I Thess 8

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 NKJV

1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Intro: Paul letter to the Thessalonians had be a letter of encouragement. He told them how he had prayed for them. He commended them on their faithfulness, on their love for one another.

He sent Timothy to them, and Timothy brought back a good report.

They had some concerns about their loved ones that had passed away and that when Jesus came back that they would miss out.

Paul let them know that they had no reason to worry.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 NKJV

13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.

Now Paul is going to let know that believers will have to worry about what is coming after the Rapture.

1 Thessalonians 5:1 (NKJV)

1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.

Then Paul begins chapter 5 with “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.”

So Paul is now dealing with a different subject than the rapture.

Now what does Paul mean by “the times and the seasons,” in verse 1?

refers to the special characteristics, features, highlights, and signs that mark the end times

you have no need that I should write to you.

Paul had already told them.

I think that when Timothy reported to Paul, he told that they still have some questions about the return of Jesus. And what is going to happen after His return,

1 Thessalonians 5:2 (NKJV)

2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

“Day of the Lord”

“The day of the Lord” is not a 24-hour day. It’s not a one-day period.

“The day of the Lord” is a time when God will pour out His wrath upon the earth. It covers what is commonly called “the tribulation” or “the great tribulation,” which lasts for seven years, and it covers the Second Coming of Christ and involves the millennium or the 1,000-year reign of Christ.

So after the rapture has taken place, the Antichrist will be revealed, he makes a covenant with Israel for seven years and that begins “the day of the Lord.”

That is when Jesus will return and God will pour out His wrath upon a Christ-rejecting world.

I believe that Christ’s Second Coming is a literal, bodily coming before the millennium. Jesus’ coming is pre-millennial and that for 1,000 years there will be Christ’s reign upon the earth. And after that, there will be “a new heaven and a new earth” that we call “the eternal state.”

So “the day of the Lord” starts with the tribulation and goes all the way through to the Second Coming and into the millennium.

the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 NKJV

3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

THEY: The non-believers.

After the rapture the Antichrist is revealed. The church is called “the light of the world,” but after the rapture, the light will go out of the world, and it will be very dark. You think the world is dark now? Imagine what it will be like when the church, the true believers, are gone from planet earth.

The church is “the salt of the earth.” Salt was used to fight decay or corruption. And when the church is taken out of the world, the world will become corrupt and decayed.

So the rapture happens, then the Antichrist is revealed.

I don’t believe that the Antichrist can be revealed until the church is taken up, so that’s why I think it’s futile and foolish for the church to be concerned about who the Antichrist will be.

I don’t care who the Antichrist is; I’m looking for Jesus Christ. It seems like we sometimes get more concerned about the Antichrist than we do about Jesus Christ. I’m looking for the Lord to take me to heaven, and that should be our blessed hope.

So the rapture is in chapter 4, and “the day of the Lord” begins

the Antichrist comes in and he becomes as a peace negotiator.

What could be better in the world right now than someone to negotiate peace with this war in Ukraine? If someone could bring peace to this war, they would be hailed as a savior;

So we see that the stage is set by what we see as “globalism”; the world becomes one.

A look the events. When Jesus died on the Cross for our sins, it began what is known as “the church age.” We presently live in the church age, which began on the day of Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit. It was when the church, the body of Christ, was born, with our living head, Jesus, in heaven.

And the church age ends with the rapture, in 1 Thessalonians 4, when the church is “caught up…to meet the Lord in the air.”

Then after the rapture, the Antichrist is revealed and begins a covenant with Israel for seven years in what is known as “the tribulation period.”

Then at the end of the tribulation, in Revelation 19, Christ comes back in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and that introduces Christ as the King and begins the kingdom age, the millennium or the 1,000-year reign.

At the end of the millennium comes the “great white throne” judgment when all the wicked dead are judged and thrown into hell. That brings “a new heaven and a new earth.” This is a quick overview from the Cross to eternity.

Verse 3 of our text speaks of when the Antichrist comes and makes a covenant with Israel, and people will be saying, “Peace and safety!” So Israel is back in the land, has become a nation and they have this false security.

But in the middle of the tribulation, there will be what’s called “the abomination of desolation,” which was spoken of by Daniel and then by Jesus, when the Antichrist will reveal his true colors and command everyone to worship him and get the mark of the beast in order to buy or sell. Then God will begin to pour out His wrath upon the Christ-rejecting world.

So “the day of the Lord” begins suddenly, “as a thief in the night” and they have a time of false peace and security. Another fact about “the day of the Lord” is it brings “sudden destruction” after three-and-a-half years at “the abomination of desolation,”

Now it’s important to know the source of “the day of the Lord” is God Himself; it will be a time from God. Keep this distinction in mind. As Christians, we suffer persecution, we go through times of suffering, but it doesn’t come from God; it comes from the world.

But Joel 1:15 says, “Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.”

This is one of many verses that speak about “the day of the Lord” coming from God. In Revelation 6-19 we see God’s righteous wrath. In Revelation 14:10, in the King James translation, it says, “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.”

With the emphasis today on God’s love and God’s mercy—and we have a politically correct pulpit in so many churches—some preachers don’t want to say anything negative; they don’t want to talk about wrath or judgment.

So the Scripture is clear that God will pour out His wrath. “Destruction” is called for in verse 3

THEY shall not escape.

1 Thessalonians 5:4–5 NKJV

4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

We should not be surprised about the return of Jesus.

We should waiting for the return of Jesus.

We should be ready for the return of Jesus

We should looking forward to the return of Jesus.

While we are waiting, we need to be the light. READ THE 2 VERSES AGAIN.

Matthew 5:14–16 NKJV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Jesus is coming back one day. Be ready. Be the shining light until He returns.

1 Thessalonians 5:6–8 NKJV

6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

Paul tells us how we should live in light of the fact that we’re “children of light” and “children of the day” and we’re not going through the tribulation.

we should not sleep. The “sleep” here is an analogy to spiritual indifference

You don’t want to be apathetic. You don’t want to be complacent. You don’t want to be dull of hearing. You want to be awake and alert spiritually about what’s going on in the world; that Jesus Christ is coming soon. So don’t sleep. That’s the negative.

We are to be watchful and sober, verse 6, “Let us watch and be sober.” It’s mentioned again in verse 8. “Sober” is spiritual sobriety. So be awake and don’t get drunk on the things of the world.

This is no time to be loving the world. It’s “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.”

This is no time for spiritual sleep, complacency and apathy; we need to be watchful and sober.

we need to put on God’s armor, verse 8. “…putting on the breastplate of faith and love.” Jesus is coming soon, so we should be living by faith in Christ and in His Word, and we should be loving the Lord and loving others.\

Then verse 8 says we should put on “a helmet, the hope of salvation.” The words “the hope of salvation” is salvation’s future hope of glory.

1 Thessalonians 5:9–11 NKJV

9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.