Gospel Hope

Intro:

The Day Defined

What is the “Day of the Lord”?

A Day of Prophecy

When you look at how the whole Bible uses the phrase there are a few conclusions that we can come to, and perhaps the first thing you will notice is that it appears primarily in prophetic portions of Scripture.

It appears in:

Isaiah

Ezekiel

Joel

Amos

Obadiah

Zephaniah

Zechariah

Malachi

2 Corinthians

1 & 2 Thessalonians

2 Peter

Revelation

Like most prophecy it has both a near and far fulfillment.

It often has a sense of immanence.

Isaiah 13:6 “Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!”

Ezekiel 30:3 “For the day is near, the day of the Lord is near; it will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.”

Some Old Testament passages that refer to the Day of the Lord describe historical judgments that have already taken place.

It often has a sense of future orientation.

2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”

Peter and Paul clearly viewed the “Day of the Lord” as a yet future event.

A Day of Judgment

On Israel

Amos 5:18–24 “Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

There is a multitude of passages that speak of the “Day of the Lord” be a time of particular judgment on the people of Israel.

I personally believe that this is referring to the seven year Tribulation during which time God will pour out His wrath on unbelieving Israel as a means of refining them and bringing them back to Himself.

On Nations

Malachi 4:1 ““For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”

The entire chapter of Zechariah 14 describes the judgment on the nations.

They will be judged on the basis of their rejection of Jesus and their treatment of God’s people.

A Day of Restoration

Isaiah 10:27 “And in that day his burden will depart from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.””

Romans 11:26 “And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;”

The phrase “day of the Lord” usually identifies events that take place at the end of history and is often closely associated with the phrase “that day.” One key to understanding these phrases is to note that they always identify a span of time during which God personally intervenes in history, to accomplish some specific aspect of His plan. The most plain and normal interpretation of our text is that the “Day of the Lord” is initiated by an appearance of Jesus in the sky and the rapture of the church.

The Day Described

Sudden

Predatory: “Like a thief in the night”

Unexpected: “While people say ‘there is peace and security”

Painful: “As labor pains come upon a pregnant woman.”

Devastating

A thief doesn’t break in to tuck you in at night.

Judgment by its nature is destructive.

God by His nature is just and therefore is also a God who pours out His wrath.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

If God is holy then He must be just, and if He is just He must have a means of dispensing that justice. The means of His justice is wrath; a divine response to human sin and disobedience.

God’s wrath is always holy and justified.

Zephaniah 1:14–15 “The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,”

It was the wrath of God that was poured out on Jesus as He hung on the cross.

Inescapable

1 Thessalonians 5:3 “While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”

When God pours out His wrath during the seven years of Tribulation there will be no where to run.

It is a global event.

The Day Detoured

4 Contrasts - 2 Groups

Light vs Darkness (v. 4,5)

1 Thessalonians 5:4–5 “But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.”

In this case the contrast communicates a difference of understanding.

Those in the light will not be surprised because they are in the light. They can literally see the thief coming.

We don’t know when Jesus is coming back, but we know He is. We can see Him coming.

In contrast those in the darkness are surprise because in the night they cannot see the thief coming.

Awake vs Asleep (v. 6)

1 Thessalonians 5:6 “So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”

This follows the same thought of awareness.

As a word of warning, there is a wrong path that you can take this.

Eschatology, that is the doctrines of last things, has always inspired obsessive behavior by some.

Even in the Thessalonians themselves were see this tendency in those who quit their jobs to await Christ’s return.

There are churches and preachers who by and large have stopped preaching the gospel because they are so focused on eschatology. As I have said before they preach with the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

What does a strong belief in the immanence of Jesus’ return look like in the life of a true believer?

Christian plumber who is steadfast in being honest and doing good work for his customers.

A teacher who is determined to be a godly influence on his or her students.

A mom who raises her children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

A husband who works everyday to love his wife as Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her.

Sober vs Drunk (v. 7,8)

1 Thessalonians 5:7–8 “For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.”

It is a plane and simple truth that drunk people don’t make good decisions.

Saved vs Unsaved (v. 9,10)

1 Thessalonians 5:9–10 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.”

The children of light who are awake and sober will not experience the day of wrath, because we will be with Him.

The Day Desired

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

Encouraged

Edified