06AM February 19 1 Thessalonains 5 1_3
February 19, 2006—Morning Worship
The “Soon and Very Soon” Series
The Marks of the Day
Clarifying Questions and Answers about God’s Judgment
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
Intro: The end times – we often wonder what it will be like. What’s going to happen at the end of time as we know it? How will the events take place? What will God do? How will the world be affected? When is it going to happen? We wonder what it will be like in the end times.
Some of the best attendance we’ve ever had on Sunday nights occurred during the 14 month period in which I was preaching through the book of the Revelation. People are interested in what’s going to happen. We often wonder what the judgment of God will be like—what will happen when He finally punishes all the evil that exists in the world.
This morning, & next Sunday morning, Lord willing, we’re going to be looking at that very subject. The last 3 messages in this series will have been an exposition of First Thessalonians 4:13-5:11. We want to see the contrasts of chapter 4:13-18 which held our attention 2 weeks ago, & which dealt w/the Rapture of the Church; in comparison to the 1st 11 vv. of chapter 5.
The apostle Paul, here in his section on "The Day of the Lord," teaches about that future "day" or period of time in which Christ judges the world & punishes the nations.
As we begin today, we’re going to deal only w/vv. 1-3 in the message titled, “The Marks of the Day,” in which we want to define “Clarifying Questions & Answers about God’s Judgment.”
1 Thessalonians 5 1 But concerning the times & 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 & safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. & they shall not escape.
- One of the most frightening truths in all of Scripture surrounds the event that is identified in v. 2 as “the day of the Lord.”
- That’s a technical term in the Scripture to describe the day when Jesus comes back to bring the flaming fury & anger of God on all the sinners of the world.
- It’s a day of devastation & destruction, a day of doom & damnation.
- Frankly, it’s not at all popular to talk about God's fury. It’s not popular to talk about God's anger, God's vengeance.
- Everything today needs to be positive & affirming & comforting.
- & so, we seldom hear sermons on the day of the Lord – the time when Jesus comes back to judge those who have rejected Him.
- The Thessalonians had some how come to believe that they had missed the Rapture & were actually living in the day of the Lord.
- They were enduring persecution & just assumed that since everything was not right in their world, they must have missed the Rapture & this is the day of the Lord.
- But Paul wants to draw them back to the truths he had taught them earlier.
2 Thessalonians 2 5 Do you not remember that when I was still w/you I told you these things?
- He had personally taught them these truths & now he asks…
1. Where is your Focus? (v. 1) 1 But concerning the times & the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.
- It’s important that we understand a change in subject here.
- The phrase translated, “But concerning” is 1 Paul uses repeatedly in his epistles at times when he changes subjects.
- It’s in 4:9 & in the Greek, it’s also in 4:13 & we see it again in 5:1.
- These are all shifts in subject matter & to strengthen that point we also see the word translated “brethren” accompanying that phrase.
- Paul also uses that as an emphasis or an attention getter at the change of subjects.
- & so he asks “Where is your focus?” & notice he says the focus is…
A. Not on the Times
- The word translated “times” is the word from which we get our word Chronology.
- It simply means ‘clock time or calendar time.’
- & notice that the word is plural. It’s “times” meaning the big picture or the overview.
- It includes, at the end of the age, a time period called the 70th week of Daniel.
- Very clearly in Daniel 9 he says there is prophesied upon the nation Israel a final seven-year period where God will sum up His work w/Israel, that's the seven-year period we know as the 70th week of Daniel.
- There is also a period called the Great Tribulation designated as 3½ years, 1260 days.
- It’s also called "times, time & half a time." & there’s another time period added to that by Daniel, 1290 days. & then Daniel refers to 1335 days.
- Then there’s the 1000 year millennial kingdom mentioned in the book of Revelation.
- So you have the times of Daniel's 70th week, the Great Tribulation & the millennial kingdom, all those are different times, different chronologies in which events will take place.
- Our focus is not to be on that. Paul says, But concerning the times…brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.
- Jesus said in Acts 1 7 …"It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
- So, we are not to focus on the times & our focus is…
B. Not on the Seasons
- The word translated “seasons” literally means “a fixed & definite time or a limited period of time.”
- So it’s not the big picture but the smaller, actual events that take place in time.
- & there are a number of events; the Rapture of the church, the rise of the Antichrist, the salvation of the nation Israel.
- You have a series of judgments that come through natural disasters. & then you have a series of judgments that come through supernatural means.
- The return of Jesus Christ, the battle of Armageddon, the destruction of the world's nations, the judgment of the sheep & the goats.
- You have the establishment of the millennial kingdom, the binding of Satan & loosing the world-wide rebellion, the destruction of the world & then the creation of the new heaven & the new earth.
- Many times & many seasons make up the end.
- & Paul said, But concerning…the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.
- & why not? I mean, after all, there’s a lot that we don’t understand about those events!
- Paul’s point is this, don’t focus on what you don’t know; focus on what you do know.
-IOW, your focus is not on the times, not on the seasons…
C. But on the Promises
- IOW, Paul says, “You have no need of anything to be written to you b/c you know full well. You don't need any more information. You already have all the information you need about that.”
- But you say, "Now wait a minute. You mean we have all the information we need about the coming judgment, about the coming of Christ, about the day of the Lord?
- We don't know when it's going to happen. We'd like to know all of the chronologies & all of the seasons; we need to know all of that."
- Paul says you don't need to know any of that. You don't need to know that. You know all you need to know.
- By the way, the disciples had the same curiosity. In fact, their curiosity led to the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24 when the disciples came to Jesus privately & said, "Tell us, when will these things be & what will be the sign of Your coming & the end of the age."
- & then in Acts 1:6 they say, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
- They had the same curiosity about timing; how long do we have to wait? When will the Lord come?
- & Paul's response is that spiritual preparedness for the coming of the Lord does not involve date setting, clock watching, or sign seeking. Not for the believers.
- He says you don't have any need of anything to be written to you.
- You're not even going to be there!
- v. 9, "For God did not appoint us to wrath," & in v. 4 he says God didn't even appoint you for the day of the Lord.
- Paul's point is you already know everything you need to know & your spiritual preparedness for the coming of Christ is not related to date setting, clock watching & sign seeking. You don't need to know those things.
- In Matthew 24 Jesus makes an astounding statement, 36 "But of that day & hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
- Nobody knows, not men, not angels, not the incarnate Son of God in His self-limitation. He doesn't even know & furthermore, you can’t know it anyway.
- What you need to know are the facts so…
2. What are the Facts? (vv. 2-3a)
- God has chosen not to reveal the time of the final events so that all believers live in anticipation, in expectation all the time.
- So Paul says you don't need to know…
A. The Timing of the event (v. 2) 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
- What he's saying here is the 1 thing you do need to know is it's going to happen.
- & it's going to happen when nobody expects it.
- The only thing you need to know is that the day of the Lord will come when no one expects it, when the people alive at that time aren’t looking for it.
- The phrase "For you yourselves know perfectly" means you know exactly. It's a word that comes out of research. It’s painstaking research to come to a conclusion.
- You know perfectly, you know exactly, you know accurately b/c I've told you.
- Back in 1:10 they were to wait for Jesus to return from heaven.
- In 2:19 & 3:13 Paul reminds them of the coming of the Lord Jesus.
- In chapter 4 he discusses the Rapture. & never tells them when...never. He doesn't tell them when. & the reason he doesn't is b/c you can't know that.
- The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Beyond that, he says, you don't need to know anything about timing. You don't need to know anything about dates.
- &, of course, b/c you're the redeemed, you're going in the Rapture, you won't even be there for this event.
- Now it’s important to grasp…
B. The Naming of the event (v. 2) 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
- So what is this day of the Lord? How are we to understand it? What is it?
- It’s one of the most important terms in the Bible repeating over & over very explicit events to come. It talks about God's future judgment. But what is it specifically?
- Let me give you a simple list of verses that will describe the day of the Lord to you:
Isaiah 2:12, "For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud & lofty, upon everything lifted up & it shall be brought low."
Isaiah 13:6, "Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand."
Isaiah 13:9, "Behold, the day of the Lord comes cruel w/both wrath & fierce anger to lay the land desolate."
Jeremiah 46:10, "For this is the day of the Lord, a day of vengeance, that He may avenge Himself on His adversaries."
Joel 1:15, "For the day of the Lord is at hand, it shall come as destruction from the Almighty."
Joel 2:11, "The day of the Lord is great & very terrible."
Joel 2:31, "The sun shall be turned into darkness, the moon into blood before the coming of the great & terrible day of the Lord."
Amos 5:18, "Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord, for what good is the day of the Lord to you?"
Amos 5:20, "Is not the day of the Lord darkness & not light?"
Malachi 4:5, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great & dreadful day of the Lord."
Zephaniah 1:14, "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near & hastens quickly, the noise of the day of the Lord is bitter."
Zephaniah 1:15, "That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble & distress, a day of devastation & desolation, a day of darkness & gloominess, a day of clouds & thick darkness."
- It's all negative. All the prophetic word of the day of the Lord is about judgment. It’s wrath & anger & desolation & vengeance & destruction & terrible. It’s a time of gloominess & darkness & distress & trouble always.
- 6 times it’s referred to as a day of doom. 4 times it’s called a day of vengeance.
- Always the day of the Lord refers to the time period of the final judgment of God on the wicked.
- So throughout the OT, God used natural & human means to affect His wrath against some people.
- There were a number of days of the Lord in a historical sense when God came & just swept people away.
- The northern kingdom was swept away into captivity.
- The southern kingdom, swept away, dispossessed right out of their land in the judgment of God.
- Those were historical pictures of the ultimate end when there will be wars & famines & earthquakes & then...poof, God will just sweep away the wicked in a final judgment.
- If you look at the seal judgments in Revelation, the trumpet judgments, the bowl judgments, you see at the beginning of those judgments wars & earthquakes & famines & then all of a sudden they move from the natural to the supernatural.
- & by the time you get to the 6th seal, all of a sudden supernatural holocausts start to take place b/c the wrath of God has reached the culmination of the day of the Lord.
- The NT calls that day the day of wrath, the great day of God Almighty.
- Peter calls it, 1 Peter 2:12, the day of visitation. But it’s always, listen carefully, the time when God unleashes His final fury on the sinners of the Earth & sweeps them away.
- The day of the Lord is associated w/judgment on the ungodly.
- So what is…
C. The Thinking during the event (v. 3a) 3a For…they say, "Peace & safety!"
- So the major secret here is – that we don't know the time.
- But we do know that people will be saying, “Oh, life is so good now! There’s peace & we don’t have to worry about wars & such. Isn’t wonderful?”
- That’s reminiscent of how Jesus described conditions in Matthew 24:37-38 "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating & drinking, marrying & giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark."
- What does that mean? They were totally indifferent to the 120 years of Noah warning, preaching righteousness; warning them.
- They were indifferent to it & they were indifferent right until he got in the ark.
- & they were still indifferent until the flood came & took them all away.
- So the coming of the Son of Man will be, it will be to the generation that is alive when it happens unexpected...completely unexpected.
- That's amazing b/c He has just described all kinds of things that people living at that time could look for.
- He says, in verse 6, "There will be wars & rumors of wars, & there will be nation rising against nation, kingdom against kingdom, there will be famines, there will be earthquakes."
- On down He talks about false prophets leading people astray, about the abomination of desolations spoken of by Daniel the prophet when they desecrate the temple.
- He talks about terrible tribulation, verse 21, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now. & all of that is going on in the world & they still are going on, life as usual, marry, giving marriage, eating, drinking, just live your life until the time comes & they're swept away.
- They're going to be doing business as usual.
So…
3. What’s in the Future? (v. 3b)
- The Bible tells us of…
A. The imminent Destruction of the wicked (v. 3b) “…then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman….”
- I’m not aware of any other prophetic words that must be fulfilled before the Rapture of the church.
- & once the Rapture takes place, this period of time known as the day of the Lord begins.
- Some say that the man of lawlessness must 1st be revealed. That does not have to take place before the Rapture. It does take place before the day of the Lord, but not the Rapture.
- The Antichrist could be revealed as a world leader in response to the chaos that erupts when the church is removed from the earth.
- But nevertheless, look at the text in v. 3a For when they say, "Peace & safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them….
- They say, “Everything will be fine. We're headed for a time of peace. We're headed for a time of safety.”
- Who is that? It’s those who are left up on the earth.
- Their message is a product of Satan & his demonic forces. Their minds are blinded to the truth.
- They think it’s all peace & safety when in fact, it’s all destruction.
3 For when they say, "Peace & safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.
- Now you ladies know that when it’s time to have the baby, there’s no turning back.
- You cannot decide that you don’t want to go through this is you simply don’t have it.
- No. When those pains come, they come suddenly & painfully.
-The come w/o warning & that’s Paul’s point here, the day of the Lord will come upon those left w/o warning.
- & that’s amazing given all the signs that lead up to the day of the Lord.
- But the wicked won’t know about the signs b/c they don’t know the word of God.
- But that will not stop…
B. The sure Judgment of God. (v. 3b) “…they shall not escape.”
- It doesn’t matter where they may go or what they may do, they will not escape God’s wrath.
- His wrath is always reserved for sinners. & His wrath will be satisfied in them & they shall not escape.
- God’s wrath for our sin what taken by Jesus on Calvary’s Cross, but these have rejected the Person & work of Jesus Christ & therefore there is no substitute for them. They must face the wrath of God & they must face it eternally b/c the text clearly says in the Greek, “they shall never escape.”
- His wrath is temporally poured out on the physical man & eternally poured out on the spirits of all men who reject Jesus Christ.
Conclusion: Have you heard the warnings from Scripture that judgment is coming if you have not given your life to Jesus? Have you trusted in a false peace? Are you willing to turn from the lie to the truth; from death to life; from self to the Savior? Can you rejoice in knowing you won’t endure that terrible day? Or are you terrified of having to face it?
Invitation: If God has spoken to your heart today about your eternal destiny would you come in repentance & faith to Him for salvation? & if He has challenged you to follow Him more closely, would you respond to His grace today?
Hymn 329 Grace Greater than Our Sin