Disciples Digital Library

The New Testament promises that Jesus will return to the earth at the “ end ” of the present age. His glorious “ arrival…on the clouds ” will result in the judgment of the ungodly, the resurrection and vindication of the righteous, the arrival of the New Creation, and the termination of death. Thus, it will be an event of great finality.

Jesus will arrive and gather his people on the day of the Lord, and in the New Testament, this event becomes the Day of Christ . Paul refutes claims that the “ day of the Lord ” is imminent. That day will not arrive until the “ apostasy ” and the “ revelation of the man of lawlessness .” And Jesus will destroy this malevolent figure at his “ arrival ” or parousia , an event Paul links to this final day.

Paul does not provide a detailed outline of the signs and seasons that will precede the End. Instead, he exhorts disciples to live righteously now .  Does the Apostle Paul instruct believers that they must understand the “ times and seasons ” so they may calculate the timing of Christ’s return? In fact, considering that Christ will arrive “ like a thief in the night ,” he exhorts the congregation in Thessalonica to live righteously as the “ sons of the light ,” and to “ watch and be sober .”

The arrival of Jesus means the resurrection of the dead, the commencement of the New Creation, and the final judgment .  Several Greek terms are used in the New Testament for the return of Jesus. They include parousia (“arrival”), erchomai (“coming”), and epiphaneia (“appearance”). Regardless of which one is used, in each case, it is singular, referring to only one future “ coming .”

Paul exhorted the church to pursue perfection, a process that will culminate in the resurrection on the Day of Christ – Philippians 3:7-21.  In his opening thanksgiving, Paul prepares his readers for a key theme of the letter, the pursuit of “ perfection ”  until the day that Jesus arrives in glory, the “ Day of Christ .” They will be made complete when they are resurrected on that day. In Paul’s view, resurrection is an integral part of the salvation that believers receive when Jesus appears.

The day of the Lord will mean salvation for the sons of light who remain ever vigilant and prepare for its sudden arrival  – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11.  Rather than provide a list of “signs” by which believers can calculate the date of the “ day of the Lord ,” Paul gives instructions on how they must live in anticipation of that day’s sudden arrival. It would not overtake disciples because they “ are not in darkness ,” but instead, they are “ sons of light ” and “ sons of the day. ”

Final judgment scenes occur several times in  Revelation . The sevenfold series of “ seals ,” “ trumpets ,” and “ bowls of wrath ” all culminate in the final judgment, and each time it is punctuated by terrestrial and celestial upheaval. And these three “judgments” are in addition to the one that occurs as the “ Great White Throne of Judgement ” when the wicked are cast into the “ lake of fire .”

At the revelation of Jesus, the saints will experience glory, but the wicked receive everlasting destruction .  The Apostle Paul labels the future return of Jesus as his ‘ parousia ’ (“ arrival ”), ‘ erchomai ’ (“ coming ”), or ‘ epiphaneia ’ (“ manifestation ”). But on two occasions, he also calls it his ‘ apocalypsis ’ or “ revelation .”  By comparing how he applies these several Greek terms, it becomes apparent that, in each case, the same event is in view.

Peter exhorts Christians to persevere in trials and live holy lives in the knowledge of the coming day of visitation .  Peter writes to Christians under pressure to conform to the expectations of the surrounding society. Their situation is not unique - they were members of a worldwide suffering community.

On the isle of Patmos, John found himself “in the Spirit” and projected to the “Day of the Lord”  –  Revelation 1:9-10 .  While exiled on  Patmos , John came to be “ in the spirit ” and found himself “ in the lordly day ” where he received visions about the churches of Asia. Though his visions concerned events that commenced in the first century, they also culminated in the final judgment, the “ Day of the Lord ” when the wicked are punished and the righteous vindicated.

In four separate passages,  Revelation  refers to a coming “ GREAT EARTHQUAKE ,” each time locating it on the day of “ wrath .” Chaos in the heavens and unimaginable seismic shifts on the earth will mark the arrival of the “ Day of the Lord ,” the Great Dénouement when God vindicates His people and punishes His enemies.

Jesus will arrive on the Day of the Lord when the dead are raised, the wicked are judged, and death will cease forevermore .  The coming of Jesus is not a major topic in Paul's letters to the Corinthians. But he does touch on several aspects of it, including its identification with the “ Day of the Lord ,” the consummation of God’s kingdom, the resurrection, the judgment, and the cessation of death .

The arrival of Jesus will mark the end of the present order and the commencement of the age to come and the New Creation .  Jesus will return at the “ end ” of the age in great power and glory. His “ arrival ” will result in the judgment of the ungodly, the resurrection and vindication of the righteous, the New Creation, and the termination of death – Thus, it will be an  event of great finality .

In the interim between Christ’s ascension and return, God has granted humanity the opportunity to repent .  Peter explains the apparent “delay” in Christ's return. God is merciful with no desire for anyone to perish, and, if anything, the conduct of the church may “ hasten ” its onset.  The relationship of men with God is dynamic, not static, and He responds eagerly to repentance.

Two events must occur before the day of the Lord - The apostasy and the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness, as Paul explains in his letter. The men who are spreading false rumors in Thessalonica are deceiving believers by raising false expectations about the imminence of the “ day of the Lord ” and the “ arrival ” of Jesus when he will gather his saints.

Disinformation about the day of the Lord caused alarm in the congregation at Thessalonica . In his second letter, Paul addresses claims that the “ day of the Lord has set in ." False information and incorrect expectations about the “ arrival ” of Jesus were disrupting the congregation. This disinformation was being attributed either to a “ spirit ,” a word ( logos ), or a letter “ as if from ” the Apostle.

Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians was written in the months following his departure from the city. The first epistle expressed joy at the good news that the church remained faithful despite persecution. The second one addresses three main issues: Persecution, believers who refuse to work, and questions about the “ arrival ” of Jesus.

Paul does not detail the times and seasons since the Thessalonians understand that the Lord will come like a thief in the night  – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11.  Paul continues his discussion about the “ coming ” of Jesus by addressing its timing and how 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 the timing of that day.