The Implications of Paul’s Eschatological Thought for Today’s Churches
The parousia is the most heavily emphasized event in both letters to the Thessalonians. Pressed by the urgency of the historical situation, the apostle to the Gentiles intervenes with precision, instructing the believers at Thessalonica about the second coming of Christ, since a mistaken grasp of the doctrine of last things (ἐσχατολογία) was causing disturbance in the church.
The second letter addresses a misunderstanding much like the first, though the cause of their distress had reversed. Where the earlier concern had been uncertainty about the fate of those who had already died, now the belief had taken hold that the Day of the Lord had already come and that the second coming was imminent — so much so that many were neglecting their social and economic responsibilities.
Paul therefore turns to the most effective means available to him to settle an ecclesiological question, explaining clearly and soberly the signs that would precede the coming of the Lord Jesus. One of these is apostasy (ἀποστασία), which in the original sense of the passage refers to a rebellion against God. Whatever interpretive line one follows, this apostasy would precede the spiritual decline and the appearance of the son of perdition.
From the eschatological outlook of the second letter to the Thessalonians, today’s church can and should draw valuable lessons for an edifying and balanced spirituality, awaiting the Lord’s coming with hope rather than dread. A great deal is said today of an alarmist apocalyptic eschatology, and it breeds frustration, fear, and legalism.
Neither, however, should one live carelessly, swinging between extremes as the Thessalonians did. The spiritual life must be taken seriously, yet carried with the lightness of the sweet presence of the Holy Spirit, who testifies to the heart of the born-again believer the certainty of their salvation.
The conviction of the parousia, then, is beyond question, but its timing is not: no one knows the day or the hour. The example to follow is that of the five wise virgins, who did not neglect their devotional life and remained always prepared, fully watchful. So too must the Bride be, for the Bridegroom is coming to seek her.
