My Notes on the book of 1 Thessalonians. – Chapter 5
The Day of the Lord.
We come to the end of Paul’s first letter to the Church of Thessalonica. Paul ends with the Day of the Lord, instructions for the church members, and Paul instructs his letter to be read to the whole congregation.
Let’s begin with “The Day of the Lord.” When you read the term “The Day of the Lord” in the Bible, this means the day when Jesus comes back to judge. The rapture has already taken place. Jesus will come like the sound of a trumpet, like the sound of rushing waters, and He will separate the goats and the lambs. His followers are on the right, and those who have rejected Him are on the left. If I counted correctly, the “Day of the Lord” is mentioned 22 times in the Bible.
There is some incorrect teaching going on out there that Christians think that the verse in Luke 17:33-35 is the rapture. But this is judgment day. Jesus is talking to the Pharisees, and they ask Jesus when the kingdom of God will come. Jesus tells them it will be like the days of Noah. People will be eating and drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage. It will also be like the day of Sodom. Fire and sulfur rained down from Heaven. In an instant, judgment happened, the flood, and God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. So, when we get to verse 34 in Luke 17, “I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding flour together at the mill. One will be taken and the other left”. This is very important to understand. The Church has already been removed. This is after the 7-year tribulation when every nation will rise against Israel. There will be multitudes of Jewish Christians during this time. It is also important to note that when we are reading the prophecies of the Day of the Lord, in the Old Testament scripture, the Church does not exist. This prophecy is for the nation Israel. The Church did not exist until after the resurrection of our Messiah and savior, Jesus Christ. What Jesus is saying here, is one will be taken to judgment and the other who is a Jew for Jesus will be entering in the millennium or thousand year reign of Jesus with the Church and the Old Testament saints.
The Day of the Lord is Jesus judging the world. You hear a lot of Christian teachers say that Jesus is love. Jesus wants to be your best friend. Jesus wants you to be happy. Let’s go to what the scripture says, shall we, Jesus is talking, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (IT DOES NOT END THERE, KEEP READING) teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” What has Jesus commanded? The below are in no particular order. Also, the below is not a list to keep you in Gods good graces. Once you follow Romans 9:9-10 “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Because you are saved, it will be in your nature to want to please Jesus and work on the following, you may struggle at times with the flesh and that is normal. The list is not burdensome and helps us to draw closer to our savior. Once you believe, you are saved. Jesus died once and for all, which means that he died for your sins past, present and future. If you mess up, or I should say, when you mess up, you are still saved from eternal judgment.
This is what Jesus commands us to do
- Repent
- Follow him
- Rejoice
- Shine your light
- Honor Gods law
- Be reconciled
- Do not lust
- Keep your word
- Turn the other cheek
- Love your enemies
- Seek Gods Kingdom
- Beware of false prophets
- Fear not
- Honor your parents
- Deny yourself
- Beware of idols
- Honor marriage
- Love the Lord
- Make disciples
Also, you won’t know what Jesus asks his kids to do if you are not reading his holy scripture, the Bible.
I will also mention that Jesus is divisive. He is not for all. Jesus died for all, but He is only for those who trust their life in him. Read Matthew 10:34, Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Jesus’ commands are not what our world wants. Our world wants you to be your own God, wants you to have as many possessions as you can get, wants you to have as many partners as you want, and marriage is a thing of the past. The world hates its enemies, hates with a passion. The world idolizes sports players, entertainers, billionaires, politicians, even pastors. Jesus is divisive. Jesus is not what the world wants. The world is me-focused, not Jesus-focused.
What are you focused on?
I may have gotten on a little soapbox, so I will reign it back in.
In verses 12 to 14, Paul instructs the new believers to listen to their pastors and teachers in the faith. Do not rebuke them, but respect them. They are trying to teach you God’s word. God’s word is offensive. Our earthly sinful minds don’t want to follow God’s word. This is why Paul is asking the Church of Thessalonica to respect those who labor with you and who are over you. We are all on the same team. Team Jesus.
I will end with verse 27 – “I put you under an oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.” Paul wants the entire letter read to every church member. This is how they will grow in their faith. This is how they will understand some doctrine. We are fortunate that we live in a time where we can read all 66 books of the Bible. We can see start to finish. The brothers and sisters in Thessalonica could only see up until Paul’s letter. Who knows if they had any other letters come their way? We have a wealth of information about our Lord Jesus. We have incredible teachers, past and present. I would encourage you to study God’s word. The more you study, the more you will want to learn.
For those that read all the BLOGS on 1 Thessalonians, I thank you. It means a lot to me, and I hope you have learned something new.