The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is not incidental in the Bible. It is mentioned often and longed for by the Apostles and early Church. The signs of the times are around us. At any moment the Lord Jesus will come again. It may seem long for us but not for God.

1 – The wrath to come (vs. 10)

Not only is Jesus coming but there is impending wrath. It is known as the Great Tribulation. Terrible sufferings are yet to come. See Daniel 12:1 & Matthew 24:21ff. This is a unique time in human history. See Revelation 6:1-15. There will be four horsemen mentioned in this wrath to come.

• There is the white horse of dominion. This horse is being ridden by the Antichrist himself. He has a crown on his head and a bow in his hand.
• There is the red horse of destruction. The red speaks of blood. There will be war, followed by death and destruction. Those who do not accept the Antichrist will be killed.
• There is the black horse of depravation. The black horse speaks of famine. Famine often follows war. The scales speak of the scarcity of food. It will take a day’s work to get enough to live on. There are many at this level on the third world today.
• There is the pale horse of decimation. This pale horse brings death. The aftermath of war brings sickness and disease. Death claims the body but hell will claim the soul.

These four horsemen are ready to start riding. See Revelation 9:1-12. Wickedness will be set free to cause havoc on the earth. These demonic spirits are evil and seek to inflict those who do not have the seal of God. They are like locusts. They will feed on mankind. They will cause terrible pain. People would gladly embrace death – if they could. They go forth like horses. They cannot be stopped or opposed. They have crowns like gold. Satan has been given dominion on the Earth. They have the faces of men. They are intelligent and crafty. They have the hair of women and the teeth of lions. They can seduce but they are ready to destroy like a lion. They have armour that protects them from destruction. They are everywhere and no one can escape them. They are out to hurt mankind for five months. There is a king over these demonic spirits. It is a mighty demon or perhaps Satan himself.

2 – The expectant wait (vs. 10)

God has delivered us from the wrath to come. Will the Church go through this great tribulation? See 1 Thessalonians 5:9. The church will be taken away from the wrath to come. The Lord Jesus Christ himself will deliver his Church. See Revelation 3:10. God has always removed his people before the judgement came. See the story of Lot and Noah. See Matthew 24:42-44. We are looking for Jesus not the tribulation. It is better to die than have to go through the tribulation.

3 – The exemplary work (vs. 9)

There are three things:-

• You need to turn to God from idols. We still have them but we have given them different names. There are old gods with new names. An idol is anything that you love or fear more than the living God. You cannot have Jesus Christ and this world at the same time.
• You need to serve the true and living God. We are work for him.
• They are waiting for Jesus to come. It is not a last resort. The people were praying for Jesus to come. They were dying for Jesus to come.

Categories: 1 Thessalonians