Grosey's Messages

The Certain Prophecy

Not all preachers and teachers of prophecy are reliable. Oftentimes they're more interested in selling their own books than sticking with what the God's Word actually says. They proclaim themselves "experts" with sensational interpretations that have little basis in the Bible. They often set dates for Christ's return, label prominent figures "the Antichrist," or identify certain current events as fulfillments of often obscure prophecies in Scripture. Of course, such false teachers eventually reveal their true identity when their errors become apparent.

So when it comes to future things, we need to proceed as if passing through an intersection with a flashing yellow light. We don't want to be broadsided by crazy drivers; nor do we want to put it in park because of fear of getting it all wrong. A prominent Presbyterian minister I knew told a group of pastors that he hadn't talked about the second coming in 45 years because he didn't want to get it wrong. Before driving forward into the prophecy of the return of Christ begun in 4:13-18 and concluded in 5:1-11, we need to be alert to a few facts concerning the subject of prophecy in general.

This fact is important when we realize that Paul has just comforted believers who feared that their loved ones who had fallen asleep in the Lord would somehow miss out on the blessings of the coming kingdom at Christ's return. Paul assured them, however, that there would be a glorious reunion prior to the establishment of the kingdom. The dead in Christ would rise first, then those who were alive would be transformed; both groups would be "caught up" together to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thes. 4:16-17). This doctrine of the Rapture of the church was meant to give encouragement to those who were grieving the loss of their brothers and sisters in Christ.

There was The Comforting Promise

Return          Rescue         Resurrection

Rapture         Reunion          Reception

The Certain Prophecy

In 5:1, Paul takes a turn—not a 180-degree shift to an unrelated topic, but a 90-degree turn to a different side of the same issue related to the end times. Paul was no longer discussing the details of the Rapture and the order of end-times events as revealed by Jesus through Paul. Now he's moving to the same question Jesus had explicitly and repeatedly addressed in His own teaching on the end times: the unexpected nature of the end times and how we ought to live now in light of them.

From the time of Christ's earthly ministry, the disciples had been informed that the earthly judgments associated with the day of the Lord would come like a thief in the night (Matt. 24:43; Luke 12:39; 2 Pet. 3:10). Paul's readers were already aware of this part of the end-times teaching. He had likely taught it to them personally when he was with them. The day of the Lord is something altogether different than the Rapture of the church—not merely because of how or when it comes, but because of whom it affects.

A Day of Sudden Destruction

A Day of Surrounding Darkness

A Day of Sure Deliverance

A Day of Sudden Destruction

The Day of the Lord is a Solemn Day

1 Thess 5:1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night

The Day of the LORD           So Many Terms,

It is called here the Day of the Lord. Do you see that? The Day of the Lord. When Jesus Christ was being crucified, there were some women with Him. And they were crying. He was carrying His cross. And they were just convulsing and pouring out tears. And Jesus, on His way to Calvary, stopped and looked at those women. And this is what He said to them: "Weep not for me, but weep for yourselves" (Luke 23:28). Jesus said then, "This is your day" (Luke 19:42). That is, man is having his heyday now. The devil is having a holiday. This is your day. And then, He said this, "My time is not yet come" (John 7:6). Man has his day, and then, God will have His day.

"The day of the Lord" is an expression with its origin in the prophetic writings, signifying the coming of God to judge his enemies in fiery wrath. The eighth century B.C. prophet Amos warned of God's coming to the wicked people of Samaria: "Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?" (Amos 5:20). The day of the Lord is the time of reckoning for sinners who transgress God's law and enemies who oppress God's people. Ezekiel wrote: "It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations" (Ezek. 30:3). In the Old Testament, "the day of the Lord" referred to a complex of events in which God broke into history to judge his enemies and save his people, pointing forward to the great day of the Lord when Christ returns. Andrew Young described it as "a day of wrath and destruction for rebellious individuals and nations, and at the same time a day of salvation and deliverance for his people."

Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!" (Isa. 13:6). Ezekiel later gave a similar warning related to Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Jerusalem: "Wail, 'Alas for the day!' For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near" (Ezek. 30:2–3). Zephaniah added: "The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast" (Zeph. 1:14). What was said of these earlier, more limited judgments is all the more true of the great and final day of the Lord in the coming of Jesus Christ. Even if it should turn out that Christ returns at some far distant date in the future, the reality of death makes it certain that judgment is near to everyone who lives and breathes at this very moment. Hebrews 9:27 reminds us that "it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment."

Let me tell you how God describes the day of the Lord. And that day has not yet come. But it's right here; it's right around the corner. Joel 2, verses 1–3: "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; 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. 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" (Joel 2:1–3). God says, "This day—there has never been anything like it."

"Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble…"—that is, Jacob is the name for fleshly Jews— "the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it" (Jeremiah 30:7). Out of the Great Tribulation a great number of Jews are going to come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. And then, the prophet Daniel said, in Daniel 12, verse 1, "And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time" (Daniel 12:1). A time of trouble. Matthew 24:21. Jesus said, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matthew 24:21). Notice what all of these prophets are saying. There has never been anything like this. You don't have any historical precedents for the day that is coming. The Bible calls it the Day of the Lord.

The Bible clearly states that the sudden judgment on the day of the Lord will involve utter ruin and devastation. Peter foretold a cataclysmic cleansing of the world in fire: "The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed" (2 Peter 3:10). Revelation 6:15–17 presents a similar picture of supernatural upheaval, in which the dismayed ungodly seek to hide "themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?' " On that day, all the treasures gained by a world of sin will be lost, replaced by the wretched prospect of "eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints" (2 Thess. 1:9–10).

 

Events in the Day of the Lord

Antichrist arises  Wrath upon the people  Israel Attacked  Israel Saved By The Saviour's Return

When are the signs?  During the Day of the Lord  - Tribulation

2 Thess 2:1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

Names for the Antichrist

Antichrist in the Temple (2Thess 2)

The Day of the Lord Will Be a Surprising Day

3 While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.

The world will worship the beast

The Day of the Lord Is a Sure Day        

Sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape" 1 Thess. 5:3

Ben Witherington argues that "there is peace and security" was probably a political slogan frequently heard in the Roman Empire of Paul's day, just as similar slogans are often trumpeted in our elections today. If this was the boast of the Roman Empire in the first century, then "Paul must have thought 'What foolish slogans and vain hopes when the day of the Lord is coming.' "9 Likewise, Christians today should not be caught up in the utopian promises of any political party or social movement, knowing as we do that every endeavor of man is crippled by sinful corruption and believing the Bible's claim that only the return of Christ will bring true "peace and security" to those who hope in him.

 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." (Matt. 24:36)

"Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming." (Matt. 24:42)

"Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come." (Mark 13:33)

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority." (Acts 1:6-7)

Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. (1 Thes. 5:1-2)

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. (2 Pet. 3:10)

"I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you." (Rev. 3:3)

"Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame." (Rev. 16:15)

The Day Of The Lord Has Surrounding Darkness

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; (1Thess 5:4,5)

Moral Darkness                                             Spiritual Darkness

Political Darkness                                   Social Darkness

We Should Wise Up

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness

A. Moral Darkness    Now Paul is talking to those people in that particular time, and he is telling them that the darkness has already set in, and there is moral darkness. My dear friend, what moral darkness do we have today? You think of the debauchery, and the sin, and the filth, in movies, and Hollywood, and television and the internet—it's unbelievable that we have become almost chloroformed by the spirit of our age. We do not realize the depth of depravity.

B. Spiritual Darkness   Secularism, Atheism in socialism.

C. Political Darkness.  Our politicians don't know which way to turn. The abortion policies of our politicians.  Their policies to support minority groups to gain votes.

D. Social Darkness    Family problems. Order problems Civility problems. Road rage.  Family violence issues.

Can Government provide answers?

Is Science is not the Answer?

Military might and politics is the answer?

We Should Wake Up  6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober,  1Thess 5:6-8

We Should Dress Up  8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

The Breastplate of Faith and Love     First of all, you need to get your heart right; that's the breastplate of faith and love that covers your heart. You need to love Jesus; you need to love one another. You need to put your faith where God put your sins: on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the breastplate; you need to wear that. If you don't wear that, you're not ready to live in these dark days.

The Helmet of Salvation And then, not only keep your heart right, but you keep your head right. Put on the helmet of salvation, the helmet of the hope of salvation. Now, what does he mean by "the hope of salvation?" (1 Thessalonians 5:8). Does that mean, "I hope I'm saved"? No, that isn't what that means at all. You're not to have a hope-so salvation; you're to have a know-so salvation. And, why does the Bible use the words "the hope of salvation" (1Thessalonians 5:8)? Because the Bible uses the word hope in a way that we don't use it today. In the Bible, the word hope means "absolute certainty, rock-rib certainty, based on the Word of God." For example, the Second Coming of Jesus is called "the blessed hope" (Titus 2:13).

Having our eyes fixed on the fact that our saviour is not the government, nor science, nor religion, nor social manipulation, but the return of the Saviour, should give us an anchor and a perspective that helps us navigate the difficult terrors of our day.

The Day of The Lord is A Day Of a Sure Deliverance
9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.   

We "wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come." 1:10.

The church is taken out, and then, the Day of the Lord comes. The Church is taken out, then, the Great Tribulation comes. Matt 24: 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

The Great Tribulation is called the day of God's wrath, and God does not pour out His wrath upon His children. Look, if you will, at verse 9: "For God hath not appointed us to wrath" (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Do you see that? God has not appointed us to wrath.  The Bible says we are "to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come" (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

He delivered us. When He died on the cross, He delivered us from the wrath to come.

 

Zechariah 14 The Plundering    Zechariah 14  THE ATTACK  Then Christ's Return  Israel Saved

"Look!  He comes with the clouds of heaven.  And everyone will see him—  even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him.  Yes!  Amen!" Rev. 1:6

Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. 5:11

When God brought the flood upon the world in Noah's day, which was judgment, what did God do with Noah first? He put Noah in the ark. And then, He sends the flood.

"For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man" (Matt. 24:37–39).

When God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone, what did God do with Lot before he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah? Remember, Lot was a righteous man. The angel said to Lot, "Get out of this city because I can do nothing until you get out of this city, until you come hither" (Genesis 19:22). That is, "I can't destroy this city with fire and brimstone, until, first of all, Lot, you are out of this city."

Israel goes through Tribulation and is saved in the Tribulation. I think we are saved out before the wrath.

If we are looking for Jesus Christ to come at any moment, if the church is going through the Great Tribulation, rather than looking for Christ, we would be looking for Antichrist.

He "died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him" (1 Thessalonians 5:10)  

For us the next great event is:

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:16–18). "and we which remain and are alive."

The Apostle Paul expected the rapture in His lifetime.  Every believer in all ages was to look forward expectantly to see the rapture in their life time.  It has an effect upon us, not knowing the day or the hour, but looking forward expectantly. I believe he expected the Antichrist to set himself up in the temple of God and proclaim himself as God after the rapture.

Are you looking forward with expectation to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ?