Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Tornado damage to a community is a natural analog to the nature of our whole world. It is broken, shattered, and in disarray. Everyone understands that our world is broken. That is why we work so hard to fix it. Whether we are talking about the natural world and natural disasters or whether we are talking about societal disasters like political corruption, commercial corruption, or family destruction, it is broken.
In tornado alley, where I now live in Oklahoma, the arrival of repairmen on the scene after a tornado is almost instantaneous. These excellent first responders arrive to repair and set back in order what had been set in disarray by the tornado, one of our natural disasters. The task of these first responders is two-fold: they have first to clear away the debris and then begin the repairs that will finally set things back in order.
The work and purpose of the first responders are like the day of the Lord. The goal of the day of the Lord is to restore God-ordained order to the disordered world. It involves his judgment of those in rebellion and unbelief, separating them to the lake of fire. (Like removing the rubble and debris from a tornado.) Then those following King Jesus are ushered into the New Heaven and New Earth. (Rebuilding homes, businesses, streets, and powerlines.) The day of the Lord is both a day of great terror and a day of great joy. That is why Paul can end this paragraph with, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” The day of the Lord is the basis for believers to encourage one another. It is the final vindication of justice in the universe, as all things are set right.
Timing is not the point.
Many believers get caught up in an attempt to determine when the day of the Lord will take place. That is a fool’s errand. Paul writes, “Now, concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.” In other words, we don’t know when it will happen, but we know it will happen. Therefore, we live with the knowledge that the day of the Lord is coming.
The day of the Lord, or the day, is seen throughout Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments. The day refers to various “comings” of God on the earth. “The phrase “the day of Yahweh” and its abbreviated parallels (e.g., “the/that day”) refer both to the ultimate time when Yahweh will punish and restore/re-create the whole world and to the periodic pen-ultimate days that clarify and anticipate it. In this context, therefore, “day” refers more to an event in time rather than an extent of time. On the one hand, God’s prophets and apostles identify the day of the Lord as the climactic event when God establishes his sovereignty, eradicates all evil, and brings lasting peace on a universal scale (e.g., Zeph. 1:14–18; 3:8–10; 2Thes. 1:9–10; 2Pet. 3:10). This reality is inaugurated in Christ’s first coming but only consummated at his second coming. On the other hand, biblical figures also apply the language of “the day of the LORD” to the various instances where Yahweh typologically intrudes into space and time to reconstitute right order through punishing wickedness––not only that of the broad world (Jer. 46:10–12; Obad. 15; Zeph. 3:8; cf. Isa. 2:10–22; 13:1–22; Ezek. 30:1–9; Joel 3:9–16.) but also that of Israel/Judah (Ezek. 13:5; Amos 5:18; Zech. 14:1; cf. Isa. 3:1–4:1; Joel 1:15; 2:1–11, 31; Amos 5:18; Zeph. 3:7; Mal. 4:5 [Heb. 3:23]).” 1
In addition to the judgment of the day of the Lord, there is the renewal of all things, the New Heaven and New Earth, that comes on the other side of judgment. It is all part of the day of the Lord. One example of this motif in the Old Testament is the judgment of Israel when they are taken into captivity in Babylon and the restoration when they are returned to Jerusalem to rebuild under Ezra and Nehemiah. This is a somewhat colorless picture of the judgment yet to come and the reward of the New Heaven and New Earth restoration.
The point is the restoration of all things.
In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul makes a couple of significant points about the Day of the Lord. First, in chapter four, Paul brings clarity and assurance concerning the believers who have died before the Day of the Lord. What will happen to them? Those who have already died will be resurrected first, then we who are alive when he comes in the Day of the Lord will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air with the saints of all the ages and the host of heaven.
His second big idea is in chapter five. Don’t get caught up in concerning yourself with the timing of the Day of the Lord but live as those who are aware of his presence at all times and especially with the knowledge that he will come when no one is expecting it. Therefore live with him in intimate fellowship because whether we live or die, we live with him. With this news, encourage one another and build up one another.
The implication of “whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with him” is the New Heaven and New Earth. In verse 9, he contrasts “wrath” with “obtain salvation.” The final stage of our salvation is glorification in the New Heaven and New Earth following the resurrection on the Day of the Lord. This is the fullness of our salvation in the Kingdom that will have no end under the divine King, the true Son of David, whom we all love and shall forever.
I read the end of the story, and we win.
I get what people mean by this phrase, but I need to correct it. He wins. We get to come along for the ride. This deal is all for His glory and our joy. He is the point of it all.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Colossians 1:15-20
All the saints and angels, they bow before Your throne
All the elders cast their crowns before the Lamb of God and sing
You are worthy of it all
You are worthy of it all
For from You are all things
And to You are all things
You deserve the glory2
Footnotes
- The Day of the Lord, an essay by Jason S. DeRouchie accessed August 2, 2023 https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-day-of-the-lord/
- The chorus of “Worthy of it all” written by Abbie Gamboa, David Brymer, Ryan Hall.
