The day of the Lord will mean salvation for the sons of light who remain vigilant and prepare for its sudden arrival – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11.
Rather than provide a list of “signs” by which believers can calculate
the date of the “day of the Lord,” Paul gives instructions on how they
must live in anticipation of that day’s sudden arrival.
That day will not overtake disciples
because they “are not in darkness,” but instead, they are “sons of
light” and “sons of the day.” Unlike the unrighteous, watchful
believers who live in the light of the gospel will not be caught off guard when
the day arrives, whether they know its timing or not.
Paul’s concern is that the “day
of the Lord” does not “overtake” believers because they are unprepared.
They avoid “destruction” by being prepared spiritually for its arrival.
For them, that day will bring salvation, but for the unprepared, it will result
in their destruction.
- (1 Thessalonians 5:4-7) – “But you are not in darkness, that the day overtakes you as upon thieves. For all you are sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of night nor of darkness, hence, then, let us not be sleeping, like the rest, but let us watch and be sober; for they that sleep by night do sleep, and they that drink by night do drink.”
REMAIN AWAKE
Paul makes several contrasts
between the prepared and the unprepared. Unbelievers are in “darkness”
and belong “to the night.” They are asleep, and therefore,
unprepared. In contrast, believers are “not in darkness.”
There is a verbal link between
this passage and the preceding section where Paul expresses his desire for the
Thessalonians not to be “ignorant concerning those who are asleep, that you
may not grieve as do the others who have no hope.”
Here, he exhorts them not “to
sleep as others do but let us be alert and sober.” Both passages refer
to unbelievers as “the others” (hoi loipoi), and both refer to “those
who are asleep.”
In the previous passage, those
who “sleep” are dead Christians, but here, Paul commands Christians not
“to sleep” as “the others” do. Instead, they must “watch”
always for that day’s arrival.
PUT ON GOD’S ARMOR
- (1 Thessalonians 5:8-11) – “But we, being of the day, let us be sober, putting on a breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. Because God did not appoint us for wrath, but for acquiring salvation through our Lord Jesus, who died for us that, whether we are watching or sleeping, together with him we should live. Wherefore, be consoling one another and building up each the other, even as you are also doing.”
Next, Paul encourages believers
to “put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of
salvation.” The same triad of virtues is given in the opening passage
of the letter - “work of faith, a labor of love and
steadfastness of hope” - (1 Thessalonians 1:3).
Of great relevance is the theme
of “hope.” For Paul, “hope” is realized “before our God
and Father,” and the saints will be his “hope…before our Lord Jesus at
His arrival” - (1 Thessalonians 1:3, 2:19).
In the preceding chapter,
Paul declares that believers are not “without hope” because at his “arrival”
the dead in Christ will be raised first, then they will join their living
compatriots, and all will “meet” Jesus as he descends from heaven.
In the present passage, the “hope” is the “acquisition of salvation,” and thus, the avoidance of the destruction that will overwhelm the unprepared. In both passages, this “hope” is realized at the “arrival of Jesus.”
At that time, the "wrath"
of God will be executed on the disobedient. Here, “wrath” is contrasted
with the final “salvation” that the faithful will receive when Jesus “arrives.”
Those who persevere in living faithfully will “obtain salvation through Jesus
Christ,” but the unprepared will find that they have been “appointed to
wrath.”
SALVATION
Paul describes Jesus as the one
“who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we will live
together with him.” In the previous section, Christians who die are
called “those who have fallen asleep.” Once again, he refers to two
different groups of believers - those who are awake and those
who are “asleep.” Both acquire salvation at the same time, and both “will
live together with him” forevermore from that day.
The clause “together with”
concludes both this and the preceding section about the “arrival of Jesus
from heaven.” Christians who remain alive when Jesus “arrives” will
be caught up “together with” the “dead in Christ.” Likewise,
whether alive (“awake”) or dead (“asleep”), believers “will
live together with him.”
As before, the assurance of
salvation is grounded in the past death and resurrection of Christ - (“For
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again”).
Previously, Paul told the Thessalonians
to “comfort one another with these words.” Likewise, here, they are to “comfort
one another and build up one another.” This is another verbal connection
between the two sections. The Greek words translated as “comfort one another”
in both passages are identical (parakaleite allélous – 1 Thessalonians
4:18).
Another link is the
promise that believers will be with Christ after he arrives.
After the saints meet Jesus "in the air," they will be “with
the Lord evermore.” Likewise, “whether we are awake or asleep, we
may live together with him.”
Both sections refer to
unbelievers as “the others.” Previously, Paul stated that they mourned
over their dead loved ones. Here, he refers to those who are spiritually
asleep, and therefore, unprepared for his “arrival.”
The verbal links demonstrate that
the same event is under discussion in both sections, the “arrival” of
Jesus “from heaven.” The previous section concerned the future
resurrection of dead saints when Jesus “arrived from heaven.” The present
one describes how that event will overtake the unprepared. And in the present
section, Paul connects the “arrival of Jesus” with the “Day of the
Lord.”
Paul has let the Thessalonians
know how and when the “day of the Lord” will
come. First, it will arrive unexpectedly “like a thief in the night.” That
is something the Thessalonians already know, and therefore, Paul has no need to
write further regarding “signs and seasons.”
Second, for believers, his “arrival”
is always imminent. It is an event for which they must always prepare. It
remains imminent precisely because its timing is unknown.
For those anticipating that day
and living accordingly, though they remain ignorant of its timing, it will not overtake
them by surprise or overwhelm them with destruction because they are the “sons
of light.” It will mean their salvation.