“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 NKJV
For what? Good question. If you will recall, last week we looked at a passage from scripture which most of you were probably familiar with, and today I want to do the same. I also want to apply the same lesson I shared with you concerning looking at the context of a passage, so we can better understand exactly what we are being told. Last week we saw that Jesus was answering the disciple’s questions about the end times, and the future for the nation of Israel. In today’s passage, we find the apostle Paul answering questions from the believers at Thessalonica about the end times, and the future of the Church.
When Paul had first visited the city, his time there, by most accounts, was very short. Some commentaries speculate it was as little as three weeks or so, and if that is the case, it doesn’t seem at all surprising that questions would arise that Paul would need to address. While the church there was apparently in good health and spreading the gospel to other cities, it was also beginning to suffer some persecution. In this letter Paul reminds them that this was to be expected, and encourages them to stand fast and endure. Yet some believers had already passed away and there were concerns within the church that those individuals would somehow miss out on spending eternity with Christ.
In the passage above, Paul makes the point that believers should, and can, know” the times and the seasons”. Times and seasons of what? Paul calls it the “day of the Lord”, and goes on to say that we are to watch for it. Now I have often tried to make the point when I teach on this passage that we as believers would not be told to “watch” if we weren’t going to be given something to see. Paul here uses the example of a thief coming to steal, and makes it perfectly clear that if we watch, we will see the thief coming. So to, if we watch for the “day of the Lord”, we will see it coming.
If, however, you are wondering just what Paul means speaking of this “day”, if you recall last week’s thoughts on context, he explains just what he is talking about in the previous chapter.
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NKJV
This passage describes exactly what all believers are looking forward to with so much anticipation and that is the rapture of the Church when Jesus will appear in the clouds and call us home to be with Him for all of eternity. This event is what Paul goes on to call the “day of the Lord” in chapter 5. It is also, I might add, what he tells us we must watch for and will recognize when the “times and seasons” arrive. Do you remember just a couple of weeks ago we talked about Jesus’ reaction to Israel not recognizing the time of His first appearing? As believers, Paul not only makes it perfectly clear that not only are we supposed to be watching for the rapture, if we do we will know when the time is near.
The year 2020 will most likely be looked back as the year when it all began to change. Consider if you will what your life was like just one year ago and compare it with the present situation we all find ourselves in. Although it often seems difficult to get people to agree on much of anything, it would appear that many, if not most, now believe our lives will never be the same. There will never be a return to the old “normal” we were so comfortable and used to living in, and to be completely honest, many truly believe things are only going to get worse. The only positive I personally can take away from this past year are the sheer number of believers who have come to believe that what we are seeing are the signs we have been told to watch for.
While I have never claimed to “know” when the rapture will occur, there are definitely times of the year when I believe we should especially be watching. Today we find ourselves in the middle of the fall feasts of Israel with one of my personal favorites just a week away. That feast is the last one of the year in Israel and is called the Feast of Tabernacles. It is also a celebration of the final harvest of the year and is considered to be the most joyful feast, and in fact, in the book of Deuteronomy the people are actually commanded to be joyful during this feast. Next week I will share my thoughts on this feast and why many consider it to be an especially watchful time for those of us awaiting the call to “come up here”.
Never forget, the passage above tells us if we watch, we will know the times and seasons.
Keep watching.
