The Scrolls is a weekly Bible study written by pastors and other leaders at Central Bible Church, based on that week’s sermon topic. Use The Scrolls as a personal Bible study tool, for family devotions, and for small group discussions. You can read part of it below. The downloadable PDF also includes discussion questions, more in-depth commentary, end notes, and a kids’ page designed for families to study the topic together. This lesson goes with the sermon "People, Get Ready."
In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Paul describes the relationship of his readers to an eschatological event they are familiar with, namely, the “day of the Lord,” a term which appears in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, the day of the Lord (the day of Yahweh) is portrayed as a time of judgment against Israel and its surrounding nations. The prophets warned that the people’s disobedience and sin would result in God’s wrath, which would manifest itself in the form of military defeats, natural disasters, and societal upheaval. For example, the prophet Isaiah speaks of the day of the Lord as a time when God will punish the wicked and cleanse the earth (Isa 13:6-16). He declares “it will come like destruction from the Almighty” (13:6), and calls it, “a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger” (v. 9). And the prophet Zephaniah describes it as “a day of wrath . . . a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness” (Zep 1:15).
The day of the Lord is also portrayed as a time of blessing on those who repent. A prominent example of the day of the Lord in the Old Testament is found in the book of Joel. Here, the prophet describes a devastating locust invasion as a foreshadowing of that day (Joel 1:15; 2:1-2). Then he goes on to urge the people to repent and turn back to God, promising if they do, God will restore their land and bring abundant blessings (2:12-27), which are alluded to in the following verses (vv. 28-32). In fact, Peter quotes these verses on the day of Pentecost with reference to new covenant blessings provided by Christ (Ac 2:17-21). This illustrates the dual nature of the day of the Lord—it’s both a time of judgment and a time of blessing.
In the New Testament, the day of the Lord takes on a more eschatological dimension, being associated with the second coming of Jesus, both his coming to rescue before a time of wrath and his coming to reign after that time. About that day, the NIV Study Bible notes: “In the NT the thought of judgment continues (see Ro 2:5; 2Pe 2:9), but it is also the ‘day of redemption’ (Eph 4:30); the ‘day of God’ (2Pe 3:12) or ‘of Christ’ (1Co 1:8; Php 1:6); and the ‘last day’ (Jn 6:39), the ‘great Day’ (Jude 6) or simply ‘the day’ (2Th 1:10). It is the consummation of all things. There will be some preliminary signs (e.g., 2Th 2:3), but for unbelievers the coming will be as unexpected as that of a thief in the night (cf. Mt 24:43-44; Lk 12:39-40; 2Pe 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15)” (NIV Study Bible, note on 1Th 5:2). Jesus’ return to reign will usher in a new age of righteousness and peace during which he will rule over Israel and the nations—a new age from which the wicked will be excluded and during which the righteous will be vindicated and blessed.
Note that the day of the Lord is not one particular day but one particular kind of day. There have been historical days of the Lord. For example, the destruction of Israel in 722 b.c. by the Assyrians is one example (Amos 5:16-27; cf. 2Ki 17:1-23); the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem in 586 b.c. is another (Isa 22:1-25; Lam 3:21-22; Eze 7:1-27; Zep 1:1-18; 3:1-7; cf. Amos 2:4-5; 2Ki 25:1-21). But there will be a future eschatological day of the Lord as well (1Th 5:1-11).
In summary, “The day of the Lord refers to God’s special interventions into the course of world events to judge His enemies, accomplish His purpose for history, and thereby demonstrate who He is—the sovereign God of the universe (Isa. 2:10-22; Ezek. 13:5, 9, 14, 21,23; 30:3, 8, 19, 25-26)” (Showers, 30). The future day of the Lord consists of two phases, a period of darkness (judgment) followed by a period of light (divine rule and blessing). So clearly, the day of the Lord spans more than one twenty-four hour period. While the question of when that day begins and when it ends is debated by interpreters, the day of the Lord likely begins with Jesus’ coming to rescue before the coming wrath and ends following his rule over Israel and the nations a millennium later (see Thomas L. Constable, “1 Thessalonians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, 705).
Central Message of the Text:
Encourage one another, knowing the day of the Lord coming in wrath will not overtake believers as it will unbelievers.
Family Talk:
Today’s culture has Christians swimming upstream against a hurricane with piranhas snapping at our heels and electric eels zapping us the whole way. It’s rough out there, folks. As children of the light, we’re called to be different. We should think, act and love others in such a way that we are clearly distinguished from children of the darkness. Yet, kids rarely want to draw attention to themselves and stand out as different. They’d rather silently blend in with the rest of the herd and follow the crowd. So, how do we disciple our kids and encourage them to live differently when they are so strongly pulled into blending in with worldly thinking? When I think of discipleship, I think of perfect parents with perfect kids sitting down for a long evening of studying the Bible together. In reality, life is messy and I don’t know any perfect parents, perfect kids or gigantic open windows of time. Let’s shift our view of discipleship to something a little more realistic. Small liturgies brought into your daily routine will help you and your family focus on the Lord in a whole new way. I know one family that gathers for a short prayer before they all walk out the door in the morning. Another family whips out simple conversation cards with random questions to get kids talking at mealtime. Nighttime prayers are simple and repetitive at another house, planting seeds of God’s big picture of redemption for the family. What is one simple routine your family can start that points your kids to Christ and encourages them to live for him? Start it today!