Kingdom Disciples

Many Christians will abandon the faith when the Lawless One, the Son of Destruction, places himself in the Sanctuary of God . Before Jesus returns and judges the nations, a powerful deceiver will appear. He will lead many believers to deviate from the true faith and betray their Savior. His identity “ will be revealed ” when he takes his place in the Church.

Two events must occur before the Day of the Lord begins: The Apostasy and the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness in God’s House . Certain men were spreading rumors in the church of Thessalonica, raising false expectations about the imminence of the arrival of Jesus. The Apostle Paul warned the congregation not to be distracted or deceived by such reports. Two pivotal events must occur before that day:

Paul continued his discussion about Christ’s arrival by addressing what will occur on the Day of the Lord – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3. The Apostle Paul discusses the “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ of Jesus and the Day of the Lord in chapters 4 and 5 of 1 Thessalonians . In Chapter 4, he declares that both dead and living Christians will be gathered to meet the Lord as he descends from Heaven. In Chapter 5, Paul links that and related events to “ the Day of the Lord ,” and he explains how that day will affect the godly and the ungodly.

The saints will be gathered before Jesus on the Last Day, but the wicked will be collected for judgment and cast from his presence . On the Last Day, the righteous and the unrighteous will be assembled before Jesus. The former, for vindication and salvation. The latter, for judgment and punishment.  In Second Thessalonians , the Apostle Paul confirms that believers will be gathered by Jesus on the Day of the Lord when he arrives from Heaven, at his “arrival” or ‘ Parousia ’ (παρουσια) – (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2).

The arrival of Jesus will be an event of great victory and finality that will result in the resurrection and the New Creation . The return of Jesus at the “ end of the age ” will be a singular event of utter finality. His “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ will be accompanied by celestial and terrestrial upheaval, the installation of the New Creation, the resurrection of the dead, the judgment of the godly and the ungodly, the “ gathering of Christ’s elect ,” and the end of Death. Decay and mortality will be replaced by immortality. Nothing will ever be the same again!

Jesus will arrive to gather his saints on the Day of the Lord, but only after the apostasy and the unveiling of the Son of Destruction . In his second letter to the church of Thessalonica, Paul refutes claims that the Day of the Lord is imminent or has even begun. That Day will not arrive until the apostasy occurs and the man without law is revealed, the Son of Destruction, whom Jesus will destroy when he arrives in glory .

( False information about the Day of the Lord caused alarm and confusion among the believers of Thessalonica  – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2). The Apostle Paul addresses false claims about the Day of the Lord in his second letter to the Thessalonians. Incorrect information concerning Christ’s return is disrupting the congregation. Paul attributes the source of the disinformation to either a “ spirit ,” a word (‘ logos ’), or a letter, “ as if from us ”; supposedly, from Paul and his coworkers .

Jesus will arrive on the Day of the Lord at which time the dead will be raised, the wicked judged, and death will cease forever . The coming of Jesus is an important major part of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. He touches on several aspects of the event, including its identification as the “Day of the Lord,” the consummation of God’s kingdom, the resurrection of the righteous dead, the judgment of the wicked, and the cessation of death.

In the opening thanksgiving of his Letter to the Philippians , Paul prepares his readers for one of its key themes: Going on to perfection in Jesus . The bodily resurrection of the believer is necessary for the consummation of this process, and its goal. It is an integral part of the salvation that believers will receive when Jesus appears, and a glorious hope as the past resurrection of Jesus demonstrates.

Paul warns of the coming Apostasy, which he links to the unveiling of the Man without Law when he takes his seat in the Church . Paul responds to misleading claims about the imminence of the Day of the Lord by declaring that it will not begin until the Apostasy occurs and the Son of Destruction is revealed. Disinformation about the return of Jesus was circulating among the members of the Thessalonian congregation .

The proclamation of the Gospel reveals two forces at work in the world - “ righteousness ” and “ wrath ,” and they will produce two very different results - “ salvation ” for some, and “ destruction ” for others. In the end, “ righteousness ” will produce salvation, resurrection, and New Creation for those who embrace the Gospel, but the coming “ Day of Wrath and God’s righteous judgments ” will mean condemnation and destruction for the men and women who reject the “ Good News ” announced by Jesus and his Apostles.

Revelation moves inexorably from the death of Jesus to the final day when God judges the wicked and vindicates the righteous . At the conclusion of his ‘ Olivet Discourse ,’ Jesus gave his parable of the Sheep and the Goats. On the day when the “ Son of Man arrives in glory ,” his angels will gather all nations before him for judgment, and he will divide them into two groups. One will receive “ everlasting destruction ,” and the other, “ everlasting life .”

The arrival of Jesus will result in vindication and rest for the righteous, but everlasting loss for the wicked  - 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10. The “ revelation ” of Jesus from heaven will result in the reward of the faithful, but the punishment of those who have rejected the Gospel, including men and women who have abandoned the true faith. Christ's return will result in “ just judgment ” for the righteous and the unrighteous.

The arrival of Jesus will mean the resurrection of the dead, the commencement of the New Creation, and the final judgment . Several Greek terms are applied by the New Testament to the return of Jesus, including ‘ Parousia ’ (“arrival”), ‘ erchomai ’ (“coming”), ‘ apokalupsis ’ (“revelation”), and ‘ epiphaneia ’ (“appearance”). Regardless of which one is used, it is always singular in number, it always refers to only one future “arrival,” “appearance,” “revelation,” or “coming.”

The arrival of Jesus will mark the end of the present order, the resurrection of the dead, and the start of the New Creation . Jesus will return from Heaven on a day punctuated by power and glory. Christ’s “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ will mean the consummation of God’s Kingdom, the judgment of the ungodly, the vindication and resurrection of the faithful, the unveiling of the New Creation, and the termination of death - The reversal of Death’s sentence on humanity. The coming of the “ Son of Man on the Clouds ” will be a glorious event of absolute finality.

In his second epistle, Peter addresses the growing weariness of some believers due to the apparent delay in or even the failure of the “ arrival ” of Jesus to materialize, an open door for false teachers and outside critics to exploit. Instead of the predicted terrestrial and cosmic upheaval, daily life was continuing as it always had. The Apostle’s explanation is as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago.

Paul instructed the congregation of Philippi concerning going on to “ completion ” in Jesus. Bodily resurrection must take place for the consummation of this process and the completion of our salvation. This will occur when Jesus appears “ on the clouds of Heaven .” God will continue to perform what He began with our conversion until “ the Day of Christ .”