“Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” (I Thess.5:1-3)
Growing up in the Lord’s church I have heard many sermons about the final coming of Jesus delivered by my father and by many other preachers. I could be mistaken, but I believe that it was preached about more often fifty years ago, than it is today. It could be that we got tired of hearing about it and decided to peach about other things. Perhaps we thought that this news might turn people away. For whatever reason we have decided to talk about other subjects.
With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic some people are wondering if God is trying to tell them something; that He’s trying to get their attention. You see, this world has a problem that it can’t get rid of. We can do all that we can to help prevent it from spreading but we still don’t have a cure for it. Without faith in God how does one cope during the pandemic? Who does one turn to in order to find comfort, peace and hope if one does not have God in their life?
As I thought about what we’re experiencing I am reminded of the words of the apostle Paul in the scripture quoted above. He warns that, “While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly.” I’m not sure who the “they” are that he’s referring to. Perhaps he is talking about anyone in the world who is content with the way that things are going; that they are at peace with others and themselves and feel safe and content with life in general . Or it may refer to the whole world which enjoys peace and safety after having gone through some horrific and troubling event like a world war, famine or even a pandemic.
As one keeps reading I Thess.5:1-11 Christians have no need to worry about the day of the Lord whenever it comes for destruction will never cross their path. As long as they remain faithful to God they can always say, ‘Peace and safety!’ As long as they remain ‘alert!’ and ‘sober!’ they will obtain salvation through Jesus Christ.
It is imperative that we never remove the breastplate of faith and love and never remove our helmet which is the hope of our salvation (some do so out of despair; they lose heart and quit) (Vs 8).
When as Christians we go through tough, uncertain times we are reminded by Paul to encourage one another, and build up one another and never stop doing this. We must remember that whenever the day of the Lord will occur it will not be a day to experience God’s wrath in judgment but rather a day to experience God’s love to the fullest.
Every chapter in I &II Thessalonians has some reference to the day of the Lord…something to think about.
Owen Sound ON