‘But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need that anything be written to you, for you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.'
‘Concerning the times and the seasons.' The first denotes chronological time and simply signifies that they are already aware of how chronologically events will work out from their own day until the end. The second, something of what will result during those times. They have been well taught concerning coming happenings.
‘You yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.' It is clear that Paul was satisfied that the Thessalonians had a good grasp of teaching about the second coming and the day of the Lord. To ‘know perfectly' is to have a good grasp of the subject.
The first thing they knew was that no one knows the time of the end (Mark 13:32). But they did know that Jerusalem must be destroyed and its inhabitants scattered, for Jesus had firmly asserted it (Luke 21:20-24; Mark 13:14-20), and that the church must go through continual tribulation, as indeed they already were (Mark 13:9-13). They knew that at some stage troubles and judgments must come on the world, although they were already no doubt aware of such troubles and judgments, and the 1st century AD was a time of troubles and judgments. Tacitus, a first century Roman historian, after referring to the horrors and calamities, and disasters and portents, of the period, went on to say ‘never has it been better proved, by such terrible disasters to Rome, or by such clear evidence, that the gods were concerned, not with our safety but with vengeance on our sins.'
They also knew that these would come as ‘a thief in the night', for God would act not only to deliver His people but to bring His judgments on the world. The picture of a thief in the night is of the situation with regard to unbelievers, caught unawares by one who comes to take their possessions. The Lord will not come like a thief in the night to those who are in readiness, only to those who are in darkness and not watching (1 Thessalonians 5:4; Revelation 3:3; Revelation 16:15; Luke 12:39, compare 2 Peter 3:10). To those who are waiting and ready He comes as their great God and Saviour (Titus 2:13).
‘The day of the Lord.' This phrase refers to the day when the Lord has His day, when He acts in judgment. In a sense through the Old Testament period there were many ‘days of the Lord', for it could be used of the day when God brought His judgment both on His faithless people and on the enemies of His people. But all looked forward to a final ‘day of the Lord', a day of the Lord's judgments, at the time when final restoration took place (Joel 2:31; Joel 3:14; Zechariah 14:1).
In the New Testament the phrase appears three times (Acts 2:20 quoting Joel 2:31, fulfilled, partially at least, at the resurrection and Pentecost; 2 Peter 3:10 and here. 2 Peter 3:10 is definitive, it is the time when ‘the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works in it will be discovered' (or in some manuscripts ‘burned up'), that is will be revealed in God's eyes and judged. It thus refers to God's final judgments in the end days including the final Judgment itself. A similar phrase, ‘the Lord's day', occurs in Revelation 1:10 where it possibly refers to a symbolical depiction of Christ ‘at the door' on the point of returning.
But in both 1 Thessalonians and 2 Peter ‘the Lord' has primary reference to Jesus Christ. It is He Who is ‘the Lord' all through the letter, so ‘the day of the Lord' has special reference to Him as the one appointed to judge the world (John 5:22; John 5:27). This is confirmed in that it can also be called ‘the day of the Lord Jesus' in 1 Corinthians 5:5 where it refers to deliverance from the judgment, and 2 Corinthians 1:14 where it refers to Christian rejoicing at that day. We can compare also ‘the day of Christ' (Philippians 1:10; Philippians 2:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:2), where there is a slant towards the Christian's part in that day, and the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6) and the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8) which are similar. All references to the day include the time of judgment, whether of Christians with regard to reward, or of all.
Excursus on ‘the day of the Lord' in the Old Testament.
The term was used in Isaiah 13:9 of God's visitation in judgment. Firstly judgment would come on His faithless people through Babylon, and then through the Medes God would bring judgment on Babylon (Isaiah 13:17). The whole is depicted in apocalyptic language (Isaiah 13:10; Isaiah 13:13) and is described as the wrath of the Lord (Isaiah 13:13). It also has a far view for it depicts the final desolation of Babylon (Isaiah 13:19-22). In the judgments of God near and far were part of one whole, especially as regards Babylon which was the symbol from the beginning of rebellion against God (Genesis 10:9-12; Genesis 11:1-9). The earlier judgment was a foretaste of the later one.
Again the day of the Lord was to come on Edom and its allies, its surrounding nations (Isaiah 34:4; Isaiah 34:8). ‘All the nations' refers to these for other nations are called on to witness the event (Isaiah 13:1). But it is on Edom that the main judgment comes (verse 6). Again it is represented in apocalyptic language (Isaiah 13:9-10), and such judgment did finally come upon them.
Jeremiah also prophesied a day of the Lord on Egypt and Pharaoh Neco (Jeremiah 46:2, repeated in Jeremiah 46:13), this time at the hands of Babylon (Jeremiah 46:10; Jeremiah 46:26). Thus ‘the day of the Lord' began to indicate the day of the Lord's judgments whenever they were.
It could be called ‘the day of the Lord of hosts' (Isaiah 2:12), ‘the day of the Lord's vengeance' (Isaiah 34:8 - on Edom), ‘the day of the Lord, the Lord of hosts, a day of vengeance' (on Egypt - Jeremiah 46:10), ‘the day of the Lord's anger' (on Judah - Lamentations 2:22; on Judah and surrounding nations - Zephaniah 1:18; Zephaniah 2:2-3), ‘the day of the Lord's sacrifice' (on Judah - Zephaniah 1:8), ‘the great day of the Lord' (on Judah - Zephaniah 1:14), ‘the great and terrible day of the Lord' (Malachi 4:5), which referred to the first coming of Jesus as the beginning of ‘the end days' (Matthew 11:14 with Acts 2:17; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 1:2; 1 Peter 1:20; 1 Peter 4:7).
But the basic term was ‘the day of the Lord' (Isaiah 13:6; Isaiah 13:9 - on Babylon through the Medes; Ezekiel 13:5 - on Judah through Nebuchadnezzar; Ezekiel 30:3 - on Egypt through Nebuchadnezzar; Joel 1:15 - on Judah through Nebuchadnezzar; Joel 2:1; Joel 2:11 - on Judah through Nebuchadnezzar; Joel 2:31; Joel 3:14 - in the end days at the time of restoration; Amos 5:18; Amos 5:20 - on Israel through Assyria; Obadiah 1:15 - on Edom and their allies (for ‘all the nations' compare Isaiah 34:1); Zephaniah 1:7 - on Judah; Zechariah 14:1 - in the end days at the time of restoration, and as the prophets began to look forward to the day when God would set all things right, establish His people and deal with their enemies, it began to be applied especially to that day (Joel 2:31; Joel 3:14; Zechariah 14:1).
In the New Testament the phrase appears three times (Acts 2:20 quoting Joel 2:31, fulfilled, partially at least, at the resurrection and Pentecost; 2 Peter 3:10 and here. 2 Peter 3:10 is definitive, it is the time when ‘the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works in it will be discovered' (or in some manuscripts ‘burned up'), that is will be revealed in God's eyes and judged. It thus refers to God's final judgments in the end days including the final Judgment itself.
End of Excursus.