Chapter 5

It is important to remember that there were no chapter or verse divisions originally in the text.  So the flow and context of the letter continues the thoughts just previously spoken, going on to explain this event we call the rapture.

The "times and seasons" are concepts related to the "Feasts" of the Lord.

1 Thess 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

Leviticus 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts [04150 mow'ed].

There is specifically a feast of trumpet blasts, that has a strong connection to the rapture, the "Feast of Trumpets" also known as "Rosh Hashanna".

Lev 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

Second, not only did they have acces to the scriptures, they knew the scriptures.  These were not uneducated gentiles who formed the first Church at Thessalonia, they were Jews who had been practicing or learning about the law.  The gospel went to the "Jew first" in new areas, then to the Gentiles.  (Romans 1:16, Romans 2:9,10)  The word "synagoge" is mentioned in 21 places in the book of Acts, because this was the regular location to go in a new area to begin preaching.

Third, there is no need to recap most of what he already taught them and which they already believed, yet he does so anyway.  To teach about the meaning, significance, and fulfillment of the prophecies of the death and resurrection of Jesus, Paul would have explained Jesus dying as the passover lamb on passover; Jesus as the unleavened bread sacrifice that takes away sins buried on that day, and how Jesus rose as the firstfruits from the dead on the day of firstfruits.  Surely, if Paul explained the context and meaning of the feasts just fulfilled in the spring, then he likely preached about the future fulfillment of the fall feasts in prophecy as well, particularly when explaining the resurrection and rapture, which, again, they must have already been taught about.

Many people link the "times and seasons" in 1 Thess 5:1 with the same phrase in Acts, and come to the wrong conclusion, that we must be ignorant about the timing.

Acts 1:6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
Acts 1:7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.

I believe this statement is literally correct for several reasons, in several ways.  First, I believe it was not for that generation to know when Jesus would restore the kingdom.  The Bible writers wrote as if the return of Jesus could be expected in their lifetimes, and they were wrong.  However, Daniel declares in several places in Daniel 11 & 12 that knowledge and understanding would come at the time of the end, and society is witnessing such an explosion of knowledge today, particularly with the internet.

Daniel 11:33 "And they that understand among the people shall instruct many..."
Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Daniel 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Daniel 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

See also Jer 23:20 "...in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly."

Second, I believe the statement in Acts 1:7 is largely prophetic of the Church as a whole. For most of the history of Christianity, the Churches have been largely ignorant of the "times and seasons" of the Feasts of the Lord.  This is due to an over reaction against all things Jewish, and against the Feasts from misunderstanding a few verses from Colotians, Romans and Galatians, as follows:

Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Romans 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Galatians 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

Furthermore, elsewhere in the New Testament, we see that Paul stridently observed the Feasts of the Lord, and that he planned his missionary journeys around being able to observe the Feasts in Jerusalem.  Acts 18:21; 19:21; 20:6,16; 24:11,17

Acts 18:21 But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.

Finally, I believe it is often overlooked in the verse from Acts 1:7, that these "times and seasons" are "set by his own authority" (NIV) or "put in his own power" (KJV), or "fixed by His own authority" NASB (Acts 1:7).  That these are set times, or fixed times, indicate that these "times and seasons" are likely alluding to the "appointed times" and "set times" of the feasts.  Therefore, Acts 1:7 is another verse that strongly indicates that the Lord will restore the kingdom to Israel on the feasts, because those are the set times, the times appointed by God.

According to the Old Testament, which they had access to, they would have known such verses as:

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Isaiah 46:9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me,
Isaiah 46:10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, `My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'

What did they "know perfectly" about how the "day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night"?

1 Thessalonians 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

Some twist the meaning and say that there was no need for Paul to write to them because they knew they had to be ignorant of the times and seasons, and they point to Acts 1:7.  And then they point out how a thief also comes at an unknown time.    But that is certainly the wrong interpretation, as we will see.

The phrase "thief in the night" is not a colloquialism meaning a sudden surprise, or an "at any moment" rapture.  There is little basis for such an assumption, which ignores the fact that they "know perfectly" a certain thing.  The interpretation that they must be ignorant also ignores the several verses that imply we will know the time, such as 1 Thess 5:4-6, Rev 3:3, Matt 24:43, 24:50, Matt 25:6,10.

I am fully persuaded that the Thessalonians "knew perfectly" about the Feasts of the Lord, which, as Torah observant Jews, they would have been practicing and following annually, and in particular, how one is the Feast of Trumpets which, as Paul must have explained, teaches about how we will be seized, or caught up, harpazo-ed, or raptured, as in a marriage to the Lord.

The Feast of Trumpets is also known as that "day or hour no man knows".  This description is apt for the Feast of Trumpets for several reasons.  First, this feast is observed on the day of the new moon, which comes every 29.5 days, so the precise day is uncertain.  Second, this feast is known as the wedding of the Messiah, and a man's wedding day was that "day no man knows" because only his Father would know.

Now, there is no plainly explicit scripture in the Old Testament about the Lord coming as a "thief in the night", although there is plenty in the Hebrew Scriptures about the "day of the Lord".  Information about the Lord returning "as a thief" is contained in the Old Testament in pictures and hints only.  This "as a thief in the night" phrase is a peculiar New Testament phrase, and goes back to the words of Jesus in the Olivet Discourse, and also spoken of in the gospel of John.

Again, the common "at any moment" pretrib teaching is that the Thessalonians must be ignorant regarding the return, because they will be surprised by it, like a thief.  I am not refuting the pretrib rapture.   I refute the supposed ignorance of the Thessalonians and ourselves.  I believe the "coming as a thief" strongly indicates that Jesus is coming as a groom to seize his bride according to the wedding and various Bible passages as we have seen.  I do not believe the "coming as a thief" phrase means we will not know because it will be a surprise.  The manner in which this phrase "as a thief"  is used elsewhere in scripture, strongly implies that we will or can know. As we will see, "we are not in darkness".

I will examine the six scriptural examples that describe the Lord (or day of the Lord) coming "as a thief" in the New Testament.  John 10:10, Matthew 24:43, Luke 12:39, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 3:3, 16:15.  And the return of Jesus is likened to a marriage in two parables in Matt 22, & 25.

The first hint that Jesus gave where he implies that he is going to come as a thief comes from his teachings prior to the Olivet Discourse in Matt 24-25.  The point is that Jesus comes to give life, unlike a regular thief that comes to kill and destroy.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Next, Luke 12 compares the return of Jesus (as a thief) to the wedding.  This section of Luke, which is not a part of the Olivet Discourse, also parallels the end of Matt 24, which is from the Olivet Discourse.

Luke 12:36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?
42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

Matt 24:
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

The parable of the ten virgins in Matt 25:1-13 does not explicitly mention the Lord coming "as a thief in the night", but it does mention the return of the Bridegroom at midnight, Mat 25:6 "And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him."  That the Lord will come to "steal away" his faithful is implied in the disappearance of the 5 wise virgins who were ready went into the marriage (verse 10) , and the 5 foolish who are not let in the door.  The door is also a feature of the rapture verses of Rev 4:1.  Finally, the ten virgins parable ends containing another similar element to the thief parable from Luke 12, also mentioned just a few verses earlier in Matt 24:36 & 44.  This line is repeated three times in the two chapters:   Mat 25:13 "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."

Even this last line, repeated in multiple places, is not a call to ignorance.  Not only is it a reference to the Feast of Trumpets, it is a call to preparation.  The parable of the wicked servant at the end of Matt 24 is the one who will be in ignorance, as the phrase is used of him, "in an hour that he is not aware of", which implies that the faithful good servant, by way of contrast, will know the hour.  Ignorance of the hour appears to be the punishment.  If ignorance is the punishment for the unprofitable servant, then clearly God's servants will not be ignorant.

Matt 24:
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Second, a global event such as the rapture cannot be pinpointed to a specific day or hour, given that the earth contains 24 time zones and two calendar days at once.

Third, the Feast of Trumpets itself is a two day event, the timing of which is uncertain because the new moon comes every 29.5 days.  As I have said, the phrase, "for ye know neither the day nor the hour" is an expression referring to the Feast of Trumpets.  Not only that, it is an expression referring to the time of a marriage.  A groom would say about his upcoming wedding day when he would fetch his bride, "of that day and hour knoweth no man, but my Father only" (much like Matt 24:36--the first use of this phrase which is used three times in close succession in Matt 24-25) because the groom's father would be the one to give the final approval on the preparation of the bridal chamber, or "place prepared" (John 14:1-4) for the new bride.

Again, the context of Jesus coming as a thief is the marriage, and the Feast of Trumpets, as the Feasts of the Lord are the "times and seasons", set times, appointed times.  And the context in 1 Thess 5 was just given, the seizing, the catching up, or harpazo into heaven.

Next, 2 Peter 3 uses the exact same phrase as in 1 Thess 5, "the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night."  The context Peter gives, and the point he makes, is that we are not to be ignorant that the Day of the Lord is 1000 years long.

2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

There is also the destruction by "fervent heat" or fire, which sounds similar to 1 Thess 5:3, the "sudden destruction", which I will explain after I finish talking about Jesus coming as a thief.

Peter writes as if he is referencing Paul's writings, which contain "some things hard to be understood".  This explains the length of this article, and also explains why people who are unlearned, who read the Bible on their own, with no learning or study or knowledge of the Old Testament & Biblically Jewish weddings and figures of speech, and/or who have succumbed to the errors of the wicked, may arrive at opposite conclusions.

2 Peter 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

Revelation 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Knowing the hour is entirely inconsistent with an "at any moment" rapture, the timing of which is supposed to be unknown.

Rev 3:3 tells us three things:  to remember, to repent and to watch.  The purpose of the Feasts of the Lord is for a remembrance.  Specifically, the Feast of Trumpets is a "a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation."  A convocation is a gathering together.

Lev 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

Additionally, the Feast of Trumpets, the only feast on a new moon, means that it is a feast which requires watching for the new sliver of light from the moon to be visable to be able to declare the new moon, and that it is the Feast day.  Hence, as I already said, it is known as "the unknown day or hour", by expression.  Thus, the exhortations that we "will not know the day or hour", and "to watch", is both literally true as it refers to this Feast day, yet it diverts unbelieving people from knowing or watching if they are not observing (or do not know about) the Feasts of the Lord.

The word "watch", from Rev 3:3, and 1 Thess 5:6 also means to stay awake.  This implies sobriety, clear thinking, careful study.  2 Tim 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God..."

1127 gregoreuo {gray-gor-yoo'-o}
                 from 1453; TDNT - 2:338,195; v
                 AV - watch 21, wake 1, be vigilant 1; 23
                 1) to watch
                 2) metaph. give strict attention to, be cautious, active
                 2a) to take heed lest through remission and indolence some
                 destructive calamity suddenly overtake one

1453 egeiro {eg-i'-ro}
                 probably akin to the base of 58 (through the idea of collecting
                 one's faculties); TDNT - 2:333,195; v
                 AV - rise 36, raise 28, arise 27, raise up 23, rise up 8,
                 rise again 5, raise again 4, misc 10; 141
                 1) to arouse, cause to rise
                 1a) to arouse from sleep, to awake
                 1b) to arouse from the sleep of death, to recall the dead to life
                 1c) to cause to rise from a seat or bed etc.
                 1d) to raise up, produce, cause to appear
                 1d1) to cause to appear, bring before the public
                 1d2) to raise up, stir up, against one
                 1d3) to raise up i.e. cause to be born
                 1d4) of buildings, to raise up, construct, erect

And staying awake (think "resurrection") is a theme and practice of the Feast of Trumpets, and is a theme of 1 Thess 4 & 5, as we have already seen, and will continue to see.  As the Feast of Trumpets is sometimes observed on both the 29th and 30th days to be sure not to miss it.  Interestingly, people will observe this feast by not going to sleep on the the night between the two days.

Before I get to Rev 16, regarding the Lord coming as a thief, I will explain further the "sudden destruction" by fire of 2 Peter 3 at the coming of the day of the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5
1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Ezekiel 38:22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

Ezekiel 39:6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 39:9 And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:

The first difference, the Magog war involves armies from out of the north.

Ezekiel 39:2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:

Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

In contrast, none of the enemies survive in the war against Jesus at Armageddon.

Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Ezekiel 38:11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
...
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:

Psalm 122:6  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

In contrast, by the time Armageddon comes, it is not preceeded by a time of peace, but rather, world wars.  During the tribulation, when 1/2 of the people on earth have been killed in the previous seven years, (a 1/4 of people killed (Revelation 6:8) and then a remaining 1/3 (Revelation 9:15)), and all the armies of the earth are gathered together at the greatest war of human history, it will hardly be a time to say "peace and safety." Actually, the nations will be angry and wrathful. Revelation 11:18 "And the nations were angry..."

True, the peace with Israel in the tribulation is a seven year peace covenant or treaty (Dan 9:27), but it will have been broken 3.5 years prior to the battle of Armageddon, ("your covenant with death shall be disannulled" Isaiah 28:15-18) when the Antichrist goes to war against the woman, Israel, who flees for 3.5 years. (Rev 12:6,13,14).  So, I do not see anybody saying "peace and safety" just prior to Armageddon at the end of the seven year tribulation.

Here are two other passages, Zechariah 9 and Joel 2, which mention how the time of the trumpet blast (rapture?) will be a time of war, supernatural war and fire from God.  I will make allowance that these verses about the trumpet are also are fitting of the end of the tribulation at Armageddon, at the sound of the "great trumpet" which will see the gathering of Israel to Jerusalem.  Matt 24:29-31, Isiaah 11:11,12 Isaiah 27:12,13

Zech 9:14 And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the LORD God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
15 The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.
16 And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.

Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

First, since the antichrist comes with lying wonders, and will say he has the power to make fire come down from heaven, he will claim to be the one who destroyed the enemies of Israel.

Revelation 13:13  And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

Third, the antichrist comes into power bringing peace. Daniel 8:25, Dan 9:27, Daniel 11:21,24.  This implies a prior war.

Daniel 11:21  And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

Actually, two different events being described at once is a common technique in Ezekiel.   Chapter 28 describes the fate of Satan, but it is mixed together with prophecies of an earthly prince, of Tyrus.  In the next few chapters, particularly 32, Satan's fall is mixed together with the fate of the kings of Egypt.

Fifth, the pretribulation rapture itself seems as if it will be rather hard to explain if there is to be a world deception for the antichrist.  How can the disappearance of fundamentalist Christians be explained to the world from the Bible, and not confirm the very word we have been preaching, so that the lie will ensnare those who did not love the truth? (2 Thess 2:10-11)  I believe the answer is the Gog war and the destruction by fire.  If the rapture happens right at the time of this supernatural destruction by fire upon the wicked who come against Israel, it will be the perfect explanation.  Those taken in the rapture will simply be classified among the wicked.  This should not be too difficult, as the people of the world and the media are already labeling true Christians as "bigoted, gay-hating, intolerant, anti-abortion, woman-beating, gun-toting, terrorists".  I am not amazed that the United Nations is considering the act of evangelism and "Jesus only" teachings as an intolerable hate-crime against humanity.

Even today, people are preaching that the "rapture of the wicked" must come first, and they support this with Matt 13 & Rev 14.  In Matt 24, the verses about how one is taken and the other left, it is said that the one taken is said to be the wicked one.  Even traditional pretribulation teachers such as John Walvoord, who claim "there is nothing about the rapture in the Olivet Discourse", identify those taken in Matt 24 as the wicked taken to destruction.  I believe his error is one of over-emphasis on OSAS and dispensationalism, and as a poor way to explain Matt 24:29-31.  In one of the variants of the "no rapture" post trib view, the wicked are to be taken right before the end of the tribulation, and they believe people who believe the pretribulation rapture are deceived by the devil.  Thus, after those who teach and believe the pretribulation rapture disappear, those left behind may be likely to believe the lie, and think we who are raptured were among the wicked taken and destroyed by fire, and that the millennium has begun.

1.  Lot escaped Sodom as the fire fell, and this is one of the examples from the Olivet Discourse about the coming of the Lord. Genesis 19:24, Luke 17:29,30
2.  Elijah was caught up to heaven in "a chariot of fire, and horses of fire". 2 Kings 2:11
3.  An angel of the Lord ascended to heaven in the fire.  Judges 13:20
4.  Paul teaches we will be saved by fire.  1 Corinthians 3:15
5.  Sacrifices were consumed supernaturally by the fire of God in many different stories in the Old Testament, 1 Chronicles 21:26, 2 Chronicles 7:1, 1 Kings 18:24,30-39 , while we are told in the New Testament to "present your bodies a living sacrifice".  Romans 12:1

1 Thess 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail  upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

First, unbelieving Magog, the nation of the north will say "Israel dwells in peace and safety", and the sudden destruction of the fire of God will come upon them at the start of the day of the Lord, and they will not escape the wrath of God that will destroy them.

Second, unbelieving Israel will say "we dwell in peace and safety", and the sudden destruction of the swift approaching armies of the North will come upon them, and the sudden destruction of the great tribulation will come upon them, and they will not escape in the pretribulation rapture.

Third, the unbelieving world is now saying "Peace and safety", yet sudden destruction will come upon unbelievers in general, who will not escape the wrath of God through the rapture.

Fourth, unbelieving deceived members of the Church such as who embrace the false doctrine of "once saved always saved" are saying "Peace and safety" as the harlot woman of Babylon says in Revelation 18:7  "...I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow."

This is a strong theme of the Day of the Lord from the Old Testament.

Isaiah 13:
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be
amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

The time of Jacob's trouble is also this time of travail, the Day of the Lord, and also is described with the same language as the great tribulation in Matt 24, and the Day of the Lord in Joel 2, "a time unlike any other."

Jeremiah 30:6 Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.

Isaiah 26:16-21, Isaiah 66:7-9,
Matt 24:8, Revelation 12:2

1 Thessalonians 5
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

As educated Jews who knew the Hebrew Scriptures, they knew that the Day of the Lord, the subject being spoken of, is darkness.

Amos 5:18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.
Amos 5:20 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

Zeph 1:15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Joel 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.

This last phrase in Joel, "there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it" is like the phrase Jesus used to define the great tribulation.  Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

So, 1 Thess 5:4-5, Paul is saying "ye brethren are not in "the darkness of the day of the Lord or the tribulation".  The day of the Lord is the subject of the passage from verse 2-3.

However, the obvious secondary meaning to the passage is that they are not in the darkness of ignorance.  Since they know about the Feast of Trumpets, the day cannot overtake them unexpectedly.

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

1 Peter 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

John 1:5  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Previously, sleep vs. awake meant death vs. life in the preceding chapter.  Those who were asleep were dead in Christ.  Now, sleep implies a spiritual slumber while yet alive, as it is linked with drunkenness.  Elsewhere in scripture, "sleep" describes the spiritual condition of living people who are unsaved.  And being unsaved leads to the same fate, death.  But Paul is not saying "let us not die as do others", he is saying "let us not be in ignorance about spiritual things, as are others".

Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Ephesians 5:14  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

A lack of spiritual understanding, or not having correct understanding, can also lead to death.

Matthew 13:19  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

Mark 4:12  That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Hosea 4:6  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

A certain kind of understanding is crucial for life, belief in Jesus.  Fully agreeing with and knowing everything this article teaches is not.  Some who "sleep", will still live together with him.

9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

And knowledge itself can be unprofitable.

1 Corinthians 13:2  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

As we have seen, the context of 1 Thess 5 is the Day of the Lord, as it comes as a thief at the pretribulation rapture, and is like the darkness.  One of the passages which mentions this darkness, also says the Day of the Lord is "wrath".

Zeph 1:15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

The salvation being spoken of is the salvation by the rapture, which, again, is the subject and context of the passage.

1.  The Thessalonians knew of the resurrection.  Thus, the point of the Chapter is not the resurrection, but the rapture, and how the timing relates to the resurrection. 1 Thess 4:13-15
2.  There is no mention that tribulation must be endured prior to the event as described in Chapter 4.
3.  Those resurrected at the rapture are now still asleep, and will be brought back to heaven with us and Jesus.
4.  We must enter heaven first, in order to return with Jesus out of heaven later at the second coming. 1 Thess 4:16-17
5.  1 Thess 4 parallels John 14, which says Jesus has left to prepare a place for us, and that he will take us to that other place.  In order to go somewhere else, there must be a time interval where we will actually be there in that other place.  A post tribulation yo yo rapture does not fulfill scripture in that way. 1 Thess 4:16-17
6.  Paralambano, a word from John 14 and Matt 24, is similar to harpazo, the rapture, and indicates that we will be seized, taken, to be joined with Christ at the rapture, according to the wedding.  The union of the bride and groom at the wedding, in turn, happens at the start of the bridal week.
7.  The doctrine is a comfort doctrine as shown in 1 Thess 4:18 and 1 Thess 5:11, and the pretribulation rapture is the most fittingly comforting end time doctrine.
8.  The times and seasons are the Feasts.  The Feast of Trumpets explains the "trump of God" and is fitting with the wedding, which shows the pretribulation rapture.
9.  That "the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night", also fits the marriage theme, and rapture/seizing theme.
10.  The "sudden destruction" is fitting with the Magog war of Ezekiel 38 & 39, in which the fire of God consumes Magog, after which Israel burns weapons for seven years, the length of the tribulation.
11.  The time of travail is the time unlike any other, the tribulation, the Day of the Lord, Jacob's trouble, meaning that the Day of the Lord is the start of the tribulation.
12.  The "escape" is a rapture reference.
13.  Not being in the darkness of ignorance, nor in the darkness of the Day of the Lord, proves two things.  First, that the time of the rapture is knowable, second, that it comes prior to the darkness of the tribulation.
14.  We are not appointed to the wrath of the tribulation.

1 Thessalonians 4
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant (1), brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep (3) in Jesus will God bring with him. [back to heaven, John 14:1-4]
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (1) them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven (4,5) with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump (8) of God: [as in Feast of Trumpets] and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up (4,5,6) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air (4,5): and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (5)
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (2,7)

1 Thessalonians 5
1 But of the times and the seasons, ["Feasts" of the Lord, Lev 23](8) brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. [as in the wedding, Luke 12:36-39, Matt 25:1-13, & also as in the Gog & Magog war of Ezekiel 38 & 39] (9)
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction (10) cometh upon them, [as in Ezekiel 38, 39] as travail (11) upon a woman with child [as in the Day of the Lord, Zeph 1:14-17, Dan 12:1,2, Joel 2:1,2, Jer 30:6-7 / tribulation Matt 24:8,21]; and they shall not escape.[in the rapture, Luke 21:36](12)
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness [neither in ignorance, nor in the darkness of the Day of the Lord, Zeph 1:14-17, Amos 5:18-20, Joel 2:2] (13), that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. [let us be awake, as during the Feast of Trumpets]
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath (14), but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. (7)

Leviticus 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

Further, the fulfillment of all the previous feasts was not for Jews, but for all who would believe!  The death of Jesus at Passover, His burial at Unleavened Bread, His resurrection at Firstfruits, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was not for the "Jews only", but for the Church!  If Jesus died for the Jews only, then the Church is not saved!

Furthermore, if the Feast of Trumpets is not prophetic of the rapture of the Church, then how will this feast be fulfilled, for whom, and when, and why?
 
 

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