Thinking About the Future

LIKE many people today, the believers in Thessalonica were vulnerable to urgent warnings and announcements related to the future (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2). In fact, certain false teachers of the day pandered to people’s interest in such things, playing to their greatest hopes and worst fears about the return of Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:2-5). In response, Paul appealed for reason and critical thinking based on the clear instructions he had given (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12, 15).

When Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians, the believers were in danger of losing hope in the Second Coming. In this letter Paul was correcting the opposite extreme—that Jesus had already come. Paul restores balance to the church by describing some of the major events that would precede the day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11), in particular the falling away, and the revealing of the man of sin. The falling away, Paul declared, must come first. The Greek term translated falling away commonly means a military rebellion. But in the Scriptures, the word is used of rebellion against God. Thus, some have interpreted this verse to refer to a general defection from the truth during this time. This rebellious apostasy would prepare the way for the Antichrist. Others translate the term as departure and understand it to be a reference to the Rapture. That is to say, the man of sin cannot be revealed until Christ comes to take His church to be with Him. As far as the word itself is concerned, it could refer to a spiritual departure (falling away), or it could refer to a physical departure (the Rapture). Whichever way one understands it, it is an event that occurs before the man of sin is revealed.

As we read 2 Thessalonians today, we, similar to the letter’s original readers, need to “stand fast and hold the traditions which were taught,” that being, the truths of God’s Word. We should avoid fanciful, fearful guesswork about events related to the Lord’s return and instead be busy about our responsibilities at hand (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13).

Courtesy of Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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