Misunderstanding of Christ’s return

 

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

Do you remember Y2K? “The Year 2000 problem (also known as the Y2K problem, the millennium bug, the Y2K bug, or simply Y2K) was a problem for both digital (computer-related) and non-digital documentation and data storage situations, which resulted from the practice of abbreviating a four-digit year to two digits. Without corrective action, it was suggested that long-working systems would break down when the "...97, 98, 99, 00..." ascending numbering assumption suddenly became invalid. Companies and organizations worldwide checked, fixed, and upgraded their computer systems.” (From Wikipedia)   Many books were written, and I must say that much of the hysteria was from so called Christian writers who were cashing in on the frenzy. They not only implied but many said it was the end of civilization as we knew it and that the utilities and the banking industries would shut down.  They had people buying food and storing water and you name it they were telling us that the end would come because a computer had only two digits.  When the big day came and companies around the world had spend millions of dollars and the clock ticked to January 1, 2000, no major problems, planes did not fall from the skies, banks did not shutdown, stores were running well, no major power outages, and life was normal.  And one last fact, the dollar stores were full of Y2K books, still worth more than their value.

I was teaching a very large class of young couples, most of them were in their twenties and thirties at that time, and my message was simple, do not buy the sales job, it is not going to happen, and I did not fear waking up on January 1, 2000.  Now Y2K had some basis, but it became a feeding frenzy on rumors and just out and out lies, and as always we think we are the only ones this has happen to, but it happened to the church at Thessalonica.

It seems as if Paul’s first letter to this church had been misinterpreted and many believed that Christ’s coming was at hand or had already taken place.  As was the hysteria at Y2K this misunderstanding of Christ’s return resulted in undue excitement and many were holding wrong views about the nearness of the Lord’s coming, this was upsetting many lives.   Paul did what many of us tried to do during Y2K, look at the facts, do not listen to the ones making money off of the fears of the moment.  This was the facts Paul gave them,” Let no one deceive you in any way.  For the day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-call god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.”   What should we take from this, men, all men at best are liars in comparison to God, trust God and do not put your trust in men.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice