Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18-5:11 talks about the Lord’s second coming. Yet, nowadays, we don’t talk about it often. I can think of several reasons we don’t talk about or even teach about the Second Coming of the Lord as our hope.
1. We are too busy with our lives here on earth. We want to work, have a family, live a long life and then Jesus can come. We come to the point that we don’t really believe he is coming again, at least not in our life time (this argument is debunked by Peter in 2 Peter 3:3-9). I am guilty of this way of rationalizing away the Second Coming of our Lord.
J. Oswald Sanders, in his book Certainties of the Second Coming, says that the coming of Christ is mentioned in the Bible more than any other certainty. It appears 318 times. In spite of these facts, Sanders affirms that the Second Coming does not appear necessary or motivating for Christians today, as it was in the first century. Early Christians who were suffering saluted each other with “Maranatha”, meaning “the Lord is coming”, because to them the reality of Christ’s coming was assured and certain. J. Oswald Sanders, Certainties of Christ’s Coming (Wheaton, Ill.: Harold Shaw Pub., 1974), p. 7.
2. It is too controversial. This deals with the theology of the “Last Things” or Eschatology and there are so many views so we just don’t want to get into it. “It’s too complicated” we say.
3. It has been abused, mainly by religious leaders who have predicted the Second Coming of Christ. One of the most recent predictions was in 2011 and of course, it didn’t come to pass. When this happens, it makes us look discredited when we speak about it even though the Lord said, no one knew his coming.
4. It’s become sensationalized as part of the End of the World. It has become a scary and fearful thing.
Yet, we see in 1 Thessalonians that Paul taught the church he founded there. From the beginning they were instructed that the Lord would come soon, possibly in their lifetime. Paul knew that the Coming of the Lord was not some trivial teaching or doctrine. It was his motivation for living a holy life and gave him the sense of urgency to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. This was the hope he had and the church had.
What has happening in Thessalonaica that Paul had to give them two paragraphs (this one here and the first eleven verses of chapter 5) of instructions concerning their dead and the hope of the Second Coming of Christ? What is the relationship between these two? Paul explains that they have a certain future hope even after death. They can know that this future hope is tied to what will happen when the Lord comes. This should bring encouragement in the midst of the loss of their loved ones.
Though we may not be in a similar situation, perhaps we are certain that our loves who believed in Christ are with Him right now, it should encourage us that death does not bring final separation between them and ourselves. We have a future hope. But the best part of this is that our future hope is the Lord coming back for us and how we will be part of the gathering of all believers of all time (whether we are here or not). We will partake of the resurrection from the dead when our bodies will be transformed in the image of Christ. This is our future hope in the second Coming of Christ.
The Lord Jesus promised he would come again to take us with him, so that where he is, we should be there too.
It is interesting how some people want to be part of a movie and be seen by others even if it is as an extra. They will watch a movie just to say, “Hey, that’s me right there in the background sitting.” They may be barely visible but they feel proud. We are part of God’s Redemptive plan for the ages. Imagine that. You. Me. We are part of something greater that a movie. All those who know Jesus as their Savior and Lord are part of His Gospel Story. Does this not excite you?
