July 4, 2010
Background Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:28
Devotional Reading: Joel 11:3-16.

The feedback from Thessalonica was encouraging, except for one thing: A potential threat to the life of the congregation there. Someone – and we do not know who, when or how – threatened to divide the church with misleading and harmful pronouncements on the second coming of Jesus Christ.

This was not just a matter of theological jousting and disagreement, but of both personal and congregational anxiety. We must remember that Christians in that time generally believed that the return of Jesus was imminent. The world was in turmoil and Christians were challenged and threatened on every side.

But if, as they believed, Jesus was coming soon – if not imminently then at least in their lifetime – they could endure all that the world dished out. But, apparently, some of the first converts had died and, even if he came very soon, these dead in Christ would have missed the Day of the Lord. And surely some of the elderly and infirm were also in danger of missing it.

Paul assures them that they have been misled: “And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (4:17).

Times and seasons

Throughout the ages of the Church, many, once they have committed to Christ, begin to get buried in speculation on the details. Though understandable, it is a trap, because it changes our focus from God’s promise to our projected scenarios of that Day.
Jesus dismissed these questions, insisting that neither he nor anyone one else knew – only God (Mk. 13:32; Mt. 24:36; Acts 1:7). Paul adds: “But as for the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (5:1,2).

Paul outlines what Christ’s return requires of us. First, whenever Christ returns we need to be ready, and to be “ready” means both vigilance and more, not less, work for the Lord.

It is implied that some Christians were using the expectation of imminent return as an excuse for slacking off. Jesus’ followers may, perhaps, run-and-wait, but never sit-and-wait. “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up …” (5:11).
Second, we must remember that even greater than our desire for Christ’s return is God’s own will. It will be fulfilled because He wants it, not just because we desire it. This is no recent development, but the destiny that He has prepared for us: “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through  our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we wake or sleep we might live with him” (5:10).

God’s schedule

It appears that Paul never changed his mind about the Day of the Lord, except the “when” of God’s schedule. At the beginning of his ministry he thought the second coming would be “soon” (Ro. 13:11, 1 Cor. 16:22). Later, he realized that he might die before the Lord’s return (Phil.1:22-25). And he did!

It was only after Paul’s actual death in the late 50s or early 60s A.D. that Christians began to revise their understanding of the Day of the Lord  and ultimately realize that it will come when God fulfills His plan.

So, Paul outlines the kind of life we should lead in the interim: “... respect those among you and are over you in the Lord … Be at peace among yourselves … admonish the idle, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.

“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances … do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophesying, but test everything; hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of evil.” Those 16 attributes would be a good checklist for any of us.
A friend came to prepare a dying old Scotsman for what was to come. But the old man replied, “I thatched ma hoose when the weather was warm!” Good advice!

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