1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 - When He Comes

This week, we begin the final chapter of 1 Thessalonians.

o It begins with the continuation of the subject of the Return of Jesus Christ that was begun at the end of chapter 4.

§ In that chapter, the subject was started in response to the concern in Thessalonica about those who died before the return of Christ.

o But the question does not just describe a single misunderstanding of the teaching of Jesus Christ, so the apostles deal with each of the issues in turn.

§ First, they assured this young church that the physical, bodily resurrection of believers in Christ was not some spiritual allegory, but a future reality.

§ Then, they affirmed the physical return of Jesus Christ on the Day of the Lord to initiate both the resurrection of the dead and the glorification of living believers on that day.

o And in today’s passage, we see the continuation of that teaching, particularly as it relates to the day itself and the rest of the people in the world – those who have not followed Jesus Christ.

o So I would always caution you that the chapter, and even the verse, divisions in the Bible are not inspired; they are helpful addresses to discuss and learn the Scriptures.

§ But we must train ourselves to read through these verse and chapter divisions when appropriate, not allowing the change in chapter to necessarily signal a change in subject.

§ The men who added these divisions did their best, but in some cases, the divisions come in the middle of a longer discussion.

§ That is why the context of a passage is so critical.

· We must understand, in all cases, what is being discussed in the vicinity of a verse in order to understand it properly.

· Otherwise, we leave ourselves open to the most insidious of heresies and errors – those that SEEM to be accurately quoting Scripture.

So now that Paul and Silas have introduced the teachings about the resurrection of the dead and gathering of the living at the Return of Christ, they move on to answer the next most natural question: WHEN?

o When will the return of Christ occur?

o We know this was an open question for many believers of that day.

§ Indeed, it is a question that sells a great many books even to our day.

o The very question of the disciples to our Lord on the Mount of Olives was this:

§ As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”[1] – Matthew 24:3

o Much later, in the last epistle Paul wrote – his second letter to Timothy – he talks about some false teachers:

§ Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.[2]– 2 Timothy 2:17-18

o The apostle Peter, in his first epistle, reminds us how ancient this question is:

§ As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.[3]– 1 Peter 1:10-12

· His point here is that it was not just the first advent of Jesus Christ, when He was born into this world as an infant, that was the object of their searches,

o But it was also the consummation of salvation in the Appearing of Jesus Christ, a day they knew and proclaimed as the “Day of the Lord”.

· I will not go back through the Scriptures associated with those prophecies – we have dealt with them a couple of times in this series, and it is not the main point of the passage we are looking at today.

o The main point of this passage is Paul’s response to the question “When?”

§ And his response sums to “We have no idea.”

§ Now that is not an answer, certainly, that sells a lot of books, or gets a lot of people to watch a movie, or gathers a lot of subscribers to a podcast.

· But that is the ONLY answer the Bible gives.

o Now as to the periods and times…

§ This expression “periods and times” was, by the time Paul and Silas wrote it here, a cliché.

· The “periods” referred to the space of time, the elapsing of time. A period might be measured in days, months, or millennia.

· The “times” referred to events or occasions. A birthday, a festival day, anniversary, or the day of a conquest – even daylight savings time – would be a “time”.

§ But so many writers and authors had used the same expression, it was well-understood.

· It would be like our expression “few and far-between” to describe rare items or events.

§ These “periods and times” they are talking about is the span of time until the return or our Lord.

o And so they say: you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night.

§ They needed nothing written to them about the time or date of the Lord’s return because they knew full well that no one knows WHEN it will occur.

§ They knew for certain, as we do, that our Lord WILL return, but we have no clue at all WHEN that will occur.

· God has chosen NOT to reveal that to anyone on earth.

o But perhaps you would point to the signs of our Lord’s return He gives in the so-called Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24 and 25, and the parallel passages in Mark and Luke):

§ Including:

· Apostasy.

· Wars and rumors of wars.

· Persecution.

· False Christs.

§ Can they not help us understand WHEN He is returning?

§ Perhaps, but even in that sermon, Jesus warned His disciples that the signs He was giving them would give only a very late warning:

· Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.[4] – Matthew 24:32-33

§ What He is saying is that these things should encourage us to be looking forward to His return because they will be the warnings we have.

· But when we see them and recognize them, His return will be quite imminent.

o Because when have we NOT had wars?

§ Or earthquakes and famines?

§ Or persecution?

§ Or false Messiahs?

§ Or people who have fallen away from the church because they have loved this world more than they love Christ?

o So even these do not give us a way to TIME the return of Christ, but they give us opportunities to anticipate His glorious appearing.

§ With each of these signs, we take comfort because we know our final salvation from this world is nearer now than when we began.

§ Even as we mourn the tragedy or help respond to it, we have more hope in our Lord’s imminent return.

§ We know that our beloved Lord’s face is closer at hand today than yesterday.

We shall never, in any way, be able to anticipate the date or time of our Lord’s return.

o Even as we live in the anticipation of the glorious event, we cannot know WHEN.

o That is why, and I have said this before, the entire question of eschatology seems to me to be flawed.

§ What are we told from Scripture except that Jesus will return and that we cannot know when?

§ Everything else, every system devised to describe the “end times” or the day of the Lord, uses the exact same verses to “prove” their theoretical version of events.

o But to what end?

§ One of my favorite commentators, who I consult quite often in my preparations for teaching, spent many pages on our text today explaining how everything Paul and Silas are saying here PROVES there will be a “rapture” of the church before the “Great Tribulation”, and then the “Second Coming” of Christ will occur to finish time and commence the Judgment.

· Others might argue that all these things happened in AD 70 with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, although nothing in this letter to the GENTILES of Thessalonica mentions Jerusalem or the temple.

o Discussion of these systems, and even more, the arguments over these systems, is much more a distraction to the church than beneficial.

§ What good does it do to be “right” in my end-times understanding?

· Someone, I am sure, will be.

· But when I say I am sure someone will be right about the order of events, or even the timing of the Return of Christ,

o I say that only by the law of averages:

o With so many theories, there is liable to be someone who is correct.

o But it amounts to me being fairly certain that someone will win one of the big lotteries in the next month or so.

o Someone is liable to.

§ But to anyone who would argue with me on their belief in a pre-tribulation rapture, I would happily listen to them scream out “I told you so” as we both rise in the air.

· Because until our Lord returns, no one will know if they were right, regardless of how convinced they are in their belief.

So Paul and Silas remind us of the one thing we know about the return of Jesus Christ: it will be SURE, and it will be SUDDEN.

o For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night.

o The Lord, right now, IS COMING.

§ He is making ready to fulfill His promise to all His people – He is on His way.

§ The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.[5]– 2 Peter 3:9

§ He is patient so ALL His people are ready;

· ALL His people are being sanctified.

§ And if we cry out for that day, when the pains and tragedies of this world pass away, and we stand in Him forever, who can fault us?

· If some days we can hardly wait for His appearing – who would not understand?

§ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.[6]– Revelation 22:17

· And the reply of our Beloved: “Yes, I am coming quickly.” [7]- Revelation 22:20

o And as SURE as His return is, and as much as we anticipate it, we are told it will be SUDDEN.

§ Like a thief in the night…

· So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.[8] – Revelation 3:3

· Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.[9] – Revelation 16:15

§ The point of this simile is that, for the thief, much preparation has been done; but for the other, it is sudden and unannounced.

· The coming of Christ, promised and planned by the Father, will come to pass in His time.

· And when that time comes – the fullness of time – the Son will SUDDENLY appear.

o There will be no time for repentance in that moment, in the twinkling of an eye, but we will be found in the state in which we are caught.

o If we are glorifying God, we will be found in that glory; if we are faithlessly sinning against Him, we will be found in that state.

o There will not even be a moment for the unbeliever to cry out “oops” when she sees the glorious Lord to her great terror.

o The appearing of Christ will be as sudden as the onset of labor for a pregnant woman.

§ We see this analogy in many of the references to the day of the Lord, but here in verse 3, the word “labor pain” is singular, not plural.

· In every other instance, including the Olivet Discourse, the labor pains are used to show the increasing tempo and severity of the signs of the Appearing.

· But here, the onset of the first great labor pain is in view.

§ Because up until that moment, a woman may go about her business, do her daily tasks.

· But with that one great sudden contraction, the whole thing “gets serious”.

· Now, we might talk about water-breaking or some other part of the process, but the point here is not an anatomy lesson, but the suddenness of the event.

o Even with all the time to prepare herself, this first pain begins her travail, and no exercise of her will can stop it.

§ For the unbeliever, even though he has deluded himself with thoughts of “peace and safety”, he will suddenly find, in that moment, that he is face to face with all the truth he tried to deny.

· His sudden destruction will come: not because he was unaware that he would have to answer for his sin, but because he had made no godly provision to do so.

§ And the last description in our passage today tells the terrible result of his choice:

· They will not escape.

· It is even more emphatic: They will, in no way, escape.

o They will, by no means, escape.

· When genuine labor begins, there is no avoiding its conclusion. The judgment of that day once begun will carry through to its finale, and there is no circumventing it.[10]

· Though they dig into Sheol, From there will My hand take them; And though they ascend to heaven, From there will I bring them down. 3 “Though they hide on the summit of Carmel, I will search them out and take them from there; And though they conceal themselves from My sight on the floor of the sea, From there I will command the serpent and it will bite them.[11]– Amos 9:2-3

o Christian, we will, God willing, see next week the promises and exhortations for us on that day.

§ For now, let us pray that those we love, and those around us, will find God’s salvation before that great and terrible day.

[1]New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (Mt 24:3). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. [2]New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (2 Ti 2:17–18). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. [3]New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (1 Pe 1:10–12). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. [4]New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (Mt 24:32–33). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. [5]New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (2 Pe 3:9). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. [6] New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (Re 22:17). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. [7] New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (Re 22:20). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. [8]New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (Re 3:3). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. [9]New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (Re 16:15). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. [10]Martin, D. M. (1995). 1, 2 Thessalonians(Vol. 33, pp. 160–161). Broadman & Holman Publishers. [11]New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition: Paragraph Version (Am 9:2–3). (1995). The Lockman Foundation.