Why is it a dilemma?  Because the Church is of two or more minds. But, the rift in doctrine makes the facts surrounding this day crucial.  So what are the facts?

-first this day will come as a thief in the night (1 Thess 5:2). 

  • -and It will involve a call for peace and security by those in the world, who instead; because they refuse to come to Him, will receive only sudden destruction from which there is no escape (1 Thess. 5:3).  This is an extremely important clue as to this Day of the Lord’s timing.  Why do I say this?  The implication from this entire passage in every aspect of these verses will lead us to only one conclusion, but this one verse is the key.  One half of our theologians want us to believe that the Tribulation is included in this day, but it just does not fit. 
  • If we study Revelation we find that not only are there saved persons, who experience persecution from the world and Satan, who are included in the Tribulation, but God is still calling the world to repentance within the Tribulation time frame (Rev 9:20-21 & Rev 16:9 & 11).  Yet within the timing that Paul speaks of here in 1 Thessalonians there is no escape for these, who are yet in the world, as this day is approaching, so there are none from the world, who will still be saved as Jesus approaches as a thief in the night to bring their destruction.
  • Another supporting clue is found in verse 4:  for here we discover that every believer is now in an awake state and no believer is without the knowledge of the times and seasons in which they find themselves.  There is actually no time before this in the history of the Church that this unity of understanding has been her condition.  Today, as  the end draws near, what we see is division, as one-half of the Church is expecting the Rapture, while the other half is divided between expecting an extended time of peace or else some expect the move of the Church and the world into the Tribulation.  And at this same time much of what calls itself the Church is in bed with the world.  We can certainly not conclude what Paul does here to be a pre-Trib Rapture:
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:4  But you, brothers [and sisters,] are not in darkness, so that the day would overtake you like a thief; (NASB2020)
  • So, this time of which Paul speaks is a time when conditions are very dark on the earth. It is not only dark spiritually for the world that is crying out for peace and safety, but darkness is covering the earth just as Jesus stated that it would be.   And because of this darkness and the persecution that has surrounded the Church bringing us to this very time and season; then we will not be in darkness concerning this time of the Lord’s coming.  We will not know the day or the hour, but of the time of the Lords coming as a thief, we will know that it is right then imminent.  
  • Mark 13:24  “But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT,   25  AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.   26  “And then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory.  27  “And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven. (NASB2020)
  • We should be looking to Jesus as He prepares us for His coming. His prayer for us in John 17, is that we be in unity that the world would know that He was sent of the Father. Listen:
  • John 17:21  that they may all be one; just as You, Father, [are] in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.  22  “The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; (NASB2020)
  • That prayer will one day be answered. As long as a man is in and of this world he cannot be in Christ, but Jesus wants those in the world to have every opportunity to know Him and to be born of His Spirit becoming one with Him in the new covenant that was purchased with His death and the shedding of His own blood for the remission of sin.  Are you one of His?