I Thessalonians 5:1-28 Safety of The Believer In Relation to The Coming Lord

I Thessalonians Section Titles Salvation In Relation To The Coming Lord: 1:1 – 1:10 Serving The Coming Lord: 2:1-20 Sanctification To The Lord’s Coming: 3:1 – 4:12 Surety Of Resurrection In Christ: 4:13-18 Safety Of The Believer In Relation To The Coming Lord: 5:1-28

“Times” chronos – times; period. Duration. “Seasons” kairos – season; age; epoch. Characteristics. “Know” oida – absolute knowledge. “Perfectly” akribos – with exactness; accurately. “That the day of the Lord…” – that period of time when God openly intervenes in the affairs of men – in judgment & in blessing. It begins with the rapture of the Church & will terminate with the cleansing of the heavens & the earth preparatory to the bringing into being of the new heavens & the new earth. Times & Seasons (I Thess. 5:1, 2)

The order of events (from NSRB note at Rev. 19:19): 1)The Rapture of the Church just preceding the beginning of the Day of the Lord (I Thess. 4:13-17). 2)The fulfillment of Daniel’s 70 th week (Dan. 9:27) – the latter half of which is the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21; Rev. 7:14). 3)The return of the Lord in glory to establish the Millennial Kingdom (Matt. 24:29, 30). 4)The destruction of the beast, the false prophet, & their armies, which is the “great & awesome” aspect of the day (Rev. 19:11-21). 5)The judgment of individual Gentiles (Zech. 14:1-9; Matt. 25:31-46 & the judgment of Israel (Ez. 20:34- 38; Matt. 24:36 – 25:30). Times & Seasons (I Thess. 5:1, 2)

The order of events (cont’d): 6)The millennial reign of Christ on earth (Rev. 20:4- 6). 7)The satanic revolt & its judgment (Rev. 20:7-10). 8)The resurrection & final judgment of the wicked (Rev. 20:11-15). 9)The destruction of the present earth & heaven by fire preparatory for the future “Day of God” (II Pet. 3:10-12). 10)The creation of the new heavens & the new earth (Is. 65:17-19; 66:22; II Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1). Times & Seasons (I Thess. 5:1, 2)

“That the day of the Lord…” – that period of time when God openly intervenes in the affairs of men – in judgment & in blessing. – Is. 13:9-11; Zeph. 1: “Comes as a thief in the night” (…a thief by night). – Refers to the Captain of The Guard making his rounds of the Temple by night. – Cf. Rev. 16:15; 3:3. Times & Seasons (I Thess. 5:1, 2)

“Signs” oth (H226) – sign; signal (banners). “Seasons” moed (H4150) – appointed time, place, or meeting; appointed feast; appointed festival. Cf. Lev. 23:1, 2, 4. “The Feasts of the LORD” “The LORD’s appointed times” Signs & Seasons (Gen. 1:14)

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23 First Advent Feasts – Began their religious year. 1)Passover – Christ’s death.  Ex. 12 – The LORD finds Israel in bondage & makes him free, that he may serve Him.  “The Lamb slain” – “Behold the Lamb of God” – Gen. 4:4; 22:8, 13; John 1:29; Rev. 5:6ff.  The Cross must come before the Crown.  Spring equinox – Aries, the Ram. Approximately the first of April.  Christ, our Passover – I Cor. 5:7.  Emphasizes Redemption – the “Cup” of Communion.  Deliverance begun – Phase #1 – the spirit.

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23 2)Unleavened Bread – Christ’s person.  Christ’s perfect humanity.  Application for us is a separated, holy life & walk, in communion & fellowship with Christ.  Cf. Gal. 5:7-9; II Cor. 7:1; I Cor. 5:6-8; Matt. 13:33.  The “bread” of communion.  This never became real to Israel – they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of no capacity!  Deliverance working – Phase #2 – the soul.

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23 3)First-Fruits – Christ’s resurrection.  First Sunday after Passover, during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Cf. John 12:24; I Cor. 15:23, 20.  A Thank Offering with anticipation of God’s blessing on the harvest.  Deliverance completed – Phase #3 – the body.

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23 4)Pentecost – Christ’s Ascension.  Also called The Feast of Weeks (Deut. 16:9, 10) & the Feast of Harvest (Ex. 23:16).  50 days after First Fruits, on a Sunday.  Brings a fulfillment of what was anticipated in the 3 rd Feast – The fullness of the Spirit (cf. Rom. 8:23; Eph. 1:13, 14).  Beginning of the Church (with leaven) (Acts 2:1…).

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23  Beginning of the 5 th Cycle of Discipline for Israel (but 40 years of grace warning 1 st ).  Lev. 23:17 “two wave loaves…baked with leaven.”  Two loaves – Jews (Acts 2) & Gentiles (Acts 10) (Eph. 2:14-18).  The ministry of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost authenticates the ascension of Christ (John 14 & Acts 2).  This Feast is also at the position of the servant candle in a Menorah.

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23 Gap – 4 months.  From the end of May to the middle of September – no feasts.  Speaks of Jews under the 5 th Cycle of Discipline (dispersion in 70 A.D.).  The Church replaces Israel (temporarily) – that is why the Church began on the Day of Pentecost.  The cursing (5 th Cycle of Discipline) can be turned to blessing by means of salvation.  The Rapture occurs at the end of this gap.

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23 5)Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah)  1 Tishri begins this year (2015) at sundown on Sept. 13 th.  The previous day, the 29 th of Elul, is the day of the Shemitah – the last day of a 7 year Biblical cycle – the day when all debts are wiped clean.  A day appointed to wipe out the financial accounts of a nation that has driven God out of its life.  Beginning of the new civil year.  This year (2015) begins a new 7 year cycle.  A 2-day holiday (considered 1 long day) (cf. Neh. 8:2, 3, 13 & Matt. 24:36) because the precise hour for the appearance of the new moon of Tishri could not always be ascertained.

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23 5)Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) (cont’d)  Therefore, it was known as the Feast that no one would know the day or the hour that it would begin.  The 1 st day is a Sabbath day, so messengers could not be sent out on that day.  Psalm 81 is devoted to this Feast Day.  This was a time of offering forgiveness & seeking reconciliation with others (family, friends, & business associates).  Everyone is to seek out anyone who feels hurt or wronged & “clear the air” by asking for understanding for any harsh words said, or deeds done, during the past year.  If anyone has treated someone unfairly, this is the time to correct it & make amends.

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23 5)Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) (cont’d)  According to the Talmud, on some future Rosh Hashanah, 3 books will be opened before God: 1.The Book of Life, in which the names of the just are entered & confirmed. Those written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be raised/raptured. 2.The Book of Death, in which the wicked are entered. These are doomed to judgment.

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23 5)Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) (cont’d) 3.The book for those who are neither wholly just nor wholly wicked (in their case, the verdict is delayed until the Day of Atonement). These are given an opportunity to be saved during the days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, called the 7 Days of Awe. This graphically represents the Tribulation Period – in Revelation we see 144,000 Jews saved, plus a great multitude of people from every nation.

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23 5)Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) (cont’d)  Following Rosh Hashanah are 7 days called the Days of Affliction (Tishri 3-9) – a time of introspection.  Also called the Days of Awe (all 10 days are called the Days of Awe, but we are especially interested in the 7 days between the 2 Feasts).  These Days of Awe prophetically represent the Tribulation Period.  The 10 th day of Tishri is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23 6)Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)  Prophetically represents the salvation of the nation of Israel at the height of the Battle of Armageddon (cf. Hosea 5:15).  Pictures the time when the Messiah will come to save His people.  It is a day of repentance for the Jew as he seeks the forgiveness of God for his unbelief.  The book of Jonah is read in the synagogues on this day.

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23 6)Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) (cont’d)  On the day before Yom Kippur, early in the morning, the religious Jew takes a chicken & waves it above his head, while he recites 3 times, “This is my substitute, this is my exchange, this is my atonement, this fowl will go to its death, & I shall enter a good & long life in peace.”  The chicken is then redeemed with money, which is given to the poor, & it is immediately slaughtered to be eaten for the evening meal preceding the Fast of Yom Kippur.  The intestines of the chicken are thrown outside in a place where, “the birds can eat them” (cf. Rev. 19:17, 18).

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23 7)Tabernacles (Sukkot)  Observed on Tishri (09/28/15 – 10/05/15) (an 8-day feast).  The 4 th Blood Moon of 2014/2015 occurs on 28 September  Prophetically represents the Millennial reign of Christ.

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23  Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur are such High Holy Days that preparation for them begins a month earlier on the 1 st of Elul (08/16/15 – begins at sundown on 08/15/15).  Each day throughout the month the ram’s-horn trumpet (the shofar) is blown.  On the day before Rosh Hashanah (the last day of Elul), no trumpet is blown.  The final trumpet is sounded on Rosh Hashanah (the final trumpet in the series of 30 days of trumpet blowing).  Before the blowing of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish congregation recites Psalm 47 seven times (see especially vs. 5 – this verse is given as the reason for holding the shofar with the wide end pointing upward).

The Feasts of The LORD Lev. 23  Psalm 47 exalts God as King of all the earth.  During the month of Elul, Psalm 27 is recited daily, together with the blowing of the shofar.  The Psalm alludes to Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, & the Feast of Tabernacles: “My light” (27:1) refers to Rosh Hashanah. “My salvation” (27:1) refers to the Day of Atonement. “…Tabernacle…” (27:5) refers to the Feast of Tabernacles.