The Truth About the Day of God and Our Doom?

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

The day of God is near and that means you are taking it seriously, right? It is no laughing matter for one to stand before God.

Introduction

One must not think lightly, believing that the day of God will not come because it’s been over 2,000 years since the death and resurrection of Christ.  Thinking that the day of God is delayed is a recipe for disaster and serves as the premise of what Paul said in his first letter to the Thessalonians. This week’s Sunday School commentary covers scripture from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. 

The Promise of Christ’s Return

1 Thessalonians 5:1-2, opens with Paul speaking of the day of God and the mindset one ought to live with as that day is quickly approaching.  About the times, the seasons, and the day of God, Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers, “You have no need that I should write to you.”  Honestly, this is something that should be said about all who believe in the Lord.

When Jesus began His ministry, Jesus said that it was time for all to repent because the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt. 4:17).  Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus often spoke of His next coming and the Lord’s judgment (Matt. 24:29-31; 25:31-46).  Jesus also warned of the signs of the end of the age when there would be wars, rumors of war, and many deceivers (Matt. 24:3-13).  

Apostles like Peter, John, and Paul wrote letters speaking about the times, and warning us to be ready for the return of Christ.  Peter warned of scoffers who would make like of Jesus’ coming, to which he taught that one ought not think that God is slack concerning His promise (2 Pet. 3:9).  

John warned that it is the last days and we ought to be mindful of the spirit of Antichrist that circles the world (1 John 2:18).  I even think of Amos 5, where the prophet prophesied that the day of God would not be pleasant for those who aren’t prepared for it.  

Are We Living in Preparation

God does not hide that there will be a day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess.  God has not repeatedly warned us of His coming and His judgment to frighten us.  No, the Lord has forewarned us so that we may prepare ourselves for His coming.

The question that all of us must answer is whether or not we are living in preparation for the Day of God.  This is a question that always causes me to be concerned, especially for those outside the faith.  Such a concern, I believe, was Paul’s concern, which is why he continued with writing about the Day of God in this section of his letter.

Mankind is asleep

In 1 Thessalonians 5:6-7, Paul wrote, “Let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.”  

Paul shared this statement after having just spoken of the day of God coming as a thief in the night.  We are in a season of waiting on the return of Christ.  

Lately, when I speak of the season we are currently in, I have been referencing Jesus’ Parable of the Foolish and Wise Virgins.  In the parable, there were five wise virgins and 5 foolish virgins, with all ten of the virgins being warned that the groom was coming for the wedding.  Though all of the virgins had been warned of his coming, only five of the virgins made preparations to wait and be ready for his arrival.

The groom’s arrival was delayed, causing all of the virgins to doze off while they were waiting.  When news of his arrival had come, the five wise virgins were ready, but the foolish ones were not ready.  The foolish virgins, at the last minute, had to leave and ended up missing the arrival of the groom.  Not only did the foolish virgins miss the groom’s arrival, but they also missed the wedding.

“Those who sleep” are those who, even though they have heard that Christ is coming and that God will judge the world, live in a manner of total disregard.  “Those who get drunk” are those who live with no awareness for the day.

What is very concerning is that as the days go by, we see the apostasy of mankind continue to grow more and more.  Churches are growing more and emptier by the year.  Mankind is growing more and more apathetic and devoted its selfish desire of greed and power.  In other words, mankind is asleep, spiritually, and leaving itself vulnerable to the worst of wicked spirits.

I want to highlight 1 Thessalonians 5:3:  “When they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.”  Mankind has been aiming to bring world peace since the first kings walked the earth.  Those who come along the way every 4 years with their promise of peace are just another in a long line of those who falsely promise such.

What peace can man bring to the world?  For man to know peace, man must know peace within himself first.  Anyone who says they have brought peace and safety is one who is an arrogant fool.  There is only one who can bring about absolute peace and safety and that is the Lord.

What is troubling is that many are deceived by those who are arrogant and foolish.  They are fooled because their spiritual eyes aren’t open to the season of deception that we are currently living in.  The promise of peace and safety, today, has led to fear, division, and more bitter hatred.

Let’s be clear, Paul was not saying that a faithful person would make such claims about being able to bring peace by their own power. Those whom sudden destruction will come, the foolish, are those who would make such a proclamation.  Yes, many claim to be of Christ, but they are not His – they are of a foolish mindest.

This reminds me of Proverbs 14:12, which states that there is a way that seems right to a man whose end is death.  You and I, we who are of sincere faith, must not fall for the lies and deceptions of arrogant fools.

Opening doors to great evil

Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers, “You, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief (1 Thess. 5:4).”  Those who live by the word of God know the truth and ought to be living appropriately.  While the day may be troubling, we ought to still be living by faith, understanding that our affliction today is working toward a far greater reward (2 Cor. 4:17).

Yet, what is still further troubling is the implications of those in the world who are living in darkness.  Those who live in darkness are susceptible to welcoming in more darkness.  They are susceptible to following evil spirits who promise peace and safety to spiritual death.  

In Luke 18:1-8, when Jesus shared the Parable of the Persistent Widow, He contrasted Himself with an unjust (wicked) judge who did not fear the Lord.  By the end of the parable, Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man comes [again], will He really find faith on the earth?”

There will be very little faith on earth when Jesus comes at His second coming.  You see, the Church will have become the bride of Christ by that point (Rev. 19:6-7).  Many of those who will become tribulation saints after the rapture will have been martyred.  Only those few saints who make it to the end of the Great Tribulation will be of faith– they will join Christ for the wedding feast during the Millennial Kingdom.  

The rest of those on earth at that point in time will have been deceived and chosen to follow the Antichrist (Rev. 13:11-18).  They will fall with the Antichrist and be cast into eternal condemnation along with him and his father, the devil (Rev. 20:10-15).

I genuinely believe that everything we see happening in the world today is happening as a wake-up call to mankind.  There is far too much wickedness occurring in our world today for one to turn a blind eye to.  I repeat to you the words of Paul when I say to all of us, “Let us watch and be sober.”

Get Prepared Now

Today is a day when we ought to be getting ourselves ready to stand before the Lord.  

Like Peter, in 1 Thessalonians 5:8, Paul called on believers to be sober; that is to be sober-minded.  To be sober-minded means that one is aware.  In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter called on believers to be sober-minded while being on the devil’s hunting grounds.  Paul called on believers to be sober-minded because of the day that we are now living in.

In this day that we are living in, apostasy continues to grow; anger and bitterness continue to grow; temptation continues to grow as well.  Typically, when we think of temptation, we often think of the sexual kind of temptation.  I don’t want to downplay sexual temptation at all, but again, we must be greatly aware of liars, deceivers, and con artists who wear sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves (Matt. 7:15).

In 1 Thessalonians 5:8, we also see Paul encourage the Thessalonians to put on the “breastplate of faith and love” along with the “helmet of hope and salvation”.  These are items of the spiritual armor that Paul spoke of to the Ephesian believers (Eph. 6:14-18).  The inclusion of the spiritual armor makes it clear that Paul was encouraging the Thessalonian believers to be on guard on the spiritual battlefield.

While those who are not of faith may be leaving themselves susceptible to the attack of the enemy, we should not.  God’s armor will help us to endure and be victorious on the spiritual battlefield.  As Paul said to the Thessalonian believers, “God did not appoint us to wraith, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

As my dad said many years ago, this world is a dressing-up room and we got to go to heaven from down here.  Therefore, let us live with a mindset where we prepare for heaven today by living for heaven right now.  Let us guard our hearts, and as Paul encouraged, let us continue to lift up each other on this battlefield (1 Thess. 5:11).