Preaching With Urgency: How the New Testament's Teaching on the Second Coming of Christ Necessitates Earnest Proclamation

Abstract

PREACHING WITH URGENCY:

HOW THE NEW TESTAMENT’S TEACHING ON THE

SECOND COMING OF CHRIST NECESSITATES

EARNEST PROCLAMATION

By studying the New Testament’s teaching on the second coming of Christ, this thesis demonstrates that preachers should preach with urgency because of the imminence of Christ’s return. The second coming of Christ is motivation to preach with urgency due to its warning of judgment to the unconverted and the offer of comfort and eternal reward to the Christ-follower.

The first chapter addresses introductory material, revealing the need for urgent preaching in the modern era and the lack of literature on the subject. Chapter 2 describes the New Testament’s teaching on the imminence of the second advent, and why this is relevant to preaching with urgency. Chapter 3 explains what is to occur at the parousia, detailing the judgment for all humanity, the eternal repercussions that follow, and how this correlates to preaching in earnest. Chapter 4 connects preaching with the return of Jesus by analyzing the apostle Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 4. Finally, chapter 5 addresses the implications for the church, explaining the need for all preachers to preach with urgency and includes a summons to do so.