1 Thess 5:1-11 The Day of the Lord

Read 1 Thess 5:1-11

Intro

Mark Esola Reading

The Bible reveals history to be the outworking of the purposeful plan of the sovereign, creator God.

Jesus Christ is the central figure in history; the Old Testament points to His coming, and the New Testament describes His life, death, resurrection, and second coming.

As history continues to unfold the eternally planned purposes of God, one event looms large on the horizon: the Day of the Lord.

That event will mark the end of man’s day, as God acts in judgment to take back direct control of the earth

It will be an unprecedented time of judgment on all unrepentant sinners.

Scripture repeatedly warns of God’s judgment and the eternal punishment of unbelievers.

Judgment was a major emphasis of both the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles.

But the one who spoke most often about judgment was the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul taught them about the times and the seasons regarding the return of Jesus.

They had an idea of the prophetic times they lived in, and they could discern the seasons of the present culture.

Chronos refers to chronological time, to clock time or calendar time.

Kairos, on the other hand, views time in terms of events, eras, or seasons, such as the times of the Gentiles

The congregation wanted to know when the Rapture and the Day of the Lord would take place

Today we are going to look at a period of time called the Day of the Lord

Coming Judgment vs. 1-3

The Day of the Lord is God judgment on the world.

He will remove his church and his spirit and judge those who have rejected him

In the short time that Paul was with the Thessalonians he was able to teach them about the Rapture and the Day of the Lord

They were so knowledgeable that he didn’t need to teach them again

Day of the Lord

With this phrase, Paul quoted a familiar Old Testament idea.

It’s mentioned 19 times in the OT

It denotes the day when God intervenes in history to judge His enemies, deliver His people, and establish His kingdom.”

The idea behind the phrase the day of the Lord is that this is Gods’ time.

Man has his “day,” and the Lord has His day.

In the ultimate sense, the day of the Lord is fulfilled with Jesus judging the earth and returning in glory.

Joel 2:1 (ESV)

Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,

It does not refer to a single day, but to a season when God rapidly advances His agenda to the end of the age.

Like a Thief in the Night

The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night

No one knows the day or time that Jesus will return

It is explained as a thief in the night

Revelation 16:15 ESV

(“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)

Even Jesus doesn’t know the time

No sane thief announces in advance what time of the night he plans to rob someone

A thief coming is not a hopeful, joyful event of deliverance, but an unexpected calamity.

Like Labor Pains

Unlike the Rapture, which will not be preceded by any signs, there will be several signs that will herald the arrival of the Day of the Lord

Paul calls them labor pains

Just as a woman goes into labor pains before the birth of her baby, the world will experience multiple pains

Listen to Jesus’ own words

Matthew 24:6–8 ESV

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

The world will be saying there is peace and security

There are no violent gangs taking over apartments

Your children are safe with transgender people

God is bringing his vengenance

Isaiah 13:6–8 (ESV)

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!

Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt.

They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.

Children of the Light vs. 4-7

To avoid the Day of the Lord you need to be a child of the light

Paul makes a stark comparison between those in the light and those in darkness

Those in the light are those who follow Jesu

Those in the dark are lost and headed to hell

Those who are in the light will not be surprised by God’s judgment

Those in Darkness

Paul lists some characteristics of those in the dark

Romans 13:12 ESV

The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Rapture will be a surprise

First, they are clueless to Christ’s return

They are so busy being consumed with self-pleasure they

1 Thessalonians 4:4–5 ESV

that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;

Asleep & Drunk

The second sign of those in the dark is that they are asleep and drunk

This is a verse where you can take sleep and drunk for literally and figuratively

Those who don’t know Jesus are dead in their trespasses

They are also asleep on the job and not guarding against the thief

They are also drunk

Those in the Light

Paul contrasts the night with the light

You are not in darkness to be surprised by the thief

Those who follow Jesus are children of the day

Nothing good happens during the night

Be children of the light so that the enemy will be exposed

Children of the light are also sober

They are alert and on guard

Luke 21:34 ESV

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.

Armor Up vs. 8-11

As we wait for the Day of the Lord, we need to Armor up

Faith, Love, & Salvation

Ephesians 6:14 ESV

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

Destiny of Wrath

Romans 9:22–23 ESV

What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—