July 13
“Concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober,” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6.
The apostle Paul addresses the Thessalonians with a chief concern about being spiritually wide awake. With reference to the Last Day, when Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead, Paul says that it should not be necessary to write anything more about that day. He believes that the details about the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ were well known to them.
Nevertheless, he repeats some of the details for the sake of their spiritual growth. He writes, “You yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.” He urges the Thessalonians to be spiritually wide awake and prepared for that day when Jesus comes again.
The apostle Peter wrote on the same subject at length: “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God,” 2 Peter 3:10-12. Peter, like Paul, urged his readers to be spiritually wide awake and prepared for the Second Coming of Jesus.
The Lord Jesus often urged His hearers to be wide awake and prepared for His Second Coming on the last day. Jesus said, “Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only . . . Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect,” Matthew 24:36, 42-44.
Paul writes that we should not be spiritually “in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.” Christians are spiritually in the light, awaiting that day when Jesus comes again. We believe in Jesus as God’s Son and our Savior from sin, death, and the power of the devil. We have the assurance that God has declared us forgiven for Jesus’ sake. We are prepared for His coming.
The Holy Spirit has called us to faith in Jesus, and He has prepared us for the day when Jesus comes to take us to the mansions where He has gone on before us to prepare a place for us. “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” At the close of the Book of Revelation, Jesus says, “Surely I am coming quickly,” Revelation 22:20. With a firm faith in Him, may we be ready to respond: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” Come quickly! Amen.
“O Jesus, who my debt didst pay,
And for my sin wast smitten,
Within the Book of Life, oh, may,
My name be also written!
I will not doubt; I trust in Thee,
From Satan Thou hast made me free,
And from all condemnation.
O Jesus Christ, do not delay,
But hasten our salvation;
We often tremble on our way,
In fear and tribulation.
Then hear us when we cry to Thee;
Come, mighty Judge, and make us free
From every evil!” Amen.