I Thessalonians 5:1-11
Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. --
This comes right after the "Rapture" passage. We don't need anyone to be a date-setter concerning future events, but we can open our eyes to see the "signs of the times" to know that His coming is soon.
For you yourselves know full well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. --
We already can see the signs spoken of by the Lord, and will recognize the season, but not know the day or hour.
While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. --
Those who are in moral darkness will not recognize the dangers of the time and will try to convince themselves and others that everything's okay. But like a pregnant woman doesn't know what exact day or hour she will go into labor, but she will know what season, especially as the event draws near.
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you like a thief; --
We will not be clueless, like the lost of the world, expecting that times are getting better, deceiving themselves. We have the light of knowledge and discernment to see the signs of the times, like the pregnant woman sees her body swelling and can know about when she'll deliver, not like the randomness of when a thief might break in.
For you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of the night nor of darkness; --
We are not in the moral morass of darkness and night, that we are unable to see; we have the light of day to shine on and illuminate and reveal the signs of the times, to understand what God is doing and about when it will all culminate in the Coming of the Lord.
So then let us not sleep as others do, --
Don't close our eyes to the obvious to ignore the clear signs.
But let us be alert and sober. --
We need to keep our moral eyes open to seriously recognize and consider and be aware of the closeness of the time of the Day of the Lord.
For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, --
Those who deliberately ignore the clear signs close their eyes as though night has fallen, as they are in moral darkness.
And those who get drunk get drunk at night. --
Those who turn to the bottle are trying to drown out the reality of what God is doing all around them.
But since we are of the day, --
The light of the sight of clear understanding.
Let us be sober, --
Clear-thinking, not muddled or confused or ignoring truths we find inconvenient.
Having put on the breastplate of faith and love, --
To protect our hearts in fully trusting God and loving one another sacrificially in the Truth of God's love for us.
And as a helmet, the hope of salvation. --
To protect our brain, so our thinking processes are in alignment with God's Word, His promises and His revealing to us the good He is accomplishing on our behalf.
For God has not destined us for wrath, --
God has already poured out all His wrath toward us on Jesus on the Cross.
But for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, --
We will be rescued, because Jesus has already suffered that wrath, and only in and through Him are we free of God's wrath.
Who died for us, --
Jesus died in the place of each of us who put our trust in Him to have taken our sins upon Himself on that Cross because we (I) deserved it all, not Him.
That whether we are awake or asleep, --
Whether we decide to face honestly what is coming, or to deliberately ignore it, in fear.
We may live together with Him.
If we've trusted that Jesus died in our (my) place, then even if we let fear blind us to what will be happening all around us, but not touching us (see Psalm 91:7), we will still live forever with Our Lord Jesus, where He is throughout all eternity.
Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. --
This is very encouraging. We need have no fear, even when God's wrath is being poured out on the lost, the wicked and the morally deficient all around us, it will not touch us. That's His promise!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
