C. Lecture 3 –Thessalonians
Word Count: 524
1. How should one respond to those who cite 1 Thessalonians 4:13 as a reason for Christians not to grieve when a fellow believer passes away?
One major theme of these letters is eschatology regarding the return of Christ. Verse13 has been abused by some believers and used as a directive to not grieve when a loved one goes to “sleep” (a euphemism for death). Grieving is natural and dangerous to suppress. Instead, Paul is making a distinction between two kinds of grieving: (1) Grieving as those with no hope, namely, those with no ultimate expectation of the resurrection, and (2) grieving as one who knows that Christ will return and vanquish death.
2. What feature of 1 Thess. 4:16-17 has suggested …show more content…
It is popularly known as “The Rapture” passage—subject of much eschatological debate. Possttribulationists find support here for their position due the use of the word translated as “to meet” the Lord in v.17. This is the translation of the Greek word apantēsis, often used for an escort party for a returning dignitary or king after a victorious endeavor. The welcoming party would then escort the dignitary into the city in a royal and joyous procession. If this is what Paul has in mind, then the passage would point to Christ’s final return prior to the millennium or the New Heavens and New Earth. This passage was meant to bring consolation to the Church but sadly it has brought much division.
3. What is the significance of 2 Thess. 1:9 for debates about hell?
This passage is important for debates about hell, because scripture often uses metaphors to refer to the agony experienced there in contradictory terms if taken literally. For example, hell is described as a place of fire (Rev. 20:14) but also as a place of darkness (2 Peter 2:4). This passage serves as a non-literal clarification of those passages since here we have a straight-forward statement about the nature of hell as a place of suffering due to the separation of the human person from God and his goodness, glory, and beauty.
4. How could anyone in Thessalonica have imagined that the Day of the Lord was already past (2 Thess. …show more content…
On the one hand we should not presume that Jesus has to return in a specific day and time or during our lifetime; but on the other, we should not be so complacent to assume that he can’t return during our lifetime. We ought to be mindful whilst interpreting and/or debating the timing or the Lord’s return. A pre-tribulation view of the return of Christ would be quite foreign to Christians that have suffered in recent persecutions and could make us complacent about the status-quo. We should also avoid a “sinking-ship” and fatalist/survivalist mentality towards the
Word Count: 524
1. How should one respond to those who cite 1 Thessalonians 4:13 as a reason for Christians not to grieve when a fellow believer passes away?
One major theme of these letters is eschatology regarding the return of Christ. Verse13 has been abused by some believers and used as a directive to not grieve when a loved one goes to “sleep” (a euphemism for death). Grieving is natural and dangerous to suppress. Instead, Paul is making a distinction between two kinds of grieving: (1) Grieving as those with no hope, namely, those with no ultimate expectation of the resurrection, and (2) grieving as one who knows that Christ will return and vanquish death.
2. What feature of 1 Thess. 4:16-17 has suggested …show more content…
It is popularly known as “The Rapture” passage—subject of much eschatological debate. Possttribulationists find support here for their position due the use of the word translated as “to meet” the Lord in v.17. This is the translation of the Greek word apantēsis, often used for an escort party for a returning dignitary or king after a victorious endeavor. The welcoming party would then escort the dignitary into the city in a royal and joyous procession. If this is what Paul has in mind, then the passage would point to Christ’s final return prior to the millennium or the New Heavens and New Earth. This passage was meant to bring consolation to the Church but sadly it has brought much division.
3. What is the significance of 2 Thess. 1:9 for debates about hell?
This passage is important for debates about hell, because scripture often uses metaphors to refer to the agony experienced there in contradictory terms if taken literally. For example, hell is described as a place of fire (Rev. 20:14) but also as a place of darkness (2 Peter 2:4). This passage serves as a non-literal clarification of those passages since here we have a straight-forward statement about the nature of hell as a place of suffering due to the separation of the human person from God and his goodness, glory, and beauty.
4. How could anyone in Thessalonica have imagined that the Day of the Lord was already past (2 Thess. …show more content…
On the one hand we should not presume that Jesus has to return in a specific day and time or during our lifetime; but on the other, we should not be so complacent to assume that he can’t return during our lifetime. We ought to be mindful whilst interpreting and/or debating the timing or the Lord’s return. A pre-tribulation view of the return of Christ would be quite foreign to Christians that have suffered in recent persecutions and could make us complacent about the status-quo. We should also avoid a “sinking-ship” and fatalist/survivalist mentality towards the