The Finished Word

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 to the faithful but loss and punishment for men and women who reject the Gospel. This will be especially so for those who have persecuted the saints. Christ’s return will result in “ just judgment ” for the righteous and the unrighteous.

A chegada de Jesus significará vindicação e descanso para os justos, mas perda eterna para os ímpios - 2 Tessalonicenses 1: 5-10. A “ Revelação ” de Jesus do céu significará vindicação e recompensa para os fiéis, mas perda e punição para homens e mulheres que rejeitam o evangelho. Isto será especialmente verdade para aqueles que perseguiram os santos. A volta de Cristo resultará em “ justo julgamento ” para os justos e injustos.

Quando Jesus for revelado do céu, os santos experimentarão a glória, mas os ímpios receberão a destruição eterna . Em sua introdução aos Primeiros Coríntios , o Apóstolo Paulo descreve os membros da congregação como aqueles que estão “ aguardando ansiosamente a revelação de nosso Senhor Jesus .” O Apóstolo conecta este evento ao " dia do Senhor .”

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.

Foundational to the believer’s future hope is the bodily resurrection of the righteous dead when Jesus arrives in glory . Paul’s description of the “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ of Jesus in his first letter to the Thessalonians was written to comfort the congregation concerning the fate of fellow believers who die before Christ returns. They must not sorrow “ like the others ” since   the righteous dead will be resurrected when the Lord “ arrives ” from Heaven.

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.

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.

A chegada de Jesus no fim dos tempos significará a ressurreição e o fim do último inimigo, a saber, a Morte -1 Coríntios 15:24-28. Certos membros da congregação de Corinto negaram a futura ressurreição dos justos. Paulo respondeu enfatizando o quão necessária é a nossa ressurreição e apelando para a morte e Ressurreição passadas de Jesus. Sua ressurreição é o precedente para nossa futura ressurreição e vida eterna na nova criação vindoura.

Writing to the Assembly in Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul refuted false claims about the coming of Jesus, arguing that the “ Day of the Lord ” would not come until the “ Apostasy ” and the “ revelation of the Man of Lawlessness ” occurred “ first .” Moreover, that day would be when Jesus “ gathered ” Paul and his fellow believers to himself.

The coming of Jesus is not a major topic in Paul's letters to the Corinthians though it is in his Thessalonian correspondence. However, he does touch on several aspects of the event, including its identification as the “ Day of the Lord ,” the consummation of God’s kingdom, the resurrection of the righteous, the judgment of the wicked, and the cessation of death.

Salvation includes the bodily resurrection of the saints and life in the New Creation, which will occur when Jesus arrives . Central to the doctrine of salvation is the promise of  redemption . God will not abandon what He first created, and both the term and the concept mean the  recovery of what was lost . The universe is enslaved by sin and condemned to decay and death. In God’s redemptive plans, the end state of redeemed things and persons is vastly superior to their original state, and this principle is epitomized in the promises of bodily Resurrection and New Creation.

The arrival of Jesus will be an event of great victory and finality that will result in the resurrection and the New Creation . The return of Jesus at the “ end of the age ” will be a singular event of utter finality. His “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ will be accompanied by celestial and terrestrial upheaval, the installation of the New Creation, the resurrection of the dead, the judgment of the godly and the ungodly, the “ gathering of Christ’s elect ,” and the end of Death. Decay and mortality will be replaced by immortality. Nothing will ever be the same again!

The whole earth will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of Heaven, and he will send his angels to gather his elect  –Mark 13:21-27. After describing the destruction of the Temple, Jesus turns to the subject of his return. How much time will pass between the Temple’s demise and his arrival, he does not say, but in the intervening period, his disciples must beware of deceivers and “ false prophets ” who spread false information about his coming.

When Jesus is revealed from Heaven, the saints will experience glory, but the wicked will receive everlasting destruction . In his introduction to  First Corinthians , the Apostle Paul describes the members of the congregation as those who are “ eagerly waiting for the Revelation of our Lord Jesus .” The Apostle connects this event to the “ Day of the Lord .”

The figure of the Son of Man in the Book of Daniel is the source of Christ’s self-designation, the Son of Man . The term “ Son of Man ” is the self-designation found most often on the lips of Jesus. It is derived from Daniel’s vision of the one “ like a Son of Man ” who received the “ dominion and kingdom ” from the “ Ancient of Days .” All the tribes of the Earth will mourn when “ they see  the Son of man  coming on the clouds of Heaven .”

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.

According to Jesus, the End will not come until the Gospel of the Kingdom of God has been proclaimed to all nations  – Matthew 24:14. When the subject of the Second Coming is raised, the question of what sign will precede it is asked. Invariably, wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, famines, and similar catastrophes are offered as harbingers of that final day. Yet Jesus gave the definitive answer to this question - the completion of the Church’s mission to proclaim his salvation and lordship to all nations.

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 Corinthian congregation 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 is the precedent for our future resurrection and everlasting life in the coming New Creation.

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.

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.