Chapter 5
The day of Yehovah
Before delving into chapter 5 it is prudent to have a precursory understanding of the meaning of the day of Yehovah, which many commentators have juggled with and, like contortionists, have twisted in order to fit into their preconceived mould of eschatological events. One cannot reach a reasonable conclusion without looking at all the prophetic verses of the prophets in the Tanakh, as well as those of Yeshua himself, and subsequently of the apostles. When all verses are laid together side by side, we reach the following factual conclusions:
A. Great Tribulation precedes
B. Signs In The Heavens which precede
C. The Day Of Yehovah
Matt 24:29-31, Joel 2:30-31
The day of Yehovah shall not be one 24-hour day but shall follow the day in a year principle of Num 14:34; Eze 4:6; Isa 34:8
V1 -3 Paul had undoubtedly preached on this subject thoroughly to the ecclesia, even in the immature state of their Christian walk. This is a lesson to be adopted by any preacher. In mainstream Christianity, the prophecies of eschatological times are hardly ever gleaned upon, some books of the Bible such as the all-important Revelation of Yeshua to John, being deemed impossible to understand, and hence irrelevant to one’s pilgrimage on earth. So powerful has been this lie of the enemy, that it has minimized the importance of teaching the return of Yeshua, and dampened the desperate need for us to be perpetually prepared for this magnanimous event, which shall determine our eternal destiny.
Without a scriptural knowledge and understanding of this greatly covered event, one cannot possibly know what signs to look out for when the time approaches, nor be wary of the enemy’s schemes as he ramps up the devised stratagem to usher in the anti-Messiah, the son of perdition, in plain sight to a world deep in spiritual slumber and darkness. The world in Noah’s day was more technologically and intellectually advanced, having been in the midst of angelic and hybrid angelo-sapien beings, yet missed all the signs of the deluge that was to befall them. Enoch’s prophecies were taken as lightly by them, as those of Daniel, John, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Zephaniah and others are today. Most worrying is the complete ignorance of even the churches of today towards the prophecies of Yeshua, our very Creator and Judge to come!
V4 The body of Messiah absolutely needs to be cognizant of, and imbued with the wisdom to understand every single prophecy relating to the end times, if they are to be prepared for Yeshua’s return, in order to escape being hypnotized by the dangerously alluring nature of the anti-Messiah, who shall even deceive some of the very elect into believing that he is Yeshua the Messiah cf Matt 24:24.
V5 Only those keeping Torah can possibly be designated the title of children of the light. There is no amount of scriptural verse gymnastics that can convolute this solid fact cf 1 Jn 1:5-7; Jn 3:19-21; Isa 2:5; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4,8-9; Pro 6:23; Ps 119:105. Understanding and keeping Torah, means understanding the Feasts or Holy days of Yehovah. In them are the message of the grand master plan of Yehovah of the ages, from creation to the end of this age. I am convinced that less than one percent of self-professing Christians know that there are even any feasts of Yehovah to keep, let alone understand them. Very few read their Bibles daily or regularly for that matter, to even know what Yehovah’s will is, and worse still, to understand Satan’s stratagems in the current and end days.
v6 -7 To remain in the truth of light, we need to continue walking with the Holy Spirit, with the Torah written in our hearts and minds, performing deeds representative of this, which is the will of Elohim cf Pro 4:1,2,4,13-19; Col 1:9-13; Acts 26:18
V8 cf Isa 59:17; Eph 6:14, 17. Scripture truly interprets and defines itself to dispel ambiguity. We are told that the just/righteous shall live by faith in Hab 2:4 where the word for just is the Hebrew tsaddiyq, which also means the lawful or law-abiding. Torah is the Word, the Way, the Truth and the Light, embodied in Yeshua, who is Love cf Deut 5:5 vs John 1:1; Pro 6:23; Ps 119:142; Deut 32:45-47 vs Jn 14:6; Ps 119:105 vs Jn 8:12. Faith and love in the breastplate are tantamount to righteousness, which is found in the law-abiding or lawful ones. There is no escaping Paul’s repetition of the significance of being righteous in faith and walking in light, truth, love and freedom all possible through keeping Torah led by the Holy Spirit.
The helmet of salvation is further qualified as hope of salvation. It is crucial to understand the true concept of salvation as being only available at the end of a fruitful law-abiding walk in Messiah during one’s life here on earth. Salvation only comes at the end and is what we hope for as we endure trial and tribulation along that strait and narrow path that leads to eternal life cf 1 Pet 1:5,9
V9 The wording is very precise here. Wrath not tribulation is utilized here. Christians shall in no wise escape the trials and tribulations of Satan and his demonic host. This is specified countless times throughout scripture, culminating in the Great Tribulation, during the reign of the anti-Messiah. The wrath of Elohim however, is reserved for the wicked who refuse to repent. This we shall study in due course when Elohim-willing, I do a commentary on the book of Revelation. Again, it is crucially important to note that salvation is yet future, being obtained when Yeshua returns for the righteous, prior to unleashing His wrath upon the reprobates.
V10-11 cf Rom 14:9 This reassurance for the immature ecclesia, full of love for Yehovah and for their neighbour, was to strengthen their hope in the return of Yeshua for them in the end times, regardless of whether one was alive or dead. He is Master of all believers past and present, who shall give everlasting life and freedom from Satan’s grip and death itself to all.
V12-13 It is our duty as members of the body of Yeshua the Messiah, to be appreciative of those within the body who go out of their way to lead the ecclesia, or at the very least set aside their own time to minister to the flock in some form or shape cf 1 Tim 5:17; Heb 13:17. Also regarding being peaceable with one another, we need to be able to establish how this peace is maintained. We find answers in the following scripture: Mark 9:50. Those seasoned with salt are the salt of the earth who are peacemakers cf Matt 5:9,13.
V14 Too many churches tolerate troublemakers and fear being labelled as judgemental, in the wake of reproving such behaviour. We must not be spineless, but rather give stern warnings to root out evil from the body of Messiah. If they refuse to repent of their ways it is perfectly acceptable of us to excommunicate such rabble rousers cf Rom 16:17; Matt 18:15-17; 2 Thes 3:6,14.
As for the other extreme it is our duty to embolden the fainthearted, and to support the infirm. These are the true characteristics of the salt of the earth. This requires much patience. Deliverance through casting out of demons, and laying on of hands is not usually an easy task. Satan's demons do not accept eviction without putting up a fight.
V15 This goes without saying. The demonic host brings all manner of troublemakers into the life of a true believer, hell-bent on tripping him up through vengeful retaliation, which is against the teachings of Messiah cf Matt 5:38-40. We are to never give the enemy any reason to work their way into our lives cf Eph 4:26-27; 2 Cor 2:10-11.
V16 It is not particularly specified here what we should rejoice in, but comparing scripture readily provides answers cf Rom 12:12; Matt 5:12; Lk 10:20. It is pretty clear that we should rejoice in the wake of tribulation, as the Thessalonians did, as Satan’s attacks are a sign that we are on Yeshua’s side, in whom we have hope. The short spell of persecution here on earth is incomparable to the eternal rewards that await us as conquerors in the kingdom of Elohim.
V17 cf Col 4:2; Lk 21:36; Eph 6:18. Again this is in reference to praying incessantly in times of persecution. It is a fallacy to believe that praying once against Satan’s kingdom is sufficient to ward off his evil angelic host. Even Yeshua in the garden of Gethsemane prayed incessantly and intensely until his sweat was as blood Lk 22:44.
V18 Prayer must always be accompanied by thanksgiving in Yeshua the Son’s name, in advance of the sure promise of Elohim the Father to answer us in our time of need cf Phil 4:6; Col 3:17; Heb 13:15. It is the will of the Father for us to pray in the name of the Son.
V19 ‘Sbennumi’ translated ‘quench’ means to extinguish. Resisting the Holy Spirit has grievous consequences, as He is our source of power and direct connection to Yeshua the Son and Yehovah Elohim the Father. It is the dwelling of the Holy Spirit within our hearts, that sanctifies us, and makes us acceptable to the Father through the Son. Without His presence we are deemed children of the devil, and enemies of Yehovah Elohim cf Eph 4:30; Isa 63:10; Neh 9:30
V20 ‘Propheteia’ does not only mean foretelling the future through divine revelation, but is almost exclusively used by Paul in his epistles to mean a discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of Elohim, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden. 1st Corinthians chapter 14 defines the significance of prophesying, and its superiority to speaking in tongues as a gift of the Holy Spirit.
V21 The spiritual world is more realistic than our physical, as it is the platform on which the forces of good battle against those of evil. There is no rest in this dimension. We, being physical beings are at a great disadvantage as we find ourselves pitted against invisible beings, with supreme intelligence, far greater than ours. Their powers of deception are immense, and can easily fool the very elect, masquerading as angels and ministers of light. We stand no chance without the superior protection of the Holy Spirit, whom we cannot afford to quench.
We are to absolutely question and test any and every supernatural experience that we may encounter, from visions to miraculous works, if we are to avoid being entangled deeply within a state of delusion, despite our seemingly benevolent intentions. I strongly recommend every Christian to read ‘War on the Saints’ by Evan Roberts and Jessie Penn-Lewis, which is a wonderful piece of literature that exposes the various mechanisms utilized by the demonic host of Satan to deceive the unprotected Christian in the spiritual world, through false visions and false supernatural phenomena cf 1 Jn 4:1; 1 Cor 2:14-15; 2 Cor 11:13-15.
V22 -23 This is undeniable evidence that once redeemed by the cleansing blood of Yeshua the Messiah, one can lead a life of perfection. It is a state that every Christian should aspire to achieve, not by one’s own works, but by submitting wholeheartedly to the guiding and leading of the Holy Spirit. A spirit-filled Christian readily identifies and resists the devil who flees in terror of the power of Elohim’s Holy Spirit cf Jm 4:7.
To have this peace of Elohim in one’s heart it is essential to pray incessantly as Yeshua did, who spent his nights in the mountains praying and communing with the Father. It is impossible for evil to enter a body, soul and spirit that is preoccupied with Yehovah the Father at all times. Christians of today are conditioned into believing that they are hopeless sinners in constant need of redemption. As a result, they are led by spirits of deception into condoning recurrent sin, in the false belief that they shall be forgiven every single time, regardless of the fact that the sin is premeditated and wilfully performed. This is an insult to the blood shed by Yeshua and is a dangerous game to play cf Heb 6:4-6.
Every true Christian should be encouraged to eschew evil and lead a perfect life which is truly achievable. Yeshua shall be returning for those whose mindset prescribes to this way of life cf Jude 1:24-25; Eph 5:25-26; Phil 1:9-11. Despite the flesh being susceptible to the law of sin, a Christian following the law of the Spirit in his mind, is able to resist the temptations of the flesh in order to be blameless in the flesh. Paul lived each day aiming for perfection, which explained Satan’s increased, seemingly unbearable attacks throughout his life cf Rom 7:21-8:6; Phil 3:9-17.
V24 Further reassurance is given of Yeshua’s protection of us against all manner of evil, if we would but only submit to His Holy Spirit and not quench/resist Him cf 2 Thes 3:2-3; 1 Pet 5:8-10; Deut 7:9
V25 -26 Christian leaders need to be prayed for at every given opportunity, as the greater forces of darkness are unleashed upon them, in Satan’s egregious attempts of stemming the destruction of the gates of hell cf Matt 16:18. Paul particularly requested prayer for a path to be opened for him to preach freely and for as long as he could despite Satan’s resistance, as he had done in Thessalonica, Berea and Philippi cf Phile 1:22; Col 4:3; Heb 13:18-19. A holy kiss was a form of affectionate greeting, which is still practised in much of the Middle East today.
V27 This wonderful epistle was not reserved for the ecclesia in Thessalonica, but was for all that are in the body of Messiah, even to this very day.
V28 Paul’s signature epilogue is given here, and we are informed that the epistle was written when Paul was advised to flee to Athens cf Acts 17:15. This epistle was hence written to a congregation who still had a fresh memory of Paul’s preaching and subsequent persecution.