The Church's Relationship to the Day of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 5.1-11 (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Wednesday October 30, 2024

The Day of the Lord Series: The Church’s Relationship to the Day of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9

Lesson # 46

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 was designed to reassure the Thessalonians that they would not experience the prophetic events related to the day of the Lord and in particular, they would not experience the events predicted to take place during the seventieth week of Daniel and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

Specifically, they would not experience the Lord’s wrath or righteous indignation which He will exercise against every unrepentant, unregenerate human being on the earth during the seventieth week of Daniel and Second Advent of Jesus Christ and Paul asserts that they were delivered from God’s wrath.

The implication of this pericope is that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community must live a godly life in contrast to unregenerate humanity in light of the fact that they are delivered from the Lord’s wrath which He will exercise against each unrepentant unregenerate human being on the earth during the seventieth week of Daniel and His Second Advent.

1 Thessalonians 5:1 Now, brothers and sisters, concerning those particular distinguishable periods of time, yes, specifically, those particular distinguishable prophetic events, each and every one of you possesses absolutely no need whatsoever for any of us to write to any one of you at this particular time. (Pastor’s translation)

The noun chronos (χρόνος) means “those particular distinguishable periods of time” since the word is referring to the Lord exercising His wrath or righteous indignation against unrepentant, unregenerate human being on the earth during the seventieth week of Daniel and His Second Advent.

It is distinguishing the seventieth week of Daniel and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ from those dispensations which came before them and would come after them.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:1, the noun kairos (καιρός) refers to the prophetic “events” which will take place in the future during the day of the Lord and specifically, it refers to all the prophetic “events” which will take place in the future during the seventieth week of Daniel and Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

It is distinguishing the character of the events of the seventieth week of Daniel and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ from the character of the events of those dispensations which came before them and would come after them.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you yourselves, each and every one of you possesses an accurate comprehensive knowledge that the Lord’s day, in the same way as a thief during the night, is certainly about to take place. 3 While, they are saying, “peace and security,” then sudden destruction will certainly come against them like the labor pains experienced by a pregnant woman. Consequently, they will not by any means whatsoever enter into the state of escaping. (Pastor’s translation)

The noun eirēnē (εἰρήνη), “peace” indicates that the non-Christian community living during the seventieth week of Daniel will erroneously believe that there is peace between nations.

The noun asphaleia (ἀσφάλεια), “security” indicates that the non-Christian community living during the seventieth week of Daniel will erroneously believe that they their lives, families, fellow-citizens and homes are secure.

This “sudden destruction” refers of course to the day of the Lord and specifically to the Second Advent of Jesus Christ as well as the last three and a half years of the seventieth week of Daniel which Jesus describes in Matthew 24:21 as the “great tribulation.”

1 Thessalonians 5:4 But each and every one of you, brothers and sisters absolutely do not belong to those who live in the darkness so that the day would take any one of you by surprise like a thief takes someone by surprise. 5 For each and every one of you belong to a particular group of individuals who are sons possessed by that which is characterized by the light. Consequently, each and every one of you belong to a particular group of individuals who are sons belonging to that which is characterized by the day. Each and every one of us absolutely does not belong to those who are sons belonging to that which is characterized by the night, nor sons possessed by that which is characterized by the darkness. (Pastor’s translation)

In this first statement, the noun “that which is characterized by the light” is used in a figurative sense for God and His holiness as well as His kingdom which is characterized by holiness in contrast to Satan’s kingdom which is characterized by darkness.

In the second statement, “that which is characterized by the day” refers to the period of time in which Jesus Christ will rule the earth for a thousand years and thus, it refers to His millennial reign.

In the third statement, “that which is characterized by the night” refers to the period in which the believer is not in his or her resurrection body and is living during a period of human history in which Satan is the god of this world and his kingdom and policy of evil dominates the earth.

This period refers to the reign of Satan over the earth which began with the fall of Adam and will end with the Second Advent of the second Adam, Jesus Christ.

In this fourth and final statement, “that which is characterized by the darkness” is used in a figurative sense to describe Satan’s kingdom as being characterized by darkness since it is characterized by the disobedience, sin, evil, lies, deception and rebellion against God.

1 Thessalonians 5:6 Indeed therefore, each and every one of us must continue to not be asleep as the rest. But rather, let each one of us continue to stay alert namely, let each one of us continue to be sober-minded. (Pastor’s translation)

The exhortation in 1 Thessalonians 5:6 to be sober-minded speaks of the child of God being sober spiritually as a result of experiencing fellowship with God which is accomplished by obeying the Spirit’s voice in the Word of God which constitutes obeying the commands to be influenced by the Spirit in Ephesians 5:18 and letting the Word of Christ richly dwell in one’s soul in Colossians 3:16.

1 Thessalonians 5:7 because those who are asleep, sleep during the night. Correspondingly, those who are drunk, are drunk during the night. 8 However, because each and every one of us belongs to a particular group of individuals who are sons belonging to that which is characterized by the day, let each one of us continue to be sober-minded. Specifically, by clothing ourselves with a breastplate which is faith as well as divine-love, likewise a helmet which is a confident expectation of salvation. (Pastor’s translation)

Just as the breastplate of the Roman soldier saved him from being mortally wounded, so the believer who will be protected from being mortally wounded in spiritual combat with the kingdom of darkness by appropriating by faith their union and identification with Jesus Christ and obeying His command to love one another.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 teaches that the child of God stays sober-minded, i.e., influenced by the Holy Spirit in light of the imminent threat and danger of the prophetic events connected to the day of the Lord by appropriating by faith their union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.

He also teaches that the child of God stays sober-minded, i.e., influenced by the Spirit in light of the imminent threat and danger of the prophetic events connected to the day of the Lord by obeying the Lord Jesus Christ’s command to love one another as He has loved the child of God.

Lastly, Paul teaches that the child of God stays sober-minded, i.e., influenced by the Spirit in light of the imminent threat and danger of the prophetic events connected to the day of the Lord by possessing a confident expectation of the completion of their salvation when they receive a resurrection body at the rapture or resurrection of the church.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For the one and only God by no means whatsoever appointed each and every one of us for the purpose of experiencing His wrath. On the contrary, He appointed each one and every one of us for the purpose of experiencing the acquisition of salvation as a permanent possession through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Pastor’s translation)

1 Thessalonians 5:1-9 makes clear that the church age believer will not experience the prophetic events of the eschatological day of the Lord, which includes the seventieth week of Daniel and subsequent Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

This is indicated by the fact that these verses address the Christian community’s relationship to the prophetic events of the day of the Lord.

Also, verse 9 asserts that God the Father emphatically did not appoint the Christian to experience the wrath of God during the day of the Lord.

This verse also asserts that to the contrary, God appointed the Christian to experience the completion of their salvation, which will take place at the rapture when they receive their resurrection body.

Thus, he makes clear in these verses that the church age believer will not experience the Lord Jesus Christ’s righteous indignation during the seventieth week and Second Advent.

He also makes clear that every unregenerate human being will experience His righteous indignation during the seventieth week and Second Advent.

The apostle Paul is also teaching that the rapture or resurrection of the church will precede the seventieth week of Daniel and will deliver the church age believer from the Lord’s righteous indignation which He will exercise against every unregenerate human being living on the earth during the seventieth week and Second Advent.

Thus, he is teaching a pre-tribulation rapture.

This is indicated by the fact that the apostle asserts in verse 9 that God emphatically did not appoint the Christian to experience His wrath during the day of the Lord.

On the contrary, He appointed them to experience the completion of their salvation which again will take place at the rapture when they receive their resurrection body.

The implication of these two statements is that the completion of the Christian’s salvation delivers them from experiencing God’s wrath during the day of the Lord.

Thus, the rapture delivers the church age believer from God’s wrath which will be exercised against every unrepentant human being living on the earth during the seventieth week and Second Advent.