1Thessalonians 5:1-10
The Day of the Lord
I. \\#1Thess 1:1-2\\ Introduction
II. \\#1Thess 1:3-10\\ Paul’s Knowledge of the Thessalonians
III. \\#1Thess 2:1-16\\ Paul’s Plan for the Thessalonians
IV. \\#1Thess 2:17-4:12\\ Paul’s Heart for the Thessalonians
V. \\#1Thess 4:13-5:10\\ Paul’s Message for the Thessalonians
A. \\#1Thess 4:13-5:5\\ The Rapture
1. \\#4:13-18\\ WHAT the rapture consists of.
2. \\#5:1-5\\ WHEN the rapture will occur.
3. \\#5:6-10\\ HOW the rapture effects us.
B. \\#1Thess 5:1-10\\ The Day of the Lord
Last week, we began looking at Paul’s message to the Thessalonians, but did
not have time to finish it. Paul’s primary message in this epistle centers on
the RETURNS of Jesus to the earth. Last week, I spoke on Jesus’ next return, the
rapture.
For the most part, this book is personal; but beginning in chapter four, Paul
does get into doctrine. That doctrinal teaching is the part of this epistle we
want to continue our focus upon. Paul began by explaining the rapture of the
church to the Thessalonians. We want to finish looking both at Paul’s topics and
their timing.
I. In speaking about the rapture last week, I mentioned that we cannot know
the exact time of the rapture.
A. At present, no one knows the exact day or the season of the Lord’s
returns.
B. However, we can know some conditions of what will be taking place when
Jesus returns.
1. Paul lists two conditions
a. \\#1Thess 5:2\\ Our Lord would come as a thief in the night.
b. \\#1Thess 5:3\\ The people would be thinking it would be a time
of peace and safety, that is, that things would be getting
better.
2. While I mentioned this last week as the conditions of the earth
when the rapture occurs, it is more accurate to say that these
are conditions of the earth which will occur just AFTER the
rapture of the church.
C. Why do I say that? Because in the midst of Paul’s discussion on the
Lord’s return, he subtly changes topics and begins to discuss a
different event.
D. \\#1Thess 5:2\\ Paul begins to discuss the Day of the Lord.
II. \\#1Thess 5:1-10\\ What is the Day of the Lord?
A. The Day of the Lord
1. The Day of the Lord is a phrase that is used throughout the Bible
to speak of a terrible day of judgment.
2. Here are a few of Isaiah’s references to the Day of the Lord.
Isa 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud
and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
Isa 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a
destruction from the Almighty.
Isa 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce
anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of
it.
Isa 34:8 For it is the day of the LORD’S vengeance, and the year of recompences
for the controversy of Zion.
3. Since no day like this has ever occurred, the Day of the Lord
must be an end-time prophecy.
4. Further, a good many (myself included) consider the phrase to be a
reference to the seven years of tribulation which occur after the
rapture of the church.
5. Those seven years climax when Jesus returns to the earth yet again,
not to take His people away from the earth, but to bring them
back and to set up His kingdom on earth.
specifically a reference to
6. That return is described in Rev 19 and Zechariah 14, as well as,
Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even
so, Amen.
B. So Paul is talking about two different events and two different returns
of our Lord.
1. \\#1Thess 4:13-18\\ The Rapture
2. \\#1Thess 5:1-6\\ The Day of the Lord which ends with Christ’s
Advent
C. Yet, Paul does not draw a distinct line between them when he begins to
speak of the conditions which will exist when the Lord returns. Why?
1. Paul does not tell us so all we can do is speculate.
2. I believe it is because the Day of the Lord occurs just after the
rapture.
a. In other words, I believe there is a close connection between
these two events so that the general conditions will be the
same.
b. The rapture itself is a very quick event.
1Cor 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall
all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
(1) The word "moment" is the Greek word from which we get our
word "atom," which at one time was believed to be the
smallest particle upon which our world is built.
(2) The word "twinkling" means a throw, a stroke, or a beat.
(3) Some have said the twinkling refers to the speed at which
the human eye can blink and others have said it refers to
the speed at which the human eye can switch its focus.
(4) Either way, it is fast.
(5) These are not terms from which we can denote an exact
speed but it is obvious that Paul is indicating the
rapture will occur faster than the human eye can blink.
c. And after the rapture, the Day of the Lord begins.
(1) Perhaps there will be a short span of time in between the
two events.
(2) If there is, it will be a very short period (no longer
than a few months).
(3) Conditions in the world, will not have changed very much
and so Paul mentions both the rapture and the Day of the
Lord as having similar conditions.
III. Notice that Paul says that Christians will NOT experience the Day of the
Lord.
A. \\#1Thess 5:9\\ Paul clearly says that God has not appointed US, the
Christians, to wrath.
B. The context of what Paul is talking about here is unmistakable!!
1. He is talking about the Day of the Lord.
2. A day that the Old Testament describes as a day of God’s wrath
and vengeance!
C. There is and always has been a lot of debate about when Jesus will
come and the tribulation will start. In my opinion, the most
Biblical backed theories are these.
1. Some believe like us, in a pre-tribulation rapture.
2. Some believe in a mid-tribulation rapture. They believe that
Christians will go through at least half of the tribulation
and usually place the rapture between Revelation 6 and
Revelation 7.
3. A the newest notion is the Pre-Wrath rapture of the church.
a. This theory redefines the length of the Day of the Lord
from seven years to 3 1/2 and then places the rapture of
the church occurring just before the 3 1/2 year tribulation
begins.
b. My understanding is that they likewise place the rapture
between Revelation 6 and 7.
D. If it were possible to get a simple Bible answer to the question of
when the rapture will occur, we would not have so many different
theories.
1. However, since Paul says that we, Christians, are not appointed
to God’s wrath, I believe as I have for years.
2. I believe that we will not go through any part of the seven
years left on Daniel’s 70 week calendar for the Jews
\\#Dan 9:24-27\\.
IV. Based on the events that Paul is describing, Paul exhorts the Christians.
A. Paul’s exhortation on how the Christians are to live is a major part
of his message to the Thessalonians.
1. \\#4\\ Paul states that we, Christians, are not of the darkness.
a. Darkness in the Bible is a picture of rebellion and ignorance.
b. Christians are not to be ignorant of or rebellious toward the
rapture, the Day of the Lord, and the false sense of safety
that some will be lulled into before the Lord comes.
c. The inoculation that prevents that from happening is twofold:
(1) Study the Bible.
(2) Believe what it says.
2. \\#5-6\\ Paul states that we, Christians, are not of the night
and are not asleep.
a. Night is the time when people are supposed to sleep.
b. A person sleeping is not a person who does not know of events
that are supposed to take place while he is asleep.
(1) I know the New Year is going to come in every December 31.
(2) I just chose not to greet it.
c. The sleeper surrenders consciousness during a period of time.
d. Basically, sleep means the person just does not care.
e. The inoculation for not caring is to stay awake and be sober.
(1) Don’t allow yourself to be overcome with a "no-care"
attitude; rather, stay alert and stay mentally sound.
(2) It is sad but some Christians believe in in the rapture,
they know that it could happen at any moment, but they
turn to the world anyway!
(3) Don’t! Stay at the wheel.
B. Christians, the coming of Jesus is one of the major messages for the
church during the church age.
1. The coming of Jesus gives us hope to meet our deaths and the deaths
of our friends and loved ones.
2. The coming of Jesus gives us strength to stay true and alert.
3. The coming of Jesus gives us motivation to tell others abut Jesus.
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