{"id":40757,"date":"2014-07-17T16:53:13","date_gmt":"2014-07-17T23:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/?page_id=40757"},"modified":"2014-12-04T00:03:08","modified_gmt":"2014-12-04T07:03:08","slug":"chapter-5","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/commentary\/1-thessalonians\/chapter-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 5"},"content":{"rendered":"

5\u00a0<\/span>But as to the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This was a bad chapter division – Paul is still talking about the Second Coming.<\/p>\n

2\u00a0<\/span>For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

i.e it’ll be unexpected<\/p>\n

3\u00a0<\/span>When people say, \u201cThere is peace and security,\u201d then sudden destruction will come upon them as travail comes upon a woman with child, and there will be no escape.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Although Paul says he can’t say when it’ll be, he says it’ll be when people least expect it.<\/p>\n

4\u00a0<\/span>But you are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief.\u00a05\u00a0<\/span>For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Since Christians have been illumined, they shouldn’t be caught off-guard, even though they don’t know when the Second Coming will take place.<\/p>\n

6\u00a0<\/span>So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.\u00a07\u00a0<\/span>For those who sleep sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.\u00a0<\/span>8\u00a0<\/span>But, since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and…<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to watchfulness.<\/p>\n

…put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Paul uses this “armour of God” metaphor elsewhere.<\/p>\n

9\u00a0<\/span>For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,\u00a0<\/span>10\u00a0<\/span>who died for us so that whether we wake or sleep we might live with him.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Words from Night Prayer.<\/p>\n

Reiterating that it doesn’t matter if you’re dead or alive.<\/p>\n

11\u00a0<\/span>Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is encouraging news!<\/p>\n

Final Exhortations, Greetings, and Benediction<\/span><\/h3>\n

12\u00a0<\/span>But we beseech you, brethren, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,\u00a0<\/span>13\u00a0<\/span>and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Respect the clergy<\/p>\n

Be at peace among yourselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Respect each other.<\/p>\n

14\u00a0<\/span>And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Exhort with wisdom<\/p>\n

15\u00a0<\/span>See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A central teaching of the Lord<\/p>\n

16\u00a0<\/span>Rejoice always,\u00a0<\/span>17\u00a0<\/span>pray constantly,\u00a0<\/span>18\u00a0<\/span>give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A few pithy maxims.<\/p>\n

19\u00a0<\/span>Do not quench the Spirit,\u00a0<\/span>20\u00a0<\/span>do not despise prophesying,\u00a0<\/span>21\u00a0<\/span>but test everything; hold fast what is good,\u00a0<\/span>22\u00a0<\/span>abstain from every form of evil.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Excellent summary of discernment.<\/p>\n

23\u00a0<\/span>May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Also found in Night Prayer.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>24\u00a0<\/span>He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We are God’s workmanship.<\/p>\n

25\u00a0<\/span>Brethren, pray for us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul asks for their prayers.<\/p>\n

Intercession apologetics.<\/p>\n

26\u00a0<\/span>Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lots of love!<\/p>\n

27\u00a0<\/span>I adjure you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brethren.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most likely in the Eucharistic liturgy.<\/p>\n

28\u00a0<\/span>The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Farewell<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Chapter 1<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Chapter 2<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Chapter 3<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Chapter 4<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Chapter 5<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

5\u00a0But as to the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you.\u00a0 This was a bad chapter division – Paul is still talking about the Second Coming. 2\u00a0For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.\u00a0 i.e it’ll be unexpected 3\u00a0When people say,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":40743,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-40757","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40757"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50546,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40757\/revisions\/50546"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}