Page 28 - Pauline Epistles Student Textbook

Study Section 6: The Day of the Lord

6.1. Connect.
Over the years since the writing of I Thessalonians, many predictions have occurred
about the coming of Christ, especially among the cults. Charles Taze Russell, founder
of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, predicted the Second Coming in 1874. His followers
predicted that Jesus would come in 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975 and in 1989. They finally
gave up predicting, being wrong five times. William Miller, who influenced Ellen G
White to establish the Seventh-Day Adventists, was convinced that Christ would return on
October 22, 1844. When Christ did not return, the non-event was called “The Great
Disappointment.” Ellen G White resolved the disappoint by saying that something did happened
on that date. She claimed that Christ rose from His thrown in Heaven and moved into the Holy
Place to begin His “judgment phase” of His ministry. This event is certainly not Biblical!

The Bible clearly states that no person knows when Christ will come again. He is waiting for the
last person to accept Him as their Savior. We are told always to be ready. And as we look at the
current events of the day, they fall more in line with Bible prophecy predicting what the times
will look like. We need to be ready and looking up. Let’s find out how we came to understand
this important doctrine found in this important book….

6.2. Objectives.

1. In this section, we will learn about God’s plan concerning the destiny of the believers
who have died in Him.

2. We will be exposed to deep concern regarding the destiny of those who die without
Christ (or without the blessing of salvation in their hearts).

3. We will better understand the prophecy concerning the Day of the Lord.

6.3. The Day of the Lord; Dead Believers’ Destiny and Time for the Parousia (1 Thess.
4:13—5:11).

Destiny for Dead Believers (1 Thess. 4:13-18)

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are
asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we
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believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with
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him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who
are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen
asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an
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archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we
who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in
the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
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(ESV)

Notice in v13 that Paul began again with that Greek word for brother, which contextually, signifies
men and women in the family of God. Why is Paul discussing about this issue? It could be that the
believers at Thessalonica brought this topic to Timothy, who in turn, documented it in his report to

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