Like A Thief In The Night

Reading: 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 1-12.

Ill:

Acronyms

• IKEA- Named after the founder of the company; and a place in Sweden;

• Tesco is similar named after TES – T.E.Stockwell & Co – Jack Cohen.

• LASER –

• Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

• SCUBA – Self-Contained Under water Breathing Apparatus;

• Or: Swimmer Comes Up Barely Alive!

• TARDIS –

• Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space.

• IBM – International Business Machines Corporation

• Or: I Blame Microsoft

• Good old BOGOF – beloved of those who love a bargain;

• Buy One Get One Free

• NIMBY – is a favorite of those protesting against a new road, or a mobile phone receiver;

• Not In My Back Yard.

• FOBIO –

• Frequently Outwitted By Inanimate Objects.

Question: Why I am I giving you this riveting information?

Answer:

• There are many terms and expressions in the Bible;;

• That you may or may-not be familiar with the meaning behind it

• e.g. ‘Eschatology’

• e.g. ‘Rapture’.

• e.g. ‘Armageddon’

• e.g. ‘Tribulation,’

• e.g. the expression in verse 2: ‘the Day of the Lord’:

(1). The day of Lord (vs 1-2):

“Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the nigh

OLD TESTAMENT: ‘the Day of the Lord’:

• The topic ‘the Day of the Lord’ is a frequent Old Testament teaching.

• It is mentioned explicitly at least nineteen times in eight Old Testament books.

• The expression only occurs in the books of the Prophets;

• Obadiah, Joel, Amos, Isaiah, Zephaniah, Ezekiel, Zechariah and Malachi.

Note:

• To the Old Testament Jew all time was divided into two ages;

• There was the present age which was wholly and incurably bad.

• Then there was the age to come which would be the golden age of God.

• In between there was the ‘Day of the Lord’.

• This was often viewed as a terrible day;

• It would be a day in which one world was shattered and another was born!

• Many of the most terrifying Old Testament pictures of judgement;

• Are referred to by the term ‘the Day of the Lord’.

NEW TESTAMENT: ‘the Day of the Lord’:

• The topic ‘the Day of the Lord’;

• Is mentioned four times in the New Testament.

• (first): Peter mentions it in his very first sermon on the day of Pentecost.

• (Acts chapter 2 verse 20).

• (second & third): Apostle Paul mentions it twice in his letters to the Thessalonians:

• 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 2 & 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 2)

• (fourth): The apostle Peter mentions it in his second letter;

• 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 10.

Note: A couple of helpful things to note:

(a).

• Although it is called “The Day of the Lord”:

• It is not a single day made up of 24 hours.

• Rather “the Day of the Lord”: is a period of time;

• It could last for hours, days, even weeks etc.

• Note: nowhere does the Bible give a Day of the Lord as a time measurement.

(b).

• “The Day of the Lord” is a generic (a broad) phrase;

• Used by God’s prophets to describe historical future events;

• The theologians would say; “The ultimate eschatological consummation”.

• Ordinary folk would say; “Events that are linked to the end of the world” – i.e. age)

(c).

• “The Day of the Lord” is an expression that must always be studied in context;

• Because it has many meanings and applications;

• Only by examining the context of the particular passage that mentions it;

• Can we rightly determine its true meaning,

(d).

• “The Day of the Lord” is primarily a time when God judges His enemies;

• And establishes His kingdom on earth.

• The day of the Lord for some will be a day of judgement,

• For others a day of salvation.

(2). The coming of the day (vs 1-2)

“Now, brothers, about times and dates (or seasons) we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night”

Question:

• When will this day be?

• When will the Day of the Lord take place?

Ill:

• General Douglas MacArthur tells the story;

• Of when he was just a at West Point college.

• The first section was studying the time-space relationship;

• Later formulated by Einstein as his Theory of Relativity.

• The text was complex and, being unable to comprehend it,