When?

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).

Introduction

Many have tried to predict when the Lord Jesus Christ will return. To some degree this began in the early church and has continued on until the present day. Eschatology, the study of the Scriptures which relate to the Last Days, has been a prominent teaching over the last few decades, but with it has come some unbiblical notions. The answer to the question, “When will Christ return?” has been on the minds of believers from the beginning. “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3) … “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). The apostle Paul seeks to set the record straight regarding the Second Coming of Christ.

Here we go again!

It appears that the false theories about how Christ would return kept coming back to disturb the faith of the believers in Thessalonica. Paul reminds them that he has already dealt with this issue when he personally taught them about Christ’s return. They did not need any new teaching because they already knew all that they needed to know. Maybe during his ministry trip to that city, Paul would have taught them the prophecies of Obadiah, Joel, Amos, Isaiah, Daniel, Zephaniah, Ezekiel, Zechariah and Malachi regarding Last Day events, and no doubt he recounted Christ’s own words on the subject too. All he could do was reemphasise what he had previously taught them. We all know how annoying it is when we think that a false doctrine has been dealt with, only to see in re-emerge again. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36).

A thief in the night

The return of Christ will not receive prior announcement in the press. A thief does not warn the householder that he intends to break into his house on a certain day, but the police do warn us to be prepared so we can protect what we have. Paul’s teaching here is not intended to portray Christ as someone who wants to catch us unprepared, but is simply using a figure of speech to reveal that no one knows when the Lord will come. “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:13) … “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night” (2 Peter 3:10) … “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee” (Revelation 3:3) … “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame” (Revelation 16:15). Those who set the time of the Lord’s return do so in direct opposition to the plain teaching of God’s word. “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power” (Acts 1:7). Most of the texts that use the same figure of speech relate to other aspects of the Day of the Lord, but the Scriptures that do relate to the Second Advent and the Rapture are given to prepare us, for He will return as promised, “I will come again, and receive you unto myself” (John 14:3). Nevertheless, regardless of what part of the Last Days the passages refer to, they prepare the church for everything to do with final days of world history.

World peace

Whenever the world thinks it has peace, prosperity and security, that may just be the time when the Lord will return. There can be no true peace without the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), but the world thinks that it can get by without Him, therefore they dismiss and mock everything to do with His return. “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming?” (2 Peter 3:3-4). Just as the Jews refused to believe that they would go into captivity in Babylon, so the world will reject any idea of God’s final judgement. “Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). Here is a sign which points to the possibility of the Second Coming, nevertheless, we have to avoid date setting.

Everything leading up to Christ’s return is simply birth pangs. “Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6). Each day brings us one day closer to the “Blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13) … “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11).

His return will surprise the world but not the church, especially believers who have prepared themselves for the event. We can tell others about all of this, but we must avoid speculation. The world and all who live in it are doomed without Christ, and though these events may be delayed for many years, it is our responsibility to warn them. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” (2 Peter 3:10-12) … “When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand” (Ezekiel 3:18).

Conclusion

Paul’s teaching here is to prohibit anyone setting dates, hinder those who think they have some special insight about Last Day events, and to call the church to holiness as it awaits the return of the Lord. Though we do not know the day or the hour, we can live with the expectation of the hope of the Second Coming in our hearts.