Chapter 5:4-11—Paul assures the saints that “that day” of judgment would not “overtake” them. To indicate this, he changes the pronouns again. He has been using “they” and “them” in verse 3, but now he says, “But ye brethren...” and “we are not of the night...” and “let us...” etc. By changing from the third person plural back to the second person plural, it is evident that Paul is now returning to speak to the Christian company again. The reason why “that day” of judgment will not overtake Christians is that we will have been taken away from the earth approximately seven years before that time at the Rapture. He has just explained this in the parenthesis of chapter 4:15-18. As mentioned in our comments in chapter 1:10, each time that the Lord’s coming is spoken of as a “Thief in the night,” it is referring to the Appearing of Christ, not the Rapture (Matt. 24:43-4443But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 24:43‑44); Luke 12:39-4039And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. 40Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. (Luke 12:39‑40); 1 Thess. 5:2; 22For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:2)
2But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. (1 Thessalonians 2:2) Peter 3:10; Rev. 3:5; 16:155He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Revelation 3:5)
15Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. (Revelation 16:15)). As mentioned already, at the Rapture the Lord will come to call away the Church, which is His bride. He comes at that time as “the Bridegroom” (Matt. 25:6-106And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. (Matthew 25:6‑10)), not as a “Thief.”
Moreover, the passages having to do with the Lord’s coming as a Thief are always in connection with Him executing judgment on the world. This will happen at the Appearing. There is no judgment executed upon the world at the Rapture; it is a silent snatching away of believers from the earth. The saints will hear the “shout,” the “voice,” and the “trump” (chap. 4:16), but the world will hear nothing. It’s true that the Rapture will seal the doom of those who have rejected the gospel of the grace of God, but their actual judgment of being cast into the lake of fire will not occur until later, when the Lord appears as a Thief.
Paul speaks of those of the world as being enveloped in moral and spiritual “darkness” (vs. 4). By way of contrast, he reminds the Thessalonian believers that they are “the children of light, and the children of the day” (vs. 5). Thus, he uses “darkness” and “light,” and “day” and “night” as figures to describe those who are believers and those who are not. This is not uncommon in Paul’s writings (Rom. 13:12-1312The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. (Romans 13:12‑13); Eph. 5:8-148For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. 14Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. (Ephesians 5:8‑14)). Since judgment will fall only on those who are part and parcel of this world’s darkness, but not on those who are of the light, it is clear that believers on the Lord Jesus Christ are exempt from the judgments connected with the day of the Lord. In fact, they will come with the Lord when He returns to execute judgment in that day (1 Thess. 3:13; 4:1413To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:13)
14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (1 Thessalonians 4:14); Jude 1414And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, (Jude 14); Zech. 14:55And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. (Zechariah 14:5), etc.).
Vss. 6-8—In the next series of verses, Paul gives some practical exhortations based on the fact that the Thessalonians were “of the light” and “of the day,” and not “of the night, nor of darkness.” These things apply to us today as much as they applied to the Thessalonians in their day. He says, “Therefore, let us not sleep as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (vs. 6). Here, Paul uses “sleep” as a figure to describe spiritual indifference. He says that there needs to be watchfulness and sobriety on our part so that we won’t fall into a similar state of carelessness. His point is that even though the world is spiritually asleep, we shouldn’t be. The watching that Paul refers to here is not exactly watching for the Lord to come—although we certainly should do that (Luke 12:36-3836And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. 37Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. (Luke 12:36‑38)). It is watching against the spiritual dangers of the night which can have their negative effect upon us. The point in the exhortation is that if we are not careful, we could get dragged down by the elements of darkness in this world through which we pass. The Lord prayed that the saints would be preserved in this way (John 17:15-1715I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:15‑17)). We maintain our spiritual alertness by self-judgment and in keeping close to the Lord through constant communion with Him. The only place of “safety” for us is being near the Lord (Deut. 33:1212And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders. (Deuteronomy 33:12)).
Paul says, “For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night” (vs. 7). He speaks of sleep here literally, but goes on to make a practical application from it. His point is that just as “sleep” in the natural realm is associated with “night,” it is the same in the spiritual realm. The spiritual sleep of indifference is associated with those who know not the Lord and who live in spiritual darkness. Being who we are, (“the children of light and the children of the day”), we need to be consistent with the realm to which we belong and be spiritually awake.
To guard against the state of spiritual slumber overtaking us, Paul mentions our resource. He says, “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” (vs. 8). Thus, while the world is characterized by sleeping in the darkness of the ignorance of God, we are to be living in view of “the hope” of our final “salvation.” This is to be with and like the Lord in the glorified state—which will occur at the Rapture. Until then, there are two pieces of armour that we must put on that will keep us from sinking into a state of carelessness:
• The “breastplate of faith” guards our hearts’ affections.
• The “helmet of salvation” guards our thoughts.
Our hearts and minds are two vulnerable areas where the enemy makes his points of attack. Note: we are responsible to put these pieces of armour on; it is not something that God does for us. Thus, He wants us to participate in this practical deliverance. That means that there needs to be spiritual exercise and energy involved in wearing this protection. Wearing “the breastplate of faith” is to be careful not to allow our affections to go after things that are earthly and worldly, because in the process we can get wrapped up in those things which will cause us to slumber in divine things (Prov. 4:2323Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23)). Wearing the “helmet,” has to do not only with having our thoughts focused on right things that concern Christ and His interests (Phil. 4:77And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7); 1 Peter 1:1313Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (1 Peter 1:13)), but by being occupied with the hope of salvation that will be brought to us at the Lord’s coming. The tendency is to allow our hearts and minds to run after extraneous things that dampen our spiritual alertness.
Vss. 9-11—And the reason why Paul encourages such a focus is because “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.” This final aspect of “salvation” that Paul refers to here (as in verse 8), occurs when the Lord comes—at the Rapture (Rom. 13:1111And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Romans 13:11); Phil. 3:20-2120For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:20‑21); Heb. 9:2828So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28); 1 Peter 1:55Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5)). He says that this salvation awaits us regardless of whether the believer is living (“wake”) at the time of the Lord’s coming, or has died (“sleep”). As he has explained in chapter 4, both will rise to meet the Lord in the air. Paul closes his remarks on this subject by again stating, “Comfort yourselves together and edify [build up] one another, even as also ye do.”
Paul has used the word “sleep” in verses 6-10 in three different ways:
• The sleep of indifference (vs. 6).
• Natural sleep for the rejuvenation of the body (vs. 7).
• Sleep in connection with the separate or intermediate state of a believer (vs. 10).