When we think of Celebrations what come to our mind is Birthday, Wedding Day ,Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Wedding Anniversaries etc.. We always look for that day every year, we celebrate with our Family and friends. Some milestone of these celebrations are remembered for life time.
When we read Bible there is a celebration day which we should know.
'for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ' 1 Thessalonians 5:2
There is “The Day of the Lord”, if you read the introduction of 2 Thessalonians - “The day of the lord” was a phrase from Hebrew prophet to describe God’s key victory over every opponent when his faithful ones would be rewarded.
So as you understand this deeper “victory over every opponent when his faithful ones would be rewarded” is a celebration that every Christian should look for as it’s a D day or Victory day for Christian, “The Day of the Lord” is the Judgment day, The idea behind the phrase “The day of the Lord” is that this is Gods’ time. Man has his “day,” (Birthday, Wedding day etc…) and the Lord has His day. In the ultimate sense, the day of the Lord is fulfilled with Jesus judging the earth.
It’s going to be a spectacular day full of celebration. Somehow we Christians always think the Judgment day is a horrible day as we will be judged. That’s how we all imagine, but when you meditate the word and understand more its going to be a day that we have never seen or even imagined. So many things are going to happen on that day, some preview items are shared on how that day will look like when we read the Bible deeply. I have tried to explain what God taught me on this “The Day of the Lord” is going to be and how we should look forward for that day
We are living in the last days, it’s very evident with the things that’s happening around us - Pandemic that’s gripping the world, with waves (they say its 4th wave in US around Mar 2021) after each wave disrupting life’s and brining Govt / business to stand still, many deaths happening. Global warming issues, with weird seasons of rain and extreme weather across the world, amount of Sin that we are tolerant to (Drinking / social culture, living together, same sex, amount of divorces in family, etc..) and many more events are truly signs of last days.
So it’s better we prepare for this “The Day of the Lord”, lets understand
When will that day happen ?
How will the day look ?
Preparations for that Day ?
When will that day Happen ?
We hear many Christian Preachers preach / Astrologers predicting a day / time this will happen, whereas the Bible tells a different view on this
' “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ' Matthew 24:36
'While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. ' 1 Thessalonians 5:3
As we read in Matthew no one knows the Day or Hour, not even angles or Son but only the Father, so if any one is saying on some day or time. Pls. don’t believe them.
The day will be a day when no one expected, the earlier verse say it will be like a “will come like a thief in the night”, no thief tells before he comes to steal, all of this will be unexpected.
When we people in earth feel “Peace and Safe” on all the material possessions we have, the Day will come so sudden as a destruction day
The day is described to “Labor Pain” on pregnant woman. Paul could have used some other form of pain (Leg pain / spine pain or any other form) ? Think why Labor pain is used ? as you know - of all the pains that a human suffers Labor Pain is the most severe and one of the worst pain that God created for a woman and it’s a result of the curse that God gave to Eve .we read that in Genesis
Typical Labor Pain happens from 4 to 8 Hrs before the baby is born. Psalms 90:4 says for the lord 'A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. ' Psalms 90:4, so our view this 4hrs. can be quick but from lords view this may take longer no one knows. We may know many with the signs that’s going around us
May be we are going thru the labor pain with all the struggles we are experiencing (Pandemic and all the turbulence in world) , I don’t know these are all the signs of the Day of the Lord.
There is a life after Labor Pain where a baby is born, the mother forgets all the pains and cherishes the life that’s come out. Similarly once the Day passes we will return to the Glory that Lord has created for all of us.
How will that day look ?
We read how this day will look like in two context –
One on a celebratory context
'For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ' 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
It’s going to be a celebration day when the lord meets all of us with a loud voice of Archangel, if we are all alive that day we will be taken up to the clouds to meet Lord and all the people who are dead will also arise first.
Just imagine how it will be. I did imagine this and compared this to be like the experience of flying in an aeroplane and we see white clouds when the plane is going thru. It’s a fairy tale moment if you see from the window seat.
It will be an awesome moment to meet all our ancestors who will be raised from dead, just imagine the thought to meet your grandpa / grandma or any of your loved ones who have departed from you
The day is going to be like that with so much celebrations, when we hear sound we always think that it’s a fire siren. God will provide us with something that we will all enjoy for sure. Our God is welcoming to his heaven he will not put a mourning sound for us, I am sure it will be a sound that will make us feel the warmth to meet him in glory..
Another one on a punishment context
'He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might ' 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
If you read this again on the condition of who will be punished “'He will punish those who do not know Godand do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus”
Punishment is for those who do not know our Lord Jesus
Punishment is for one who does not obey the Gospel (“The Bible”)
If you call yourself as Christian, you should have the faith to know God and you should obey Gods word (The Bible) which can avoid this punishment.
Preparations for that Day
For a wedding day we plan for that special day to celebrate and make that day a memorable day, similarly our Lord expects each of us to prepare for this day so that we are not surprised when that day happens.
1. Let’s be Awake
'So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. ' 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8
This above verse it refers to spiritual sleeplessness.
Paul refers therefore let us not sleep: Because we do not belong to the night nor of darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:5), our spiritual condition should never be marked by sleep. Spiritually speaking, we need to be active and aware, to watch and be sober.
In Physical word you sleep ,when your stomach is full with food or when you are drunk.
In spiritual world we sleep ,when we are insensible or inactive or ignore the word of God and live sinful worldly life and when we take sin lightly.
How can you prevent from not being spiritually sleepy, “putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”
· God does not want his children to experience the wrath of God and wants to meet us as he writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, he died for all the people so that none may perish.
'For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our
Lord Jesus Christ. ' 1 Thessalonians 5:9
2. Rejoice & Prayer
'Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ‘ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
He asks us to rejoice always (every situation of our life) and pray continually, with a thanks giving heart.
It’s easy read but very hard to follow as Satan tries to deter you from Praying in difficult times as he makes us anxious and tense on the situations.
Ask God to make you live to this verse and give you the strength to rejoice and pray in all situations and surrender to God’s Will.
3. Test and hold what’s good and reject the rest
'Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. ‘ 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22
Ask God to fill you with his Holy Spirit and be led by the Spirit every day.
Never be satisfied with where you are spiritually, “'Do not quench the Spirit.” ask more of his holy spirit ,like how a thirsty person asks for more water when he is under the sun.
Test all the prophetic word what you see and hear, even this word that’s being read, ask God is this a right word or not before you receive into your heart.
There is a lot of False teachers, Ask God’s spirit to test and to see if those teachings are from God or from satan. Always be conscience ae there are many deceiving spirits out there who will try to deceive us and make us feel as if it is coming from God.
Keep your soul - body blameless
The one who called you is faithful he will do it 'The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. ' 1 Thessalonians 5:24
4. Share the goodness to ends of the world
'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ' John 3:16-18
God does not want anyone to be condemned “'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”…” Whoever believes in him is not condemned”
To make every one believe in him is the key, we still have a lot of people who don’t know Christ and have no faith in God. It’s our job as Christians to spread the word of God to help share this good news so that none would perish
Some believer or missionary shared this good news to me thru which I was saved in Faith, now I write this to you. Pls. do your part. To share this good news to someone whom you know to make them come to know God our lord and have faith in God, so that they are not condemned
· Jesus did not die in the cross for us to perish, he died so that we can be redeemed and be with him in Glory.
So let’s all prepare “The Day of the Lord”
'But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. '1 Thessalonians 5:4
Let’s not be caught by surprise, we should all be eagerly waiting and looking forward for that day. Let’s walk in the light so that we are led by Spirit and God’s spirit protects us from all the sleep we have in the world.
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