End Time Insights

Pablo continuó su discusión sobre la llegada de Cristo al abordar lo que ocurrirá en el Día del Señor – 1 Tesalonicenses 5: 1-3. El Apóstol Pablo habla de “ la llegada ” o ' Parousía ' de Jesús y el Día del Señor en los capítulos 4 y 5 de 1 Tesalonicenses . En el capítulo 4, declara que tanto los cristianos muertos como los vivos se reunirán para encontrarse con el Señor a medida que descienda del Cielo. En el capítulo 5, Pablo vincula eso y los eventos relacionados con “ el Día del Señor ”, y explica cómo ese día afectará a los piadosos y a los impíos.

Paul continued his discussion about Christ’s arrival by addressing what will occur on the Day of the Lord – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3. The Apostle Paul discusses the “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ of Jesus and the Day of the Lord in chapters 4 and 5 of  1 Thessalonians . In Chapter 4, he declares that both dead and living Christians will be gathered to meet the Lord as he descends from Heaven. In Chapter 5, Paul links that and related events to “ the Day of the Lord ,” and he explains how that day will affect the godly and the ungodly.

Jesus will arrive and gather his people on the Day of the Lord, and in the New Testament, this event becomes the Day of Christ . In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul refutes claims that the “ Day of the Lord ” is imminent. That day will not arrive until the “ Apostasy ” and the “ revelation of the Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction .” Jesus will destroy this Master Deceiver at his “ Arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’, an event the Apostle links to this final great day.

The arrival of Jesus will mark the end of the present order, the resurrection of the dead, and the start of the New Creation . Jesus will return from Heaven on a day punctuated by power and glory. Christ’s “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ will mean the consummation of God’s Kingdom, the judgment of the ungodly, the vindication and resurrection of the faithful, the unveiling of the New Creation, and the termination of death - The reversal of Death’s sentence on humanity. The coming of the “ Son of Man on the Clouds ” will be a glorious event of absolute finality.

Jesus provided information vital to his disciples if they wished to avoid deceptions from false prophets, false apostles, and other deceivers . Christ’s final sermon given while on the Mount of Olives repeatedly warns his followers about the “ many deceivers ” and “ false prophets ” who will work tirelessly to mislead them, among other things, spreading false information about his return and the end of the age. Constant vigilance is vital for avoiding deception and apostasy .

The saints will be assembled before Jesus on the Last Day, and the wicked will be collected for judgment and cast from his presence . On the Last Day, the righteous and the unrighteous are “ gathered ” before Jesus, the former for vindication and salvation, and the latter for condemnation. This event is linked in the New Testament to Christ’s “ arrival ” at the end of the age. On that day, he will resurrect the dead, judge the dead and living, terminate the “ Last Enemy, Death ,” and consummate the Kingdom of God. After that, “ God will be all in all .”

The arrival of Jesus will mean vindication for the righteous, but the judgment and condemnation of the wicked . The “ Son of Man ” will arrive “ on the clouds with   great power and glory ” at the end of the present age when he will dispatch his angels to gather his elect. He will then “ render to each man according to his deeds .” Those men found worthy will hear him declare, “ Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world ” – (Matthew 24:27-28).

The arrival of Jesus will mean vindication and rest for the righteous, but everlasting loss for the wicked - 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10. The “ Revelation ” of Jesus “ from Heaven ” will mean vindication and reward for his faithful followers but great loss to all men and women who reject the Gospel, especially those who persecute the Church. The return of the Lord will generate “ just judgment ” for the righteous and the wicked.

The coming of Jesus will mark the end of the present order and age, and the commencement of the age to come .  Jesus will return to the Earth at the “ end ” of the present age. His glorious “ arrival…on the clouds ” will result in the judgment of the ungodly, the resurrection of the righteous, the arrival of the New Creation, and the termination of death. It will be an event of great finality .

Rumors about the Day of the Lord caused alarm and confusion in the Thessalonian congregation  – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2. The Apostle Paul addressed rumors and false claims about the “ Day of the Lord " in his second letter to the Thessalonians. Incorrect information concerning Christ’s return had disrupted the congregation. The disinformation was attributed either to a “ spirit ,” word (' logos ' ), or a letter “ as if from ” Paul and his coworkers.

Just as unprepared men were destroyed by Noah’s Flood, so unrepentant men and apostates will be overtaken by destruction when Jesus arrives . Jesus compared the final years before his return to the days before the Great Flood. “ Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be ” when the “ Son of Man ” returns. Some interpreters take this as a prediction of the return of the same conditions that existed in Noah’s day, including the moral anarchy and violence that prompted God to send the floodwaters.

The arrival of Jesus at the end of the age will mean the resurrection and the end of the Last Enemy, namely, Death - 1 Corinthians 15:24-28. Certain members of the congregation in Corinth denied the future resurrection of the righteous. Paul responded by stressing how necessary our resurrection is and by appealing to the past Death and Resurrection of Jesus. His resurrection was and remains the precedent for our future resurrection and life in the coming age. We will be raised bodily when he “ arrives ,” and his appearance will mean nothing less than the end of Death itself.

In his first letter, Peter addresses congregations under pressure to conform to the expectations and values of the surrounding society. Their situation is not unique. They are members of a worldwide suffering community. A key theme of the Letter is the necessity for believers to persevere in tribulations and remain steadfast in holy living until the “ Day of Visitation ” when Jesus will be “ revealed ” from Heaven.

In his second epistle, Peter addresses the growing weariness of some believers due to the apparent delay in or even the failure of the “ arrival ” of Jesus to materialize, an open door for false teachers and outside critics to exploit. Instead of the predicted terrestrial and cosmic upheaval, daily life was continuing as it always had. The Apostle’s explanation is as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago.

Jesus did not teach that his followers must know end-time chronologies, the “ times and seasons .” He did not provide them with specific “signs” by which they could decipher the day, the hour, or the “ season ” of his return or otherwise decode God’s prophetic timetables. Instead, he warned that many deceivers would come and “ deceive many ,” false prophets who perform “ signs and wonders ” and thereby misdirect and mislead the “ elect .”

Portions of Daniel’s vision of the Fourth Beast with the Little Horn are applied to Jesus and his saints in the New Testament . Key phrases from Daniel’s vision of the four beasts “ ascending from the Sea ” and the “ one like a Son of Man ” are applied to the future coming of Jesus, descriptions of the Kingdom of God, and the sovereignty of the Messiah. What follows are several examples.

In explaining the resurrection, Paul lists key events that will precede or coincide with the arrival of Jesus at the close of the present age . Paul outlined the events that will occur at or shortly before the “ arrival ” of Jesus in 1 Corinthians . The Greek noun ‘ Parousia ’ or “ arrival ” is one of several terms Paul applies to the future coming of the Lord in his letters. Regardless of which term is used, the Apostle always refers to one “ coming ,” one “ appearance ,” one “ revelation ” and one “ appearance ” of the Son of God, not two or more.

In Chapter 5 of  1 Thessalonians , Paul continues his discussion about the “ coming ” or ‘ parousia ’ of Jesus. But now, he addresses the question of its timing, as well as the different ways it will impact believers and nonbelievers. But rather than provide chronological information, he reminds the Thessalonians that the “ DAY OF THE LORD ” will come like a “ THIEF IN THE NIGHT .” No one except God knows its timing, therefore, believers must remain ever vigilant and prepared for its sudden and unexpected arrival.

Jesus will arrive on the Day of the Lord at which time the dead will be raised, the wicked judged, and death will cease . Paul discusses aspects of Christ’s future arrival in his letters to the Corinthians, including the “ Day of the Lord ,” the consummation of God’s Kingdom, the resurrection of the dead, the bodily transformation of saints still alive when Jesus comes, the judgment of the wicked, and the end of death itself .

The arrival of Jesus will mean the resurrection of the dead, the commencement of the New Creation, and the final judgment . Several Greek terms are applied by the New Testament to the return of Jesus, including ‘ Parousia ’ (“arrival”), ‘ erchomai ’ (“coming”), ‘ apokalupsis ’ (“revelation”), and ‘ epiphaneia ’ (“appearance”). Regardless of which one is used, it is always singular in number, it always refers to only one future “arrival,” “appearance,” “revelation,” or “coming.”