A New Episode of the Blessed Hope! "Like a Thief in the Night" — Paul's Discussion of the Timing of the our Lord's Return in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Episode Synopsis:
Date-setting has been a problem for God’s people since the days of the apostles. Church history is full of the accounts of those who, for whatever reason, attempted to figure out when Jesus will return, set dates, and then miserably failed to predict the unpredictable. Two recent examples should suffice. Edgar C. Whisenant predicted the Lord’s return in 1988 in his booklet, “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988.” When that failed, he went for 1989. When that failed he picked 1993. And when that failed, he went for 1994. He died in 2001, preventing any future date-setting. The first book created quite a stir, and sold lots of copies (4.5 million of them). Although the later volumes (each with a revised date of Christ’s return) drew less of an audience, Whisenant’s reach was still far larger than anything than any sound theologian has written on the end times before or after.
And there was Harold Camping–a CRC elder–who, in 2005, predicted that Jesus would return on May 21, 2011. According to Camping, those who were saved would be taken to heaven while five months of fire, brimstone, and plagues will strike the earth, with millions dying under the divine onslaught. Following his own time-line Camping concluded that on October 21, 2011 (five months after the rapture), final destruction would come upon the world. When none of this materialized, Camping was completely discredited, his radio empire nearly collapsed, and in response, he called upon Christians to leave their churches because they had all become apostate! By that I take Camping to mean that Christians stopped listening to him and churches were calling him out for his date setting. So, they were at fault not Camping.
When we turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 of Paul’s Thessalonian letter, and carefully consider what Paul teaches about the Lord’s parousia, (coming) it does not take long to realize that according to Paul, Christ’s return will be like “a thief in the night.” The Lord’s return will be sudden and unexpected, and will bring about sudden destruction (i.e., final judgment) upon those who do not expect it because they are blissfully indifferent to the awful fate which awaits all those apart from faith in Jesus Christ.
Links:
A List of some of the failed predictions regarding our Lord's return
If you haven’t seen “Thief in the Night,” it is now on YouTube. This flick had a huge impact on Evangelicals: A Thief in the Night
How close are we? The The Rapture Ready Index has you covered
Note: The links from the previous two episodes apply here as well.
Bibliography for Season Two of the Blessed Hope Podcast, “When the Lord Jesus Is Revealed from Heaven: Paul’s Thessalonian Letters”
A History of the City of Thessalonica Important background to our series
F. F. Bruce's "Paul: The Apostle of the Heart Set Free" The Life and Times of Paul—Still the best biographical study of Paul
G, K, Beale, 1-2 Thessalonians (IVP NT Commentary) The best all around commentary on the Thessalonians letters (strong on eschatology)
F. F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Thessalonians (Word) One of the better technical commentaries—Bruce is especially strong on background, setting, and historical matters
Gene Green, The Letters to the Thessalonians (Pillar) A very good scholarly evangelical commentary
John Calvin, 1 and 2 Thessalonians (Crossway Classics) Calvin’s insights into this letter are still worth consideration
Music:
(Shutterstock): Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op 92m, second movement, Allegretto (A minor)