1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

1 Thess 5:1 “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.” Anytime we consider a verse of scripture it is good that we consider it in light of the context. In the end of the previous chapter Paul had wrote concerning the hope we have of the resurrection of the dead and the comfort we receive because of that hope. Thus, it would appear that the times and the seasons that Paul is referring to has to do with the coming of the Lord in the resurrection. Plainly the scriptures teach us that that day or hour in which the Lord shall come is unknown to man: Matt. 24:36 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” This would have been a well known fact among the early Christians.

“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” A thief comes unexpectedly at night to steal. Obviously, the Lord is not coming to steal, but his coming will be completely unexpected to many.

“For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” Here we are informed that those who are in darkness shall say, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction shall come upon them “as travail upon a woman with child.” Paul says they shall not escape. In 2 Thes. 1:7-10 Paul identifies for us who these people are: “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”

While the exact day or hour knows no man when the Lord shall return in the resurrection, yet that does not mean that there won’t be signs that the end is drawing near, for the scriptures do indeed give us signs of his soon return. In the above passage of scripture Paul identifies two camps. The camp in this verse is the camp of those who are not the Lord’s disciples. The other camp which will be mentioned in verse 5 is the camp of the disciples. Much of what we know about the events leading up to the Lord’s coming in the resurrection is given to us in Revelation chapter 20: Rev. 20:7 “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

“But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” Paul plainly identifies for us the two camps. These camps are the children of darkness and the children of the day. The disciples of the Lord make up the camp of the children of the day.

“Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” Paul is encouraging the children of the day (disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ) not to sleep as others do. The sleep under consideration is not physical sleep nor is it the death of the body. Rather it is sleeping (lack of activity) in our activities of discipleship and worship. When we stop reading, studying, and meditating on the word of God and we stop worshipping God in Spirit and truth, and we stop growing in faith and serving the Lord’s people, then we are asleep.

Moreover, Paul admonished the disciples to watch. I wonder how often we are not watching concerning the needs of others and our responsibilities as the Lord’s disciples. Additionally, Paul encouraged the disciples to be sober. Obviously the disciple should not be drunk with wine. However, a disciple needs also to watch that he not be drunk on his own pride. Drunkenness leads to wrong and foolish decisions and actions.

“For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.” After admonishing the disciples not to sleep or be drunken, Paul tells them if they sleep or be drunken then they are doing so in the spiritual darkness of this world.

“But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” In contrast to the previous verse Paul encourages the disciples to be sober. When we think clearly with the light of God’s word and the leadership of the Holy Spirit we make right decisions.

Next, he tells the disciples to put on the breastplate of faith and love. As armor the breastplate is designed to protect the heart and inward organs. Faith and love serve to protect our heart and vital inner feelings from the destructions of Satan and this wicked timely world in which we live.

Additionally Paul tells the disciples to put on a helmet, the hope of salvation. A helmet is designed to protect the head where the mind is. Our hope of salvation protects our mind from many things. It protects us from false teachings, from discouragement, from terror, and from becoming despondent based on persecutions, troubles, and trials in our lives.

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” The elect children of God shall not suffer the wrath of God’s judgment because Christ died for us and whether we wake or sleep when he comes, we will live together with him.

“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” Whether we comfort one another over the death of loved ones and fellow disciples or we comfort one another in the midst of trials and problems in our lives, it is good for us to be cognizant of the needs of others and to comfort them. In addition, we need to make a conscience effort to edify (build up) one another in the most precious faith.