He then goes on to encourage us to watch ourselves carefully to ensure that we continue to walk in faith in Him alone, in love and in hope as is fitting for a genuine believer and child of God.
He also encourages us to continue to build up and edify each other and lists a number of duties that we should be doing in order to do this!
Note: In the body on this article the verses from 1 Thessalonians 5 are in italics, the explanation of the verse/s follows in straight text with additional scriptures shown in bold italics.
The Day of the Lord: Be ready for His return
1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
In verses 1 - 3 Paul tells the Thessalonians that he has no need to further explain the times and seasons to them as they already know this well from his teachings when he was first with them. The end will come suddenly, and the unsaved will not escape!
In these times we are told that Jesus’ second coming will come suddenly like a thief in the night. Sudden destruction will come upon the unbeliever like labour pains coming upon a pregnant woman!
Matthew 24:4-8 (NKJV)
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Luke 21:28 (AMP)
Now when these things begin to occur, stand tall and lift up your heads [in joy], because [suffering ends as] your redemption is drawing near.”
4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a darkness.
In verse 4 Paul tells us along with the Thessalonians of the time that we, as born again Christians, are not ‘in darkness’ so we, by recognising the signs of the times, will not be surprised at His coming. For us it will be a time to rejoice as our salvation is near! We are specially called out of the ‘darkness’ of the world! Jesus is the one that saves us out of darkness! He is the light of the world, and we are a chosen generation.
1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
John 8:12 (NKJV)
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
In verse 6 Paul uses the word sleep metaphorically and his meaning is that we, as born again Christians, should not be slovenly in our Christian walk and be indifferent to the significance of our salvation in Christ Jesus, we should not be entertaining, associating or partaking in sinful acts.
We need to watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing and the preaching and following of the false doctrines that are being taught and are so rife in today’s modern church!
We are to be holy as God is holy!
1 Peter 1:15-16 (NKJV)
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
We need to be studious and fully committed to working out our salvation with fear and trembling!
Philippians 2:12-13 (NKJV)
12 So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].
We should walk our walk in a manner worthy of our salvation and produce fruit in keeping with our salvation, filled with the Holy Spirit and bringing glory to Jesus!
Matthew 3:8 (AMP)
So produce fruit that is consistent with repentance [demonstrating new behavior that proves a change of heart, and a conscious decision to turn away from sin];
Colossians 1:10 (AMP)
so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord [displaying admirable character, moral courage, and personal integrity], to [fully] please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing in the knowledge of God [with deeper faith, clearer insight and fervent love for His precepts];
7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
In verse 7 Paul tells us that if we sleep, are slovenly in our Christian walk, we are in darkness (sin) and when we get drunk (are blinded by sin and welcoming its pleasures) we are living in darkness. A Christian should not be deliberately walking in sin, we must be filled with and keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit and be obedient to the Word of God so that we can glorify Jesus!
Ephesians 5:18 (AMP)
Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him.
John 7:37-39 (NKJV)
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
In verse 8 Paul instructs us who are expectant of the Lord’s second coming to be sober minded. Here he is not referring to anything to do with alcohol but rather he is telling us to be fully alert and awake to what is happening in the world around us.
His reference to the armour of God tells us to keep our eyes on Jesus and not on the things of the world. We are to have faith in Christ alone and to love each other as Christ loves us! The ‘breastplate of love and faith’ and the ‘helmet of hope of salvation’ in Christ Jesus is to protect our hearts and minds from succumbing to the things of the world and the lies and deceit of the devil and his followers! KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS!
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
In verses 9-11 Paul tells us a few very important facts that we are saved from because Jesus died for us and because we have repented from our former ‘selves’ (our lives in sin) and have received Him as our Lord and Saviour.
- He saves us from God’s wrath and thus, whether we have died or are still alive when He returns, we spend eternity in heaven with Him, whereas those that face His wrath will spend eternity in Hell.
- We will live with Him for eternity.
Various Exhortations
12 And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.
In verses 12 and 13 Paul speaks about recognising those who labour among us as leaders, those that are ‘over us in the Lord’. Here he is telling us that we, in our local congregations, need to ‘esteem them (our leaders) very highly in love as they provide works of Godly service to us. They preach, teach, lead, pastor, admonish and keep watch over us in accordance with God’s Word.
In verse 13 the Greek word for ‘esteem’ is, hégeomai (pronounced hayg-eh'-om-ahee) and its full meaning is to think highly of (someone). In other words, Paul is telling us that we should consider highly those in authority over us in the Church because of their Godly position of authority.
This consideration of our leadership should be done in love. And the Greek word for love in this verse is agapé, the unconditional love of God! And in the final sentence of verse 13 we are told that when we do this we will ‘be at peace among ourselves.’
It is our duty us children of God to be in submission to our church leaders - the leaders of our local congregations!
14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
In verse 14 Paul tells us how we should deal with four different groups of people that we will have in the Church, the unruly (those whose behaviour and attitudes are out of line with the Word of God), the fainthearted (those who are timid and lack spiritual courage), the weak (those who are spiritually weak and lacking in faith in certain areas) and lastly ‘all’, everybody in the congregation.
i. The unruly are those who are out of order. This is the self-willed person who simply demands to hold his own opinion or preference and causes division and disunity in the congregation. These people are not in submission to the church leaders. These people must be warned and corrected.
ii. The fainthearted are those who are timid by nature and lack spiritual courage. These need comfort — in the sense of an assisting strength to be brought to them by their brothers and sisters in Christ – a mentoring.
iii. The weak in faith must be upheld and assisted by spiritually stronger members of the congregation with the view to helping them to build up their own strength instead of allowing them to perpetuate their weakness. This is also a mentoring of new Christians by older more mature Christians.
iv. All, no matter how spiritually weak or strong, must be treated with the agapé love of God, and we must all treat each other the same.
15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.
The Christian should never seek revenge or vengeance, but let God take up our side. Instead, we must always pursue what is good both for ourselves and for others. When we have a forgiving heart towards others, not only is it good for them, but it is also good for us too.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Verse 16:
A Christian should rejoice in all circumstances, good or bad, sorrowful or joyful. Our joy is found in Christ Jesus alone and the eternal salvation we have in Him! Our joy is not found in material things but in the spiritual things that God freely gives us by His Holy Spirit when we are in Christ Jesus!
Verse 17:
Prayer is communication with God, and we can live each minute of the day in a constant, flowing, conversation with God about all our circumstances and concerns. This is true fellowship. We can pray continually and receive God’s counsel in all things by the power of the Holy Spirit and to the glory of Jesus!
Verse 18
We should give thanks to and be grateful to God in everything for everything we have comes from Him.
We, as His Church and as individual born again Christians, should recognize God’s sovereign hand is in charge in everything, and not blind fate or chance.
Charles Spurgeon once said: “When joy and prayer are married their first born child is gratitude.”
All good things come from our Heavenly Father. We should thank Him with grateful hearts for all that He does for us.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
In verses 19-22 Paul gives us four very definite commands, two ‘do nots, a ‘test all things’ and an ‘abstain from’. I believe there is a very good reason tor Paul bringing up these four topics and it is probably because the Thessalonians were doing such things. I have also seen these things evidenced in today’s Church!
The first ‘do not’ is, “Do not quench the Spirit.”
Here the word quench is translated from the Greek word ‘sbennumi’ (pronounced sben’-noo-mee) and its expanded usage and meaning is: to quench or to extinguish as in putting out a flame, and to supress or thwart as in being a stumbling block to something good happening.
Here Paul is referring to the Holy Spirit as a flame that works good things within us. We must not do anything that will prevent the Holy Spirit working in our lives and in the lives of others. Things such as sinful acts and disobedience to the teachings of the Bible and unbelief. All such things will quench or put out the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives and thus prevent our spiritual growth and walk to maturity in Christ Jesus.
The second ‘do not’ is, “Do not despise prophecies.”
Here the word despise is translated from the Greek word ‘exoutheneó’ (pronounced ex-oo-then-eh'-o) and its expanded usage and meaning is: to despise, treat with contempt, to ignore, to count as nothing and to despise.
Here the prophecy Paul is speaking about is not the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets but rather the gift of prophecy that is given to the Church by the Holy Spirit. It is one of the spiritual gifts that Paul tells us about in 1 Corinthians 12 and in 1 Corinthians 14 where he tells us to especially desire the gift of prophecy in our pursuit of God’s love.
We must not despise prophecies!
After the two ‘do not’ instructions Paul commands us in verse 21 to ‘test all things’ and hold on to what is good.
The Greek word for ‘test’ in this verse is ‘dokimazo’ (pronounced dok-im-ad'-zo) and its full meaning is: to test something in order to approve it; I put to the test, prove and examine; I distinguish by testing and then approve after testing. Our measure for testing of course is the Bible!
Once you have approved something by testing it you know that it is good and fitting. Once you have tested something and have proved that it is not contrary to the Word you know that it is from the Holy Spirit. A true prophecy will never contradict the Word of God in any way and it will always come true!
Paul’s fourth command is ‘abstain from’ in verse 22 doesn’t really need any further explanation from me as the meaning is quite clear,
DO NOT DO OR TAKE PART IN ANYTHING THAT IS EVIL!
Do not do anything that is contrary to the teachings of the Bible!
Blessing and Admonition
In closing this chapter Paul in verses 23 – 27 pronounces a blessing on the Thessalonians and then asks them to pray for him and his missionary colleagues. He asks them to greet all the Church with a holy kiss from him and then instructs them to read his letter to the entire Church.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In verse 23 Paul pronounces a benediction over the Thessalonians, a divine blessing over them! In this blessing he particularly asks God Himself to completely sanctify them and to bless them as the trinitarian man that He created, the spirit, soul and body, so that they will be kept wholly blameless at the Lord’s second coming.
This is the kind of blessing that we as His children should be praying over each other as often as we can until the Lord’s return!
24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
In verse 24 Paul reminds us of God’s faithfulness and that He will do what He says He will do!
25 Brethren, pray for us.
In verse 25 Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray for him and his colleagues in the missionary field.
We should all be praying for our leaders! They are only human too and they suffer the trials of life just as we all do, but their spiritual attacks can be more severe than ours as God has given them charge over us and they become prime targets for the darts of the enemy! If Satan can take down the leadership of a congregation, then it is easy for him to collapse the congregation of the local Church/es!
Hebrews 13:17 (AMP)
Obey your [spiritual] leaders and submit to them [recognizing their authority over you], for they are keeping watch over your souls and continually guarding your spiritual welfare as those who will give an account [of their stewardship of you]. Let them do this with joy and not with grief and groans, for this would be of no benefit to you.
14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
In verse 14 Paul tells us how we should deal with four different groups of people that we will have in the Church, the unruly (those whose behaviour and attitudes are out of line with the Word of God), the fainthearted (those who are timid and lack spiritual courage), the weak (those who are spiritually weak and lacking in faith in certain areas) and lastly ‘all’, everybody in the congregation.
i. The unruly are those who are out of order. This is the self-willed person who simply demands to hold his own opinion or preference and causes division and disunity in the congregation. These people are not in submission to the church leaders. These people must be warned and corrected.
ii. The fainthearted are those who are timid by nature and lack spiritual courage. These need comfort — in the sense of an assisting strength to be brought to them by their brothers and sisters in Christ – a mentoring.
iii. The weak in faith must be upheld and assisted by spiritually stronger members of the congregation with the view to helping them to build up their own strength instead of allowing them to perpetuate their weakness. This is also a mentoring of new Christians by older more mature Christians.
iv. All, no matter how spiritually weak or strong, must be treated with the agapé love of God, and we must all treat each other the same.
15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.
The Christian should never seek revenge or vengeance, but let God take up our side. Instead, we must always pursue what is good both for ourselves and for others. When we have a forgiving heart towards others, not only is it good for them, but it is also good for us too.
Romans 12:19 (NKJV)
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Philippians 2:3-4 (NKJV)
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Verse 16:
A Christian should rejoice in all circumstances, good or bad, sorrowful or joyful. Our joy is found in Christ Jesus alone and the eternal salvation we have in Him! Our joy is not found in material things but in the spiritual things that God freely gives us by His Holy Spirit when we are in Christ Jesus!
Nehemiah 8:10b (NKJV)
Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Verse 17:
Prayer is communication with God, and we can live each minute of the day in a constant, flowing, conversation with God about all our circumstances and concerns. This is true fellowship. We can pray continually and receive God’s counsel in all things by the power of the Holy Spirit and to the glory of Jesus!
Psalm 16:7 (AMP)
I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;
Indeed, my heart (mind) instructs me in the night.
John 14:16 (AMP)
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever—
We should give thanks to and be grateful to God in everything for everything we have comes from Him.
We, as His Church and as individual born again Christians, should recognize God’s sovereign hand is in charge in everything, and not blind fate or chance.
Charles Spurgeon once said: “When joy and prayer are married their first born child is gratitude.”
All good things come from our Heavenly Father. We should thank Him with grateful hearts for all that He does for us.
James 1:16-18 (NKJV)
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
In verses 19-22 Paul gives us four very definite commands, two ‘do nots, a ‘test all things’ and an ‘abstain from’. I believe there is a very good reason tor Paul bringing up these four topics and it is probably because the Thessalonians were doing such things. I have also seen these things evidenced in today’s Church!
The first ‘do not’ is, “Do not quench the Spirit.”
Here the word quench is translated from the Greek word ‘sbennumi’ (pronounced sben’-noo-mee) and its expanded usage and meaning is: to quench or to extinguish as in putting out a flame, and to supress or thwart as in being a stumbling block to something good happening.
Here Paul is referring to the Holy Spirit as a flame that works good things within us. We must not do anything that will prevent the Holy Spirit working in our lives and in the lives of others. Things such as sinful acts and disobedience to the teachings of the Bible and unbelief. All such things will quench or put out the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives and thus prevent our spiritual growth and walk to maturity in Christ Jesus.
The second ‘do not’ is, “Do not despise prophecies.”
Here the word despise is translated from the Greek word ‘exoutheneó’ (pronounced ex-oo-then-eh'-o) and its expanded usage and meaning is: to despise, treat with contempt, to ignore, to count as nothing and to despise.
Here the prophecy Paul is speaking about is not the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets but rather the gift of prophecy that is given to the Church by the Holy Spirit. It is one of the spiritual gifts that Paul tells us about in 1 Corinthians 12 and in 1 Corinthians 14 where he tells us to especially desire the gift of prophecy in our pursuit of God’s love.
1 Corinthians 14:1 (NKJV)
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
We must not despise prophecies!
After the two ‘do not’ instructions Paul commands us in verse 21 to ‘test all things’ and hold on to what is good.
The Greek word for ‘test’ in this verse is ‘dokimazo’ (pronounced dok-im-ad'-zo) and its full meaning is: to test something in order to approve it; I put to the test, prove and examine; I distinguish by testing and then approve after testing. Our measure for testing of course is the Bible!
Once you have approved something by testing it you know that it is good and fitting. Once you have tested something and have proved that it is not contrary to the Word you know that it is from the Holy Spirit. A true prophecy will never contradict the Word of God in any way and it will always come true!
Paul’s fourth command is ‘abstain from’ in verse 22 doesn’t really need any further explanation from me as the meaning is quite clear,
DO NOT DO OR TAKE PART IN ANYTHING THAT IS EVIL!
Do not do anything that is contrary to the teachings of the Bible!
Blessing and Admonition
In closing this chapter Paul in verses 23 – 27 pronounces a blessing on the Thessalonians and then asks them to pray for him and his missionary colleagues. He asks them to greet all the Church with a holy kiss from him and then instructs them to read his letter to the entire Church.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In verse 23 Paul pronounces a benediction over the Thessalonians, a divine blessing over them! In this blessing he particularly asks God Himself to completely sanctify them and to bless them as the trinitarian man that He created, the spirit, soul and body, so that they will be kept wholly blameless at the Lord’s second coming.
This is the kind of blessing that we as His children should be praying over each other as often as we can until the Lord’s return!
24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
In verse 24 Paul reminds us of God’s faithfulness and that He will do what He says He will do!
Hebrews 10:23 ESV
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
25 Brethren, pray for us.
In verse 25 Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray for him and his colleagues in the missionary field.
We should all be praying for our leaders! They are only human too and they suffer the trials of life just as we all do, but their spiritual attacks can be more severe than ours as God has given them charge over us and they become prime targets for the darts of the enemy! If Satan can take down the leadership of a congregation, then it is easy for him to collapse the congregation of the local Church/es!
The congregation leadership carry a great responsibility and are held to a greater accounting by God than we are as ordinary congregation members.
James 3:1 (AMP)
Not many [of you] should become teachers [serving in an official teaching capacity], my brothers and sisters, for you know that we [who are teachers] will [a]be judged by a higher standard [because we have assumed greater accountability and more condemnation if we teach incorrectly].
26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.
In verse 26 Paul instructs the leaders of the Thessalonian Church to greet the brethren with a holy kiss.
Now this may seem quite strange to us in this day and age and in our different cultures but to Paul and the Church of the day which was aware of Jewish custom and culture, a kiss from male to male and woman to woman was viewed as a sign of brotherly and sisterly love and trust.
According to the Jewish custom of the time, such a kiss is more than just a greeting; it represented brotherly love and loyalty. In the book of Exodus, God instructs Aaron to work with Moses to free the Israelites. Aaron greets Moses with a kiss. The kiss signifies their loyalty to each other and God, and their faith in God.
And in Genesis Joseph, when he was Prime Minister of Egypt when he finally revealed his identity to his brothers, greeted them with a kiss, a deep sign of loving forgiveness!
So, a greeting with a ‘holy kiss’ signified Paul’s Godly devotion to and deep affection for the Thessalonian Church!
My dear Readers we should show such deep love and affection for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ! Not necessarily by physically kissing but certainly by the way we treat each other in the agapé love of God!
27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.
In verse 27 Paul instructs the Thessalonian leadership to read his letter to the entire Church, such is his desire for them to know of his deep love and affection for them all in Christ Jesus.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
And finally, Paul ends this chapter with a benediction that we all need – “the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.”
Life application for today’s believers
1. Be ready NOW for the Lord’s return. Keep your lamp full and burning brightly!
2. Be aware of the signs of the times – know what they are.
3. Be awake and stay away from sin.
4. Keep yourself clothed in the full armour of God.
5. Always comfort, encourage and edify each other.
6. Be at peace with one another and hold your leaders in high esteem.
7. Be patient with everybody.
8. Always pursue what is good for others and yourself.
9. In the Lord always rejoice, pray and give thanks for everything.
10. Do not stifle the move of the Holy Spirit and do not despise prophecy but test all things against the Word of God.
11. Always be a blessing to each other and correct those who are found to be in error.
12. Always pray for each other and especially pray for your leaders.
Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven
In the name of Jesus I pray that in the power of the Holy Spirit that you would help me to be ready for the coming of Jesus. I pray that you would help me to keep my Christian walk blameless and to have an ever repentant heart. Help me Lord to be a blessing to my brothers and sisters in Christ and to put the needs of others before my own. Amen
To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!
Jesus the Name above all names!
Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!
A good commentary, Ray and plenty of food for thought. That you for you labours in the Word, may the Lord multiple His blessings to you.
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