Meet the Apostle Paul—Part Sixteen
Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians deals with that church’s confusion over the return of King Jesus. The Apostle writes,
13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
5:1 About the times and the seasons: Brothers and sisters, you do not need anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 When they say, “Peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the dark, for this day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. 6 So then, let us not sleep, like the rest, but let us stay awake and be self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled and put on the armor of faith and love, and a helmet of the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing. (1 Thess. 4:13-5:11) (CSB)
First, Paul is reassuring the church that their brothers and sister in Christ who have died will not miss out on the return of King Jesus. A person of faith does not have to be physically present on this earth to reap the reward of the new heavens and new earth.
Second, this is not speaking about a “rapture.” The idea of a secret escape of Christians before or during a great persecution was invented by an English Irish attorney in the 19th century. Paul is speaking about the return of King Jesus to take His throne on earth. Paul uses the same images that were utilized to speak of a monarch coming to an ancient Roman city. The king would arrive outside the city, his trumpeters would alert the citizens that he had arrived, they would go out and meet him and escort him back into the city.
Third, Paul instructs them again that no warning will precede Jesus’ return. No one knows the day or the hour that the King will retake earth, judge the living and the dead and then reign with His people for eternity.
Those with truth faith need not worry about the “end times” just focus on the mission King Jesus gives us NOW (Matt 28:16-20).