Page 31 - Pauline Epistles Student Textbook
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the “Thessalonians that their fellow Christians who had died would participate on equal terms with
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them in the salvation experience accompanying the Parousia of the Lord.”
In v18, Paul drew a conclusion from what he had discussed, that is, they were to encourage one
another with those things he had written. Those broken believers at Thessalonica were going to heal
from their grief by reassuring them that the future of their beloved brothers and sisters who had
died in Christ is safe. They (those believers who were still living) are not the basis for that safeness,
but the placing of their faith in Jesus Christ and Jesus Himself are the rationales for their safe
destiny.
Time for the Parousia (1 Thess. 5:1-11)
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to
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you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the
night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come
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upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not
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in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light,
children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do,
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but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get
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drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the
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breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us
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for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we
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are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one
another up, just as you are doing. (ESV)
In v1, with the use of “now concerning,” Paul shows the transition from what precedes. Notice also
that Paul continues to use the words “brothers and sisters”, probably signifying the closeness with
them and members of the same family. So, Paul told them he did not have to write to them about
the times and dates because they knew that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night
(v2). But who told them about those things concerning the times and dates? Apparently, Paul
himself might have done that when he was with them. In v3, the mentioning of destruction coming
on them suddenly as labor pains, their self-proclamation that there was peace and safety, appears to
interpret these people as non-Christian as this is usually “parallel to security and has a non-religious
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sense” here. The destruction should not be understood as referring “to annihilation but to being
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shut out from the presence and glory of the Lord.” And they will not escape this destruction. Verse
3 is a reference to the unregenerate people; that is, people who do not have any relationship with
the resurrected Jesus Christ. This appears to be so because of the way Paul began verse 4. The
coordinate conjunction “but,” is used here as a strong contrast between verse 4 and 3. Unlike those
in verse 3, the brothers and sisters at Thessalonica are not in the darkness that the day should
surprise them like a thief. Based on verse 3, darkness should mean those without any relationship
with Jesus who are also identified as thieves to whom the day of the Lord should come as a surprise.
55 Wanamaker, The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Epistles to the
Thessalonians, 176.
56 Ibid., 180.
57 D. A. Carson, ed., NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the
Gospel Message, 2445.
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