructions throughout this letter that remain applicable today.
In the coming days, I hope to explore the book of 1 Thessalonians in depth by chapter. As a student, much of this writing is for my own education. However, I hope that the Lord will use it to instruct others, especially those who do not have the resources to the Word that I have been blessed with in America.
Please return daily and feel free to comment.
