Section (6) 1thessalonians Chapter 5 The Model Walk Series

I THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 5

THE MODEL WALK

I. INTRODUCTION

Jesus Christ both unites and divides. Those who have trusted Him as Saviour are united in Christ as God's children. We are members of His body and "all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28). When Jesus Christ returns in the air, we shall be "caught up together" never to be separated again.

But Christ is also a divider. "So there was a division among the people because of Him" (John 7:43; 9:16; 10:19). Faith in Jesus Christ not only unites us to other believers; it also separates us spiritually from the rest of the world. Jesus said, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world" (John 17:16). There is a difference between believers who are looking for the Lord's return and the people of the world; it is this theme that Paul developed this section.

His purpose was to encourage the believers to live holy lives in the midst of their pagan surroundings. He did this by pointing out the contrasts between believers and unbelievers.

II. KNOWLEDGE AND IGNORANCE

A. Times and Seasons ----This phrase is found only three times in the Bible, and refers

primarily to God's plans for Israel

Dan 2:21 Acts 1:7 I Thes 5:1

1. Knowing the Day and the Hour (of the Rapture)

W.W. Well-meaning people have tried to set dates for our Lord's return,

only to be embarrassed by their failures. However, it is possible to expect

His coming without setting a specific time. No "signs" must be fulfilled before

He can return for His church.

2. Millennium Fever

3. It is unscriptural, illogical, and unreasonable to set dates for some

prophetical events when Paul would not, and Christ did not.

4. Perhaps Today: The Imminent Coming of Christ

5. Instantaneous Nullification

B. The Day of the Lord

1. Warren Wiersbe

a. In the Bible, the word day can refer to a twenty-four hour period, or to

a longer time during which God accomplishes some special purpose.

b. The Day of the Lord is that time when God will judge the world and punish the nations. At the same time, God will prepare Israel for the return of Jesus Christ to the earth to establish His kingdom.

c. Another term for this period is "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7)

d. Many prophetic students also call it the Tribulation.

2. John F. Walvoord

a. Coming immediately after the revelation concerning the Rapture of the church, it is natural to consider the question of when this will

occur.

Here the apostle appeals to a much larger doctrine of Scripture, the

Day of the Lord, which is a time of special divine visitation mentioned often in the Old and New Testaments. pg 484

b. The placing of this doctrine next to the revelation of the Rapture is

because of the similarity of both events not having signs prior to their beginning.

Like a thief in the night, who comes without warning, the Rapture

will occur and also the Day of the Lord will begin.

c. The future period of God's intervention in the world will begin at the

Rapture and will include the period of trouble preceding the second

coming of Christ and the establishment of God's kingdom in the

Earth. The Day of the Lord will also include the millennial

kingdom.

The Day of the Lord will begin as a time period at the Rapture, but

its major events will not begin immediately. As the Rapture must

precede the signs, it necessarily must occur when the Day of the

Lord begins.

d. The Christian's day will be climaxed by the Rapture; the day for the

wicked will begin at that time, and the judgments related to the Day of the Lord will take place according to the time sequence of this period, with the great judgments occurring in the Great Tribulation, climaxing in the

Second Coming. pg 488

*Use Diagram "The Day of the Lord"

e. For the Christian, his appointment is the Rapture; for the unsaved, his

appointment is the Day of the Lord.

3. G. F. Taylor The Second Coming Of Jesus pg 38-39

a. While God permits the world to go as it is now going, and Satan holds

the reins of government, it is recognized as the devil's day; but

when the devil is put down, and God comes to judge the world, it will be known as "The Day of the Lord." A more correct idea, then, of "The Day of the Lord" is that it refers to the day of judgment.

b. From this Scripture we learn that the day of judgment hath been

appointed, and that when that day arrives Christ will judge the world in righteousness. This is the devil's day, but the day in which Christ shall judge the world will be "The Day of the Lord."