THE PRELUDE
THE MESSAGE
“The end is near! The end is near!” Street preachers frequently cry out the prediction of the world's end. Poets, politicians, and priests have been predicting the end of the world for centuries. One man, William Miller, calculated the end of the world would happen on October 22, 1844. In case you were wondering, the world did not end on that day. Miller later concluded that the end did not happen on that October day because Christians had not properly observed the Sabbath. That day's disappointment led to the formation of the Seventh-day Adventist movement, beginning in Albany, New York.
“Is the end near? Is the end near?” This was a question that weighed heavily on Jesus’ own disciples and upon the early church. One time when Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jerusalem, one of his disciples said, ‘Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!’ 2 And Jesus said to him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down’ (Mark 13:1b-2). To Jesus’ disciples, the destruction of the Temple would be the end of the world. For the rest of Chapter 13 of Mark’s Gospel, Mark records a monologue essentially by Jesus on the end times. Jesus said:
- 9 “But be on your guard… 10 The gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations” (Mark 13:9a, 10).
- 14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains… 23 But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand” (Mark 13:14, 23a)
- 26 “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven” (Mark 13:26, 27)
- 32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake” (Mark 13:32-37).
Jesus pointed out to his disciples that the world would come to an end was known, but the specific day was unknowable, as such knowledge was God’s and God’s alone. The day could not be calculated and would come without warning. Therefore, the most important thing Jesus’ apostles could do would be to be ready, always, to be awake always.
Apparently, the question of the end times did not end with Jesus’ apostles but was a concern for the early church as well. The Apostle Paul saw this as a concern among the people of Thessalonica. Last week, we looked at Paul’s opening words on this matter in the latter half of the fourth chapter of his first letter to the Thessalonians. Today, I would like us to look at the conclusion of Paul’s thoughts found in the first half of the last chapter of that same letter.
Paul wrote, “1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2). Paul began his explanation of the end times by reminding the Thessalonians that they did not need instruction on the coming of the Lord any more than they need instruction on the coming of the next season. The Thessalonians, as we do, know that our seasons follow the pattern of spring, summer, fall, and winter. We know that by learned experience. We do not need someone to write us a letter explaining the sequence of the seasons. Neither did the Thessalonians need a letter on the seasons. In a like manner, Paul said, the Thessalonians do not need a letter telling them about the day of the Lord’s coming because they already knew the day would come like a thief in the night. The latter phrase implies that a thief comes to steal from a homeowner without any advance notice. The thief arrives at a time of the thief's choosing. And so the Thessalonians do not need a letter telling them the day of the Lord’s return is unknowable because they are aware of that fact. Paul’s teaching here is the same as Jesus’ teaching to his apostles. The day of Jesus’ return is known only to God the Father. So one of the things we can immediately take away from what Jesus said and what Paul taught here is that anyone who carries a sign and shouts, “The end is near! The end is near!” is trying to convince others of something only known to God the Father. We know the end is near, as God perceives the sense of near, and that we cannot know the date and time any more than we could know the date and time a thief would seek to enter our home. We can, therefore, stop listening to the William Millers of the world who claim they know the day of the Lord’s return, for they do not know because they are not God.
Paul continued, “3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). Paul said people are saying, “There is peace and security.” What people was Paul speaking of here? Paul was speaking about non-believers. Nonbelievers were saying to each other, “What a wonderful time we are experiencing because we have peace and security. We have nothing to worry about and nothing to fear.” At the time of Paul’s letter, much of the Roman Empire was at peace, meaning there was no war. Much of the Roman Empire was experiencing a time of security, a law-and-order period. Many people felt comfortable and safe, believing that no calamities could or would befall them.
But Paul said, from this posture of peace and security, “Then sudden destruction will come upon them” (1 Thessalonians 5:3b). Jesus' return will be to the nonbeliever like an invading army swarming over the Roman Empire and conquering them as an enemy, swiftly and without mercy. It will be the ultimate “Shock and Awe” experience as Jesus conquers the whole world in an instant. To make the comparison relate to the individual human experience, Paul said the suddenness will come “as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman,” meaning again, not at a time of her choosing. Labor pains come with an intensity and persistence that rule over the pregnant woman such that she has no choice but to yield her body to the will of the pain until the pain accomplishes its purposes. Finally, Paul said, in rather sobering language, “and they will not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3c). When Jesus returns, the nonbeliever will not escape judgment.
The nonbeliever lives a life of denial, believing that peace and security come from their own efforts, but upon Jesus return they will find out that they are an enemy of God, that they will be pain and gnashing of teeth, like that of a pregnant woman giving natural childbirth, and that though they may think they can avoid the judgement, there will be no escape for anyone. The verse again is, “3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3), is a frightening revelation of the nonbeliever’s future.
Offering relief from this dreadful future, Paul began again with the word, “But.” We now know that whenever we see the word “But,” it should suggest to us that some reversal of what had just been spoken of was coming. From the bleak outcome for nonbelievers, Jesus said, “4 But you [believers] are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5a). Paul was saying to the believer here that while you may not know the day the Lord returns, you will not be surprised by his coming. You are expecting Him to come. You are excited for Jesus’ coming. You know that when He comes, the nonbeliever will see Him as King and Judge. You know that when He comes, the believer will experience him as the long-awaited King and Savior. It is not going to be a surprise to you, as though an unwelcome thief had come into your house, but it will be a welcome visitation from God. How is it that the believer knows and welcomes the Lord, and the nonbeliever is clueless? Paul said this is so because the believer is a child of the light, a child of the day. Believers are believers because they have moved from death to life, from darkness to light. People of the light have been saved and exist already in the world of darkness as light. When Jesus returns, He will come as blinding light over all the world, coming for those who are already living in His light. The psalmist offers, “The Lord is my light, and my salvation” (Psalm 27:1). That statement is true in life and will be especially true on the day of the coming of the Lord.
Paul concluded his thoughts by reminding the believers in Thessalonica that as new creations in Christ they are different. And to emphasize this difference, Paul switched language to the plural, “We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:5b-8). Paul’s was pointed. Christians live their lives in the light of Christ; therefore, they do not live in the darkness of nonbelievers. They pursue a healthy lifestyle, believing their bodies are temples of God’s Holy Spirit. And to guard the purity of that life, Christians, Paul said, need to dress in appropriate spiritual armor: a breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
Paul revealed two themes of Christian theology here. The first is faith, love, and hope. This is how Paul opened this letter to the Thessalonians. Paul said, “2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3). Paul would talk about faith, love, and hope in other letters. For example,
- 1 Corinthians 13:13 — The most famous: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
- Colossians 1:3-5a - 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.
- Galatians 5:5-6 - 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
The second theological theme Paul introduced here was the idea of putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. Paul spoke again of the armor in Romans 13:12, “12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12). And famously, Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”
These two themes of faith, love, and hope, and spiritual armor lead us to our application of Paul’s words to our life. First, Christians, Paul said, are to be alert and sober, expectantly awaiting Jesus’ return. We do not know the date, but we know it will happen. Our view should not be one where, out of exasperation or disappointment in life, we say, “Oh, Jesus, would you please come today. I am so tired of all this nonsense.” Our attitude should be one of excited expectation: “Today might be the day. Let me be ready because I can hardly wait.”
Second, as we wait, we want to be people of the light in the world that is very much held in the darkness of nonbelief. How do we do that? We don’t. At least not on our own. Paul said that to be that light in the world, we need to be equipped with the armor of God. Now, most of us don’t walk around in suits of armor, and we don't see soldiers on our streets equipped with shields and swords. So what do Paul’s words mean to us in our context? I think the simplest thing to keep in mind is to ask, “What is the spiritual armor God has given us?” First, there is salvation. Salvation is God's spiritual equipping to move us from darkness to light. We are moved from being enemies of God to friends of God. Why is that so important? Because when Jesus returns, he will come as though he comes to conquer enemy territory to gather up His friends. We need to remember that we are saved even before the battle begins. Second, while we await, we have God’s word in Scripture. The Bible is God’s battle plan. God’s Word guides us in how to live as God’s friend while living in enemy territory. The Bible is spiritual armor. It is the truth, and we need to use it to equip ourselves. Finally, we have the message of peace, the gospel. Even though we live in enemy territory, with those who are at war with God, God has given us a peace treaty to make known to others. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. God wants all those who are enemies of his to become his friends before the day of judgment. And He has given us the task of sharing peace, sharing the gospel that Jesus died for the sins of all, and that, to all who believe, can be saved. And God has said to those who are saved, share this peace offering with God’s enemies. We are equipped. We are saved. We have God’s plan. And we have God’s peace treaty to offer.
Now, to show that we are equipped by God, God said Live your life with faith, love, and hope. Express your faith. Show love to God and others. Live with hope and excitement about Jesus’ return. For the believer, a life of faith, love, and hope evidences that we are friends of God, equipped and ready to follow his plan. To the nonbeliever, the lyrics of our open song should speak to you: “One day He'll come. And we'll stand face to face. Come and lay it all down. 'Cause it might be today. The time is right now. There's no need to wait. Your past will be washed by rivers of grace.” Become a friend of God. Amen and Amen.