Date Setting Pointless - Be Ready
After introducing the concept of the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul continues here warning that there was no way to tell when Christ would return (1 Thessalonians 5:1-10). He knew that the church at Thessalonica could see what was happening to Christians around their world just as easily as he could. Prison was a frequent reality. It would get much worse during the rule of later emperors. The Coliseum of Rome wouldn't be a fate for Christians until the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Since Paul died around 62-67 AD, he missed that. But around the time of Paul's death 64 AD, Christians were being lit on fire as torches at night by Nero. So truly, Paul didn't have to tell them how bad things were.
A good part of the last of this letter is spent warning them that Christ would return unexpectedly, just like a thief in the night. Paul indicates that people will be feeling a sense of peace and safety, but when Christ returns, there isn't going to be any second chance for an early exit. If you aren't written in the Lamb's book of Life when God tells Jesus to return, you miss the rapture and have to ride out the tribulation period. It isn't impossible to be saved during that period. After all, God is sending angels to preach the gospel message in every tongue to every nation and warning them not to take the mark of the beast. But it will be much harder to make and maintain a life for Christ after the support mechanism is gone and Satan is trying to destroy all Christians and all who don't worship him.
Paul tells his readers to live sober lives and to always be ready for Christ to return. As in Galatians, he tells us to put on a breastplate of faith and love, and to accept Christ's helmet of salvation so that we will be ready at all times for Christ's return. Clearly, many generations have passed since that time, and Christ still hasn't been told to return. But also remember that death awaits all of us at some point in time. They say one of the most common first signs of a heart attack is death. That's said somewhat in fun, but is true, nonetheless. If you aren't living your life to be ready when He comes, then you aren't living your life as if it might end this second either.
Lift Each Other Up
In 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15, Paul continues this message. God wants everyone to choose to reconcile themselves with Him through the blood of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit works on every heart for as long as possible until that heart completely shuts out the Holy Spirit. But the reality is many choose that last option, and are lost. Paul tells the readers to teach and comfort each other in the truth of the gospel message so that none of us will be lost
Paul also directs the readers to know the people who are working for God and spreading the gospel message. Esteem them for the work they are doing. Be at peace with one another and if people are stirring up trouble, warn them not to cause strife. He wants every church to give comfort and instruction to those who aren't clear on what the Bible says, and to be patient with all people. Whether they ask a question once or ask it ten times an hour, keep your patience. If you aren't getting through with the answer, then find another person who may have a different approach to giving the truth of the Bible. It really isn't hard to understand, even though there are many things in this world that it simply doesn't deal with as a topic.
Follow what is good with each other. But just as importantly, follow what is good with everyone. God isn't a respecter of persons, and we shouldn't be either. I've tied this book to the Sermon on the Mount frequently, but we really need to use it as a guide every time the Bible talks about including all men in an action along with people like us.
How to Live (Refresher)
1 Thessalonians 5:16-28 closes out this letter from Paul to the church at Thessalonica. I'm not going to just relist the single verse commands here, as they are pretty basic. But they do have some extended meanings to think about.
Verses 19 to 21 all go together and would be really useful for us today. Don't quench the Holy Spirit's work. There are denominations today who believe the gifts of the Spirit were just for the early church and don't apply to us today. That sounds like it's directly against Paul's teaching. Even in some denominations where the Holy Spirit is welcome, the reality of today's sue happy environment means that in some churches if you are felt led to prophesy or give a message in tongues or an interpretation, you need to clear it with the pastor first and wait for a good time in the service to give it. So order is maintained, but I grew up in a time when there wasn't such structure, and I don't really think it was all that bad. Of course, going forward and getting a microphone means that everyone is able to hear, so there is good along with the bad. But the "Quench not the Spirit" has always resonated with me as a real warning that we don't heed enough today.
Don't despise prophesying. This should be pretty basic. But how many times do we judge the worth of what the Holy Spirit puts on some speaker by who that speaker is. Do some speakers speak for longer and thus are thought more important than someone who just says a couple of lines, or who perhaps struggles to get those few words out? If God lays something on a heart and that person gives a prophesy, we should pay attention. Perhaps it wasn't for us, but if God decided to show up, we should still pay better attention than we do.
Finally, Paul warns here to prove everything and hold on to good teaching. Don't just blindly accept what you hear or what you read or what you see. Everything should line up with what the Bible has to say. Entire denominations have been led astray by listening to what people want or what people say, and ignoring what the Bible's declaration of God's position is.
We should abstain from even the appearance of evil. That's always going to be a hard thing to do if we are just trying to figure out what it is on our own. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide, and it will become much clearer.
In closing, Paul hopes that every Christian who reads the letter and everyone who the letter is shared with will be sanctified and live a blameless life before God. He asks for prayer, just as every person who works for the cause of Christ asks. He encourages people to be friendly, and to spread his words far and wide. That message still rings true today. We need to spread Christianity to one and all, to the best of our ability.