A timeline for both Preterist and Futurist views

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Rapture parallels

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Thessalonians background

The Apostle Paul wrote the letters to the believers in Thessalonians not too long after he had left there, around AD 50.   The letters were probably written in response to the report he received from Timothy, who was sent there while Paul was in Athens, 1 Thess 3.1.-3.  Acts chapter 17 gives the account of Paul and Co.'s first encounter with the Thessalonians.  He had some positive response from his speaking in the synagogue of the Jews.  Luke does not record much of the time in the city, for Acts 17.5 says the Jews who were not persuaded became envious and caused trouble, so as to probably not be a problem for the new believers, Paul and Silas moved on to Berea where they had success as well in the synagogue, but Jews from Thessalonica came and stirred up the crowds against them.  So, Paul was moved along to Athens while Silas and Tim. remained behind.  After they came, Tim and Silas were sent back to Thessalonica.  Paul would move onto Corinth.  It was there that Tim and Silas would return with news from Thessalonica, Acts 18.5.  This was during the time of the proconsul Gallio, around AD50, and it was during this time the letter to Thessalonica was written in response to the report of Tim and Silas.   Paul was concerned about these young believers, because they had to face persecution from the jealous unbelieving Jews, who had lost gentiles to the Way, and they would be under affliction and temptation by their own people.  Paul must have spent more than a few days at Thessalonica, because Acts only records his impact on the Synagogue attendees, while his first letter speaks of those who turned to God from idols, which reveals an evangelistic ministry to those on the outside.  The letter also indicates his primary audience is gentile:  1:9; 2:14; 4:3-5.  His letter also addresses issue about the coming of Christ and the events leading up to it, which would indicate some time was spent on teaching such things.  This reveals that such topics should be taught even among younger believers.  Paul writes in response of the report from Tim.  He writes to encourage them by his cognition and approval of their conduct and to address the problem of persecution and the need to endure it.  He also addresses issues of prophecy and conduct becoming a child of God.

The tension for the Christian futurist concerning Israel

 

There can be a real tension for the Christian who is a futurist, when it comes to eschatology (last things), and the situation with Israel. The tension is in knowing that salvation is through believing in Jesus as the Christ (Son of God) and Savior from sin and wanting to be a friend of Israel, wanting what is right and just for them as a people and nation, to be able to dwell safely in the land that was once theirs, before their conflict and dispersion into the world during the time of the Roman Empire. The tension is in wanting what seems right for them as a nation, to dwell safely in that land which seems by some to be illegitimate and contrary to the belief about who Jesus is, and that He is the only way of salvation. Can't a futurist Christian--who believes in a future salvation of Israel as a people and nation according to numerous Old Testament prophecies and the book of Romans chapter 11 (“All Israel will be saved”)--want what is right for the nation with respect to the land of Israel and still be concerned about them evangelistically? It is true, from a futurist perspective, and from those Jews who may be anti-Zionists (they see the present state of Israel as illegitimate) that Israel will not be restored back into the Land according to the prophets until the coming of Messiah (that Jesus' “Second Coming” for Christian futurists). The futurist must believe that Israel is saved in the *same manner as the gentile--through faith in Jesus as the Christ and Savior from sin, and yet, futurists usually have a strong desire for justice for the Jewish people, to have a right to dwell in that land which was clearly theirs historically. Can't a futurist Christian be for both the evangelism of the Jew and their right to exist in the land? It's like the Christian who is concerned for both evangelism and the maintenance of social moral values--can't both be pursued? Can't one speak both the gospel and against abortion and other moral issues at the same time? Aren't we to be salt and light in the world? We live in a country that allows us to have freedom of speech and elect or run for political office. Can't we as believers in Christ do more than one thing? Can we seek to do that what is right in society and evangelize?

* But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we [Jews] shall be saved in the same manner as they [Gentiles]." Acts 15:11

If God chooses a particular world of free will choices...

  I just think that in God choosing a particular world of free will choices, those free will choices will happen and not others.  But they are free will choices.   Yet God also will intervene in cases as needed to accomplish certain things or to limit certain things-- for example, limiting or redirecting the evil Joseph's brothers intended to do to Joseph, so that he ended up in Egypt, and he could be a savior to the family and provide the circumstances that would fulfill the prophecy to Abraham.  It was how Joseph was able to soften the evil his brothers did by saying it was not they but God who sent him there.  There may be a better way to say it, but he deflected the offense from them it seems.  

Inclination and God's moral will

 As a child, I had an inclination to steal.  Stealing is wrong. It is contrary to God's moral will.   I had to choose not to steal.  The inclination waned over time, but even if it hadn't, it still would be contrary to God's moral will.  I believe the inclination to steal is an inordinate desire that somehow developed out of the original free will act of Adam to act contrary to God's will, and it passed on to his progeny.  We all have inordinate desires that have their source in Adam.  Some call it the "sin nature" or the "evil" that dwells within us (See Romans 7 and Paul's account of struggling with covetousness).

I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet." ⁸ But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. ⁹ I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. ¹⁰ And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. ¹¹ For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. ¹² Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

¹³ Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. ¹⁴ For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. ¹⁵ For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. ¹⁶ If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. ¹⁷ But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ¹⁸ For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. ¹⁹ For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. ²⁰ Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
²¹ I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. ²² For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. ²³ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. ²⁴ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:7-25

Luke leaves out the trip to Egypt

Matthew records that Jesus and family flee to Egypt from Bethlehem, while Luke leaves the Egyptian stay completely out, and has the family going to Nazareth after all the Jewish Law requirements are met for Jesus in Bethlehem.   Why does Luke skip any reference to the family fleeing to Egypt?  Luke makes it sound like the family went directly to Nazareth after Bethlehem.  Is this a historical error in either's account?

39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. Luke 2:39

He [Herod] sent them [Magi] to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child ... Matthew 2:8 when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother and fell down and worshiped Him. Matthew 2:11 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word ...  Matthew 2:13 when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel ... " Matthew 2:19-20 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth... Matthew 2:23

Luke appears to do the same thing concerning the early history of Jesus as he does with Paul after his conversion. In Acts, Luke completely skips Paul’s time in Arabia following his conversion but has him in Damascus proclaiming Christ and then going to Jerusalem, yet Paul says in Galatians that after his conversion, he first went to Arabia, then back to Damascus, and then Jerusalem.  But Luke skips the trip to Arabia in Acts, making it seem that Paul never left Damascus. It would seem that Luke, likewise, skipped the time spent in Egypt by Jesus before going to Nazareth. Sometime after the birth of Jesus and the presentation in the temple, the Magi visit a house that they are staying in. Then they are warned to flee to Egypt. When they finally return to Israel, they go to Nazareth.  Luke skips the part about fleeing to Egypt just as he skips the part about Paul spending years in Arabia, making it sound like Paul’s preaching in Damascus happened right after his conversion.   I would also point out that Luke skips a lot of time spent by Paul in Thessalonica in Acts 17, as it seems Paul was there for a short time, but he had to spend much more than a few days, because of the obvious impact he had on not only the gentiles who went to the synagogue, but those who were still into idolatry, as First Thessalonians speaks of the gentiles who turned to God from idols.  And the knowledge of the Thessalonians concerning eschatology indicates that Paul spent much more time there than Luke reveals in the book of Acts.   Paul wrote First and Second Thessalonians before he saw them again--when he was in Corinth.  So, Luke had a habit of jumping from one event to another and leaving out events in-between.

The degree of wickedness in society has a Divine limit

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How did Paul know the “election” of the Thessalonians?

 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, ³ remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, ⁴ knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4

Some may see this “election” or choice as a reference to justification. Would it make sense for Paul to reference their justification here, and how did he know it?

There is reason to believe this election was with reference to them as Gentiles, and not particularly justification, since in the context, reference is made to conduct--which Paul seems to speak of approvingly.

God chose to have a people from among the Gentiles, and like Israel as a people, these Gentiles would be chosen for a purpose, to have conduct becoming the people of God.

James understood this election of the Gentiles and he quotes Scripture and makes such application during the Jerusalem council concerning the salvation of Gentiles: James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me: ¹⁴ Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. ¹⁵ And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: ¹⁶ 'After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; ¹⁷ So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.' Acts 15:13-17

What God was doing was consistent with the Scripture, and it had application, though it would seem to look to the future Millennium when Israel is restored.

So, Paul was saying the gentiles were by their conduct fulfilling the election, that being as the people of God. For the people of God are to have conduct that show forth the holiness and salvation of God to those around them—just as Israel was to do as a people of God. Their character was consistent with the Divine choice of them, and in this sense Paul was “knowing” their “election.”

As a Thief

 

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