Kingdom Disciples

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.

Only God’s Kingdom will prevail and endure forever. All other political powers are transitory. Already they are passing away . Despite human pretensions, History demonstrates without exception the impermanence of political power and governments. Rome endured for a thousand years, but the Empire fell all the same. Like life, political power is fleeting, and regimes often collapse quickly and unexpectedly when their allotted time expires. Only the “ Kingdom of God ” will endure. Disciples of Jesus must decide today whom they will serve.

The Beast of Revelation embodies the ancient imperial power that has stalked the saints since the Tower of Babel incident . History is littered with the remains of past attempts by tyrants and empires to dominate peoples and territories. Each new imperial power may experience initial success. However, all past empires have floundered, declined, and collapsed in the end. The Babylonian kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar and Caesar’s imperial realm, for example, ceased to exist thousands of years ago .

The God of Israel, changes the times and seasons, removes kings, and sets up kings to achieve His purposes . Many church leaders exhort their members to work diligently for the election of politicians of whom they approve, claiming it is God’s will to do so as well as their “Christian duty.” They warn of the dire consequences that will befall the church and the nation if Christians fail to immerse themselves in partisan politics and promote the moral values and social policies endorsed by the institutional church.