The Finished Word

The Thessalonians received the Gospel of Christ in tribulation yet remained faithful while eagerly anticipating the return of Jesus – 1 Thessalonians 1:1-7. In the first chapter of  First Thessalonians , Paul anticipates the Letter’s main subjects - the tribulation of believers, Christian hope, and “ the arrival ” of Jesus, when he will rescue his people from wrath, resurrect the righteous dead, and “ meet ” his assembled saints as he descends from Heaven. On that day, we will “ obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ .”

The arrival of Jesus will be an event of victory and finality. It will include the resurrection, judgment, and the New Creation . The return of Jesus at “ the conclusion of this evil age ” will be an event of complete finality. His “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ (παρουσια) will be accompanied by celestial and terrestrial upheaval, the arrival of the New Creation, the resurrection of the dead, the judgment of the unrighteous, the destruction of “ the Man of Lawlessness ,” the gathering of Christ’s elect, and the end of death itself.

A chegada de Jesus será um evento de vitória e finalidade que incluirá a ressurreição, o julgamento e a nova criação . A volta de Jesus “ no fim deste século mau ” será um evento de completa finalidade. Sua “ chegada ” ou ‘ Parousia ’ (παρουσια) será acompanhada por convulsões celestiais e terrestres, a chegada da nova criação, a ressurreição dos mortos, o julgamento dos injustos, a destruição do “ homem de ilegalidade ”, a reunião dos eleitos de Cristo e o fim da própria morte.

Christ’s Death and Resurrection are foundational and indispensable to the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles . The Apostle Paul discusses the future resurrection of believers in his second letter to Timothy in response to denials of this “ sound teaching .” Faith in the future resurrection is central to the doctrine of salvation proclaimed by Jesus and his Apostles. This teaching is utterly reliable since it is based on the historical Death and Resurrection of Jesus, and the eyewitness testimony of the Apostles – (Acts 1:21-22, 2 Timothy 1:13).

A Morte e Ressurreição de Cristo são fundamentais e indispensáveis aos ensinamentos de Jesus e dos Apóstolos . O Apóstolo Paulo discute a futura ressurreição dos crentes em sua segunda carta a Timóteo em resposta às negações deste “ ensino sadio .” A fé na futura ressurreição é central para a doutrina da salvação proclamada por Jesus e Seus Apóstolos. Este ensinamento é totalmente confiável, uma vez que se baseia na morte histórica e Ressurreição de Jesus, e o testemunho ocular dos Apóstolos – (Atos 1:21-22, 2 Timóteo 1:13).