I find it consistently fascinating that there are believers who try to predict the coming of our Lord.
This happens all the time and in different denominational camps. Interestingly enough, I know of people who are sure it will be any moment now and surely Christ will descend in our lifetimes. Yet, I know of other believers who are sure that there is a long time to keep building Christ’s kingdom on earth before He will descend. People with mutually exclusive understandings are both convinced, so what do we do? Who is right?
As we look at 1 Thessalonians 5, the apostle Paul begins with a clarification:
“Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:1-2).
Essentially, Paul puts forward this idea that he does not need to tell them when Christ is coming because the whole point is that we will not know! At the end of the day, surely Paul did not know either. Even Christ during His incarnation said He Himself did not know! (see Matt. 24:36).
With this, I do not think believers are supposed to be watching the news, scouring them for evidence of the day and time Christ will come, or studying matters in the heavens and when we will have blood moons or eclipses or what have you.
The coming of our Lord is meant to be sudden and unexpected so that we will be ready today.
If we are ready, it will not make a difference whether He comes or whether He tarries—eventually we will be with Him. We will either part from this life and be present with the Lord, although absent from the body (see 2 Cor. 5:8), or we will be caught up with Him in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-17).
Either way, we will be with Him and that is what matters most.
I find that oftentimes eschatology—the doctrine of last things—can instill fear into people. People hear messages that are fraught with terrors and tribulation and all the rest, and I wonder if we are missing the point altogether.
In the former chapter, the apostle concluded his initial teaching on Christ’s coming with the statement,
“Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18).
So, no matter what one’s personal belief is regarding the end-times—whether it be premillennialism, amillennialism, or postmillennialism and any of their subcategories—if our understanding of the end-times leaves us fearful we have missed it. Paul’s teaching is meant to be an encouragement to the believer!
Jesus is coming back.
That should fill our hearts with hope.
We might think we know when, and we will probably be wrong. Frankly, everyone thus far has been wrong for 2,000 years! Obviously if someone somewhere guesses “today” each day until He comes then eventually someone has to be right, but I am not sure that really counts.
Perhaps instead of trying to unravel every bit of information in the news and the signs in the heavens we just trust that He is indeed coming back and for those who believe that this is good news.
That day will not be a fearful thing for the Christian:
“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him” (1 Thess. 5:9-10).
So, perhaps as Paul put forward to the Thessalonians we should “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thess. 5:11).
Jesus is coming back. I do not know when. I just know that He is, and for me this is good news.
So, no matter how things are going down here, I can trust the One who holds the end of the story, even when I do not know what plot twists might happen in the in-between.