Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-2
From these words, we gather that Paul had spoken to the Church in Thessalonica about the future return of Jesus Christ previously.* Though he had addressed it before, he revisits it again. In chapter 4, Paul addressed the concern that those in the church had for those who had already passed away and the implications of that in relationship to the return of Jesus.* In this chapter, the focus is concerned about what the return of Jesus will mean for those living.*
Concern about the timing of the return of Jesus is not a new phenomenon.* As Gene Green tells us,
Preoccupation with the timing of the day of the Lord arose frequently in biblical and Jewish literature; thus the question the Thessalonians raised is hardly surprising. In Daniel 12:6 the prophet asks, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” In 4 Ezra 4:33, which was written late in the first century a.d., the same concern appears: “How long and when will these things be?” On more than one occasion the disciples inquired about the time of the end (Matt. 24:3; Luke 17:20; Acts 1:6), and Peter declares that this was the question that occupied the ancient prophets (1 Pet. 1:10–11). But in the face of so many concerns about when the end would come, the NT maintains an agnosticism about the time of the day of the Lord (Matt. 24:36; Mark 13:32; Acts 1:7). In the following verse the Thessalonians are reminded that they cannot know when this grand event will occur but that they should be prepared for it at all times.
Paul goes on to say in later verses that the appropriate approach to waiting for the return of Christ is living in faith, love, and hope (v. 9).* Conspicuously missing from this list is worry, anxiety, anger, and a judgmental attitude. Paul is not trying to fuel escapism, nor is he attempting to fuel their focus on the end of things.* Rather, Paul desires to inform and encourage the church in their daily life and conduct.* Paul’s hope is that providing them clear thinking about the end will help the church to live as true Christians in the present.*
How many times do we need help and reminding to live well in the present? I know that I need the reminder a lot.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember that Jesus is returning so that you can walk in faith, love, and hope. Perhaps today God wants you to lay aside your worry and fear about tomorrow. Maybe today God wants you to rest in the “not knowing.” Perhaps today God wants you to take one step closer to trusting that God has a plan for you that involves a future and a hope.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Holmes, M. (1998). 1 and 2 Thessalonians (pp. 165–166). Zondervan Publishing House.
Shogren, G. S. (2012). 1 & 2 Thessalonians (pp. 200–203). Zondervan.
Green, G. L. (2002). The letters to the Thessalonians (pp. 229–232). W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.
Kim, S., & Bruce, F. F. (2023). 1 & 2 Thessalonians (D. B. Capes, Ed.; Second Edition, Vol. 45, pp. 416–421). Zondervan Academic.
Morris, L. (1984). 1 and 2 Thessalonians: An introduction and commentary (Vol. 13, pp. 93–94). InterVarsity Press.
Beale, G. K. (2003). 1–2 Thessalonians (pp. 142–143). InterVarsity Press.
Weima, J. A. D. (2014). Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2 Thessalonians (R. W. Yarbrough & R. H. Stein, Eds.; pp. 343–347). Baker Academic.