It seems that there has never been a time when acts of divine judgement have not been attended by undue speculation. From almost the inception of the new covenant, people have speculated about the return of Christ. Every generation has had Christians who have insisted that theirs is the last generation. This has given rise in every generation to the distraction of date-setting. The formulators of the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith recognised this and directly addressed it in the last clause of that confession:
As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there will be a day of judgement, both to deter all men from sin and to give greater consolation to the godly in their adversity, so also he will have the date of that day kept unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and always be watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come. Also, so that men may be affected in such a way that they ever say, “Come Lord Jesus, come quickly!” Amen.
It seems that the Thessalonians had the same problem in the first century. In 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11, Paul writes to exhort the Thessalonian Christians to avoid the distraction of date-setting and to instead focus on living as God has called them to live in the present. It is debatable whether “the day of the Lord” described here is the second advent of Christ. It may be more likely that Paul was referring to a day of the Lord that was more imminent to them. Regardless, the temptation to distracted date-setting clearly plagued the church as it does so many Christians today. Paul therefore writes to correct their distraction and to focus their attention in light of the coming judgement. Whether or not “the day of the Lord” of which he wrote was the second advent, the principles he offers certainly apply as much in our day of distracted date-setting as they did in the first century context. Consider some of those principles.
First, Paul warned his readers against placing undue energy on trying to read times and seasons so as to determine the precise moment of divine judgement (vv. 1–2). As no one knows precisely when a thief will come in the night, so God had not revealed the specific day of his judgement. Whatever “day of the Lord” he was referencing, they needed to understand that they should not invest unnecessary energy into figuring out things that God had not revealed.
A great many Christians need to learn this lesson today. There are far too many believers who invest their energy into reading daily news back into the Bible, when their energies can far better be spent elsewhere.
Second, Paul cautioned that unbelievers have no concept of the terror of Christ’s judgement (v. 3). If the Thessalonians were trying to convince unbelievers around them of the reality of supernatural judgement, they were likely wasting their energy. Unbelievers in Thessalonica treated these warning with the same ridicule unbelievers always do: “There is peace and security.” While they certainly wanted to warn unbelievers, far better to warn them to prepare for death, which they knew is coming, than to persuade them of a supernatural judgement, which they scorned as ridiculous.
Third, Paul reminded the Thessalonians that, as believers in Christ, they knew the reality of judgement (vv. 4–5). Unbelievers may laugh at the thought of Christ’s future judgement but believers affirm this as essential truth. Unlike non-Christians, who scoff at God’s revealed word, Christians believe what Christ taught. While we want to avoid the distraction of date-setting, we do want to be motivated as Christians to walk in obedience because we believe that a day of judgement is coming.
But how should a proper understanding of these principles transform the way we live in the present? Rather than being given to the distraction of date-setting, how should the reality of Christ’s judgement impact life here and now? According to vv. 6–11, we should stay alert, disciplined, and committed to encouraging and building one another up. The distraction of date-setting too frequently consumes our time so that we neglect to encourage and edify one another in the present. Meaningful involvement in building the body is far more significant than unravelling details about the future that God has not revealed.
As you meditate on 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 this morning, ask God to help you to be more committed to building up the body than figuring out the eschatological calendar. Stay alert. Remain disciplined. “Encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”