One of the reasons that Jesus was rejected by the Jewish nation is that they were expecting a military Messiah. The had waited centuries for the Messiah to liberate them from the oppression of the nations and restore the kingdom of Israel. They had expected these prophecies but missed the predictions of Christ’s suffering and humble sacrifice. The opposite can be true for the Church. We see the fulfilled prophecies of the suffering servant but neglect the predictions of the Conquering King. God is faithful, He fulfils all His promises, and that realisation is of immeasurable value to us the Church.

The Holy Spirit takes great care to guide Paul to prepare the Church in Thessalonica to deal with the topic of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. What good is the right belief if it doesn’t lead to the right behaviour? More than three chapters have been written to prepare the Church to deal correctly with the teaching of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ before details of His return are discussed. These details, if dealt with correctly, help the Church to stay encouraged and focused on the works of faith and labours of love which lead to our holiness, without which nobody will see the Lord.