But You Are Not In Darkness!

1 Thessalonians5:1-4

Part One

In Chapter 4:13-18 Paul’s Pastoral Concern

Was About Proper Christian Bereavement.

The Return Of The LordThe Resurrection Of the “Dead”

The Rapture Of The Living BelieversThe Eternal Re-Union OF Christ And

His Beloved Church

I. A Reminder Of Earlier Teachings.(1-2)

• 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2New International Version (NIV)• The Day of the Lord

  Now, Brothers and Sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Acts 1:6-8

A. Paul Reminds Them Of The Day Of The Lord.(2)

�ה �הָו ְי ְיָו�ם• Isaiah 13:6-11New International Version (NIV)

Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will go limp, every heart will melt with fear.

•Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor.They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame!

See, the Day of the LORD IS coming!—A cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of Heaven and their constellations will NOT show their light.The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.

I will punish the World for its evil, the wicked for their sins.I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

• Isaiah 13:13New International Version (NIV)

Therefore I will make the Heavens tremble; and the Earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the Day of His burning anger!

• Zephaniah 1:12New International Version (NIV)

 At that time I will search Jerusalem and punish those who are complacent, who think, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.

The Great Day of the LORD is near— near and coming quickly.The cry on the Day of the LORD is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts His battle cry. That day will be: a day of wrath— a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness—

• Zephaniah 1:18New International Version (NIV)

Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the Day of the LORD’s wrath.”In the fire of His jealousy the whole Earth will be consumed, for He will make a sudden end of ALL who live on the Earth

Joel the Prophet• Joel 1:14-15New International Version (NIV)

 Declare a Holy fast; Call a sacred assembly.Summon the elders and ALL who live in the land to the House of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. Alas for that day! For the Day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty!

• Joel 2:1-2New International Version (NIV)

 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on My Holy hill.Let all who live in the land tremble, for the Day of the LORD is coming.It is close at hand— a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.

• Joel 2:10-12New International Version (NIV) the Earth shakes, the Heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD thunders at the head of His army; His forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys His command. The Day of the LORD IS great!It is dreadful! Who can endure it?

The Lord Jesus Himself Refers To This Awesome Day!

• Matthew 24:29-31New American Standard Bible (NASB)• The Glorious Return

 “But immediately AFTER the Tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the Heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn.”

They will SEE the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His Angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His Elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other!

What Should be People’s Response To The Day Of The Lord?

• Joel 2:12-13New International Version (NIV) “Even now,” declares the LORD, “Return to Me with ALL your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments!Return to the LORD your God, for He IS gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity!”

• Joel 2:30-32New International Version (NIV)

 I will show wonders in the Heavens and on the Earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the LORD.

•And everyone (Anyone!) who calls on the Name of the LORD will be saved!For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said,even among the survivors whom the LORD calls!

The Prophet Joel Received Incredible Insights And Details

About The Day Of The Lord!

• Joel 3:1-2New International Version (NIV)• The Nations Judged

“In those days and at that time,when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem (1948 ?) I will gather ALL nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to My inheritance, My people Israel, because they scattered My people among the nations and divided up my land!”

• Joel 3:9-17New International Version (NIV)

 Proclaim this among the Nations: Prepare for war!Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears.Let the weakling say, “I am strong!” Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there (Armageddon) !

 (NOW) Bring down YOUR warriors, 0 LORD! “Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow—so great is their wickedness!”

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!For the Day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine.The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the Earth and the Heavens will tremble.BUT, the LORD will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel!

Revelations 19:11-16

Zechariah 14• Zechariah 14:3-6New International Version (NIV) Then the LORD (THE LORD JESUS) will go out and fight against those nations, as He fights on a day of battle. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem…, Then the LORD my God will come, and All the Holy Ones with Him! On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold,… It will be a Unique Day—a day known ONLY to the LORD—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light (The Glory Of God)!

• Zechariah 14:12New International Version (NIV)

This is the plague with which the LORD will strike ALL the Nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths!

Revelation 6:12-17 Reinforces These Holy Prophecies .

• Revelation 6:12-17New International Version (NIV)

I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to Earth. The Heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

Then the kings of the Earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the Great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

The Day Of The Lord Jesus Christ!

• 1 Corinthians 1:7-9New International Version (NIV)

Therefore you do not lack any Spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God IS faithful, who has Called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

• Philippians 1:6New International Version (NIV)

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the Day of Christ Jesus…. so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the Day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the Glory and Praise of God!

B. Paul Reminds The Thessalonians Of How Our Lord Jesus Christ Will Come In The Climax Of The Day Of

Christ • Mark 13:32-33New International Version (NIV)

The Day and Hour Unknown! “But about that Day (The Parousia) or hour no one knows, not even the Angels in Heaven, nor the SON, but ONLY the Father.

Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come!”

1. The Lord Jesus coming will be LIKE A Thief Coming In the Night .

(2)

Verse ThreePeace and Safety!!!

• Dr. Martin- “This perfectly illustrates the absolute, sudden unexpectedness and utter surprise of the Unbelievers on the Day of The Lord!”

2. The Day Of Christ Is Like Labor Pains On A Pregnant Woman.

(3)

There Will Be NO SecondChance!