Ever wondered how the unpredictability of the 'Day of the Lord' aligns with the idea of being ever-vigilant and prepared? Our latest episode takes you through a riveting exploration of 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5, where we discuss the profound teachings of Paul to the early church. As children of light, we are called to be ready, not just for the end times, but for the everyday trials that test our faith. We dissect the powerful symbolism of light and darkness, reflecting on the readiness required of us as believers and how the state of our world might signal the nearing of profound change. The conversation goes deeper as we consider whether the events of today are the very 'labor pains' that scripture speaks of, helping us to remain steadfast and watchful.
Bringing practical advice into the mix, we shed light on the essential Christian tenets of respect within the community, unwavering support for the weak, and the cultivation of a peaceful and patient spirit. The episode brings to the forefront the enduring relevance of rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks, which are more than just spiritual practices; they are the very essence of God's will for us. As we unpack these themes, we also tackle the challenges of living in a world that tempts us to turn away from the light, stressing the importance of not quenching the Spirit and being discerning of prophecies. Our parting message is a call to action: share the wisdom gleaned from our talk, uplift one another, and carry the light forward into the new year, regardless of the darkness that surrounds us.
Ever wondered how the unpredictability of the 'Day of the Lord' aligns with the idea of being ever-vigilant and prepared? Our latest episode takes you through a riveting exploration of 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5, where we discuss the profound teachings of Paul to the early church. As children of light, we are called to be ready, not just for the end times, but for the everyday trials that test our faith. We dissect the powerful symbolism of light and darkness, reflecting on the readiness required of us as believers and how the state of our world might signal the nearing of profound change. The conversation goes deeper as we consider whether the events of today are the very 'labor pains' that scripture speaks of, helping us to remain steadfast and watchful.
Bringing practical advice into the mix, we shed light on the essential Christian tenets of respect within the community, unwavering support for the weak, and the cultivation of a peaceful and patient spirit. The episode brings to the forefront the enduring relevance of rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks, which are more than just spiritual practices; they are the very essence of God's will for us. As we unpack these themes, we also tackle the challenges of living in a world that tempts us to turn away from the light, stressing the importance of not quenching the Spirit and being discerning of prophecies. Our parting message is a call to action: share the wisdom gleaned from our talk, uplift one another, and carry the light forward into the new year, regardless of the darkness that surrounds us.
Welcome back to the two fish podcast. My name is Nick, I'm Aaron and this week we're finishing up. First, thessalonians were in chapter five.
Speaker 2:That's right, two fish community. We are back for another episode in first Thessalonians, chapter five.
Speaker 1:I just abruptly I used to go all the way down. That's okay.
Speaker 2:Anyways, that's right, we are back this week, First Thessalonians five.
Speaker 1:That's right. This is actually like week. I think we're a solid week to end of the new year, so hopefully everyone has had a great New Year's, a great Christmas. Obviously, you watch, you listen to the episodes or Christmas episodes that are in our New Year's episode. And so this week we're going to go back. First Thessalonians, chapter five. We're going to wrap up the book Paul's right into the church and Thessalonians and this is just a continuation of one, two, three and four. He's continuing to write, continuing to encourage. He's. He's definitely said, hey, we need to work on these things, but here he's wrapping up this letter, for sure in encouragement.
Speaker 2:Yeah, last week we talked like the headings. My Bible here last week talked live to please God and the hope of the resurrection, and this week Paul's going to wrap up his final thoughts in this letter to the Thessalonians. So let's just dive into it first.
Speaker 1:All right. First Thessalonians, chapter five, verse one. Now, concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you, for you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, while people are saying there's peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief, for you are the children of the light, the children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
Speaker 1:Let's stop right there. I really don't need to write anything more because you know he's saying this group has definitely read letters, paul has been there, timothy's been there, they, they know the right from the wrong and they know and they've listened and they know what's coming and they know that, hey, we don't need to tell you. Things are going to be good and then, all of a sudden, they're going to be bad. You guys know that because your children of the light. So when darkness is around you, you're going to understand.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think the one thing to keep in mind here that he is writing to believers about the unbelievers. What's going to happen to the unbelievers? Right, yeah, this is not what's going to happen to you and I or the two fish community. This would be what's going to happen to those that are not believers, maybe to those that we should be preaching to. This is what you should be telling them.
Speaker 2:Yes that the day is going to come and it's not going to be announced per se, is going to be sudden and come on like, like, you're having a baby, which, if you ask any lady that has had a baby, it is not a pleasant experience. Well, I don't want to say it's not pleasant, but it is painful. Yes, it's not like a. I think in the Bible even God described it as you're going to endure a painful labor.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the labor pains. You know what's coming and I think that you're you're exactly right the way you worded it. This is for the believer knows the unbelievers going to say what is going on here? The believer knows, hey, these are labor pains and there's an event coming. In this circumstance it's a baby. There's an event coming. I know it's coming. I don't have to worry about what is going on and what are these pains I'm going through.
Speaker 2:Right, and then and then verse two the one thing it really points to mine says um. Verse three, sorry, when people are saying, all as well, everything is peaceful and secure, that is when this is going to come. It's going to come at a time where a lot of people I would speculate the world is feeling really comfortable and and that is where the Bible challenges us as believers like, don't get comfortable. You know, the day of the Lord is coming and the warnings are here. They're here in first Thessalonians and then we get them in revelations.
Speaker 1:They're all throughout the New Testament Like it is coming and they're all pretty well described like this yeah, I know there's a lot of podcasts that talk about the end times and a lot of preachers talked about the end times. Before the end times and leading up to the end times, there's what the Bible says is labor, growing pains, labor pains like these events are building because there's a movement of God coming, and so sometimes I wonder, like nowadays, are we in the end end times? Like will it be in our generation? Or are these just growing pains? Are they the labor pains that we know? Okay, this is a building of what's to come. The mother knows I'm about to have a baby. She knows why.
Speaker 2:Just like we're in month six.
Speaker 1:We might, we could be. Sometimes it feels like we're in month Nine and a half and the baby should already come. But yeah, and I think something else to think about this kind of sticks out to me, where he says for you are children of the light, children of the day, we are not of the night or of the darkness. Every time that I read the Bible he says where he talks about light and darkness, you can't, there's not. Darkness will never be able to cover the light. You know what I mean? You turn. If you're in a completely dark room and you turn on a light, it's gonna cut through the darkness. The darkness isn't dark enough to withhold it. So, no one, you can't see it.
Speaker 1:And I think that's another one of those things is we, as believers, should be standing out. I think, especially when the world is saying, hey, we're great, then all of a sudden, what is going on? All of a sudden, there's destruction. That we should be a, we should be the ones and that can be and that can be convicting and me sometimes is a lot of times I want to go. What is going on? But I should know as a believer hey, this is the stuff that leads up and the non-believer should be able to see hey, there's some light in the darkness there. What's going on over there it's kind of our life is a testimony that points to God so here, verse 6 so be on your guard, not asleep like the others.
Speaker 2:Stay alert and be sober. So that's kind of what I jumped gun there a little earlier. But we are to be aware of this and we are to always be ready, for we are, we are to be Ready for the Lord to return right, we're told that constantly in the Bible.
Speaker 2:We don't know the day, we don't know the time. We know there's gonna be some warning. We're perhaps seeing some of those warnings, as you pointed to, but we are to be ready. So, verse 6 that's what that's talking about there. 7 night is the time for sleep and the time when people get drunk. But let us who live in the light think clearly, protected by the body or armor of faith and love and wearing as Our helmet the confidence of our salvation, for God decided to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. He died for us so that we can live with him forever. Rather, we are dead or alive at the time of his return. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. That's good. There's a lot in there. Verse so when I'm dead, you better keep building me up.
Speaker 1:Verse 6. There you're kind of talking about being ready. I know we've done an episode on the pair. We've done episodes on parables and that's one of Jesus parables. He likes the bridesmaids who when the when the groom comes through in the middle of night, they have the oil ready to go, not like the other ones who used all their oil and then they got to go searching and the bridegroom comes and they're not ready. Be prepared. Maybe go find that episode. If you haven't heard that episode, I know we've done that, I don't know when, can't confirm it, but I know we've done it.
Speaker 2:No, we definitely did it. Um, it would have been. It would have been called pair, like we did a series on a couple of the parables. I don't think we finished them all, but that was one of them we did for sure.
Speaker 1:Really points. I mean don't be, be awake and be sober, the night is for drunks. I don't necessarily think he's saying that literally. I mean he kid he very well is, but it's for things, not of God.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think a lot of times the things that go on a night like are typically you're trying to sneak around, you're doing things you shouldn't be doing, your your partying, your the clubs are open late, all those type of things like usually you know you tell your kids throughout, after the post lamp comes on, right, you're not doing anything good, nothing good happens after 10 o'clock, right, and mine says the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of hope, of salvation, those are those, those things we need to constantly be praying on.
Speaker 1:We've done those episodes before talking about the full armor of God. We need to have faith. It's night, we're waiting and we're ready. We don't know when it's gonna come. Or, like I said earlier, are these growing pains or these actually in times? I have no idea, but he's.
Speaker 1:He's writing to the church saying you know these things, so you need to continue to be prepared. I don't need to explain them, because you understand them. Hold on to that faith, pray on that breastplate of faith and that helmet of salvation, and Mine says hope of salvation we have. Salvation is just not complete yet and and continuing. God created us not to be angry at us, not to have his wrath on us. He created us to be with him. And Jesus died so that we could.
Speaker 2:Yeah, verse nine. I was just having the thought like that kind of points back to. You know, he destroyed the world, he destroyed everybody in the world at one time and he promised never to do that again With water.
Speaker 1:With water. That's right. He's gonna do it again. It's just gonna be fire With water.
Speaker 2:But it kind of points back to that and I think sometimes we often forget like we gotta go back to the Old Testament, like it's not, it's a complete book and we gotta go back and look at some of those examples and I think he's pointing back to that here and pointing to, obviously, that he ultimately has sent Lord Jesus Christ to die for or send to be our blood, atonement that there's no longer needed animal sacrifices. God provided the ultimate sacrifice for us.
Speaker 1:And he always provides a way out with temptation, with everything. Noah's building an ark and for 120 years people mocked him. All they had to do was believe and get on the boat, and no one did. And then foreshadowing like you said, it's a full book foreshadowing hey there's gonna be one way. There's gonna be one boat. His name is Jesus. You need to believe and get on that boat.
Speaker 2:You know, I just recently had a conversation about that and oftentimes talk about the boat and how that exact thing. Noah got on the boat with his family, but what's not talked about is the people that were drowning at the base of the boat, that were trying to cling onto the boat to try and survive. Yeah, because they chose to mock and they chose not to believe in what Noah was telling them. And then the rains came and here they were, like drowning.
Speaker 1:Yeah, gotta wonder tangent, gotta wonder what no one is similar thinking Like to hear that going on. I'm sure they wanted to have mercy. I'm sure they wanted to get those people on. I think God would have protected them from that, to having to hear that or deal with that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think so. Yeah, maybe I would probably be the Noah that would go told ya oh, that's terrible, it is but so in that part where we talked about the dead building, the dead up, nick's gonna laugh at me you shouldn't have died you should have listened.
Speaker 1:That's why I was not there and Noah was chosen Right.
Speaker 2:So I think those are great points for us to reflect on what Jesus did for us. And as we're doing that, verse 11 points to. The very thing that we're supposed to do is we're reflecting on that and how Jesus died for you and your sins. That's to reach out to your brother and build each other up. That's to reach out to the two fish community and build each other up. Right, and Paul points to the Thessalonians were already doing this at that point, which might lead to like why he said I don't feel like I need to write this to you Because you're already doing these things, but he was gracious enough to write it to him, to put it in writing for us, 2000 years later, to remind us that, no, this day is coming. Yeah, don't get comfortable. Don't get comfortable.
Speaker 1:You gotta keep encouraging each other. Encourage your brother and sister to not get comfortable.
Speaker 2:And even the next generation, right. So, like you brought up, will it happen in our generation? We?
Speaker 1:don't know.
Speaker 2:We don't know the time, the place. We don't know how quick this labor is gonna be, we don't know how painful it's gonna get, but we know it's coming. We know we're having some labor pains that's very evident in today's world but we don't know how long that'll last. So the next generation we gotta be preparing them as well. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Verse number 12, we ask you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.
Speaker 1:Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idol, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to enjoy to one another and to everyone. Rejoice, always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Let's stop right there for a second Verse 12,. We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and who are over you in the Lord. I think he's talking about the pastors, the missionaries, the elders, your brothers and sisters who are doing the work. Maybe it's a Bible study leader, maybe it's someone that's actively going out there and doing it. Take care of those people, but then, on the flip side, also take care of the people that aren't. And then that goes with the encouraging thing again Encourage them. Mine says faint hearted, help the weak and be patient with them all. What was the see? No one replace evil for evil there. That that's me and Noah situation Like I'm.
Speaker 2:I'm standing there like told you that's probably not right attitude. You know what I mean. Oh God, knocked you off, told you yeah.
Speaker 1:Encourage, encourage, encourage. Verse number 16, rejoice always. That's got to be like the second shortest verse in the Bible. I know the first one is Jesus wept. This is also two words, but more letters Rejoice always, oh, mine's always be joyful. Oh shoot, I guess it matters which version you're in Always be joyful, I love it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, my whole, well, my whole section. Read a little bit different in yours, but same basic talking point.
Speaker 1:Give thanks in all circumstances. This is hard, that's hard to do. There are so many circumstances that happen against us or to us. We're it's just not our human nature to want to rejoice in that. So our human nature to be angry and upset and wonder why, and I think going back all the way to verse eight, praying on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of hope of salvation, yeah, it's going back to that.
Speaker 2:No, I think my verse 18,. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus, and when you are thankful, if you don't know this, it's really hard to be anxious. You, your mind, cannot be thankful and anxious at the same time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So if you are struggling or you were anxious about something, right now you need to find something to be thankful for.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've always wanted to start one of those thankful journals and I think in my head, gosh, that would be so hard where every day you write something that you're thankful for and you can never repeat it or be something different. And I think at first it's hard, but then, once you get going that's what I've heard because I haven't done it Once you get going you realize I have so much to be thankful for and it's hard to be unthankful. Yeah, Like you said, I think if you had an Apple phone.
Speaker 2:Just came out with a new app journal app journal app. You can be journaling in your app, but you're an Android guy.
Speaker 1:Android Yep.
Speaker 2:So they probably don't have anything.
Speaker 1:I have a notes app. I can write a note.
Speaker 2:Well, we got that too. We got notes and journals and notes, yeah All right, verse number 19,.
Speaker 1:Do not quench the spirit, do not despise prophecy, but test everything. Hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of evil. Oh goodness.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a Do not stifle the Holy Spirit, do not suppress your Holy Spirit. Somehow we have that ability. I don't understand how it works.
Speaker 1:I think I think it's more of a question thing. Is that really, god? You know what I mean. Oh maybe hear something. Someone says something. You're like me. I'm definitely guilty of that. I get red flags immediately.
Speaker 1:Well, that's where the test, everything comes in Exactly, so maybe a red flag does come up and I go some sounds off of that. I need to double check that because it'll never prophecy. All that stuff will never go against what's actually written in God's word. Right, it will. What's the word? It will back up what God's already written here in the Bible.
Speaker 2:It should coincide with it. Yes, some I don't. I don't know how you. I don't know how to describe stifling the whole spirit, or even how you do it. I know we all do it, though. I think, that's us fighting our flesh. We choose our flesh, maybe over the Holy Spirit in our fleshly desires and we don't follow the spirit in those moments.
Speaker 1:Abstain from every evil. That's a big one, because there are so many levels of evil things that whatever it's evil yeah, I mean you can't.
Speaker 2:I don't think you can go a minute through the day without seeing some kind of evil. Yeah, in today's world, which is part of the laboring things. It's probably is really hard to keep away from evil, especially if you're out after dark.
Speaker 1:Nothing happens good after 10.
Speaker 2:And, all seriousness, the majority of things that I, when I think back, the majority of the trouble I got into, was after 10 o'clock. Yeah, I might have started before 10, but like it got bad. Yeah, after 10 o'clock. Yeah, so that I mean Something to be wary of first number 23.
Speaker 1:Now, may the god of peace now paul, I think is wrapping this up kind of putting a benediction, kind of blessing the community here. Now May the god of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, he will surely do it. Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with the holy kiss. I put you under oath before the lord to have this letter and read and read to all the brothers. The grace of the lord Jesus Christ be with you. Kind of wrapping it up here, kind of from some final instructions. May god, may god, may the god of peace sanctify you completely.
Speaker 2:I mean again.
Speaker 1:We right at the beginning said he's gonna encourage him here at the end, like he's wrapping this up, and he's continued to encourage him. Hey, you guys have done a great job. I don't even have to tell you about this stuff because you know right in here. May god just sanctify you completely. Like that blessing as I go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, may he continue to work on you. Right, like this is paul's prayer to them. Basically, he's wrapping it up here with with a prayer for him and once again, until our lord Jesus, jesus Christ, comes again. Like he's thrown it in there again. I think that's like the third time, right, it's a, it's a warning, like you got to stay holy, you got to continue to follow your holy spirit and Be prepared for the day when lord Jesus Christ comes again.
Speaker 1:It's an ongoing process. I think he's doubling down, as you were saying, that. I think what I'm, what I feel like he's doing, is doubling down on the fact that this is a process.
Speaker 1:Yeah this is not a. You came to Christ. You understand it. You're good. This is a process make I continue to sanctify you. May you continue to pray on the breastplate of love and faith and helmet of salvation. May it's like you got to continue these things. The labor pains are coming. The end times are coming. Continue to encourage one another, because I was having a thought earlier and I didn't say this. But was it God's design that it was going to get harder the closer it got? You know what I'm saying. Like the world's going to start getting crazy. We understand it, but that doesn't mean we're shielded from it. We're going to go through what the world goes through. We're just going to do it differently or we're called to do it differently. It seems like God's design is, and maybe that's testing our faith.
Speaker 2:So this is kind of a rabbit hole, right, it's one of those rabbit holes you can get into. Is it his design? Or is it that he knows that's what's going to happen because of our human free will and our ability to? Is it talked about Our ability to stifle the Holy Spirit? Yeah, so I guess when I'm thinking about that, I'm going to go back to what I said earlier our ability to support, press that and choose our flesh over God's way.
Speaker 2:as time goes on more and more evil is happening and it's just going to get worse. But was it his?
Speaker 1:well, it's not his desire, it's not his desire he knows it happens. He knows we fell. He knows all the sin that we're going to do. That's how I believe I. He knows everything right. He knows the end he's won.
Speaker 1:But I think he knows that there's labor pains coming. He knows the evil that's coming and he's, and I think that's why in every single one of these letters they kind of wrap up with that man encouragement yeah, because it's gonna get hard. Jesus said if I gotta do it, please understand you're gonna go through it too. Not that exact way, but that's kind of what he was saying. And I think as the world gets evil even even closer and closer and Jesus is sitting up there like is it time? And God's like not yet. Is it time? Not yet it's getting harder because, like you said, you can't go a second through the day and not see evil around you and our flesh and desire want that. That's our original sin. Our, our humanity wants that evil and it's a constant fight and as it gets worse, it's a, it's not it doesn't get easier.
Speaker 1:No, nowhere does it say becoming a Christian and life gets easy and I think that might be why a lot of people struggle or why a lot of people deconstruct, or they realize, well, I thought it was going to be easier no, it's going to be hard.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're the different, you're the light in the darkness. It's going to be hard. And then he ends here, verse 28 the grace of our Lord, jesus Christ, be with you. That grace, that grace we all need because it is hard and God understands that, and that grace is free for us if we accept it.
Speaker 2:I know you ended with 28 there, but I'm gonna go back 27. It's Paul. I command you, in the name Lord, to read this letter to all your brothers and sisters, and may the grace of our Lord, jesus Christ, be with you. All of you like go out and read this letter to your friend.
Speaker 1:I think it was don't hate church service. Sunday morning, you guys open this letter and read it together. Don't let us stop here.
Speaker 2:This needs to continue to move forward right and I yeah, when you think about that, like a lot of the churches were like I don't, they weren't home churches back then, but maybe they were, but they were smaller communities and yeah, it was get get the word to your brothers and sisters. They weren't here Sunday. You need to go read this letter to them yeah they need to be aware of it.
Speaker 2:So I think that's the challenge for the two fish community is to share the two fish podcast about this letter and help us spread the word of of Jesus. As we often talk about how we came to the two fish podcast, it was Jesus took the two fish and the five loaves and he fed the five thousand. So the only way we can do that is with your guys's help and, as we're entering the new year there's 2024 we're asking for your help. Help us share the word, help us spread it, especially as we talk about the warning of Jesus coming back and we don't know when so be ready, be encouragement, be ready and be a part of the two fish community.