By Ezekiel Kimosop
PASSAGE ANALYSIS
In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Paul describes some signs associated with the Day of the Lord. Some of the key features mentioned can be summarized below:
1) Many will be caught by surprise on that day since they least expected it (5:2).
2) It will come at a time of general peace (5:3). The Middle East conflict will probably have ceased and military sophistication may be at its highest so that people are assured of their safety. This is a pointer to the Middle East peace agreement having been successfully negotiated and signed. This peace will be deceptive (cf Daniel 9:25-27).
3) There will be destruction upon the wicked (5:3). None shall escape God's judgement.
4) Believers will discern the season in which this day would come (5:4). Those who are walking in the Spirit will not be caught by surprise.
5) Believers shall be spared from God's judgement. Those who are in Christ shall not face the destruction and judgment (5:9).
Will this event coincide with the coming of Christ or is it a separate day altogether?
Let us explore this further.
If we go back to 1 Thessalonians 4, we learn that Paul had already addressed the rapture of the church in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. He was answering one of the questions raised by the Thessalonians concerning the destiny of those who sleep in Christ (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15). This was a reference to believers who died before the coming of Christ.
It is instructive that the New Testament Church hoped to witness the return of Jesus in their lifetime. This expectation was largely influenced by the widespread persecution of believers by the Roman authorities (cf. Acts 12:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16).
Considering the message of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, was Paul repeating himself in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 or was he speaking of a day that was separate from the coming of Christ described earlier?
Before attempting an answer, I must caution that Biblical prophecy is a complex area of study and it is impossible to draw a firm conclusion using one interpretative analysis even with the best of theological tools. There is always a residual mystery that falls into the province of divine resolution. I will not therefore claim to have the conclusive answer to the above question. This is merely my theological opinion which is one among many.
THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
Let us consider the following three theoratical scenarios that would hopefully provide a theological framework for our further analysis of the question.
SCENARIO 1: THE COMING OF CHRIST (THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH).
The assumption here is that the Day of the Lord is the same day or event as the coming of Christ to take away the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
If this scenario is contemplated, then the assumption is that the passage of 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 picks up from where 4:13-18 left though on a different note.
Paul is either amplifying something he left out in his previous teaching or he is concluding his thoughts at this point.
We have already establish that Paul had addressed the question concerning the future of those who have fallen asleep in Christ in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. These are also refered to as the dead in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
It is perhaps safe to assume that the concluding passage of 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 now emphasizes on the security of the believer in Christ. This assurance was perhaps what Paul sought to underscore as he concluded his letter.
The Apostle warns believers to remain spiritually alert and discern the times lest they be overtaken by the coming event. Scripture is here admonishing us about the importance of our preparedness for the coming of Christ which will catch the evil world by surprise.
This hypothesis is consistent with the teaching of Scripture.
SCENARIO 2: THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST AND THE MILLENNIUM REIGN
If we assume that Day of the Lord relates to the second coming of Christ, then Paul is introducing a new issue altogether.
Did Paul contemplate the second coming of Christ in this passage? Why would the apostle warn believers to be alert over a period that is outside the church calendar?
Was he addressing the circumstances that Jewish people would face on the second coming? If he did, then the church should not be concerned about it because they would have been taken away by this time.
Why?
Evangelical Bible scholars agree that Zechariah 14 describes the second coming of Christ to earth with His saints to reign for 1000 years. This will be a terrible day for the enemies of God's people who will be mercilessly destroyed (cf. Rev. 20:1-6).
My view is that the second coming of Christ is a different event from His first coming to take His Church. The second coming, in my view, coincides with the commencement of the millennium reign of Christ described in Zechariah 14 and Revelation 19-20. Some scholars find no distinction between the two events, saying that both shall occur at the same time. I respectfully disagree with their view.
My view is that the second coming of Christ shall occur after the marriage supper of the Lamb described in Rev 19.
SCENARIO 3: THE WRATH OF GOD - THE FINAL JUDGEMENT
The final theory assumes that the Day of the Lord is synonymous with the Judgment Day described in Rev 20:7-15. The final judgement comes after the millennium reign of Christ which is described in Rev. 20:4-6.
Under this scenario, we shall be inclined to hold that the wrath mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 is synonymous with God's judgement which is reserved for the wicked and the disobedient.
Is this a plausible conclusion from the study of the passage above?
Scripture affirms in the same passage that the wrath of God cannot catch believers by surprise (1 Thessalonians 5:4) and that believers will be spared.
Elsewhere in the New Testament Scripture, the Bible proclaims that believers have been sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).
Theologically speaking, there is a powerful correlation between theory No 1 and No 3 above. Those who miss out on the rapture of the Church will not escape God's wrath unless they are martyred for their faith in Christ during the great tribulation period. These are the tribulation saints.
Revelation13:15 teaches that those who refuse to worship the image of the beast shall be killed. If their refusal is motivated by their desire to submit to Christ, then they shall be spared the final judgement which is reserved for Satan and his followers (Rev. 20:11-15).
CONCLUSION
My view is that the wrath mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 refers to God's holy wrath in Adam which only the blood of Christ could atone (cf. Romans 5:12-16, 6:23).
The sinners who reject Christ have no shield from this consuming wrath. They will face God's fury and indignation in a scale that is unprecedented in Biblical history.
Here's why...
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 says "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him."
This scripture undoubtedly refers to our eternal security in Christ which is exclusively purchased by the atonement in Christ. This is implicit in 1 Thessalonians 5:10.
My concluding view is that the Day of the Lord described in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 relates to God's judgment of sinners upon the coming of Christ to take away His church.
This will be the culmination of a series of judgements right from the great tribulation through to the final judgment before the great white throne in Revelation 20:11-15.
There is evidence from the passage of 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 that believers will still be on earth by the time of the Day of the Lord and this is the reason that Scripture gives an exhortation to Christian faithfulness and hope (1 Thessalonians 5:4-10).
After the rapture of the church, the wicked shall be left on earth and they shall face all the judgements reserved by God without any mercy.
These series of judgments shall include:
1) The Judgments under Seven Seals (Rev. 6-8).
2) The Judgments under the Seven Trumpets (Rev. 8-11).
3) The Grapes of Wrath (Rev. 14:17-20).
4) The Seven Bowls of the Wrath of God (Rev. 16).
5) The Final Judgment (Rev 20:7-15)
Any person outside Christ is therefore a candidate for this cataclysmic wrath because they will be left out of God's grace when Christ shall appear. They will receive the full force of God's wrath with no possibility of mercy because God's window of grace will have been shut forever.
This is similar to happened to the wicked in the day of Noah when the door of the ark was shut by God and they were all destroyed by the flood (Genesis 7:16).
The only way to escape the dreadful judgements under the wrath of God is to run to Christ and hide under His redeeming blood. Christ is the ark, the secure fortress and the Redeemer. He is the Alpha and Omega; the One who was and is and is to come. He is the hope of glory. Besides Him there is no salvation.
Are you secure from the wrath of God?
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020
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