Key word: Return
About 10 years prior to writing the prison epistles, Paul writes his first two inspired letters to the church at Thessalonica, which is in Northern Greece, or Macedonia (around 52 A.D.) Paul was thrilled by these believers who had turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God (1:9). This is one of the clearest examples in the New Testament of true conversion (see Acts 26:18, 20). Salvation is not consenting to some theological facts about Jesus and the crucifixion, it is turning from that which we used to worship to Christ by faith, resulting in serving Him.
But in the very next verse, Paul launched into his overarching theme throughout both epistles – the return of Christ (1:10). The return of Christ is mentioned in every chapter in both books, because apparently there was some major confusion about this event. In 1 Thessalonians there was concern that Christ was not actually going to return, or that He had secretly come back and they had missed out. To comfort them, as well as inform them of the truth, Paul crystalized this doctrine in 4:13-18 where he describes the rapture (a word we get from the Latin for “caught up” in v. 17). They had no reason to grieve, for the Lord was yet to come, and when He comes He will draw both the dead and living saints to meet Him in the air and take them back to heaven to be with Him forever. Therefore, they could be comforted by these truths (v. 18). Paul distinguishes this event from the Day of the Lord, or Second Coming in 5:1-11. The Second Coming will begin with judgment on those who have rejected Christ, but the believer is not destined for wrath (5:9) and need not fear it. They should actually be encouraged (5:11). The take away or understanding Eschatology should be that we encourage and build up one another (5:11), our key verse.
Key verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:11 – Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
