Have you ever heard the phrase, “He is so heavenly-minded that he is no earthly good?” There are people who live with their heads in the clouds, who spend much of life rushing from one mountaintop experience to another. Meanwhile, they never live in the here and now.

Paul is concerned about some such folks in Thessalonica. These people have become so enraptured (pun intended) about the second coming of Jesus, about going to heaven, that they are no longer truly living in this world. Some have stopped going to work, stopped engaging with those they love, and stopped living out faith, hope, and love. They are remindful of people down through the centuries who have sold everything they have, and have gone out and sat on hillsides waiting for Jesus to return.

This is tempting for a congregation. In some churches, the pastor preaches on the book of Revelation at least every other Sunday, and the leaders spend much of their time trying to understand every nuance of the second coming. They are so heavenly-minded, they are not much earthly good.

Paul reminds the congregation of two things. First, you do not know the day nor the hour when Jesus will return. You are not God, get over it. And while you are waiting for Jesus to return, you need to live each day to the fullest, to embrace the life God has given to you.

We are still confused about the second coming. If you look closely, there are at least five different ideas that Christians have embraced. Each of these beliefs has some very famous theologians behind them.

  1. When you die, you are dead, you stay in your grave until Jesus returns on the last day.
  2. When you die, your soul goes to heaven, your body goes into the earth.
  3. When you die, you go to Purgatory where you do penance for your sins.
  4. When you die, you go directly to heaven and remain there for eternity.
  5. On the final day, Jesus will return, judge all people, and create a new heaven and a new earth.

While it is fascinating to speculate about the end times, for the most part, it is a waste of time and energy. God wants us to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. Or as the title of a book I bought many years ago says, “In the beginning, God; In the end, God.”

In Romans 8 Paul gives perhaps the definitive answer to what happens to us when we die. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NIV)

Questions for reflection

  1. What do you think happens to you when you die?
  2. Why does Jesus say so emphatically that we do not know the day or the hour?
  3. Who do you think needs to hear this good news about heaven and eternal life?