I’ve been thinking a lot about how Jesus said he was coming back. The reason it’s been on my mind is because I’ve been teaching through 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, and that’s a topic that comes up a lot.

The congregation to which Paul was writing was confused. So Paul needed to clarify a few things. Before Jesus returns a rebellion needs to occur, and a man of lawlessness needs to appear.

After having explained things, he wrote this: “stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). He was reminding them that they should stick to reliable information (which he had given them) and not get sucked into a million rabbit holes of frantic speculation.

That’s a word for us today as well. When it comes to theology it can be tempting to focus incessantly or exclusively on speculative information. This is especially true when it comes to the end times or to the return of Jesus.

Yes, these are important aspects of our faith. But we need to remember that the Bible has given us everything we need to know, not everything there is to know. Because of that we will know some things about the return of Jesus, but not all things. While we walk the earth, our understanding will be limited. When it comes to these big picture events, we are on a need-to-know basis.

If we are adding things to what the Scriptures say about the return of Jesus, or if we are subtracting things from what the Scriptures say about the return of Jesus, we probably need to take a humble pill and remember Paul’s words: “stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you…”

The good news is that Jesus has come to us on a rescue mission. In him we have peace with God. He invites us to get in on the ways he is bringing heaven to earth with his grace and truth. He is coming back and will usher in the new heavens and the new earth. It will be glorious! 

Until then, let’s not get so distracted by speculative gamesmanship that we lose focus of daily discipleship.

Stand firm. Learn. Grow. And bless the people around you with the grace and truth of our coming King.

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Notes:

–Bible Study Podcast: “The Rebellion, Man of Lawlessness, and Return of Christ (Growing Deeper with 2 Thessalonians 2.” Wow, big stuff. Click here, or tune in to The Pulse Podcast with Matthew Ruttan wherever you subscribe to podcasts.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.