1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Bible Study Slideshow

If only thieves sent Save-the-Dates. If we knew exactly when someone was going to try to break in, wouldn’t we be ready for them? Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone was.

Jesus says His Second Coming will come like a thief in the night. No one knows the day or the hour. (Mk 13:32; Mt 24:36; Ac 1:6-7).

The church in Thessalonica, which had endured harsh persecution, asked Paul: when is Jesus coming back? What is going to happen to our brothers and sisters who have died/have been killed?

Paul addresses their inquiry in this passage (1 Th 5:1-11). Please find the main points, a video summary of 1 Thessalonians by The Bible Project, the slideshow, Greek text, author’s translation, sources, and more below:

Main Points

Thesis: No need to fear the Day of the Lord (1 Th 5:1-3) (Weima, 343)
- Reason 1: You are “children of light/day” not of the darkness/night (1 Th 5:4-5)
- Result: Live “ready and steady” lives (1 Th 5:6-8)
- Reason 2: God has destined us for salvation and eternal life with Christ (1 Th 5:9-10)
Conclusion: Therefore edify one another (1 Th 5:11) (Weima, 343)
Two overlapping ages: the present age (of darkness/night) and the age to come (of light/day). To which age do we belong? Let’s act our age!
Walk in the light, not in the night! Our behavior should contrast from that of the world like night and day.
The foundation of our hope: Christ died for us that we may live together with Him
Nothing (neither life nor death) can separate us from the love of Jesus (Rom 8:35-39)
Live uprightly, not “uptightly” (Fee, 200) – for we know Christ may return at any moment (and no one knows when!)

1 Thessalonians Summary | The Bible Project (Video)

Slideshow

To download this and any other of the Bible Study PowerPoints, please visit this link to the DropBox folder: http://bit.ly/C4C-Lessons. I just recently found out that if I convert the PowerPoints as .PDFs and then upload them to SlideShare, the formatting is not affected as much. I hope the slides are now easier to view.

Greek Text (UBS5)

Περὶ δὲ τῶν χρόνων καὶ τῶν καιρῶν, ἀδελφοί, οὐ χρείαν ἔχετε ὑμῖν γράφεσθαι, 2 αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἀκριβῶς οἴδατε ὅτι ἡμέρα κυρίου ὡς κλέπτης ἐν νυκτὶ οὕτως ἔρχεται. 3 ὅταν λέγωσιν, Εἰρήνη καὶ ἀσφάλεια, τότε αἰφνίδιος αὐτοῖς ἐφίσταται ὄλεθρος ὥσπερ ἡ ὠδὶν τῇ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσῃ, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐκφύγωσιν.

4 ὑμεῖς δέ, ἀδελφοί, οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σκότει, ἵνα ἡ ἡμέρα ὑμᾶς ὡς κλέπτης1 καταλάβῃ 5 πάντες γὰρ ὑμεῖς υἱοὶ φωτός ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ ἡμέρας. οὐκ ἐσμὲν νυκτὸς οὐδὲ σκότους

6 ἄρα οὖν μὴ καθεύδωμεν ὡς οἱ λοιποὶ ἀλλὰ γρηγορῶμεν καὶ νήφωμεν. 7 οἱ γὰρ καθεύδοντες νυκτὸς καθεύδουσιν καὶ οἱ μεθυσκόμενοι νυκτὸς μεθύουσιν 8 ἡμεῖς δὲ ἡμέρας ὄντες νήφωμεν ἐνδυσάμενοι θώρακα πίστεως καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ περικεφαλαίαν ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας

9 ὅτι οὐκ ἔθετο ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς εἰς ὀργὴν ἀλλʼ εἰς περιποίησιν σωτηρίας διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ 10 τοῦ ἀποθανόντος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἵνα εἴτε γρηγορῶμεν εἴτε καθεύδωμεν ἅμα σὺν αὐτῷ ζήσωμεν.

11 Διὸ παρακαλεῖτε ἀλλήλους καὶ οἰκοδομεῖτε εἷς τὸν ἕνα, καθὼς καὶ ποιεῖτε.¹

Author’s Translation

1 Now about times and seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have to be written. 2 For you yourselves very well know that the day of the Lord comes just like a thief in the night.

3 While they say, “Peace and safety,” then destruction will come upon them suddenly, just like labor pains in the womb, and they will never, ever escape. 4 You, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness — that the day might catch you by surprise like a thief. 5 For all of you are children of light and children of day. We are not night nor darkness.

6 So, therefore, let us not sleep like the others, but let us be awake and sober. 7 Because those who sleep, sleep at night and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 Now since we are day, let us be sober since we were clothed with the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of hope and salvation.

9 For God did not consign us to wrath, but to obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ — 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live (eternally) together with Him.

11 Therefore, encourage each another and edify one another, just as you are doing.

Sources

Arndt, William, Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, and F. Wilbur Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Burge, Gary M., and Andrew E. Hill, eds. The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012.
Balz, Horst Robert, and Gerhard Schneider. Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1990–.
Beale, G. K. 1–2 Thessalonians. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003.
Chan, Sam. Evangelism in a Skeptical World: How to Make the Unbelievable News about Jesus More Believable. Zondervan, Kindle Edition, 2018
Comfort, Philip in Hoehner, Harold W., Philip W. Comfort, and Peter H. Davids. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Philemon. Vol. 16. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008.
Evans, Craig A., and Craig A. Bubeck, eds. The Bible Knowledge Background Commentary: Acts–Philemon. First Edition. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 2004.
Fee, Gordon D. The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.
Green, Gene L. The Letters to the Thessalonians. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos, 2002.
Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Keener, Craig S. NT385 Book Study: Revelation. Logos Mobile Education. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016.
Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996.
Marshall, I. Howard. “1 Thessalonians.” In New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, edited by D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham, 4th ed., 1277–85. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.
Martin, D. Michael. 1, 2 Thessalonians. Vol. 33. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995.
Shogren, Gary Steven. 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012.
Silva, Moisés, ed. New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014.
Stott, John R. W. The Message of Thessalonians: The Gospel & the End of Time. The Bible Speaks Today. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994.
Wanamaker, Charles A. The Epistles to the Thessalonians: A Commentary on the Greek Text. New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1990.
Weima, Jeffrey A. D. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2 Thessalonians. Edited by Robert W. Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2014.
Witherington, Ben, III. 1 and 2 Thessalonians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2006.