1 Thessalonians 5:1

But at the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you, for you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, "Peace and safety," then sudden destruction comes upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.

But you, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. You are the children of light and the children of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

Father, would you equip us and enable us to walk with that kind of sobriety, with that kind of circumspection, that our eyes would be wide open? Help us to understand that the days are evil, that we would be filled with the Spirit, and that we would be ready, watching, and waiting for your soon return, so that we would not be taken unaware. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying amen. You can be seated.

I mentioned two weeks ago, as we were finishing the fourth chapter, that the view I hold on this passage before us in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 is maybe different than what you would hear on the radio or what you've heard in other evangelical churches. I make no apology for that, but I do want to preface this by saying that it is extremely important, as we have always taught here at Calvary Chapel, to study things in context and to consider what the passage says.

The reason I say that is because you have probably heard, read, or been taught that the rapture of the church is going to come as a thief in the night. How many have heard that teaching? That teaching comes from the passage before us here in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, but that's not what this passage says. Paul said, "But of the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you."

Jesus said in Acts chapter 1, verse 7, just before he ascended into heaven, his disciples asked him, "Will you now at this point restore the kingdom to Jerusalem, to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father has put under his power, under his authority or jurisdiction."

But Jesus also said in Matthew chapters 24 and 25, three times, "Of that day and hour no man knows except for my Father which is in heaven." I believe that the reason Jesus said that, or Paul here says, "I don't need to write to you concerning the times or the seasons," is due to a few different reasons.

First, if you're taking note, the people at Thessalonica and the church in the first century believed that they were already living in the times and the seasons of Jesus' soon return. They expected that Jesus would return at any time. We saw that in our study of 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, where Paul said, "We who are alive and remain." He trusted that he was living during that time and that season.

Secondly, the Old Testament prophets and the teaching of Jesus reveal very quickly that there are certain indications about those times. There are prophecies that are fulfilled regarding the end times. In fact, did you know that there is more said about the second coming of Jesus than there is about his first coming? Jesus said in Luke chapter 12 to his disciples and to the people gathered there in verse 54, "When you see a cloud arise in the west, straightway you say that there comes a shower, and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say there will be heat, and it comes to pass. Ye hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky and the earth, but how is it that you do not discern the times?" He said you should be able to discern the times.

That's why I believe Paul said, "Of the times and the seasons you have no need that I write unto you." But he goes on to say, "For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night." The common teaching you will hear is that the rapture of the church is going to come like a thief in the night. But that's not what Paul said. Words are extremely important in Scripture. God has exalted his word above his name. Paul said here, "The day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night."

So, we have to consider what the day of the Lord is. Is the day of the Lord the same thing as the rapture? To that, I would say,

The day of the Lord is a phrase that is seen in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, but more frequently in the Old Testament. It is used 29 times in the Bible, and every single occurrence of the day of the Lord is associated with negative events.

Let me give you an idea of what I mean. Isaiah chapter 2, verse 12, is the first time that the day of the Lord is mentioned. It states, "For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon everyone that is proud and lofty, and upon everyone that is lifted up, and they shall be brought low." Again, in Isaiah 13, verse 6, it says, "Cry, for the day of the Lord is at hand, and it shall come as destruction from the Almighty." In verse 9 of Isaiah chapter 13, it continues, "Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate, and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it."

In Isaiah 34, verse 8, it states, "For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompense of the controversy of Zion." Jeremiah 46, verse 10, adds, "For this is the day of the Lord of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries, and the sword shall devour."

The day of the Lord is always seen as a day of judgment, vengeance, and punishment. It is depicted as a day of terror, darkness, dimness, and shame. It is a day coming upon the proud, the lofty, the sinners of this world, the heathen, and the enemies and adversaries of God.

When we consider what the Bible has to say about the day of the Lord, it is very clear that it is not the same thing as the rapture of the church. The rapture of the church is a comforting concept, as the Lord is going to return for His church, just as Jesus said to comfort His disciples in John chapter 14. He said, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. Were it not so, I would not have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will return and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

That is a joyful thought, something that encourages the troubled heart. However, the idea of wrath, vengeance, shame, and destruction is not comforting. In fact, it is a fearful concept. Amos says in Amos chapter 5, verse 18, "Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord." It is a day of darkness, great darkness, a day of inescapable judgment.

And so Paul says, "You know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night." This means it's going to come suddenly and silently. But who is it going to come upon? Notice what he says in verse 3: "For when they shall say, 'Peace and safety,' then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape."

You yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. It will come upon them—upon those who are saying, "Everything's okay, peace and safety." They have a false sense of security. They seem to be living at ease, walking in foolishness, as the scripture reveals. The day of the Lord will come upon them, the day of judgment, the day of God's wrath, swiftly and silently. We are told that you yourselves know perfectly that this day is going to come like that.

Now, I mentioned that Jesus said in Matthew chapters 24 and 25, three times, "Of that day and hour, no man knows except for the Father which is in heaven." The context of that is the day of judgment. So, the day of judgment is a day that no man knows, neither the day nor the hour.

We all understand that different cultures and different groups of people have certain sayings or idioms that they alone understand. For example, here in America, we say, "Oh, that person's a happy camper." If you go to Germany and say, "That person's a happy camper," they'll look at you and say, "Was? What?" It makes no sense to them.

How many Gentiles do we have here this morning? I'm one. Okay, most of us. There we go—lots of Gentiles. That means we're non-Jews. We understand little about Jewish history or culture. If you've studied the scriptures for very long, you've gotten to know Jewish history and culture, but there are certain things that we don't understand or know. It is very interesting to consider that the day or hour that no man knows.

The Feast of Trumpets is a Jewish idiom or reference. You may wonder what exactly that is all about. In Leviticus chapter 23, God tells us about the feasts that He instituted for His people, the feasts of the Lord. There are seven of them: four are celebrated in the springtime, and three are celebrated in the fall. These feasts were gatherings of remembrance. The Jews viewed them as gatherings to remember the things that God had already done, but God saw them as gatherings to remember the things He was going to do. Paul the Apostle tells us in the New Testament that all of these things have their fulfillment in Christ.

What do I mean? The very first feast will be celebrated in about a week and a half. It is called the Feast of Passover. Most of you probably know about Passover, but then there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits, and the Feast of Pentecost. All of these take place in the spring. Then there are the Fall Feasts: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot).

The amazing thing is that God instituted these feasts as signs for His people, signs of the times. As I mentioned, they recognized them as reminders of what had already happened, but God was indicating that these were for future events. Jesus was crucified and died on the Feast of Passover. He was in the tomb on the Feast of Unleavened Bread and was raised from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits. Paul even states that He is the Firstfruits of the Resurrection. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the Feast of Pentecost.

Isn't it interesting that these significant events regarding Jesus are fulfilled to the day in the spring feasts? Jesus died on Passover, was in the tomb on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, was raised from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits, and the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Feast of Pentecost. That should tell us something. It should cause us to perk up a little and think, "Wow, that's interesting."

The fall feasts are rather interesting too. Did you know that for many centuries within the church, many in the body of Christ believed that the Day of the Lord, the day when Jesus returns, was foretold when His disciples were told in Acts chapter 1? They were standing, gazing into heaven and watching Him ascend when two angels appeared and said, "Why are you standing here gazing up into heaven?"

Do you not know that this same Jesus will return in like manner? Zechariah the prophet tells us that when He comes, He is going to sit down on the Mount of Olives, and then He will begin that time of judgment. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, the day of the Lord, and the valley of decision.

It has been believed by many within the body of Christ that the second coming, which is different from the rapture, will take place on the Feast of Trumpets. You may wonder why that is. The Feast of Trumpets is the only one of the seven feasts that falls on the first day of the month. The Jewish calendar is calculated on a lunar calendar, while we follow a solar calendar, which consists of 365 and a quarter days in a year. That is why every four years we have a 29th day of February. The lunar calendar, on the other hand, consists of 30-day months and 360 days in a year, calculated by the new moon. The month starts with the new moon, so the first day of the month is the new moon.

Two thousand years ago and before, they did not have the advanced computer systems we have today to tell us exactly when that day begins. In ancient times, there were watchmen, priests in Jerusalem, who were watching for the new moon. When the new moon would appear, they would announce it throughout the land by lighting torches on the hilltops. This method allowed them to communicate quickly, much like an ancient text message. They would light the fires, and everyone would know that the Feast of Trumpets had begun.

Because it was on the first day of the month, they observed the Feast of Trumpets over a two-day period. They did not know exactly when that day would come until the new moon appeared, and then they would announce to the land that the Feast of Trumpets had begun. The Feast of Trumpets was called the Hidden Feast, or the feast that no man knows the day or the hour. Could it be that Jesus is saying He will come to bring this judgment on the Feast of Trumpets? Many believe that. In fact, Sir Isaac Newton...

Who was not only the father of physics but also a great theologian? He spent the last twelve years of his life studying the Book of Daniel. He believed that Jesus' second coming would be on the Feast of Trumpets.

Here, Paul is talking about the day of the Lord. He says, "You have no need that I write unto you concerning the times or seasons." Why? "You yourselves know perfectly that that day is going to come as a thief in the night upon those that say peace and safety, and sudden destruction will come upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape."

But you, brethren—now, who is he speaking to? The church. You and I. But you, brethren, verse 4, are not of darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. What this says is that the day of the Lord should not overtake you and me as by a thief.

Now, one other thing I want to hit on before we continue. When he says that the day of the Lord is going to come as a thief in the night, that's another Jewish idiom. That's another phrase that the Jews would understand. The thief in the night is also called the captain of the temple. If you want to read more about this, I'd encourage you to look at Alfred Edersheim's book. It's available for free on the internet. If you want to write this down, philologos.org. You can look at Alfred Edersheim's book about the temple and its practices.

In chapter 7, Alfred Edersheim, who was a Christian scholar of Jewish history in the 19th century, writes this: during the night, the captain of the temple, who is also called the thief in the night, would make his rounds. On his approach, the guards of the temple—there were over 240 of them—had to rise and salute him in a particular manner. They would say, "Peace be with you." If any guard was found asleep when he was on duty, he was beaten, and his garments were set on fire.

Alfred Edersheim tells us this was a punishment that we know actually was awarded; it actually happened to some. Hence, the admonition to us, who, as it were, are here on the temple guard.

Blessed is he that watches and keeps his garments. What is Edersheim talking about? In Revelation chapter 3, Jesus speaks about this same thing. Turn in your Bibles to Revelation 3. In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, Jesus is sending or issuing seven letters to seven churches.

In Revelation 3, verse 1, He writes to the church of Sardis. It says, "And unto the angel of the church of Sardis write, These things, says He that has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works, that you have a name that you live, but you are dead. Therefore, be watchful," (verse 2) "and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die. For I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember, therefore, how that you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. If, therefore, you shall not watch, I will come to you as a thief, and you shall not know what hour I will come upon you."

Several verses later, Jesus is speaking to the church of Laodicea, which we know was the lukewarm church. Notice what He says to the church at Laodicea after He talks about their lukewarmness. In verse 18 of Revelation 3, He says, "I counsel you to buy from Me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich, and white clothing, that you may be clothed."

Who wore white clothing or white linen? The priests. So, He says to these naked and ashamed priests, "I counsel you to buy clothing, white clothing, that the shame of your nakedness does not appear, and that you anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see."

Jesus, speaking to the sleeping or dead church at Sardis and the lukewarm church in Laodicea, warns, "Listen, if you're not careful, I'm going to come to you like a thief, and you won't know what hour I come to you. So you better watch. You better repent. You better be ready, that the shame of your nakedness not be exposed."

Now look at Revelation chapter 16, verse 15.

Jesus says here, "Behold, I come to you as a thief. Blessed is he, or oh, how happy is he, that watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and you see his shame." Jesus is making reference to the thief in the night, or the captain of the temple, the one who would go about to make sure that the priests in the temple were watching and doing their job. If they were found not to be doing so, they were beaten, and their clothes were set on fire. What would you do if your clothes were set on fire? You would cast off the burning clothes, and they would be left naked and ashamed. Jesus says we ought not to be left naked and ashamed.

Speaking under the same context in Matthew 24, verse 42, Jesus said, "Watch therefore, for you know not what hour the Lord does come." But know this: if the good man 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. The idea is that we are to be watching and ready at all times. Therefore, "be ye also ready," verse 44, "for in such an hour as you think not, the Son of Man comes."

Again, in Luke chapter 12, Jesus says very much the same things. In verse 37, he states, "Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he comes, shall find them watching." Down in verse 39 of that same chapter, he says, "And this know, that if the good man 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." "Be ye therefore ready also, for the Son of Man comes in an hour when you think not."

The day of the Lord is not a good day; it is a day of wrath, a day of vengeance, a day of judgment, darkness, and dimness. Woe to those, Amos says, "woe to those who desire the day of the Lord." It is certainly not going to be a good thing if, on that day, you are taken unaware as by a thief. Therefore, we are told to watch.

Why watch? Well, when they shall say, "peace and safety," sudden destruction comes upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. Why are they not watchful? There are three parables told by Jesus after he talks about the coming of the day of the Lord and his return in Matthew 24 and 25.

One of the reasons that people are not watching or looking is because they are foolish and wicked servants. They are the ones who say, "Oh, my Lord delays His coming." As a result, they begin to eat, drink, and be drunken. Their master will come in a day and an hour when they are not looking.

Another reason they are not ready is that they are at ease. They say, "Oh, everything's fine. Everything has continued since our fathers slept." They question, "Where is the sign of His coming?" One of the things that Peter speaks about in his letters is the danger of falling into that kind of mindset. Sadly, there are many in the church today who have that mindset. They argue that Paul the Apostle and Peter both believed that Jesus would come back in their lifetime. Yet here we are, 20 centuries later, and Jesus hasn't returned. Therefore, they conclude that He is not going to return.

There is a large movement in the church today, especially among those who follow Reformed theology, that is moving into what is called Preterist theology. They believe all these prophecies are already fulfilled, and so they are not looking for His coming. This is dangerous, I say. They are foolish or have fallen asleep, much like the parable that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 25 regarding the wise and unwise virgins. All of them slept, but some were ready and some were not. They have fallen asleep; they are not looking, they are at ease, or they may even be living in sin. However, the Lord will come in a day and an hour when they are not expecting Him.

Let me read to you from Matthew 24 again, verse 45. Jesus says, "Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his Lord has made ruler over his household to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when He comes, shall find so doing. Truly, I say to you that he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, 'My Lord delays His coming,' and shall begin to smite his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunken, the Lord of that servant shall come in a day and an hour when he looks not for Him. In a day and an hour, he shall be cut asunder and appointed his portion with the hypocrites, and there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

I think you may be beginning to see that not being ready and being taken by the thief is not a good thing. Notice that Paul says in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 3, that they shall not escape when the day of the Lord comes. You see, today is the day of salvation. Today is the opportunity for the world to find refuge in Christ Jesus.

Notice, know for certain that when God begins to pour out His wrath upon a Christ-rejecting and sinful world, there will be many people who try to flee from His wrath. But it will be too late, as the scripture reveals. We see here that they shall not escape.

I already referenced Amos 5:18, which says, "Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord." Amos continues in the next verse, discussing the day of the Lord. He says, "It's as if a man did flee from a lion and a bear got him. He got away from the bear, and as soon as he gets into the house, he puts his hand on the wall and a serpent bites and kills him." The idea is that the day of the Lord is inescapable. The lion comes, and you run, managing to outrun the lion. But as soon as you do, the bear gets you. Somehow, you escape the bear, get into the house, and then a serpent bites you.

Isaiah, the prophet, expresses it like this in Isaiah 24:17. When he talks about the day of the Lord, he says, "It is as if fear, the pit, and the snare have come upon this earth. Man flees from the fear and falls into the pit. He gets out of the pit, but he is taken in the snare." The day of the Lord is a day of judgment, and it is inescapable.

In Revelation 6:15, it says, "And the kings of the earth, both great men and rich men, chief captains and mighty men, and every bondman and every free man, hid themselves in dens and in rocks and in mountains." They are trying to hide from the wrath of God, and they say to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sits upon the throne. For the great day of His wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand?"

The day of the Lord will come, Paul says. It will come swiftly and silently upon those who are at ease, those who are not watchful, and those who have fallen asleep. They will be taken by the thief and left naked and ashamed.

But you, brethren, I know that's a heavy message. However, verse 4 is a nice upturn, isn't it? But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. We ought to be ready when He comes. You are the children of light and the children of the day.

We are not of darkness. Are we those that are ready?

In Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus tells three parables after discussing his return. One of them involves the wicked servant who says, "My Lord delays his coming," and he succumbs to drunkenness. The point of that parable is to be ready. The next parable discusses the ten virgins, the wise and the unwise, emphasizing the importance of being watchful. The final parable is about the talents. A master gives his servants talents: to one, he gives five; to another, he gives two; and to the last, he gives one. He then goes away to a far country for a period of time. When he returns, he settles accounts with his servants. One servant claims, "Oh, my master is wicked," and he hides the talent instead of using it. As a result, he is judged. The point of this parable is to be working.

The idea is to be waiting, watching, and working until the Lord comes. Why? Because the end of Matthew 25 states that the Lord will come one day. When He arrives, He will divide the sheep from the goats. The sheep will be on His right hand, and He will say to them, "Blessed are you, because when I was hungry, you fed me. When I was thirsty, you gave me a drink. When I was naked, you clothed me. When I was in prison, you visited me. When I was sick, you tended to me." They will respond, "Well, wait a minute. When did we do these things?" He will reply, "When you did so to the least of these, you did so unto me. Enter into the kingdom prepared for you."

He will then turn to those on His left hand and say, "You are to be cast into outer darkness, because when I was hungry, you didn't feed me. When I was thirsty, you didn't give me anything to drink. When I was in prison, you did not come and visit me. You didn't take care of me." They will ask, "Lord, when did we not do these things?" He will answer, "When you did not do so to the least of these, you did not do so unto me."

Are we waiting? Are we watching? Are we working? In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says, "Occupy until I come." He has given us a task to do until He returns. When He comes, those He finds doing, watching, waiting, and working will be caught up. As stated in First Thessalonians chapter four, "And we shall ever be with the Lord." Paul continues in verse six.

Therefore, let us not sleep as others do, but let us watch and be sober. The Apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 13, verse 11, "And knowing this, that the time is high time, that we would wake out of our sleep. For now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent. The day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. And let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envy, but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof."

Continuing on, in verse seven of First Thessalonians chapter five, he says, "For they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night." We are children of the day. We are not to be those who have fallen asleep. We are to be watchful. We are not to be those who have given ourselves to drunkenness or the things of this world. Paul is making reference here to Jesus's parables in Matthew 24 and 25. When he says, "Those that sleep, sleep in the night," he is clearly talking about the wise and unwise virgins of Matthew 25.

There in Matthew 25, verse five, it says, "While the bridegroom tarried, they slumbered and slept." They all slumbered and slept. And at midnight, there was a cry made, "Behold, the bridegroom comes, go ye out and meet him." Then all those virgins arose, and they trimmed their lamps. The foolish said unto the wise, "Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out." But the wise answered and said, "Not so, lest there be not enough for us and for you. But go ye rather to them, and sell and buy for yourselves."

You see, the unwise virgins were not ready for when he came. So they went and bought oil, and when they came, the bridegroom had arrived. Those who were ready went with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Afterward, the unwise virgins came, saying, "Lord, open unto us." But he said, "Truly I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man comes."

So Paul says, "Those that sleep, sleep in the night." But those that are drunken are drunken in the night, he says. Again, the wicked servant of the parable in Matthew 24, that evil servant shall say in his heart, "My Lord delays his coming," and shall begin to smite his fellow servants.

And eat and drink with the drunken. The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour when he is not aware.

Paul gives us a great application in verse 8: "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation." He calls the church to watchfulness and sobriety, or circumspection. This means that we are walking with our eyes wide open and are ready for His coming.

We are also given great encouragement in verse 9, for God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. What a blessed truth! God has not appointed the church to wrath. I do not believe that tribulation and wrath are the same thing, because there are Christians all around the world experiencing tribulation. Jesus said in John 16, at the end of the chapter, "In this world, you'll have much tribulation." Paul said, "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."

So, there is tribulation and persecution going on throughout the world right now. The United States of America is an amazing abnormality; it is an anomaly in history. We think it's normal, the kind of liberty that we have as Christians here in America. We think that this is the norm, but this is not the norm. This is totally an anomaly. For over 234 years, we have experienced religious liberty in our nation and have not experienced great tribulation, and really have not at all experienced persecution.

But around the world, there is persecution, tribulation, and distress going on for those in the church. That may come to our own nation one day. It doesn't mean that we've missed the rapture; it just means that we're experiencing the same troubles that the rest of the world is going through. However, we know for certain that we are not appointed to wrath.

Why are we not appointed to wrath? Well, Jesus bore the wrath for us. We obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ at the end of verse 9. Why do we obtain salvation? Verse 10 tells us: He died for us. He took the wrath of God upon Himself. The Bible describes the wrath of God as being in a cup, and it says He drank to the dregs the cup of the wrath of God. God has taken it from our hand and put it into His hand. That's why Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, said, "If there be any other way, let this cup pass from me."

What is he talking about? The cup of wrath. We, in Christ, receive salvation because He died for us. Whether we wake or sleep—whether we continue to live on here until He returns, or we die and are with Him in heaven—we should live together with Him. We will be with the Lord. Amen?

So, what is the application of these things? Verse 11 states, "Wherefore, comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do." Comfort one another. Build one another up. With this truth, we are not appointed to wrath. But we, as a church, need to be ready. The day of the Lord, the day of His wrath, will come as a thief in the night upon those who are not watchful, those who are not ready. For you and me, the Lord could come at any moment, any time, and we should be watching in such a way that we are ready when He comes. May we be so found, watching.

Let's stand and pray together. I don't generally do this, but I was stirred, and I think it's the Lord, and I think it's important. I'm not usually given to talking politically from the pulpit, but at this very moment in Washington, D.C., there's a vote going on. I'm surprised that they would do so on a Sunday, but I think it's important because we, as the church, are gathered together, and I think we should pray for wisdom for our leaders.

The nation is divided. Most recently, statistics say 70% are against this bill. So, there is a mixed multitude here, no doubt. Some are for it, some are against it. That's fine. I don't care what you want; it's not a big deal to me. What is important is that we are commanded in the Scriptures to pray for those who have authority over us, those who are our leaders.

Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 2, verse 1, "I exhort, therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men." He continues, "For kings and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." He goes on to say in verse 8, "I will, or I desire, therefore, that men pray everywhere with lifting hands, holy hands, without wrath or doubting." Some may be angry about what's happening, but we are to lift holy hands to God without wrath or doubting.

Praying that God would give wisdom to those who are in authority over us, we close our service today. I ask that you lift your hands with me to the Lord as we pray for wisdom for our leaders. Amen? Let's lift our hands to the Lord.

Father, we come before you. We thank you that we have lived in a nation with this republic, this form of government, where the voice of the people is heard and should be heeded. We pray for our leaders in our capital at this very moment who are voting. We pray for wisdom. As the Scriptures command, we lift our hands without wrath or doubting. We are not establishing a mob to march upon Washington and tear things apart. We come before you, as your word says, and we pray for wisdom. Your wisdom that is from above is peaceable and good.

We pray for the leaders gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington today. We ask for your wisdom to be given, your direction. The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord. Would you direct?

Father, we look forward to your soon return because your word says that when you come, there will be no death, there will be no sickness, and there will be no need for health care. You will wipe away every tear. So we say, come quickly. You are our King. We praise you today. In Jesus' name, Amen.