Reading 1 & 2 Thessalonians For Data On the Day of the Lord

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For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2, NLT).

I enjoy reading 1 and 2 Thessalonians, especially during one sitting. Not too difficult, as both together contain eight chapters. The word count for the epistles is about 3,000 words, and with the average person reading about 250 words a minute, 1 and 2 Thessalonians can be read in about 12 minutes.

I challenge you to read 1 and 2 Thessalonians this weekend.  

How many minutes do we spend scrolling, daydreaming, chatting about friends (perhaps even gossiping), and watching TV every day? And despite all our wasted time, the #1 reason Americans give for not reading the Bible is, “I don’t have enough time.”

HHHHMMMHHM!

When you read 1 and 2 Thessalonians this weekend (all at one time), note that the focus of both books is the second coming of Jesus. Jesus gives information about the second coming in Matthew 24 and 25; Paul teaches Timothy about the dangers of the end times in 2 Timothy 3; and Paul writes 1 and 2 Thessalonians to eliminate confusion about the end times.

If you are confused about the second coming of Jesus and want to find answers, list your questions and then read 1 and 2 Thessalonians (all at one time) with your questions in mind. 

The Apostle Paul founded the church in Thessalonica on his second missionary trip, and because of persecution and a riot, preached the gospel, founded the church, and had to leave in about two weeks. Paul later sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to help the church. Then Timothy returned to Paul with a good report about the vitality of faith within the church there, but also reported that false teachers had visited the city, proclaiming that Jesus had already returned. 

Basically, their news to the Thessalonians was, “Oops, you missed it, now let us give you a new revelation (think ‘false’ doctrine) on what you should do now.” Even today, there’s lots of crazy thinking about the second coming of Jesus, so we should, along with the Thessalonians from the first century, read these two books — all at one sitting!

When reading these two books, note a featured phrase Paul uses: “day of the Lord”…

But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief (1 Thessalonians 5:4).

Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2a).

Within Paul’s exhortation to the Thessalonians that they haven’t missed the return of Jesus or the “day of the Lord,” Paul lists some unique signs. I call these the “you can’t miss it” signs, as they are quite spectacular.

The “happens first” signs tell the Thessalonians not to worry, as if they haven’t happened (and it will be obvious when they do), you haven’t missed the “day of the Lord.”

The signs: 

• We will see the dead in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:14-15)
• The voice of the archangel. Who can miss this? (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
• The rapture (hard to miss, too). The phrase used is “caught up together to meet the Lord in the air”  (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
• Like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 4)
• Suddenly, like a woman’s birth pangs (1 Thessalonians 5:3)
• After the man of lawlessness is revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

So many great topics in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, all written for those who are confused about the “day of the Lord.” But my opinion — if you don’t read these books together this weekend at one time, you will still be confused!

A sign that’s really hard to miss!