The World is Always Ending I

The Apocalyptic Outlook of the Apostle Paul

Perhaps nothing did more to reshape my perspective on Christian origins than understanding how thoroughly apocalyptic the early Jesus Movement was. John the Baptizer, Jesus of Nazareth, Paul of Tarsus, and many of their followers seemed to believe that the imminent end of the age would happen in their lifetimes and that their god would soon remake and judge the world. Scholars sometimes use the term “apocalypticism” to refer to the varied worldviews of the end times. It can be understood through the literature, social movements, and eschatology¹ of apocalyptically-minded groups. It is most commonly found in religious traditions which possess a linear view of history such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Book of Revelation is recognized by many casual readers as apocalyptic in theme, but apocalyptic elements litter much of the New Testament and should cause us to reflect on the nature of the early Jesus Movement.

Apocalyptic Paul

Paul of Tarsus is responsible for 7² of the 27 New Testament texts. Before becoming a prominent advocate for the religion about Jesus, Paul tells us that he was a member of the Pharisaic sect of Judaism and that he was opposed to Christ followers. After having a visionary experience,³ he commits himself to proclaiming Jesus’ salvific work for Jews and Gentiles. Paul remained a devoted Jew for the rest of his life but adopted some divergent and pivotal beliefs about Jesus of Nazareth. Salvation for Paul was not about adherence to Jewish law, but about faithfulness to what Theodore Jennings calls the “messianic event”,⁴ the resurrection of Jesus which inaugurated the beginning of the end, opening the door for the divine remaking of the world.

-Map of the Ancient Mediterranean, c. 1st century CE. Tarsus is located along the southeastern coast of Asia Minor (Turkey). Source: https://enterthebible.org/map/first-century-asia-minor.

We can learn quite a bit from these letters, but one of the most striking observations is how on the nose Paul’s apocalyptic outlook was. In what many scholars believe to be Paul’s earliest surviving letter (probably written in the early 50s CE), Paul writes:

“For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will be with the Lord forever.”⁵

Some people today read this as a description of the rapture, but most scholars think Paul is doing something else here, and I tend to agree. When reading Paul’s letters, we are getting one half of a conversation, almost like listening to someone nearby talking on the telephone. It takes some educated work to piece together the other side of the conversation, but it can be done with some confidence. It is evident from reading this letter in its entirety that some of the Jesus followers at Thessalonica were concerned that some of them had died before Jesus returned. This concern in and of itself demonstrates a thread within the movement which believed Jesus would come back before his followers died. As Paul attempts to assuage their concerns, he includes himself with those who will still be alive when Jesus returns.

We can see a similar perspective in one of his letters to the Corinthians. While instructing his audience on marriage, divorce, and social status, he says that “in view of the impending crisis, it is good for you to remain as you are”⁶ for “the present form of this world is passing away.”⁷ His request that the Corinthians remain in their current social situations seems motivated by his belief that the end was near, and that drastic changes in status were distractions to those seeking the coming kingdom of God.

It is also noteworthy that in his letter to the Romans, Paul avoids any specific statements about an imminent end which he will be alive for. It is widely agreed that Romans is Paul’s last letter and comparing it with earlier letters like 1 Thessalonians may reveal a decreasing emphasis on Jesus’ imminent return as Paul neared the end of his life. Perhaps he began to realize Jesus’ return might not occur during his own lifetime.

So, was Paul an anomaly with some bizarre beliefs? In some ways, yes, but not because he believed that the end was near. In fact, Paul would have found many similar views within different spheres of Judaism in his day. Apocalyptic themes were present in parts of the Book of Daniel, 4 Ezra, and throughout the Dead Sea Scrolls, to give just a few examples. Many have linked the rise in apocalypticism during that time to oppressions faced within the broader Jewish community. By the middle of the 1st century, Jews living in and around Judaea had been under a revolving boot of imperial dominance for centuries. Apocalyptic beliefs are often adopted to help explain current circumstances by believing that ultimate justice will be served at the end. Thus, there was a robust theme of apocalyptic thought in Paul’s day, and his letters bear this out.

What might this tell us about the early Jesus Movement? Does it reframe some of the ethical dictums that Paul gives? And how does Jesus fit into all of this? I’ll explore all that and more in the next post.

Reading Suggestions:

• Outlaw Justice: The Messianic Politics of Paul by Theodore W. Jennings Jr.

• Paul Was Not a Christian: The Original Message of a Misunderstood Apostle by Pamela Eisenbaum

• 1 Thessalonians

• 1 Corinthians

1. John J. Collins. The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature, 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016, 2.

2. Most scholars agree that Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Philemon, and Romans. The other letters attributed to Paul are believed to be written later by people claiming Paul’s name.

3. Note that Paul’s own explanation of this event is very vague (Galatians 1:15-16). He is not describing an experience with a physically risen Jesus, but an ethereal, visionary experience. The Book of Acts spruces this story up a bit and is the one many readers are familiar with.

4. Theodore W. Jennings Jr. Outlaw Justice: The Messianic Politics of Paul. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2013, 189.

5. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

6. 1 Corinthians 7:26

7. 1 Corinthians 7:31b