Deeper ReflectionFIRST THESSALONIANS HAS A DISTINCT ESCHATOLOGICAL EMPHASIS. Every of the letter’s five chapters ends with the motif of the Second Coming of Christ: “to wait for His Son from heaven” (v.10); the Thessalonians were Paul’s hope, joy and crown of boasting “before the Lord at His coming” (1 Thess 2:19); God will establish the hearts of His people to be blameless in holiness before Him “at the coming of our Lord Jesus” (1 Thess 3:13); and God will sanctify completely the whole being of His people “at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 5:23). The theme of “the coming of the Lord” (1 Thess 4:15) and “the day of the Lord” (1 Thess 5:2) is dominant in chapters 4 and 5 of the letter (1 Thess 4:13-18; 5:1-11). Paul’s emphasis on eschatology in 1 Thessalonians is occasional in nature – in that, he was addressing certain pastoral needs of the new converts: confusion over the relationship of deceased Christians to Christ’s Second Coming (1 Thess 4:13) and an over-emphasis on the near coming of Christ (1 Thess 5:1-2).
16 Eschatology ought to be normal in our daily life and not occasional. If we were to take all the five chapters of 1 Thessalonians as a paradigm for every day of our lives, it would mean that for us, each day ends with the thought of the Lord’s Second Coming: “The Lord has not come today. Perhaps, tomorrow. Come, Lord Jesus (Rev 22:20).” And we, living as an eschatological people, start each new day with “The Lord may come today”.
16 G. K. Beale, 1-2 Thessalonians, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (IVP Academic, 2003), 16
