Sigh.
This is one of those passages that is a bit confusing. What we have on hand is Paul's response to something ...
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.
But what was the something that prompted this response?
We can only put together a few loose pieces.
The important piece was that the Thessalonians were being mislead by somebody to think Jesus had come back and had gathered the saints and that they had been left behind. That would indeed be a source of anxiety!
What we don't have was how did the Thessalonian church view the return of Jesus?
I heard theologian Robert Morgan talk about how scholars believe there are three layers of knowledge regarding the words and deeds of Jesus. (1) Jesus actual words and deeds (2) the oral traditions and first writings of the earliest followers of Jesus (3) the consolidation of those traditions into the Four Gospels we have today.
This process was nicely and thoroughly explained in this series of posts by Mark D. Roberts where he addressed the question, "Are the New Testament Gospels reliable?"
He provides this helpful diagram in that blog post:
Image source: http://www.markdroberts.com/htmfiles/resources/gospelsreliable.htm#sep2905
What we have in hand are the 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). The Gospels as we know them were probably not yet written at the time of this letter to the Thessalonians. They had some (most?) of layer number two (the oral traditions and early writings) but probably not all the elements of layer two that eventually was distilled into the four Gospels? Thus, what was their understanding of the Return of Jesus?
We simply don't know. The fact that they were worried about it meant that there was probably a general belief that the Return would be relatively soon. Some believe the reason the Gospel records were not produced immediately after Jesus resurrection was that the early church didn't anticipate having to wait around very long. However, when it became apparent that Jesus had not yet returned and the church was spreading far and wide, the need to preserve the teachings and deeds of Jesus became an imperative.
In any case, Paul assured them that the day had not yet come. In fact, he gave them signs to look for that apparently were not yet in place to assure them that the Return was still in the future.
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Questions I can't answer: (1) since these events were in the future from the perspective of the Thessalonians have these events occurred and is thus in the past for us? (2) what are these events suppose to be?
More on this topic in the next blog post.
Lord, don't know what this passage means. I think it is still in the future. I trust in your control events even if I don't understand them. I look at the world today and it sure looks lawless. Whether is it hateful violence in some far away parts of this world like Darfur and Iraq or close by in my city where gangs control parts of Los Angeles, terrible things are happening. Lord, speed the day when your justice and peace will reign on this earth as it is in heaven. In the meantime, help me in the realms of my life to bring in your kingdom. Amen.
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