In Paul’s missionary
journeys, he tended to stay in one area for months. The main exception to this
rule is Thessalonica, where he stayed for only a few weeks. This was a setback,
because when he stayed for months in one place, the church got his whole
message. However, he didn’t have this kind of time in Thessalonica, so when
people started dying, the Thessalonians got confused and asked why they had
died when Jesus was supposed to conquer death. Paul comforts them by telling them
how they were “asleep”, and how they would “awaken” when Jesus returns. This
brings up the question, when will He return?
To answer that, we need to look at II Thessalonians. In this
book, Paul says that the end days would not happen any time soon, not like the
false preachers taught the confused peoples. The dead will be with God until
the day comes, but until it comes, we are to be vigilant, and hard-working.
There
were also people who thought that since the end was nearer than they thought,
they could “eat, drink and be merry.” They went as far as quitting their jobs.
But Paul wanted them to continue doing their work, because the coming of the
end is uncertain, and God wants us to do our work.
Just a
few years ago, in Kansas (ugh) there was a guy who claimed that he knew when
Jesus was coming back. People believed him, and started quitting their jobs and
spending their life’s savings on stuff that will make their last days worth it.
Of course, no apocalypse to see here. The people then had no idea what to do.
This demonstrates how we are not supposed to act, and Paul also explains
this in the last chapter of II Thessalonians.
That is
all for this blog. If you have any questions, comments, or arguments, put them
down in the comments. I may look at them in ten years.
No comments:
Post a Comment