We left off, at the end of our last broadcast, slap-dab in the middle of a discussion of the Mashiach's return and the end-times resurrections from the dead. We elaborated on what is commonly known as The Rapture and are now moving on to His more public return, that occurs at the end of the Time of Jacob's Trouble (aka The Great Tribulation).
Elsewhere, Jesus's return to earth (Zechariah 14:4; Acts 1:11; Revelation 19:11) is a highly public event, where "every eye shall see Him". And, His Church, His Bride, is with Him at this appearing. (See point #6 above.) There are distinct differences between these two descriptions, which leads many theologians to believe that there will be two separate, distinct events in the "last days". I agree with that interpretation, although I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ will undergo severe testing before Christ returns to take His Church, His followers, out of this world. Such persecution is happening now. Just yesterday, 21 Libyan Coptic Christians were beheaded for their faith. As the video was disseminated by ISIS, the caption read, "A Message Signed with Blood, to the Nation of the Cross". And, I believe such persecution will spread across the world, unless God, in His mercy, stops the spread of Islam, which is hell-bent on killing all Christians and/or others who will not adopt the Muslim faith.
"Therefore, encourage one another with these words." No matter what persecution comes, though, we can be encouraged that we, as followers of Jesus Christ, know "the end game". As those Christians were beheaded and immediately were in the presence of their Savior we, whether having died in Christ or are alive at His coming for the Church, will "forever be with the Lord".
If you have lived long enough, you have probably been taken by surprise. It may have been a very good surprise, such as an incredible job offer, a marriage proposal, a birth announcement. Or, it may have been a very horrible surprise, such as a sudden accident, a natural disaster, the death of a loved one.
There is a group of people, scattered across America, who are called as a class "preppers", because they are fixated on "being ready for anything". They store up provisions and make emergency plans. Many of these are Christians, who say, "God is the best prep." Amen to that! These people have made ready; they do not want to be unpleasantly surprised.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 is a passage which directly follows Paul's teaching about the return of Jesus Christ for His Church, His Body, His Bride --- choose whichever name for believers that you prefer. We read yesterday morning that the bodies of believers, those both dead and alive, will be suddenly taken off of (or out of) the earth. Now, Paul immediately follows that teaching by expounding upon the theme of The Day of the Lord.
1Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
(1 Thess. 5:1-11 NIV)
What is that - - - The Day of the Lord?
This well-known phrase had been spoken of by many O.T. prophets, most notably Isaiah, Zephaniah and Joel. In every case, taken in context, the phrase was used to describe horrendous judgment from God on His enemies. That last word is key: His enemies.
When will this Day of the Lord occur? Most Bible commentators do not believe it will be limited to just one day, but that the phrase occurs to a period of time in “the last days” or as it is put in Hebrew “Achrit Yamin” = “the latter days” Some believe that the Day of the Lord will be the seven-year period AFTER the believers in Yeshua are raised and/or “caught up”. Still others believe The Day of the Lord is the 1000 year period of The last Milennium (6001-7000) and that the first seven years of that will be analogous to what is called “The Great Tribulation”.
Some of the characteristics of that day of judgment are as follows:
The recipients - - - the proud and "lofty"; sinners; His adversaries; the heathen; the rulers/kings and their families; all those who wear strange clothing (foreigners); the mighty man; those who trust in their wealth
The event - - - destruction; fierce anger; will make the land desolate; a day of vengeance; much blood; many terrors; a day of battle; the sun will be made dark and the moon to look like blood just before the great and terrible day comes; darkness will cover the earth; great noise; great heat/fire.
Dual Fulfillment - - - in some instances this term was used in the O.T. to describe impending, localized judgment on the Jews' enemies of that day. (An example of this was Isaiah 13:1-6.)
So, what can we make of all this?
First of all, it is clear we are being told about two distinct events, although one follows the other. The believers are "snatched out" (raphazo) of the earth, prior to its almost total destruction on the Day of the Lord. Some, including my friend who has put forth the massive, worldwide earthquake paradigm at the time of The Rapture, believe that the chaos resulting from the Rapture will usher in the Great Tribulation and/or the Day of the Lord. (Joel 2:31)
Second, the Day of the Lord is clearly a judgment on God's enemies, not on the Bride of Messiah. Paul clearly states in 1 Thess. 5:9 - - that believers are not destined for this judgment.
It will happen quickly and unexpectedly. God's enemies will believe that they are living safe and secure, and then sudden destruction (vs. 3) will come on them.
As believers, we must be watchful and be ready for the Lord's return for us. (vs. 9-11). These verses hearken back to the end of chapter 4, when Paul tells the believers that they will be spared the Day of the Lord. They/we will be gone! We will be with our Lord Jesus.
As believers, we must warn the lost while we can, so that some of them might accept Jesus as Savior and thereby escape this judgment.
A few years ago, we were rehearsing the first dramatic production our church has produced in several years. The drama ministry has been resurrected, and I'm so glad. It can be such a valuable tool in spreading the gospel! At any rate, those of us in the cast had finished a particularly emotional rehearsal. The play is about the last days and is titled, "Suddenly!" The question was asked, "but there WILL be opportunities for the lost to get saved during the Tribulation period, won't there?" Our pastor, who is in the cast, said that he believes that Jews will be saved during the Tribulation period, but that, because the Holy Spirit, who lives in the hearts of believers, will have been removed from the earth, it will be unlikely that many people will be saved during this terrible period of judgment upon the earth.
It is a sobering thought, one that should compel us to pray and witness to those who have rejected Jesus Christ, in an effort to see them become converted - - move from darkness into light, as Paul mentioned in verses 4 and 5. None of us knows when these events will occur, nor should we dwell on that point. The early Christians believed that this would happen in their lifetimes. We should live with that same belief. Only God knows the day or the hour, Jesus said. WHEN is not the point. How we live and spread the gospel in the meantime is what we should be focusing on.
Moving on to verses 12-15 of chapter 5:
The education sorority to which I belong has an annual "auction" among the members. We do this to raise money for the scholarship we give each spring to a graduating senior who will be majoring in education. The event is always lots of fun. We bring all sorts of things to auction. For the second year in a row, one of the members has asked her precious mother to make a gargantuan banana pudding. It always raises a lot of "dough", lol! This year, I bought it - - - must have weighed nearly 10 pounds - - - and took it up to the church staff on a Wednesday morning, for them to enjoy.
The reason I'm nattering on about this is because it shows one way you can bless those who have been given the calling of spiritual leadership over you. Today's passage admonishes us about that, within a larger context of getting along with each other in the church. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 - - -
12-13 And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
13-15 Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
The Message version
Verse 12 instructs us to overwhelm our leaders in the faith with appreciation and love. Why? Because our tendency is to do the opposite! In general, human beings want to "kill the messenger" when they don't like the message. "I don't like to attend a church where the preacher steps on my toes" is a statement I've heard from some; and, off they go, to the church down the road. (Never mind that admonishing his flock is part of the pastor's God-given role....) Or, we take the opposite approach, which is to put our church leaders up on some kind of pedestal and to hold unrealistic expectations for them. Both of these extremes are wrong.
My Daddy was the best daddy ever, although he was in no way a perfect man. One thing he was really good at, though, was at loving his children and teaching them. I remember him telling me on more than one occasion - - - "Don't criticize or tear down the man God has appointed to lead your congregation. He was placed there by God. Let God lead him." I have found that to be good advice over the years. There have been times I have been had my toes stepped on; I needed them stepped on! Then, there have been times my feelings have been hurt, or I've disagreed with a particular initiative. Paul addresses this too, when he says, "Get along among yourselves!"
There are times in the church, just like in a family, when we will "get on each other's nerves". Paul knew that tearing down the church leaders was symptomatic of, or led to, even greater murmuring, backbiting, gossiping, and so forth. We are warned to not take part in that. When we in the church behave improperly like this, it gives the unsaved an excuse to criticize our Lord. Did you catch that? Not to criticize us, but instead to criticize, demean and ultimately reject our Lord!
Furthermore, if we will let Him, God will use our brothers and sisters to "grind off our spiritual burrs". Proverbs 27:17 says - - - "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." Or, in the Message version - - - "You use steel to sharpen steel; and one friend sharpens another." You will notice that marshmallows don't sharpen steel. Cotton does not sharpen steel. No, to sharpen steel, it takes steel! If we rebuff others when they are being used by God to sharpen, shape and mold us more into the image of Christ, we are shortchanging ourselves. And, if we run from that sharpening to attend the church up the road, well, we are just taking our own spiritual burrs with us
What are we to do instead? We are to exhort one another, according to each's individual need. Some may not be exercising their spiritual gifts appropriately. For those, we need to encourage them to get involved! The same goes for the stragglers - - - those who have wandered off or fallen by the wayside. We are to go to them with spiritual re-direction, to help them get back "on course". Then, there are the exhausted - - - those who have worn themselves out for the sake of the gospel. We are to bind up their wounds, help them replenish their energy stores and then pull them back into the work. At times, all of us in the faith will fall into one of those errant categories. Thank God He has given us each other - - - so that we can, by His Spirit, bring out the best in each other!
One of my nieces has a gift for drawing and calligraphy. Recently, she surprised me with a rendering of these verses: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
Rejoice always!
17
Pray constantly.
18
Give thanks in everything,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
I liked her work and the words so much that I bought a frame, and it now hangs in my bathroom vanity area. (Show picture)
Three verses, less than 20 English words, much impact! Paul has been admonishing the believers in Thessalonica about how to live like Jesus, in a pagan land. He writes, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, these last words before the benediction in verses 23-28.
Christians, especially young Christians, talk about "finding God's will for my life." God, through Paul, has revealed His will in these verses. Although these are "the meat and potatoes" of following God's will, I often find doing these three things difficult, don't you?
Be glad at all times...ALL times. God knew that we would find it challenging to be joyful in every circumstance, particularly the unexpected, the unpleasant, the grief-filled. That is why the next command is to pray about everything. When we are faced with all kinds of pain, we are to pray.
And, what are we to pray? What was the example that Jesus gave us? (Matthew 6:9-13)
"Our Father, in Heaven, may your name be reverenced and honored (hallowed)."
We are to first of all give thanks to the Father for His changeless character and attributes. Even in the middle of abject horror, we are commanded to give God the glory, to worship Him and to "re-frame" our perspective. God is in control. When we have an attitude of worship, submission and thankfulness, we are re-aligning our wills with the Father's will. "Your will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven."
Paul goes on with his final instructions in verse 19:
Don’t stifle the Spirit.
Several years ago, there was a rather irreverent TV program with a character called Archie. His wife was named Edith. One of Archie’s more famous “sayings” was, “Edith! Stifle yo’self!”
What does this verse mean, though? to stifle or suppress the Holy Spirit? There are several applications of this:
Some non-believers stifle the Holy Spirit by rejecting Him, when He is drawing them to salvation, to an eternally saving relationship with God. Many theologians believe that this is the “unpardonable sin”, spoken of in Matthew 12:31-32.
"Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven
In other words, if a person rejects the Spirit of God wooing them to embrace Him, through the message of the gospel, then that person will be “without Torah”, as Yeshus is THE Living Word of God, the Living Torah. Without Him, according to His own words, there is no humanly-achievable pathway to God.
Believers stifle the Holy Spirit when He is urging them to become more like Jesus, and they say "no way", choosing instead to follow their own, sinful desires. We read about this earlier in the book of I Thessalonians when Paul told the followers of Yeshua that they could not tolerate “solid food” because they were still drinking pablum. Your relationship with Father Yah can’t be deepened when you are resisting His work in your life.
Believers can also stifle the Holy Spirit by frustrating His work in others by exhibiting negative, defeatist attitudes, instead of encouraging their brothers and sisters in Christ. Some bible translations use the word "quench" in place of the word "stifle". The image there is of "stamping out a fire with your feet" or "pouring cold water on a burning flame". We need to be careful about
How other, newer believers, who are watching our example, are made to stumble because of our sin, even if it is sometimes well-intentioned. Our grumbling, criticizing etc., as one example, is not attractive. Same with legalism that focuses on our spiritual achievements as opposed to the miracles Father Yah has done within us and in our lives. I could go on about various other ways we can quench the Spirit by causing others to stumble.
We can, again, “meaning well” sin by telling others how the Spirit is speaking to them, unless, of course, the fellow believer is hearing a message that runs contrary to the Word of God (the Bible). In those cases, they are not hearing from the Holy Spirit and need our mentoring on the matter.
And finally, verses 20 and 21:
Don’t despise prophecies,
21
but test all things.
Hold on to what is good.
This admonition simply means to hold all preaching, teaching and other forms of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ (including Christian music) up to the standard of the Bible, the unchanging, without-error Word of God.
I've mentioned this personal anecdote in this blog before, but it's such a good lesson I'll draw on it again. I once worked for a church as a musician. This necessitated me attending worship services. One Sunday, the preacher stated from the pulpit that the Bible is not "infallible" (without error). In fact, the Bible testifies about itself that it is "utter truth" - - - it tells the perfect truth about a perfect God and His relationship to sinful man.
If we believe that God "breathed out" the words of the Bible upon the writers, that the Bible is God-inspired, then we must also believe that it is free from error. This belief is in keeping with the character of God: if He is true, and He is (Romans 3:4) and if God breathed out all Scripture, which He did (2 Timothy 3:16), then, by extension, all His words are true. The psalmist states, "The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever." (HCSB) It would be a severe digression for me to expound further on this topic this morning; but, in the coming days, I will make a blog post from this topic, as it is foundational to the Christian faith.
Why is it important for the Bible to be the standard against which we measure all words of teaching, preaching and "prophecy"? Because there must be a standard of truth. How else are we to "test all things and hold on to what is good"? By our own whims? By the whims of the society that surrounds us? No! God forbid! That is how the heathen live.
Onward to 1 Thessalonians 5:22. Here it is, in several versions:
Throw out anything tainted with evil. {The Message}
Separate yourselves from all appearance of evil. {Jubilee Bible 2000}
Abstain from every form of evil. {New American Standard Bible}
Stay away from every kind of evil. {Holman Christian Standard Bible}
Getting the message? If it looks like evil, run the other way.
The late wife of the chancellor where I got my undergraduate degree taught home economics classes.
She became famous for this saying: "If it's doubtful, it's dirty." This admonition was applied to the decision of whether to launder something or not. But, it is also pretty good advice about whether or not something is "evil". If you are not sure, it's best to assume that it is, and act accordingly. The Holy Spirit will testify to us, if we will listen to Him. As the writer of Hebrews said - - -
I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.
Hebrews 5:11-14 {The Message}
Some things are obviously evil. Those are the easier decisions because flagrant evil greatly offends our spirits. Other temptations look to be somewhat evil, but we rationalize in our minds, convincing ourselves that "it's not really all that bad". Still other times, something evil looks to be good! Those are the situations that are the most difficult to discern.
I remember a morning years ago, when my older son left to go to the mountains with a group of friends on a pleasure trip. He is a fine young man! Before he left, I gave him the "mama admonitions" - - - you know, those things we say to our children when they are plunging us into a test of our faith in God! One of the things I basically said to him was this verse. I reminded him that he knows what is good and right; and, he should abide by what he has been taught. Still, I'm praying and praying. Please pray with me!
Discernment is a difficult thing. The writer of Hebrews points out that discernment results from maturing in the faith, which comes about from spending time in the Bible and in prayer. This is how we get practice in "telling right from wrong."
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