2. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
3. While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief;
5. for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;
6. so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.
7. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.
8. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
9. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-9
This passage is often used as a proof text by those promoting a pre-tribulational rapture of the Church. The emphasis is on the sudden, unexpected thief-like taking up of those who are "of the day" verses those who are "of the night" who are left behind to face the tribulation. The passage then closes with the assurance that the Church is not appointed to wrath. This verse then, is taken to mean that the rapture must by necessity occur first, to remove believers from the earth before God pours out His wrath upon a sinful world.
It is possible to encounter a biblical text and read our preconceived ideas into it. That is the danger of searching for a "proof text." If however we come to scripture with an open mind, desiring to know and understand truth, God will graciously give us understanding.
The idea of a pre-trib rapture cannot be proven by concrete passages of scripture. The verses simply do not exist. Multiple verses, like those above, are often quoted as proof, but again, the belief has to be read into the verse. If taken at face value, these verses often state the opposite.
Paul begins this section by reminding his readers that they do not need additional information concerning the times and seasons related to the endtimes events. They have a solid understanding. I once heard a Sunday School teacher tell the class that we shouldn't bother studying the end times as there are more important Biblical topics to study. He used these verses to make that claim. To the contrary, we find in the Bible numerous passages that foretell of these events, giving us a remarkable timeline with signs to watch for. God does not want us to be caught unaware as these events unfold.
The day of the Lord will indeed come like a thief, suddenly and unexpected. People will be caught unaware. There will be some form of a false peace that will lull many into complacency. Paul warns that destruction will come upon them suddenly. But a believer should not be caught by surprise. Paul goes on to differentiate between those who belong to Christ, and those who belong to this world.
So since we are sons of light and not darkness we must be alert and sober minded. We must be in the word, and not only reading it, but obeying it, letting it transform our lives. And praying as we watch, so that we may escape what is coming upon the earth, and to stand before Jesus at His return (Luke 31:36). We have all that we need in Jesus, and by His grace we need not slip back into darkness.
If we fail to watch, if we get bogged down with the cares and pursuits of this life, we will find ourselves in the same condition as those who will be caught by surprise by Christ's return.
34. "Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come upon you suddenly like a trap;
35. for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of the earth.
36. "But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
Luke 21:34-36 NASB
This is not speaking about escape in the sense of a pre-tribulational rapture, but of strength to endure to end (see Matt 24:13).
Paul exhorts us to put on a breastplate of faith and love, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. This is a similar concept to the spiritual armour found in Ephesians 6:13-18.
Jesus states thst the love of most will grow cold as the day of the Lord approaches (Matthew 24:12). He also asks a question thst we should take seriously. Will He find faith on the earth when He returns (Luke 18:8)? It should be noted that this question follows His teaching on persistent prayer.
As we walk in faith and love we must look past any trial and hardship that comes our way and look to the day that our salvation is final. Peter tells us that we are protected by God's power through faith, for a salvation that will be revealed in the last time ( 1 Peter 1:3-15).
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:13
Back to what Paul wrote in his epistle to the Thessslonian Church. It all flows to the verse where he states that we are not destined or appointed to wrath, but to salvation.
The pre-trib position maintains that God will not "beat up His bride", therefore the Church must be removed so it will not go through His wrath. There are several errors in this position.
First, the persecution and hardship that will occur during the tribulation are not God's wrath being poured out. Persecution is a natural result of following Christ, and numerous passages of scripture affirm this fact. Nowhere do we read that this is God pouring out His wrath on those who are faithful to Him. In fact Jesus tells us to rejoice and be glad when we are persecuted because we are following in the steps of the great men of God who have gone before us (Matthew 5:11-12).
We read in Revelation 12:7-17 of a war in heaven, where Satan is cast down to the earth. This event triggers the final three and one half years known as the great tribulation. We will know that this has occurred when the Antichrist is revealed in the temple at what is referred to as "the abomination that causes desolation."
"For this reason, rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time"....So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Revelation 12:12, 17
The persecution that believers will face during the great tribulation can be attributed to Satan's wrath. God is not "beating up His bride."
The second point that I will make concerns the bowls of God's wrath that are poured out during this time period. Revelation 16:1-21 make it clear that the intended recipients of God's wrath are those who have taken the mark, and worshipped the image of the beast (Rev 16:2), those who have persecuted the saints (Rev 16:5-6), and ultimately those who are hardened in their sin (Rev 16:8-11). It is the kingdom of the beast that will face the wrath of God.
This is a event reminiscent of the plagues in Egypt. At that time God made a distinction between the children of Israel and Egypt. It will be the same again. God does not pour out His wrath on His children. He is fully capable of preserving His own while judging those who have filled up the measure of their sinful acts.
And thirdly, the ultimate day of wrath occurs at Christ's return. Revelation 14:14-20 describes the final harvest of the earth, with verses 19-20 describing the wicked being thrown into the great wine press of God's wrath. Compare this passage with Isaiah 63:1-6 where we read of the day of God's day of redemption as well as His year of redemption. At the return of Jesus we read that men, regardless of wealth, strength, and honor, will hide themselves in caves and among the rocks. Why? They are hiding from the wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:12-17).
There is a distinction between light and darkness, night and day, those who are alert and sober, and those who will be caught unaware. We, as those who follow Jesus, are not destined to experience God's wrath, but to receive salvation at Christ's return in glory. This is not about escaping tribulation, but patient endurance in the face of tribulation.