This session has not been translated into your language yet, so it is shown in English.

Clearing up Confusion over Christ’s Return

1. READ

   1 Thessalonians 3:1-10; 4:13-18; 5:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 1, 2

2. CONNECT

   10min
   Every worldview has a belief about how to be saved, how to be good, and how the world will end. As societies around the world become more and more secular, they focus more on human’s role in the end of the world than on God’s. During the Cold War, many people focused their concern and activism on the threat of nuclear war. More recently, people have focused on the “Climate Emergency.” The problems in the church at Thessalonica highlight the fact that what we believe about when and how our world will end impacts us in important ways.

3. Reflection

   If you could choose where you would be at the end of the world, where would you like to be and why?

4. WATCH

   20min

5. DISCUSS

   10min
   • What is something that stood out to you from the video?
   • Jesus’ teaching about the end times was clearly in Paul’s mind as he wrote to the Thessalonians. List some of the signs Jesus gave to his disciples in the following verses from Matthew 24 that will point to his coming and the end of this age:
     • vv. 9-10
     • vv. 11, 24
     • v. 14
     • vv. 30-31
     • vv. 36, 42
   • How are contemporary beliefs about the end of the world similar to and different from the historical perspective on Christ’s return as presented by Jesus and in the video?
   • Paul instructed the Thessalonians to “test everything” they were taught. How do you decide if something you are reading or hearing is true or not?

6. Straight from the Heart

   15min
   Comfort and Encouragement In Paul’s teaching about the end times, he instructs the Thessalonians to “encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Paul’s desire for believers in Christ to be encouraged and comforted in the midst of suffering and persecution is central to his writings. The Greek word translated here “encourage” (parakaleo) shows up ten times in his two short letters to the Thessalonians. Sometimes, Paul speaks of encouragement in the emotional sense as he writes about someone’s heart being comforted. Other times, Paul is encouraging people to do something. Read the following verses and note what Paul does to encourage the persecuted and confused believers in Thessalonica:

   • 1 Thess. 1:2; 2 Thess. 1:11-12
   • 1 Thess. 1:3, 7; 2 Thess. 1:4
   • 2 Thess. 1:5-10
   • 1 Thess. 3:1-3
   • 1 Thess. 4:13; 2 Thess. 2:1-3, 5

   What are some things Paul encourages the Thessalonians to do?

   • 1 Thess. 2:12
   • 1 Thess. 5:11
   • 2 Thess. 3:13

   Comforting someone and urging them to do something may seem like two different things, especially in a therapeutic culture where supporting someone and challenging their actions or beliefs are often seen as contradictory. But Scripture and experience show that the kind of comfort that brings peace and even joy is a result of a correct understanding of what is true and of right living. As Dr. Dan Lacich explains in Thirdmill’s video Paul and the Thessalonians:

   At the end of chapter 3 of 1 Thessalonians, Paul gives what almost seems like a benediction to the Thessalonians of his desire for them to grow in holiness in Christ and to live a blameless life in Christ. Because he wants them to succeed. He wants them to be a great witness for Christ. And he wants them to enjoy all of the blessings that come with being a follower of Christ. And so, I think you see the real love that Paul has for them poured out in those words because it shows what he ultimately wants them to become and how he wants them to succeed. And all the problems that they may be having in the moment, that’s not going to deflect that love at all. In fact, if anything, I think it stirs it up even more that he yearns for them to really be conformed into holiness and Christ-likeness for their own well-being and their own joy.

7. APPLY

   Take some time to consider the following questions:

   • How can what Jesus and Paul taught about the end of the world encourage your heart?
   • What actions might Paul’s teaching about the end of the world encourage you to do now?
   • Think of someone you know who needs their spirits lifted. Review what Paul did to encourage the Thessalonians. Considering this, what practical things could you do to encourage them this week?

   Session 8 Handout

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