The future, which we are expecting, is the entrance of King Jesus into this world. That is what we pray for Your kingdom come! It is not right if this coming of Christ recedes into the background of our faith life. And yet it happens, just like that. Because it takes a long time be fore He comes. The church then threatens to fall asleep. Jesus Himself warns against that.

That is why it is a good thing to spend a whole evening discussing the topic: 'What do 1 expect of Christ 's coming?"
The Bible passage mentioned above this paragraph can help you with such a discussion. Here follow some remarks which may help clarify this passage.

1. Sadness over those fallen asleep (4:13-15)⤒🔗

The church at Thessalonica had now been in existence for some time. The first deaths in the church had already occurred. Death does not stay outside the church walls.

Yet that immediately posed a very difficult question for the congregation. In the past, as Gentiles, they had accepted death. But now that they were Christians they believed in the promise of the resurrection of the body. They had heard and accepted that Jesus had risen from the dead, and would come again and that the earth had a future in eternity. But their thoughts went along the lines: when Jesus comes back, we will be there, but our dead will be missing at the great roll call of King Jesus. And those were the ones they would love to have there. How will this be?

Note how realistically this congregation awaited the coming of Christ. They did not put it off into a distant future. They did not act as if it would only happen after their time here. They expected that the coming of Christ was imminent, thinking of it as happening in their own lifetime. So because of that anticipation there arose the question: 'if Jesus returns tomorrow, what will happen to my dead brother, for he won't be there at the feast?' We're unlikely to have such a question today.

Was it a mistake for the congregation to expect Jesus' return so soon? No, the apostle does not admonish them about this. None of us knows the time, anyway, and then we often come to the conclusion: it must still be some time away. But the faith of the Thessalonian congregation concluded: He could come tomorrow. Which attitude is better? Into which category do we fall? Discuss that together.

There is actually something else that is remarkable. The congregation does not spend much time on the question about where the dead are now. They are more concerned with the question about where they will be when Jesus returns.

However, you must not conclude from this that the Thessalonians believed that the dead "slept', or 'were nothing'. That they had no certainty about life in death, about a continuing life for the 'soul' with Christ. You cannot conclude that. The majority of Gentiles in those days accepted as a matter of course that the soul continued to exist. Nobody really believed that death was the end of everything.

Nor can anyone today really believe that. For the Gentiles the new concept in the Gospel was not that the deceased would live with Christ after death. The new thought was that the deceased will be given back their body and return to earth. The ultimate goal is not heaven, but earth-under-heaven. That is where man was born. That is where God will vindicate him by the resurrection of the flesh. That was a totally new concept for the Gentiles. Therefore they were not worried about the question of what happened to their dead between death and resurrection, but what would actually take place at Christ's coming. This new concept of the Gospel raised questions.

Later in history there was a period when the church was occupied more with the expectation of heavenly bliss after death, than with the expectation of earthly blessedness at the coming of Christ.

That was not right. There is comfort for what is called the 'interim state' (see Heidelberg Catechism answer 57a), but it is an 'interim comfort'. The final comfort of the Gospel is the coming of Christ and the resurrection of the flesh. Believers who have died are with Christ. But He is not yet with us. Nor are they. That is why we pray "Come Lord Jesus", also for the blessed dead.

2. A word from the Lord (4:15-17)←⤒🔗

Paul gives the questioning congregation at Thessalonica a word of comfort from Jesus. Perhaps this text is a word of Jesus which was not included in the Gospels. Perhaps it contains a message which Jesus spoke to Paul. Or perhaps in this 'word' Paul sums up the comprehensive teaching that Jesus had given to His disciples on earth about His coming.

Jesus' coming is here described in a way which makes readers think of the victory march of a general. When a general had gained great victories, it was usual to offer him a triumphal procession in his own city or in the capital city of the country. He was allowed to approach the city in what could be called 'full parade'. Heralds and trumpeters preceded him. When the inhabitants of the city heard these sounds, they would go outside the city to meet the general and receive him in state into the city to celebrate his triumph with festivities. Such an arrival of a triumphant general certainly did not happen quietly and unnoticed.

In the same way, Jesus will not enter this world through a back door, but openly. As Conqueror. He will not come again quietly, as in Bethlehem, when He still had to suffer humiliation. He will now come in His divine majesty.

On the other hand, Paul also makes clear that Christ's triumphal procession is totally different from that of an earthly general.
Though Paul uses the image of that entry, in actual fact the real entry looks more like the appearing of the LORD on Sinai than the entry of an earthly general. Look at the resemblance of our text to Exodus 19:10-20 (the people go to meet the LORD out of the tamp, there is the sound of a trumpet, smoke and fire and clouds). When Christ comes, the Son of God appears! Not a human being but an archangel precedes Him as herald. Not a topper trumpet, but the trumpet of God shall sound. He does not come from below but from heaven. His Church will not travel to meet Him along earthly paths but on the clouds, which are a sign of God's presence. It is with such majesty that Christ will come.

What is the comfort in this for the grieving Thessalonians? They thought that Jesus' return would perhaps take place unnoticed by their dead. But Paul says: 'that is out of the question.' Christ's return will come about by the power of God. Everyone will notice.
God will give a 'sign' (verse 16). That is literally: a signal, a summons, a command. Just as the general's heralds summon the inhabitants to come out to meet the general, so Christ the Lord will send out a summons to His Church. It is a command: come! By this divine command even the dead will be raised and line up for Christ's parade.

The living, together with the dead, will go to meet the Lord in the sky. This `going to meet' means the same as `receiving in state'.
The intention is not that the Church goes to heaven, but that it goes to meet Jesus and then stays with Him on earth. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Not one of God's people will be missing.

3. When? (5:1-3)←⤒🔗

The time of Christ's coming is not known. That day will be like a `thief in the night': unexpected. You cannot prepare yourself for it.
As majestic as Christ's return will be, so unexpected will be the hour of His coming.
Many people, especially older ones, often say, "You can see that we now live close to Jesus' return, because the world is so godless." Or they say when there is a war or disaster, `now it must be close.'
There is something good in these words: the return is not banished to the distant future. But there is also something dangerous in it.
The expectation of the end of time is based on 'times and seasons'.

However, we should not expect Jesus soon just because there are world wars or because people are becoming so wicked. For He can just as easily come in a time of peace and morality (verse 3a). We must expect Christ soon and be prepared, because He Himself has told us that His return is near. No matter what our times are like, peaceful or otherwise, we must in any case be watchful Christians, expecting Him according to His Word.

4. Be prepared! (5:4-10)←⤒🔗

It used to be a custom to ask young people: "Are you ready to die?" for that seemed to be the ultimate Christian virtue: to be prepared to die.

Yet that is not Christian at all. As long as God has not shown you that your hour of death is imminent, you should be prepared to live and work. A proper Christian question is, "Are you prepared for Christ's return?" That is the question discussed in 5:4-11.

As believers, we belong to Christ. We belong to His future. His day becomes our day. His coming, our liberation.
Therefore we should no longer live like the world, which experts and hopes and longs for all sorts of things except the coming of Christ. We should not "be asleep", says Paul. What does he mean by this? He means living in a way as though Jesus is not coming.
`Being asleep' includes the worldly person who may be very active and builds great dreams for the world, but takes no notice of Jesus' coming in judgment. `Being asleep' also includes the church member who spends great energy for his own good, but does not expect the Saviour, long for His coming, or take Him into account.

The apostle calls us to be awake. Sober and prepared (verse 8). We must live by faith, hope and love. But that is not easy. In our broken world, that calls for much struggle and effort. If someone wants to live by faith and exercise love and practise hope, it really means that such a person must be `armed'. We must strive to enter. Struggle to stay awake. Nevertheless the King is coming.
Shouldn't the soldiers then be prepared? The youthful troops as well?

5. Don't be silent! (5:11 and 4:18)←⤒🔗

Not once but twice Paul says, "Therefore comfort one another with these words." The word "encourage" is also used in some translations. This means to talk with each other in order to help one another.
You can gossip with one another. You can talk. You can chatter. Then the words just float around amongst talkers. But you can also try to tell somebody something. Something helpful, something good, something comforting, something necessary.

That is the meaning of the word "comfort" or "encourage" as Paul uses it here. Whoever believes in the Gospel has something to say to the other. That is also what we must now do. Don't keep mum. Don't act as if we do not know anything, either. But when the time is right, speak to each other about Christ's coming. To comfort each other. Or to spur each other on. By speaking like that, we keep alive our faith in His coming. It does not become dead capital.

Unfortunately the expectation of Jesus' return is all too often a talent which is safely buried under the church floor. No wonder that it then becomes a dead and distant issue. If the mouth is not full of this - can the heart still be overflowing?

The summons to talk to each other freely about our joyful expectation is not superfluous. Keep each other at it! The Lord opened His mouth to bring us a message of hope for the future. Around us is the night of unbelief. It is very necessary for us to keep a strong hold on the word of His coming and keep repeating it to each other.

God wants to help us through the night as watchful people. That is why He also says to us: keep each other awake with these words.
Don't keep mum about the Gospel!