The Thessalonian church was born amidst great conflict during Paul’s brief stay recorded in Acts 16. His ensuing letters to the brethren there are filled with great heart and pathos based upon the camaraderie he shared with them, even after being with them only a short while–21 days max. To give them hope, Paul addresses the critical topic of the coming again of Jesus Christ, and in so doing debunks some of the same errors still being taught in the Church today. He clearly delineates between the coming of Christ in the air FOR all Christians (the “Rapture”) and the coming of Christ to the earth WITH all Christians at the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom. He plainly shows that the Christian Church, the Body of Christ, is now blocking the Anti-Christ from rising to power on the earth, and that Christ’s rescue of all Christians must occur before that terrible time.
