Reblogged from Facebook.
Q. I Thes. 5:4 alludes to believers not being surprised by the coming
Day of the Lord. I've always thought that it means that we will not be
caught off guard because we are prepared, we have Christ. Is there
more?
A. Yes there is. In fact I don't agree that "having
Christ" fulfills the spirit of Paul's statement in 1 Thes. 5:4.
Remember, The context of 1 Thes. 5:1-11 is the Day of the Lord. The
people Paul was writing to were already saved.
Lots of people "have Christ" but don't have a clue about what's coming
because they've never learned what the Bible says about the End Times.
They are like the people Jesus criticized at His first coming.
“When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is
red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red
and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but
you cannot interpret the signs of the times." (Matt. 16:2-3).
They also won't know about the crowns they could have won during their
life as a Christian because they were never taught about them. The same
goes for the Lord's admonition to store up treasure in Heaven rather
than on Earth (Matt. 6:19-21). Having been so focused on having a good
life here, they will have made no preparation for the life to come.
Many of them will enter eternity with little or nothing to show for
themselves. Paul said they will still be saved, but only "as one
escaping the flames" (1 Cor 3:10-15). Their cries of “No one ever told
us” will not help, because even though their teachers will be judged for
this failure (James 3:1) it will be too late for anyone to go back and
try again.
If any of this applies to you, rejoice in your
excitement about the nearness of the Lord's coming. In doing so, you're
earning the Crown of Righteousness. But don't forget to thank Him for
also giving you the time to try for some other crowns as well. For more
detail on how to win your crowns go Here.
Q. I Thes. 5:4 alludes to believers not being surprised by the coming Day of the Lord. I've always thought that it means that we will not be caught off guard because we are prepared, we have Christ. Is there more?
A. Yes there is. In fact I don't agree that "having Christ" fulfills the spirit of Paul's statement in 1 Thes. 5:4. Remember, The context of 1 Thes. 5:1-11 is the Day of the Lord. The people Paul was writing to were already saved.
Lots of people "have Christ" but don't have a clue about what's coming because they've never learned what the Bible says about the End Times. They are like the people Jesus criticized at His first coming.
“When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times." (Matt. 16:2-3).
They also won't know about the crowns they could have won during their life as a Christian because they were never taught about them. The same goes for the Lord's admonition to store up treasure in Heaven rather than on Earth (Matt. 6:19-21). Having been so focused on having a good life here, they will have made no preparation for the life to come.
Many of them will enter eternity with little or nothing to show for themselves. Paul said they will still be saved, but only "as one escaping the flames" (1 Cor 3:10-15). Their cries of “No one ever told us” will not help, because even though their teachers will be judged for this failure (James 3:1) it will be too late for anyone to go back and try again.
If any of this applies to you, rejoice in your excitement about the nearness of the Lord's coming. In doing so, you're earning the Crown of Righteousness. But don't forget to thank Him for also giving you the time to try for some other crowns as well. For more detail on how to win your crowns go Here.
This is an important topic. Great post. The link is not there, though, where it says "for more detail on how to win your crowns go here". :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sandee for catching the oversight and bringing it to my attention.
ReplyDelete