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So having addressed the Saints concerns over their dead relative to the Second Coming of Christ, Paul continues now in our last chapter of 1st Thessalonians -chapter 5. Let’s read as he continues on the same vein in which he left, saying:
1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Yeshua Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
1st Thessalonians 5.1-
Meat
August 16th 2020
THIS chapter consists of two parts.
1. The continuation of the subject of the coming of the Lord which he started in chapter 4 and continues on through verse 11 of chapter 5, and
And 2., a number of practical exhortations that follow in after that.
Go back to verse 1 as he continues on with the subject of the second half of chapter 4, the return of the Lord as he says:
1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
This phrase, the times and the seasons is used three times in three separate parts in the scripture.
The first occurrence is in Daniel 2:21 where it says, speaking generally of God:
“And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.”
The second occurrence is in Acts 1:6-7 where Luke cites Peter citing Yeshua citing Daniel and applies it to the times and seasons of the end of that age, saying
Acts 1:6 When they (the apostles) therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
Then the last occurrence is here where Paul now specifically takes the term and assigns it to the describing the actual time and season of the coming of the Lord (meaning he uses it eschatologically) and says:
1st Thessalonians 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
The term “times” appears to speak to a unset period of any time period – long short or otherwise indefinite – and the word season appears to describe a set or specific period.
By the time Paul uses the term here in his letter to the Thessalonians it is concretely ensconced in the topic of end-times.
As an interesting aside, and to help show that Mormonism was founded on the belief that Yeshua was returning soon and they were preparing His Kingdom for him to receive, their two newspapers back in the day were titled respectively,
The Millennial Star and Times and Seasons – which is understandable for a church that called itself, the Church of Yeshua Christ of LATTER-DAY Saints.
In any case Paul, after specifically addressing a concern they had relative to their dead at the end of chapter 4, the Second Coming AND the resurrection (which we covered last week) Paul now tells them generally-
However, of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
Meaning, they had received all the information on the particulars of Yeshua’s return that they needed and it appears that Paul is speaking to the abrupt way that Yeshua would appear as he adds now at verse 2:
2 For yourselves know perfectly (again, he affirms that they were perfectly informed on this event) that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
Its important to realize that when we are talking about Yeshua’s actual return to take his bride this is referred to as “the day,” “day” and “that day.”
But when scripture speaks of all the signs and events leading up to “that day” it speaks of “days.”
For this reason we read Yeshua himself saying in Matthew 24 when he was asked to describe the signs of his coming he uses (in five separate places) the word “days,” as in Matthew 24:22 where he says:
“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
This helps us distinguish between days of trial and tribulation and the DAY that he actually returns as when he says 14 verses later:
Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Here in 1st Thessalonians Paul is speaking of the SPECIFIC DAY when the Lord would return by using the singular DAY and this, he says, the believers in Thessalonica clearly understood, would come “suddenly, and as a thief in the night.”
In other words, his actual arrival would be super-fast and sudden and not strewn out over days weeks or months. So he says in verse 2
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
Of course, thieves – I suppose especially in those days – break in as quickly as possible. IT’s all about get in and get out withnthose guys. So I think its also important to understand that a thief in the night not only appears suddenly and unexpectedly but they also depart as quickly as possible too.
I find the comparison interesting of Yeshua’s return to a thief in the night.
Additionally, in the comparison, it seems like we really don’t know we have a thief in our house until we come upon him – which is another sudden event.
We might hear a noise (which would be likened to the signs or days preceding his coming to them) but we don’t really know that it is a thief until we see him or her – it could be a racoon or a relative or an open window letting in some air.
So, we have in the description an appeal to “suddenness.”
If we allow this assumption to exist that he has not come and taken his bride, then this description slams EVERY single prediction of his future arrival – because scripture says it will be like a thief in the night – which is impossible to predict.
Yeshua then tells them something relative to that age and the people in it, saying:
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
In other places in scripture it is predicted that those in “that day” would preach peace and safety to the believers were of an evil nature and that the believers should not follow them.
This passage also tells us plainly that at his arrival not all were to or are to be saved but that he was also coming to destroy and there would be no escape.
So the picture was (and for some still is) a setting of people eating and drinking and living like everything was going to be fine and suddenly the Day of the LORD would fall upon them and at that point there is no escaping his wrath.
The picture of Sodom and Gomorrah is fitting to the fulfillment of how things went down too and so we can see why the apostles were all over this subject in their writings, warning and telling their readers then to watch and be ready because once the DAY hits they were either going to be saved or they were going to be destroyed.
Paul here says that the Day will come upon a woman in labor. A woman is either in labor or she is not – and generally speaking when she is in labor, the baby is coming and there is little to stop that babay from showing up and say I’m here.
Same with the coming DAY of the Lord.
So after having said this Paul adds at verse 4:
4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Because thieves come at night when people are asleep – they are often surprised and overtaken by them.
Appealing to this analogy, the idea to the Christian was for them to stay alert, and awake, and to watch for the signs and the thieves.
Paul is suggesting that the Lord would come to the wicked of that day who were not watching or looking or anticipating his arrival – because they would be asleep to the facts.
Non-believers certainly would not spend their time looking or watching for the return of someone they have never trusted or believed rose from the dead.
They would SLEEP in the night, dwell in the darkness of ignorance and say, “all is well.”
Of course, and to me unfortunately, Christians have read and applied these passages to themselves for 2000 years and have been watching, explaining, predicting the day of his coming ever since.
I suggest the watching and remaining alert is still applicable but speaks to the individual Christian and their view and assessment of their own DAY of Departure from this earth- and their preparation for it.
But Paul adds
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
And then he adds an important line of further clarification saying at verses 5-11:
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of1st salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Yeshua Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
Paul here is clearly describing to them/then what children of Light look and live like compared to the children of Dark. The comparisons to them then and still to us today remain a distinct contrast:
In describing the
CHILDREN OF LIGHT
(read)
Ye are all the children of light
and the children of the day:
let us not sleep, as do others;
let us watch and be sober.
are of the day
be sober,
putting on the breastplate of “faith and love”
and for “an helmet” the hope (expectation) of salvation.
God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Yeshua Christ,
whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
The in describing the
CHILDREN OF THE DARK
(read)
we are not of the night
nor of darkness.
Do not sleep, as do others
For they that sleep, sleep in the night;
and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
appointed us to wrath
Not live together with Him
And then he reiterates a line we ended with last week, and saying:
11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
This is important – he tells them/then to comfort each other with the words that he has given them. I think he had reason to say this as what he discussed was literally applicable to them.
Today the principles remain applicable to believers by the Spirit and according to their own lives.
It is at this point that Paul begins to wrap this letter up to the believers at Thessalonica and at this point he gives some straight up directives to them. So let’s read to the end of the chapter and book.
12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
16 Rejoice evermore.
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Yeshua concerning you.
19 Quench not the Spirit.
20 Despise not prophesyings.
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
And then he supplies his benediction to the letter. So let’s go back to verse 12-13 which were VERY specific to the church/bride in that day as Paul says:
12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
There are a couple ways to interpret and apply these two passages in this day and age and I think its really important that we present these options openly and fairly.
First of all, we can say that this is THE ORDER of the faith and there is no getting around it.
With this established order of elder believers and episkopas (bishops) and deakonos (deacons) are in place along with Apostolos (apostles) and that the church today ought to be organized this way so that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it and therefore this advice given by Paul to them was very applicable to us now.
Or we could say that it was given to them/then and the by those things that were in place the gates of hell were prevailed upon and the bride then remained pure and was taken as promised by Jesus.
What was the advice again?
12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
These lines are used by religious leaders today and have been for the past 1900 years as having direct application to believers today. I personal reject that application based on eschatology.
Nevertheless the line, “to know them which labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you” is a way of saying, don’t make yourselves strangers from them who have been put in place over you in the Lord.
And we have to admit that no matter what segment of society we are talking about, whether it be toward those in religion or the office or the neighborhood, the advice Paul gives here, as led by the Spirit, remain sound and good, that a believer led of the Spirit would in every situation and walk of life:
“know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;” and to “esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.”
No problem – Christians of any age ought to be known and seen as supportive, peaceful and amicable in their every engagement with others – and especially among ourselves.
But what we have to decide is does and do these directives have application to believers today relative to offices in the established bodies of believers (churches) and is there to be an order or hierarchy in place like the one Paul alludes to here?
If there is, we have to admit a few more things:
1. believers today ought to be compliant to what Paul says in terms of advice on how to be toward those who are “over us in the Lord.”
2. And we have to believe that Yeshua has NOT, in fact, taken his bride and that therefore, the gates of hell have not, in fact, ever prevailed against his church, and therefore there does, in fact, exist a material brick and mortar expression of church out there that Yeshua IS coming to take.
3. And with this being the case, then we must also admit that the New Testament must be read as a manual and the apostolic directives must be lived as stated, that we ought to be taking communion weekly, we must hold church disciplines regularly, and that there are all sorts of factors we have omitted from our modern Christian lives that were present and demanded of believers then.
Finally, we have to embrace the idea that the Spirit (and its fruit of love) must take a back seat to the written words of the Apostles, and somewhat ignore what God promised in Jeremiah about him writing his laws on the minds and hearts of individuals in the age of fulfillment, and that we are still waiting for the Kingdom and its King to reign over us, and that all who die without knowing him are going to an actual hell, separated from God, and God has not had the victory through Christ, and we had all better shape up, wake up, sit and stay up watching and waiting for Yeshua to come like a thief in the night to take us!
(whew – beat)
I am of another biblical view. And that view includes the fact that we are reading the letters of an apostles IN an age where all of what I just described WAS in place – and the principles here remain enforcible (by the Spirit alone) and that that all of this was purposeful and of those times and seasons, but we are living in an age fulfilled – and have been for 2000 years.
It’s up to you to decide how you will see such things yourselves.
Paul goes on at verse 14 with more directives and begins to issue forth a laundry list to the believers then, saying:
14 Now we exhort you, brethren, (to)
a. warn them that are unruly
b. comfort the feebleminded,
c. support the weak,
d. be patient toward all men.
These directives appear to be to all believers in their relations with all people, and Paul commends them to
“Warn them that are unruly.”
Admonish those who are unruly – with unruly meaning, “disorderly.” It’s really a military term and it means to be out of step or line with the others.
I believe this is essential advice then, I believe that this is unnecessary now, AND I believe that believers today who have the Spirit of God in them will automatically be in harmony with those around them BY AND THROUGH love.
It’s as simple as that as the Spirit and its fruit does not lend to disruption or disorder but act in patience and kindness and mercy to all.
To comfort the “feeble-minded”
The Greek word is OLIGOS-PSUCHOS
with oligos meaning, puny or little and PSUCHOS meaning mind will or emotion.
Comfort those less equipped that you, make them feel loved and welcome – they are not walking with power in their faculties so comfort them in their trials and frustrations.
And support the weak.
And weak does not limit itself to a specific way – but instead means weak in anyway – support, care for, uplift, encourage!
Those weak in faith.
Weak in mind.
Weak in temperament.
Weak in abilities, decision making, finances, in their flesh, in their lives – support them – care for them.
And then Paul adds, “and be patient toward all men.”
It’s so fitting as the weak around us require, sometimes, patience, longsuffering and our willingness to endure with them.
Paul adds at verse 15
See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
What advice! And how difficult – to NOT render evil for evil unto ANY man!
But to EVER FOLLOW that which is good, both among yourselves (as
believers) and to ALL men.
There’s that line again – to all men – to all people, both those who are of the faith and to all who are outside of it.
Not rendering evil for evil but evil with good.
Impossible to do but by the Holy Spirit, folks. Especially on a consistent basis as our flesh seeks justice.
And then we come into some short one liners starting at verse 16 where Paul says:
16 Rejoice evermore.
Always be joyful!
Have joy at all times!.
Joy – khara – calm delight. Inner peace, provided by the light and love that is God. Cheerful. Over the light and hope we have in Christ.
17 Pray without ceasing.
To me this speaks to a frame of mind more than a position on the knees.
I will leave that up to you and how the Spirit moves you to express your prayers. I happen to do most of my praying when I walk in a pool every day or when I am in my car. But my communications are constant but rarely official.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Yeshua concerning you.
Summary? Be grateful.
Develop a heart that sees the blessings in everything and is grateful as a result. I’ve met people who are literally grateful for their trials, their diseases, their loss of income and the rejections they experience in the world.
In everything give thanks – listen – “for this is the will of God in Christ Yeshua for you.”
Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Yeshua Christ;
Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Yeshua, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Some versions translate this as “in ALL circumstances give God thanks for this is the will of God (that we have) in Christ Yeshua.”
Outside of Christ Yeshua we have no reason to thank God in all circumstances, but Paul is explicit here when he says that God’s will for us IN CHRIST YESHUA is that we would be grateful in all circumstances. (Verse 19 is another important one where he says):
19 Quench not the Spirit.
The language of this phrase is borrowed from the act of putting out a fire and the sense seems to be to avoid extinguishing
the influences of the Holy Spirit.
There may be an allusion to alter fires here which were to be constantly burning but the point in when the Holy Spirit is present, burning, roaring – don’t put it out.
Of course, this has application to every individual and the Holy Spirit within them, but I think it also has application to others and the Holy Spirit burning within them. Here’s a view of interpretation on this. The Holy Spirit bears fruit. And that fruit is agape love and all of its permutations.
Should someone claim to be filled with the Spirit and make some sort of non-love profession or claim, and they are corrected, and they say, “Don’t quench the Spirit, man,” the fallback is always:
What you are calling the Spirit does not mirror what the fruit of the Spirit is supposed to be!
So, someone says,
I think the Holy Spirit is telling me to take on another wife. Because that act would not be loving to the first wife, that claim could be called into question (in love) and you would not be guilty of quenching the Spirit.
But similarly, if someone says, “I believe that its important for me to love all people, all the time, no matter their lifestyles or choices” THAT statement reflect the fruit of the Spirit and when it is denounced, that would be an act of quenching the Spirit!
Get it? (Verse 20)
20 Despise not prophesyings.
On the subject of prophesyings in the early Christian church, we discussed it in in our verse by verse of 1st Corinthians 14:1 and the reference seems to be to preaching or teaching.
Paul concludes with
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
This advice is given three or four times in scripture and it specifically refers to the tempering of metals – which of course is accomplished through heat, which tests or tries the purity of the product.
Test or prove all things is such sound advice – to take all things – ALL THINGS – especially relative to the things teachers and preachers say, and submit them to the tempering fires of truth and see what holds up.
It’s important that even if we are in an age of brick and mortar and Christ’s original church is waiting to be taken, the command remains from Paul to individuals – test all things and hold fast to what is good.
Interestingly, the line also lets us know that from a scriptural perspective that there are things that are considered, “good.”
In our day of relativist views, good is taking a back seat to personal opinion but I would suggest, by the Spirit, that there are good things in the world that are not up to debate – included in them is mercy, longsuffering, patience, kindness, forgiving, humility, Yeshua, God, consideration – all good.
Conversely this means that there is also non-good or evil and I would include in them unforgiveness, meanness, cruelty, impatience, arrogance, hatred for others, and the like.
Test all things and hold fast, cling to, what is good. And finally,
22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
I want to advise you all to be careful with this one. Because what is evil and what is good can be interpreted in ten thousand different ways.
I would suggest a discerning attitude on this advice because what scripture describes as evil is often very different from what religions calls evil.
1st Corinthians 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
To me the bottom line rule for abstaining from all appearance of evil means to refrain from actions and words that are in opposition to the Christian commandments, which are to believe on Yeshua and to love our neighbor.
So abstain from the appearance of things that appear to be in opposition to these commands.
Religion wants you to abstain from all sorts of external stuff – just like the pharisees criticized Yeshua, calling him and his external behaviors evil.
But consider this other view as you go.
And I think we will cover the benediction of this letter next week before we launch into 2nd Thessalonians on that same day.
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