Two thousand years ago Jesus gave his followers the following specific signs of his return in Matthew 24:3-7
If you ask, “Do you know for certain that Jesus will come back in your lifetime?”, the answer is No, I don’t know that and neither does anyone else. Date setting, or even time setting is a mark of a cult. Jesus may not come back for a 1,000 years. But here is my challenge to you. Read the Bible and study what it describes about the world situation when Jesus does return. Then pick up the newspaper and read it. I believe you will be amazed at the similarity between the Bible and today’s headlines. I believe the overall situation in the world today is very similar to the situation the Bible describes for the days leading up to the return of Christ.
With that introduction, let’s turn our attention to our text—1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. The key word is found in verse 2, where Paul assures his readers that they “know very well.” The phrase means to know accurately or in detail. In this passage Paul is reminding us of certain things we already know about the Second Coming of Christ.
Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘‘Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Paul uses a particular term to describe the end times. He calls it “the day of the Lord.” That’s a phrase used many times in the Old Testament. It describes any time when God suddenly interrupts the normal flow of life and “breaks in” to time and space. The prophets used the term to describe God’s judgment on the pagan nations surrounding Israel. In fact, throughout history there have been many periods that might be called “the day of the Lord.” But all of those little “days” look forward to be the big “day” at the end history. They are like the preliminary fights leading up to the main event.
Our text tells us that we know three things about the coming Day of the Lord at the end of the age: First, it will come suddenly, like a thief in the night. Why did you lock your door last night? You did it because thieves normally come during the darkness while you are sleeping. Verse 3 even tells us what people will be saying in those days. They will cry, “Peace and safety.” That’s interesting. It means that the days just before the beginning of the final judgment will seem tranquil and peaceful. Jesus predicted the same thing in Matthew 24:37-38:
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
Second, it will be a period of great destruction. This refers to the vast judgments described in the book of Revelation, when the seals are broken, the trumpets sound and the bowls of God’s judgment poured out on the earth. All those terrible events will take place during a seven-year period called “the tribulation”
Third, there will be no escape. Here is the most important fact we need to know about the future. When the Day of the Lord finally comes and God’s fury is poured out on the earth, there will be no place to run, no place to hide. He uses a fascinating analogy to make his point. He compares it to a woman in the throes of childbirth.
Every woman who has ever been pregnant knows what I mean. For months you wait for the day to come. You don’t know the exact day but you sense when it is getting close. Finally something happens and you say to your husband, “Sweetheart, it’s time to go to the hospital.” He may try to argue or reason with you but to no avail. When the time has come, you’ve got to go because the baby is on the way. You can’t ignore those sharp pains and you can’t make them go away.
The same is true of the Day of the Lord. When God’s judgment is poured out on this earth, no one will escape. The world cannot escape the tribulation period. Your only hope is to find the way of escape through the Lord Jesus Christ.
But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
Here is some very good news. There is light and there is darkness. These stand for the two great divisions of the human race—the saved and the lost. There are those who belong to the light and others who belong to the darkness. Note two key words in this text: “you” and “we.” Paul says clearly that Christians belong to the light and to the day, not to the darkness of the night.
Finally, we must put on the soldier’s uniform. Verse 8 tells us to put on the breastplate of faith of love. Just as the breastplate covered the vital organs, even so faith in God and love toward our brothers and sister will protect us in the time of battle. Then we are to put on the helmet of the hope of salvation. This protects the mind and produces clear thinking. What is the “hope of salvation"? It is the certainly that if we die before Jesus returns, we who believe will go directly to heaven. If we live till his return, it is the certainty that we will be raptured off this earth to meet the Lord in the earth. Either way we’re going to be delivered—whether alive or dead we’re going to meet Jesus very soon.
Paul is telling us there is a moral value to the Second Coming of Christ. There are certain standards that go with that truth. While we wait for his return, we live in a world of spiritual darkness that is hostile to spiritual truth. There is a battle raging all around us, a battle for the hearts and minds of men and women. I dare say it is also a battle for our culture and for our nation. Every Christian is a soldier in that battle.
In short, Paul is telling us to do three things in light of Christ’s return:
Wake up! (verse 6)
Clean up! (verse 7)
Dress up! (verse 8)
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. The word “destiny” means “an appointed end.” We all plan for the future. But God has a plan for you that is so certain that we may call it a destiny. Paul calls it an “appointment.” Here are three statements to ponder:
God knows where you came from.
God knows where you are right now.
God knows where you will end up!
1. This text is teaching an important truth about the future. The order is crucial. First there is the rapture of the saints, then the Day of the Lord begins. Unbelievers cannot escape the Day of the Lord while believers will be rescued from it. We will not be overtaken by the Day of God’s Judgment because God has not destined us for wrath but for deliverance. Let me say it as plainly as I know how:
We are not waiting for the Tribulation … We’re waiting for Jesus to return!
2. Many believers are not ready for Jesus to return. They are spiritual sleepwalkers who have been intoxicated by the world. They have compromised their values and sold their spiritual heritage for a insignificant moment of earthly pleasure.
Are you ready for Christ to return? Are you ready to meet him today? Tomorrow? What if he were to return in the next 24 hours, would you be ready or would you be ashamed to see him?
If you are a Christian, God is saying something to you this morning: Keep you eyes open and your armor on! Look up for your redemption draweth nigh.
3. Your Identity Determines Your destiny. Think of the words Paul uses in this passage:
Light and darkness
Sleeping and waking
Night and day
Us and them
Wrath and Salvation
Your choice is ruin or rescue, destruction or deliverance!
The unbelieving world will not escape. All that man has built will be crumble when Christ returns. If you don’t know Jesus, you have a date with judgment. Your future is wrath, judgment and tribulation. And you will not escape!
God’s Word tells you the truth. There is no reason to be unprepared. If Jesus comes today and you aren’t ready to meet him, you will have only yourself to blame.
~Bits and Pieces of sermon by Dr. Ray Pritchard
