Preached in Markham Baptist Church, June 29, 2003.

I Thessalonians 4:16-5:11

I WISH I COULD HEAR A SERMON ABOUT...
PART 1: END TIMES

This morning we begin our summer series entitled, “I’d like to hear a sermon about”. You were invited in April to suggest the topics for these months and so the series was born. This morning our thinking is directed to end times.

The end times is an interest that has held the people of God from the beginning of time. The Old Testament prophets were given visions about the end times, the disciples asked Jesus about the end times and Christians throughout the centuries have probed the Scriptures to discover its truth.

And the Christians at Thessalonica also had some questions about the end times. Open your Bibles to I Thessalonians 4:13 – 5:11. There you will see that the Thessalonians had some very specific concerns. They were worried about those who had died – they were Christians but the Thessalonians thought that because they were now dead they would not share in the victory of our Lord’s second coming. And they were mourning not only their death but the fact that these dead believers would not see the coming Lord.

And Paul has to write to them and correct them and says at verse 13: “But we do not want you to be uninformed brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.”

Here comes the teaching - verse 14: “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus that is through your faith in Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have died."

They won’t miss the event. In fact says Paul in verse 15, “we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, at the time of Christ's second coming, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died.”

You need to know that when you die you will go to live with God immediately. Your soul will be in Christ’s presence immediately. But your body will be buried and will die. But Jesus Christ redeemed the whole of you and there will be a day when your body will rise again from the dead. Scripture tells us that it will be a new body. Just as your soul has been reborn so your body will be reborn.

So, says Paul, you need to know that those who have died will rise first, when Christ returns. We are still alive at the time won’t jump to the front of the line.

At verse 16, were we begin our study Paul tells us the order of events as they will occur at our Lord’s second coming.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. 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 night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (I Thessalonians 4:16-5:11) (NRSV)

Now before we study our text in detail, you need to know that there are many interpretations in the Christian church about the order of events surrounding the coming of our Lord. Let me for a moment outline two of the most prominent.

The first view is called the pre-millennial view – this interpretation of Scripture finds its basis in Scripture and states that there will be a day when the people of God will be swept up into heaven. This sudden sweeping of the people of God into heaven is called the rapture. The word rapture expresses the idea of being seized in a sudden manner. Jesus speaks of this in Matthew 24:40 saying that “This is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.”

So there will be a time called the rapture when the people of God are swept up into His presence this will include believers who have died – their bodies will rise from the grave. And we will live with the Lord forever.

What will happen to those left behind? This will begin a time of horror and strife. A time when the Antichrist will rule the world. It is a time commonly called the tribulation. This is an unfortunate term, because Christians clearly are told in Scripture that we will have to face times of tribulation – it is better to call this period a time of wrath.

This time of wrath will last, according to Revelation 20 and Daniel 9 a period of 7 years. During this time the Jewish people will suffer horribly at the hand of the Antichrist. Finally when the Jewish people are just about to be annihilated - in the great battle called Armageddon - it will be terminated by the appearance of Christ. He will return, destroy the Antichrist, judge the nations, and rescue the Jewish remnant that will then accept him as their Messiah. Christ will set up His millennial kingdom. That is a kingdom that will last 1,000 years and it will be a time of genuine peace and prosperity.

This view would be called the pre-millennial – meaning that Christ will return before – "pre" to the millennial kingdom.

The second popular interpretation of Scripture contends that the tribulation has past; it was an event in history that occurred already, specifically the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70. Further it is believed that we are living in the millennium now. When Christ rose from the grave Satan was defeated and Christ was proclaimed as King and we now are living in the light of that kingdom. At the end of the millennium – the 1,000-year reign – Christ will come again to gather up his followers and judge the world.

Hence this is the post-millennial view – it is believed that Christ will come again, post or after the millennium.

Now that is a very simplistic explanation of what can be a very complex interpretation of Scripture.

And you may not want to delve into the nitty-gritty of end times theology but there are certain fundamentals about Christ’s second coming that every Christian should know and cherish in their heart. And those fundamentals are spoken of in our passage today.

These fundamentals concern the moment, the method and the message of the coming of Christ. All of which add up to encourage us to live lives in obedience to Christ.

I

First there is the fundamental truth about the moment of our Lord’s return. Christians have always tried to pinpoint the moment when Christ will return again. The disciples wanted to know the times and dates and the Thessalonians wanted to know about times and dates.

Jesus however states clearly in Matthew 24:36 and again in Mark 13, “No one knows about the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32)

And our passage echoes that thought saying that the “day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” (5:2) That is, Jesus will come unexpectedly.

How many of you have had your homes burglarized? How many of you have had the thief phone you ahead of time to let you know he was coming? None! Right – so with Jesus when He comes again no one will know ahead of time of His coming.

And yet I can’t understand these people who insist on setting dates. I think it is a blatant sin to set a date for our Lord’s coming again. It only brings shame to the Christian community and disrepute to the date setter. I don’t know how they can make such predictions; Jesus words could not be plainer. No one knows when it will occur except the Father.

The truth about the moment is that we don’t know the moment.

II

The second fundamental truth revealed here is in regards to the method of Christ’s return.

As I have said it will be unexpected, the image of the thief tells us this. It will be a surprise event when says Paul in verse 3, everyone in the days leading up to Christ’s return will be saying “Peace, and safety” in other words they will be saying, “everything is fine, we have nothing to worry about – while all the while destruction will be right upon them.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:37-39 that His return will be as in the days of Noah, “For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day of Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.”

This summer you may visit Quebec City on your vacation. There will you see the Plains of Abraham, where the English forces of General Wolfe won Quebec from the French. When you see the steep rock cliffs that Wolfe’s men had to climb up, you will be amazed that they ever succeeded. Mere boys should have been able to hold off a force of soldiers from scaling such cliffs and gaining the heights. Yet Wolfe and his men made the climb and gained the citadel. Why? Because the overconfident defenders became careless and lackadaisical. They weren’t expecting Wolfe to attack from the cliffs. And one night when they were off guard, Wolfe saw his opportunity, scaled the heights and took the city. Quebec fell because its defenders failed to keep watch.

And, so many today have failed to keep watch and many are unready for the return of Jesus Christ.

Not only will be unexpected it will be unavoidable. We understand this from last part of verse 3 – Paul uses the image of labour pains coming upon a pregnant woman. Once a woman is pregnant labour pain is unavoidable - so with Christ’s second coming. It will be unavoidable, not one will escape says Paul.

Note that it will be a day of destruction – that it will be a day of ruin, a loss of all that people believe gives worth to existence.

III

The moment of the day of the Lord, the method of the day of the Lord, and we have the rest of the passage, the message of the day of the Lord.

Having mentioned the horror of the day its unexpectedness, the inability to avoid it, we have these significant words, “But you” in other words, says Paul, “What I have said before in these 3 verses does not apply to you – that’s the way it will be for those outside of Christ." “But you” he says, “are different, you will not be taken by surprise by that day. And we respond, “We won’t? If we don’t know the day when Jesus Christ will come again, how can we help not being surprised?”

And Paul goes on to tell us - this is the message of the day of the Lord. He says you are different than the rest of the world even though like the rest of the world you don’t know the day or time of Christ’s coming. How are we different? We are different because we are ready.

And in verse 4 Paul picks up a new image of darkness and light. And he says that we live in the light of God’s love. You have been born again and by virtue of the that fact you have been taken out of the world – characterized by darkness, sin, immorality, and impurity, and put into another world of light, holiness and purity.

You know the story of Disney’s "The Little Mermaid"? Of how Ariel longed to be part of the human world? How she longed to walk on feet, feel the heat of the burning fire, and how she longed to be with the Prince. But she belonged to a different world. She belonged to the sea world – her world was characterized by water, and the darkness of the depths. This world was the exact opposite it was characterized by air and by the light of the sun. In order to enter his world she would have to be transformed, she would have to have legs instead of fins; she would need to be able to survive on land. She needed to be reborn and then she would be with her prince. But as it was she belonged to one world and her prince belonged to another.

So with us. We long to be with Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, but we belong to different worlds. We cannot enter his world as we are – full of sin and selfishness – but when we pray for his forgiveness and ask him to be our Lord and Savior He forgives our sin and transforms us. He makes us into new creations – and now we are able to be with Him in His world forever.

So Paul uses an image here – the old world is dark – the new world is full of Christ’s light we now belong to Christ’s world of light. Verse 5: “You are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.”

So what is the message of the day of the Lord? The message is twofold. A word that exhorts and a word that encourages. First the word that exhorts us to live a life of watchfulness and a life of sobriety, that is self-control.

Don’t be like the world, says the text. The world is characterized as being asleep, verse 6: “So then let us not be like others who are asleep.” As we look around us at the world we see so many who are asleep spiritually, so many who are asleep morally. But that is not us.

The other description used here in verse 7 is that of drunkenness, that is to say, the world is unstable, and unaware of what is happening because of their dullness and weakness.

That’s the picture of the world; as a result the day of Christ’s return will come upon them unexpectedly like a thief. But that’s not the way it is with us who are in Christ. We are watching waiting, busy about his work, expecting his return at any moment so we will not be taken by surprise.

Have you ever been working away – vacuuming or typing at the computer, or working in your yard and you’ve been so intent on your task that when another person walked up to you and said something you were startled and surprised right out of your socks? But when you expected the other person to come – you worked with one ear cocked to listen for their coming and one eye glued to the door way – all the while working diligently – so that when the person arrived you were not surprised at their coming.

“Did I surprise you?” they say. Not at all, you respond, “I’ve been expecting you. Come and sit down."

So with the Christian - we are living with one eye looking to the horizon, and one ear cocked listening for his voice, always having the desire to do His will.

Verse 8 reinforces verse 6 and 7. Those who live for the world live in a world of darkness – far from God and far from His light. But those who live for God pick up their spiritual armour and march forward for Christ and in Christ.

Paul mentions Spiritual armor in his other letters particularly in Ephesians – note that he never speaks of a piece of armour that covers the Christian’s back. The armour always covers the front, for we are to be marching forward in victory under the leadership of Christ.

But not only does this message of the Day of the Lord exhort, but it also encourages.

My friends the prospect of Christ’s return could be an intimidating event for you – but it doesn’t have to be, and nor should it be. For we have these two wonderful facts, of encouragement in verses 9 and 10. Verse 9 and 10 read “God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with Him.”

Do you hear the good news of those words? While there will be a time of horror to come it is not God’s plan for his people to suffer it. We will be spared. And we know we will be spared not because of what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross. The hope of our salvation stands firmly on the solid rock of God’s will and Christ’s death and not on the shifting sands of our own performance and feelings.

We can face that day because the Lord Jesus Christ died for us, says the text - He died our death that we might live His life. It does not matter if our bodies are dead, that is asleep, or if we are walking on this earth – since He died for us and we have committed our lives to Him, we will live forever with Him.

So we can face that day not because of who we are but because of who God is. This is the source of our encouragement, and is these words we are to use to encourage one another.

Here then are the fundamentals of the coming of the day of the Lord. It’s a message that is a call to alertness. There is a day that we are to anticipate. Stealthily and suddenly it will be upon us. We are exhorted therefore to live lives of watchfulness, of alertness, wearing our spiritual armour to please our Saviour. But there is a word of encouragement here, we are firmly in God’s hand by the death of Jesus Christ. So let us be alert, and awake to his coming, Jesus could very well come today.