I & II Thessalonians

The apostles pointed out the temple buildings with a sense of awe. It continued to be the belief of the Jews that the Messiah would restore Israel to its former physical power and glory. Jerusalem as the capital, and the Temple as the center of power would be primary in this belief. Jesus, therefore, had to remind them that His Kingdom was spiritual in nature, not physical. This also provided a lead in to key teachings about His return.

1. When will the Temple be destroyed?
2. What signs will accompany the end of the world that will be brought on by the second coming?

• Panoramic view (vs. 4-14) – Our Lord describes an overview of world history that includes the period before the destruction of the Temple.
• Telescope to Jerusalem view (vs. 15-34) – Jesus details signs of the destruction itself that occurred in 70 AD, approximately 40 years into the future.
• Telescope to the second coming (vs. 36-44) – This is a view of the return of Jesus and judgment at the end of the world.

• Vs. 4 - The teaching is designed to help us identify and avoid false teachings about our Lord's return. Recall that Paul is writing to the Christians in Thessalonica who were being confused by false teachers. We also face these errors and false teachings today.
• Vs. 5-8 – The cycle of false teachers and world troubles will continue, even worsening until our Lord returns. There's an inherent contrast between the strife and stress of the world and the peace offered by Jesus.
• Vs. 9-12 – These verses parallel Paul's teachings from II Thessalonians regarding the falling away, Man of Lawlessness and cycle of evil and revival seen throughout human history.
• Vs. 13 – The Lord promises that the faithful will be saved regardless of trials and evil.
• Vs. 14 – Jesus promises the great commission (teaching the lost) will be carried out before the end comes. This is especially important to us today as we seek the lost. We must continue to faithfully obey our Lord's directive to take the gospel to all the world.

As time progressed, the Jews continued to resist Rome. Eventually, Rome sent in troops to destroy the rebellion. In doing so, Rome destroyed the city and the Temple. Jerusalem and the Temple were of such great importance to the Jews, that its destruction would be an ending to everything they held important. In a sense it was the end of their world as they knew it.

Jesus provides signs that would occur before this would happen. The faithful would recognize the signs and leave. Those that did not leave would suffer great distress with over 1 million killed and their way of life destroyed.

Jesus shifts His teachings from the destruction of Jerusalem to that of His return. He clearly states that God the Father (the creator) only knows when this will occur. There would be no sign that indicates the return is imminent, in fact, all will seem normal (whatever is considered normal). Unbelievers will not prepare themselves, but believers will.

This chapter prepares the way for Jesus' teachings on the importance of being prepared for the certainty of His return.

Parable of the Evil Slave (vs. 45-51) – Many assume that since the end is far away that we have plenty of time to live as we wish. The truth is, we must be ready since we do not know when it will occur.

Parable of the 10 Virgins (25:1-13) – Those not prepared are foolish and will suffer the consequences of not being allowed into the presence of the Father.

Parable of the Talents (vs. 14-30) – This warning is for those of us in God's Kingdom that we must use the gifts our Lord has blessed us with to His glory. It isn't so much that we must be "super achievers", but we should pay attention to use the blessings God gives. This concept reaches all the way back to the promise made by God to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-2. God blessed Abram so that he would be a blessing to others. The blessing spoken of was, of course, our Lord and His sacrifice for our sins. This remains our purpose today. God has gifted us with many ways and opportunities to teach others about salvation through Jesus. We must use all we have to do this to the best of our abilities. No matter how much or little one has been blessed, we must use our blessings for the Master's glory.

To those who are faithful, judgment will be a validation of their faithfulness. To those not faithful, it will be a sentencing based on their unfaithfulness. To the faithful, a day of glory beyond our ability to comprehend that will be enjoyed forever. To the unfaithful and unprepared, the worst day of their existence to be suffered forever.

Our Lord does not ask marvelous actions on our part. He asks us to be humble, faithful, and love for others as we serve Him in this life.

A parallel teaching of Jesus from Matthew 22:36-40 affects our judgment. The two greatest commands: Love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves. This passage illustrates humility, faithfulness and love.

Our Father loves us so much that He wants us to be prepared. He doesn't want any to be lost. Our role is to obey His commands to be granted citizenship in His Kingdom and to serve faithfully to the best of our ability. We are not earning salvation, but our faith demonstrates our love for God.