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December 8, 2025

Ready, Set, Go: Paul's Instructions for the End Times, Church Life, and Christian Brotherhood

by Jason Neill

Scripture reading: 1& 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, & Philemon

This week, we’ll be reading the last six letters written by the Apostle Paul. To keep the blog short, I am only addressing the bare bones of these documents. These books are so rich in content that numerous posts could be written for each one.

Let’s dive right in.

1 & 2 Thessalonians

  • Author: The Apostle Paul
  • Date: 1 Thessalonians, A.D. 51; 2 Thessalonians, A.D. 51
  • Recipients: The believers at Thessalonica
  • Key Themes:
    • The theme for 1 Thessalonians is the coming of Jesus. The church had questions about the Lord’s return, especially because some of their loved ones had died without experiencing that holy event. Their question was whether their loved ones would miss the Lord’s return since they died before his coming. Paul answers this concern in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. The return of Jesus is mentioned in every chapter (see 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 2:19; 3:11-13; 4:13-18; 5:23).
    • The theme of 2 Thessalonians is Paul’s explanation of the Lord’s return as it relates to the “Day of the Lord,” a period of divine judgment upon the earth, often referred to as the Tribulation period.
  • Notable Verses: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, ESV).

 

1 & 2 Timothy

  • Author: The Apostle Paul
  • Date: 1 Timothy, A.D. 62; 2 Timothy, A.D. 67
  • Recipients: Timothy, Paul’s “son in the faith” (see 1 Timothy 1:2). Timothy was the pastor at the church in Ephesus (see 1 Timothy 1:3).
  • Key Themes: These letters are commonly referred to as the “pastoral letters” because they address how believers should conduct themselves in the church (see 1 Timothy 3:14-15). 1 Timothy provides the reader with the qualifications for elders/pastors and deacons (see 1 Timothy 3). 2 Timothy is the last letter Paul wrote prior to his execution by the Roman government.
  • Notable Verse: Paul’s gospel (i.e., the good news about salvation) was the same as Jesus’: namely, believe in Jesus alone for eternal life. “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16, ESV).

 

Titus

  • Author: The Apostle Paul
  • Date: A.D. 63
  • Recipients: Titus, a pastor on the island of Crete (see Titus 1:5) and Paul’s co-laborer in the gospel.
  • Key Themes: This letter, along with 1 & 2 Timothy, is part of the “pastoral letters” because it contains Paul’s instructions to a young pastor regarding what his tasks should be in the church in Paul’s absence.
  • Notable Verses: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possessions who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14, ESV).

 

Philemon

  • Author: The Apostle Paul
  • Date: A.D. 60-62. This letter was written along with the other prison letters (Ephesians, Philippians, & Colossians). They have that moniker because Paul wrote them under house arrest in Rome (see Acts 28:11-31).
  • Recipients: Philemon, a believer at the church at Colosse.
  • Key Themes: Onesimus was a slave who belonged to Philemon. Apparently, he ran away from his master and met Paul in the city of Rome. Paul shared the good news of eternal life in Jesus Christ alone, and Onesimus believed. Encouraging him to go back to his master, Paul wrote a letter to his friend Philemon, encouraging him to welcome Onesimus back as a fellow brother in the Lord’s family.
  • Notable Verses: “So if you consider me your partner, receive him (Onesimus) as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account” (Philemon 1:17-18, ESV).

Application from 1 & 2 Thessalonians (The Lord’s Return):

The central focus of these two letters is a major topic in theology: eschatology. Eschatology (pronounced “eh·skuh·taa·luh·jee”) is the study of last things. It addresses topics such as what happens after death to a larger scale relating to how the end of the world will unfold.

Paul founded the church at Thessalonica during his second missionary journey (see Acts 17:1-10). The biblical text says he stayed three weeks, but his stay could have been longer. While most think of the study of end times to be a topic for mature Christians, Paul didn’t see it in that manner. He taught about the Lord’s return, the “Day of the Lord,” and the “man of sin” commonly referred to as the Antichrist.

Although there are a variety of views concerning last things, it is one of the doctrines we should study as believers. It helps us keep an eternal perspective as we await the return of our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

This focus on essential doctrine and godly living is what makes Paul's letters timeless. If you are looking to solidify your understanding of these essential truths and learn how to stand strong in your faith, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Conviction Without Compromise: Standing Strong in the Core Beliefs of the Christian Faith by Norman Geisler and Ron Rhodes.