1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
1 Thess 5:1-11
Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Last week’s passage spoke about the coming rapture of God’s people – the time when we will be caught up in the air to be united together with Christ. The theme of that passage was comfort and encouragement for God’s people.
Today the focus turns to the “day of the Lord”. Is it the same as the rapture? Does it happen at the same time as the rapture? The theme of the passage today is one of warning and encouragement to be ready. What is it about the day of the Lord that we need to be ready for? These are some of the issues that we will be addressing today.
Opening Prayer
What is the Day of the Lord?
The phrase “Day of the Lord” occurs quite frequently in the Bible when prophets are foretelling a time of God dramatically intervening in the affairs of this world to bring either blessing or judgement. It is most often used to warn people that God is going to punish them for their sins, and that punishment is going to be terrible to behold.
Here’s an example from Isaiah chapter 13…
Isaiah 13:9-11
9 See, the day of the Lord is coming
—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.
10 The stars of heaven and their constellations
will not show their light.
The rising sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light.
11 I will punish the world for its evil,
the wicked for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty
and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
This prophecy in Isaiah is part of an announcement of judgement that God gave Isaiah in regard to the nation of
The central figure in the Day of the Lord is Jesus Christ. It is He who brings both blessing and judgement to the Earth.
When we are looking at passages which deal with the day of the Lord, it is helpful to keep in mind this basic view of human history:
Obviously, the Year of the Lord’s Favour is more than one year, just as the “Day of the Lord” is more than one day. There are different opinions about exactly how the events of the day of the Lord will pan out which make for a very interesting study, but we must not lose sight of the main point, which is that however it happens, we must be ready.
Let’s briefly look at 2 passages which refer to this plan of history:
Luke 4:14-21
14 Jesus returned to
16 He went to
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
I want you to understand the significance of this passage. Jesus is at the early stages of His ministry. He has recently completed his preparation for ministry in His baptism and time of testing in the desert. Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, chooses this as the first words of Jesus concerning His mission on earth. His mission is to announce and bring into effect the year of the Lord’s favour. This period of time was made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and was brought into effect by the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (which we’ll look at in just a minute). First, though, it’s worth noting that Jesus stops mid-sentence in the prophecy that He is reading from Isaiah 61. He stops mid sentence because the rest of the prophecy refers to a time which is not yet upon us, but is yet to come. Let’s look at the original passage from Isaiah together…
Isaiah 61
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the blind,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendour.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
The rest of the passage talks about a time of judgement on the nations. A time of Jesus’ physical rule over this world and prosperity for the nation of
Let’s look at our second passage, from Joel chapter 2. This passage was quoted by Peter to explain what was happening at the feast of Pentecost when the Apostles were preaching to the crowd in the native languages of their listeners.
Joel 2:28-32
28 ‘And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved…”
This prophecy looks forward to the inauguration of the Church when God poured out His Spirit on people. This Spirit is available to all people – not just the Jews. Men and women from every nation would now become partakers of the Spirit of God. We are living in the days talked about in verse 29. However the focus of the prophecy then moves to the events immediately prior to “the great and dreadful day of the Lord”, mentioning signs that are also talked about in the book of Revelation and other places as being part of the process leading to final judgment.
So with this basic knowledge of the what the “day of the Lord” refers to, let’s have a closer look at our passage in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5…
(use bibles, other passages on screen)
Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
When we look back at Jesus’ earthly ministry, we can see that He did indeed come just at the right time, as it says in Romans 5:6. We can identify a large number of reasons why the time was just right for Christ to enter human history at that particular moment. However we can only do that in hindsight.
Christ’s second coming will happen in a similar sort of way. When it happens, it will make complete sense and God’s timing will again be shown to be perfect. Until then, we are not to be distracted by speculation about times and dates. We know that it will happen suddenly and unexpectedly, so we should expect it any time.
However it will catch most people by surprise. People will be saying “Peace and safety”. People will be secure in a world without God. People will be content to believe that God either does not exist or that He is not involved with us any longer.
Peter writes about this in his second letter to the churches.
2 Peter 3:1-10
Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Saviour through your apostles.
3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
Just as in the days of Noah, most people will scoff at the idea of a God who will judge the world. “Where is this God?” they will say. “You’ve been threatening judgment for the last 2 thousand years and more. If it was going to happen, it would have happened long before now.”
On the contrary, Peter explains, God has set a period of grace to enable people the opportunity of turning from their independence and rebellion and choosing to be reconciled to Him by faith in Jesus. He has established His Church to provide people with a glimpse of what His Kingdom is like. His people are to demonstrate His character and proclaim His truth. We are not to be like this world, we are to be like the world to come. Jesus told us to go into all the world and make disciples. That is the purpose of the age of grace, the year of the Lord’s favour.
Noah preached and warned his generation for a hundred years, but only his family were saved. In a similar way we are to preach and warn our generation for as long as the Lord gives us. In the same way only those who choose to belong to the family of God will be saved on the day of judgement.
For those who reject God’s salvation, there is only the promise of inevitable destruction. Very often Scripture uses the imagery of birth pains to describe the experience of the day of the Lord. If you are a woman who has experienced what it is like to give birth, you have an advantage over the rest of us when it comes to understanding this passage.
I have supported Carolyn through 2 such experiences, and I would probably describe the onset of the pains and the subsequent delivery as pretty traumatic. Particularly with Tim, Carolyn went through a lot of pain. However there was never any doubt that the pain was worth it. Bringing forth that new life was a struggle, and that is how the Bible talks about the day of the Lord. It is going to be very, very painful. However it is necessary in order to bring about the new life that we long for – a world free from sin and death. A world where we enjoy the presence of our God.
But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
While we do not know when it will happen, when it does happen we will not be surprised if we are living in expectation. Those who have been saved through faith in Jesus will not face the coming wrath of God’s judgement. Whether we are alive at the time of Christ’s return or are resurrected at His appearance, we will be united with Him and separated from the world at the time when God’s judgement is revealed. Therefore we do not fear the day of the Lord, but anticipate it. While we wait, we endeavour to prepare ourselves and we try to help others prepare for its coming.
Or do we?
Luke 12:32-34
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
1 Timothy 6:11-19
11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Today I want to urge you to take hold of the life that is truly life. This world is passing away. We are living in the last days, and we have no idea of how long they will last. The day of the Lord is coming. You do not know how long you have on this earth, or how long this earth has left! Be prepared.
In order to be prepared you need to do 2 things:
- Turn to Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord. He is the one who has purchased your freedom. His death paid the price for your sins and His resurrection demonstrated the power of God to give you new life, eternal life. He is the rightful boss of your life and you can either acknowledge His authority now by choice or later when you will have no choice. God is holding back the hour of judgement, wanting more people to come into His family and experience His goodness forever. Don’t waste the opportunity God has given you.
- Lay up for yourself treasure in Heaven. You do this by living a pure and obedient life. A life that glorifies God and shines his truth and love to all those who you come into contact with. Sincerely living for God gives us confidence that when we see Him face to face we will not need to be ashamed, but we will be able to rejoice in the pleasure our Lord takes in us and the reward He bestows upon us.
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