You Don’t Know the Day or the Hour

This is the 19th in a series of excerpts from What Every Christian Should Know About the Return of Jesus, released by High Street Press and available at Amazon.com. 

In the previous column, we looked at a first-century Galilean wedding as the context for Jesus’ parable of the 10 virgins. Jesus tells the parable to prepare his followers for what’s ahead. After his imminent suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus returns to his Father, prepares a place in heaven for believers, and then calls his bride to meet him at his return.

Many who hold a dispensational premillennial view of the end times point to this event as the rapture, inwhich followers of Jesus are “caught up” to meet him in the air (1 Cor. 15:50-57; 1 Thess. 4:13-18). 

According to this view, the seven-day honeymoon depicts seven years the church is in heaven while tribulation takes place on earth. And the departure from the father’s house after the honeymoon pictures the glorious appearing of Christ when he returns to earth with the saints, sits on the throne of David, and rules the earth with his queen.

For historical premillennialists and amillennialists, this parable foretells a general resurrection of all people at Christ’s second coming. Glorified believers go up to meet Jesus in the air – like ancient citizens going out from their city to welcome a visiting king – and accompany him in his victorious return to earth. Meanwhile, unbelievers – the foolish virgins – are denied entrance into the kingdom.

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You Have Conquered the Evil One

The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

John writes in his first letter: “I am writing to you, little children, since your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you have come to know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, God’s word remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one” (1 John 2:12-14).

John addresses three groups of people in these verses: children, fathers, and young men. Augustine believed, as do other commentators, that the three groups represent three stages of spiritual pilgrimage. The children are newborn babes in Christ. The young men are more developed Christians engaging successfully in spiritual warfare. And the fathers are the most mature believers, deep in spiritual knowledge and experience. 

While this is a possible reading, it seems better to view “children” as all of John’s readers, and “young men” and “fathers” as those who may be distinguished by age within the church.

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Behold, the Bridegroom Comes!

This is the 18th in a series of excerpts from What Every Christian Should Know About the Return of Jesus, released by High Street Press and available at Amazon.com. 

There are well over a hundred parables in the Bible, but the most beloved are the 30-plus parables Jesus shares with us. While he’s not the first to use this form of teaching, Jesus endows his parables with unparalleled originality and spiritual depth. In fact, more than one-third of all his recorded sayings are parables.

Several of Jesus’ parables address the suddenness of his future return in glory. One of these is the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25:1-13.

The central theme of this parable is readiness for the return of Christ. Like the bridegroom in first-century Galilean society, Jesus most assuredly is coming, but he’s coming suddenly and catches the unprepared by surprise.

The central character in this parable is the bridegroom (Christ), who is delayed in coming for his bride (the church). Scripture often refers to the church as the bride and Christ as the bridegroom (Matt. 9:15; Mark 2:19-20; Luke 5:34-35; John 3:29).    Believers are “betrothed” to Jesus, who promises to come one day and take them to his Father’s house (John 14:1-3).

A general understanding of first-century Jewish wedding customs is helpful in navigating this parable. 

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Guarded from the Evil One

The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 3:3: “But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.”

Paul begins chapter 3 of his second letter to the Thessalonians with an appeal for prayer “that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you” (v. 1). In addition, Paul asks his readers to pray that he and his companions be delivered from “wicked and evil people, for not all have faith” (v. 2). 

Paul uses two adjectives to describe those attacking his ministry. “Wicked” is from the Greek atopos and means “out of place,” “improper,” “wrong-headed,” or “perverse.” These people behave in ways unbecoming of Christians. The second word Paul uses, “evil,” is from the Greek poneros, which we already addressed in this chapter as a term meaning “bad,” “evil,” or “malicious.” 

Paul seems to have a particular group in mind, perhaps Jewish opponents of the gospel in Corinth (Acts 18:6ff). In any case, these wicked people do not appear to be Christians, for Paul follows his description of them with the phrase, “for not all have faith” (2 Thess. 3:2). That is, these opponents refuse to embrace the objective truths of the gospel message.

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Take Up the Shield of Faith

The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

Paul writes to the Ephesians: “In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Eph. 6:16) 

We explore this passage more fully in chapter 15 of What Every Christian Should Know about Satan. However, a few observations here may prove helpful. 

First, the evil one wields a quiver full of “flaming arrows.” In New Testament times, soldiers often covered the tips of their arrows in coarse fibers dipped in pitch and then set on fire. These flaming arrows were shot at different trajectories toward enemy lines, presenting the double threat of piercing iron and scattering flames. 

In a similar way, Satan hurls a seemingly endless volley of temptations at us: thoughts of pride, selfishness, fear, doubt, disappointment, greed, anger, vengeance, lust, and judgmentalism. They strike at different times and in different ways, but they all are deadly in their intent. 

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