The Day Of The Lord Series

1. More than a few men and women have come by promising you and me to reveal the future.

a. Come & follow me and I’ll let you know what’s in store for your life. SO Why are they so successful?

b. How can people make a living on predicting the future?

NOTE: Because man naturally wants to know what the future holds!

• It’s a vulnerability that we all share to some extent.

• Many would sleep better, eat better, and even live better if they only knew what tomorrow might bring.

• If they only knew what next year looked like!

APP: It’s always a good thing to TRUST AN UNKNOWN FUTURE TO A WELL KNOWN GOD.

• It’s in the Bible that we learn of God; of His love, His care, and His concern for every man, woman, and child.

Jer. 29.11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

So we know, WHATEVER THE FUTURE HOLDS, we can be CONFIDENT IN THE One WHO HOLDS THE FUTURE!

Matthew 24.36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

• You can mark v36, NO ONE KNOWS.

• So the pamphlets, the emails, the books, the web sites.

• They are ALL WRONG if they predict the future, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the day, the hour!

• But even though the Bible says this, there have been those, and continue to be some who PREDICT THE FUTURE.

In 1988, Edgar Whisenant, a former NASA rocket engineer turned prophecy teacher became famous through a booklet that included two of his works, “88 Reasons Why the Rapture could be in 1988 and On Borrowed Time.” 3.2 million copies were distributed.

And when his September prediction failed, the day was updated, and many people fell away from the faith because of him!

NOTE: We want to know what God has in store for the future.

• Israel had the same kind of yearnings but with them, God gave them prophets who spoke to them the truth.

• They spoke of a time when God would reign on the earth and would bring in everlasting peace.

• All of this revolved around the Messiah.

• AND… the Messiah came and left… but with a promise.

• I will return to this earth. That’s the great promise of the future, the soon return of Jesus Christ!

The young church in Thessalonica knew that Jesus was returning & heard about the end times, but were confused about the details.

• So Paul, continuing His thought from CH4 on the rapture, begins to clarify the Day of the Lord!

I. (5:1-3) Soon & Unexpected

1. (1) Times & Seasons.

a. Paul uses 2 words here to describe the timing.

b. Times, (Gk. Chronos), lit a ‘sequence of events.’

c. Seasons, (Gk. Kairos), Lit. a ‘fixed & definite time.’

d. So, considering the sequence of events and the point in time that the DAY of the Lord will come, you guys know.

1 Thess 5.1 (NIV) Now, brothers, about times & dates we do not need to write to you,

NOTE: The church was thinking about the future & wondering when all this will take place.

• He taught them about death & dying, about the rapture, and now he begins to encourage them about the Day of the Lord.

• As we will see, the issue is not really WHEN HE COMES but truly how we live UNTIL HE COMES. Jump to v6, v8

2. (2) What is the Day of the Lord?

• Of all the prophecies in the Bible, there is none so detailed as this thing known as the Day of the Lord.

• It’s used over and over again in the Old Testament.

Isa 2.12 For the day of the LORD of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up--And it shall be brought low--

Joel 2.1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand:

NOTE: It’s not a term filled with a whole lot of joy or hope.

• The Day of the Lord is a painful time, a time of judgment.

• Important to note that the Day of the Lord is not a 24 hour day.

• Rather it’s a period of time.

• Today, we live in the Day of Grace.

2 Peter 3.9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.