We are continuing our study of 1 Thessalonians this morning; we are in chapter 5 which deals with the Day of the Lord.
For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 1 Thessalonians 5:2 ESV
The phrase "day of the Lord" is an expression taken from the Tanakh where it is used many times in regard to the judgments and destruction of various nations. It usually meant a time when God Himself would punish or judge people by means of the armies of other people.
While the references to "the day of the Lord" in the Tanakh referred to various nations, all the references in the New Testament to the "day of the Lord" are referring to the A. D. 70 judgment that came upon the nation Israel.
Paul tells the Thessalonians that in regard to the Day of the Lord.
But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 1 Thessalonians 5:4 ESV
Darkness is a symbol of both spiritual blindness and lack of knowledge. The "you" here is believers. And believes at Thessalonica were not in spiritual darkness, they knew the Lord. They were also not in darkness as to Yahweh’s eschatological plans. Paul had taught them all about eschatology; they were well informed and would not be surprised.
For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:5 ESV
Starting at this point and going through verse 10, Paul couches his teaching and exhortation in the first-person plural, moving from talking about what they, the unbelievers, do to what we, the Christians, do.
In contrast to those who will be overtaken by the Day of the Lord, the Thessalonian believers are sons of light and sons of day.
Let me say a few things here about audience relevance. This is a subject that is very important to the study of Scripture. Audience relevance is one of the rules of Hermeneutics. It requires that the interpreter ascertain the meaning of the words of Scripture by what they meant to the original, intended audience.
Who is the audience of verse 5? It is the first century saints at Thessalonica. Is this teaching specific to the Thessalonians only? No. All believers are sons of light because they are in the Lord. This is a truth for all saints in every age. But this is not the case for the next verse, we are not all called to be awake and sober.
So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 ESV
"Let us"—this is directed to the first-century audience. They were to be watching for the Day of the Lord. This does not apply to us because it is time sensitive. The event they were to watch for happened in A.D. 70.
G.K. Beale writes, "Paul underscores in 5:2-10 that Christ's final coming will happen unexpectedly and that Christians, nevertheless, should live in such a way that they will not be surprised by it. Though we cannot narrow Christ's return to any particular date, we should expect him to come at any time."
But according to the New Testament Scriptures we can narrow down Christ’s return. It was to happen while some of his disciples were still alive (Matthew 16:28). It was to happen in the generation of the writers (Matthew 24:34). It was to happen soon or shortly, and it was near—so near that judge was standing at the door. That narrows it down.
Because they were "children of the light and children of the day," they were not to be sleep but rather were to be alert and self-controlled. The translation "others" reflects the Greek hoi loipoi. It also occurs in 4:13 where Paul described "others" as those "who have no hope." In both cases, the term refers to unbelievers.
The word "sleep" here is the Greek word katheudō. This is a different word from that used of sleep in 4:13.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 ESV
Here the Greek is koimaō which is used in the Scripture for both sleep and death. Sleep is used here as a metaphor or a figure of speech. Sleep portrays what death means for a believer.
Katheudō is often used in the New Testament for moral indifference or spiritual insensitivity. It’s a synonym for spiritual lethargy or carnality and is in contrast with not physically being alive, but with being spiritually awake and in tune with the Lord.
Katheudō is used in this text in two different ways. It is used of moral indifference in verse 6. And it’s used of physical rest in verse 7.
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 1 Thessalonians 5:7 ESV
In Ephesians 5:14 the saints at Ephesus are enjoined to wake out of such a sleep that they might walk in the light of Christ in wisdom as wise and not foolish.
for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Ephesians 5:14 ESV
"Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you"—to whom is Paul talking here? In the context, Paul is speaking to Christians when he tells them to "Arise from the dead." It is an imperative denoting something they were to do. On the other hand, in Ephesians 2:1-5, Paul teaches that it is God "who made us alive." In other words, salvation is a work of God. But the imperative, "Arise from the dead," is directed to the believer who is a copartner of the unfruitful works of darkness.
What Paul is saying here is that there were some Ephesian Christians that were still sleeping and not walking in the light. They were dead in their trespasses and in their sins, but Yahweh had quickened them with Christ and had put them in heavenly places. The tragedy was that they were not walking it. Paul told them: "Wake up!"
It is not the unbeliever who is challenged to "wake up" and to "rise from the dead," but rather the believer. We can be lights only in a reflective way. Christ is the only true Light. We shine as He shines upon us.
So, the saints at Ephesus are enjoined to wake out of such a sleep so that they might walk in the light of Christ in wisdom as wise and not foolish. In our text, the believers are entreated not to enter into it.
"But let us keep awake and be sober"— the word "awake" here is the Greek word grēgoreuō, which literally means watchful. "The word "sober" here is likewise a figurative term that states the same idea but under a different synonym—spiritual sobriety. This word brings out the need to be under the Spirit’s control.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, Ephesians 5:18 ESV
"But be filled with the Spirit" —this is a command as seen in the use of the imperative mood. Christians in Asia Minor were commanded to be filled with the Spirit. This tells me the following: Not all Christians are filled with the Spirit, but it's not an option. It's a verb that's in the present tense, and so it literally means "keep on being filled." This isn't a once-for-all experience. The verb is in the passive, indicating that we don't fill ourselves; it is something that is done to us. We can and should put ourselves in the position to be filled, but it must be the sovereign Lord, the Spirit, that does the filling.
The word "filled" is the Greek word pleroo. Here it would be better translated as "be controlled" with the Spirit not with alcohol.
Both being awake and being sober are in contrast with the stupefied condition of drunkenness in which people are unable to exercise their faculties properly and cause harm to themselves.
The present active subjunctives, "keep awake" and "be sober," emphasize continual diligence. Alertness is a common theme of the New Testament for Christians concerning the Second Coming.
The Lord gave a parable on this theme in Matthew 25.
"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Matthew 25:1-6 ESV
"Will be like"–this is the future tense; it is looking ahead to the end of the age. "The kingdom of heaven will be like Ten virgins"–this means, when the Son of man returns in judgment, on the Day of the Lord, it will be as it was in the case of ten virgins in a marriage ceremony. The parable deals with the onset of the consummated kingdom. The Lord is still dealing with the disciples' questions about the destruction of the temple, the Lord's parousia, and the end of the age. We could put it this way–the end of the Jewish age and the consummation of the kingdom of God will be like the coming of a bridegroom to a waiting bridal party.
Yeshua made a distinction between the "wise" and the "foolish" at the beginning of His teaching in Matthew by an allegory of two builders, one wise and one foolish. We find in Matthew 7:24 that the wise one built his house upon the rock of obedience to Yeshua's teaching and the foolish one built upon the sand, refusing to do what He commanded. The two adjectives used to describe the ten virgins are the same as the ones used to describe the builders on the rock and on the sand in chapter seven.
The term for "foolish," (moros) has given us our term "moron." The contrast between the wise and foolish is a frequent feature of the wisdom literature of the Tanakh, especially in Proverbs.
The job of these ten girls was to go out to meet the groom when he arrived and escort him in. It was an important job, and if they did it well, their reward would be to join in the wedding feast.
Here are ten virgins waiting to join the wedding party. They are waiting expectantly for the bridegroom. Is the number ten significant? As the number seven among the Jews denoted perfection, so ten was the number that made a thing complete. A company was considered complete if ten were present.
Who are the virgins? In the flow and purpose of this parable, the "virgins" who are expecting the Bridegroom would be the first-century church.
The central message of this parable is that preparedness was essential because the time was coming when getting ready would no longer be possible; the door would be shut. They were to be prepared for the coming of the Son of Man. It should be clear that this parable is an amplification of one word which our Lord gave to his disciples after he had outlined the course of events. He said to them, "Stay awake!"
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. Matthew 24:42 ESV
The word "awake" here is the Greek word grēgoreuō, which is the same word that Paul uses in out text in Thessalonians. And it is the same word our Lord uses in the parable of the ten virgins.
As in the previous parable of the household which was waiting for its absent lord, this parable obviously is intended to describe those who lived between the Lord's ascension and His second coming—which would include the Thessalonians. Our Lord knew at this time that he was soon going away. He knew there would be an intervening period of time before his return, and he is describing, by means of these three parables, what he means by his command, "Stay awake." This parable stresses the need for preparedness in the face of an unexpected delay.
In this story about ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom's coming, certain clues are given to us to reveal our Lord's meaning. Notice, first of all, that there is a division among these ten. They fall into two groups: five were wise and five were foolish. The first question, therefore, that immediately confronts us is, "What makes the difference?" In what way are five wise and the other five foolish? You can see immediately that there were certain very similar things about all ten of them. They all intended to meet the bridegroom and to escort him to the place where the festivities were to be held. Because they all had lamps, that seems not to be the ground of division. Also, they all had oil when they started, so the difference is not that. Furthermore, they all were expecting the bridegroom's coming, so they all had a sense of expectation. But when he was delayed, they all went to sleep.
As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. Matthew 25:5 ESV
In each of these parables, the Lord clearly indicates that there is going to be what seemed to them as a long delay before His Parousia. After all, forty years is a long time isn't it?
But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' Matthew 24:48 ESV
Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. Matthew 25:19 ESV
Some try to turn this delay in thousands of years. But it is clear to see that the master returned to the same servants he had left. The Bridegroom returned to those very virgins who took a nap. They didn’t sleep for two thousand years. The virgins got drowsy at dusk, and the bridegroom returned at midnight.
But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Matthew 25:6 ESV
The same words here for "cry" and "meet" are used by Paul in 1 Thessalonians in describing the coming of Christ which he also said would be "like a thief in the night." But now, according to the story, the cry came at midnight: "Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him." That immediately plunges us into the rest of the story,
Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Matthew 25:7-13 ESV
The crucial difference between the wise and the foolish lay in the fact that the wise had extra oil. They all had oil to begin with, but the wise took along an extra supply. That is what made it possible for them to endure the unexpected delay of the bridegroom.
What does the oil symbolize? (Who cares, it doesn't matter). A big deal is made of the oil because many think that it is what divides these virgins. I think they are wrong.
The majority of commentators take the "oil" to be a symbol of the Holy Spirit and believe that the wise, having oil, represent the truly regenerate. But they both had oil to begin with; the foolish virgins simply ran out. How can the oil refer to the Holy Spirit? Do we run out of Holy Spirit?
The theme of this parable turns on the Bridegroom's delay. The foolish virgins did not forget to bring oil, but the delay of the bridegroom shows they did not bring enough. The oil cannot be forced to mean "good works" or "the Holy Spirit." It is merely an element in the story showing that the foolish virgins were not prepared for the delay and so missed the joy of the wedding feast. It is preparedness that distinguishes the wise from the foolish virgins. The wise were prepared to last through the delay.
The five foolish virgins probably expected that the bridegroom would come very soon and, therefore, made no provision for the delay. The wise virgins knew that the time of his coming was uncertain, so they were prepared for a delay.
Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:44 ESV
When the Bridegroom came, only those who were ready went in. The word "ready" is hetoimos. It means ready or prepared. The foolish virgins were not ready; they were unprepared and so they didn't get in.
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Matthew 25:13 ESV
The Greek word for "watch" here is gregoreuo. It means to keep awake, (i.e., watch, lit. or fig.), be vigilant. It is the same word that was used in our text in 1 Thessalonians 5:6.
So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 ESV
To not watch could cost the first-century saints dearly. It could cost them their lives. They needed to be prepared to flee Jerusalem in light of His coming. This is the scope or design of the whole parable. We also see here the idea, again, that they don't know the day or the hour of his coming and are, therefore, to always be watching. Like the coming of the Bridegroom, his advent would be sudden and costly for those who were not prepared. So, Paul told them to "keep awake."
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 1 Thessalonians 5:7 ESV
This is an illustration of the principle from the natural world: people generally sleep at night and get drunk at night.
The Bible has many cases of sleeping people who were overcome and died because they were not awake and watching. Remember the story of Sisera,
But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died. Judges 4:21 ESV
Samson was lulled to sleep by the deceptive Delilah.
She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. Judges 16:19 ESV
The virgins in Yeshua’s parable of His second coming all fell asleep while waiting for the bridegroom. So, Paul tells the Thessalonians.
So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 ESV
Then in verse 8 he says.
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 ESV
The contrast between Christians and unbelievers is introduced by the adversative but (de) and the emphatic we (hēmeis). Paul used the images of a soldier’s armor to illustrate the idea of watchfulness. A soldier is a good example of someone who must watch and be sober.
"Having put on"—this is an aorist middle participle which could read "having once for all put on." It is not a command but a description of an already existing reality that ultimately protects one. The word in Greek indicates not that believers make their own efforts to put on armor but that as "sons of light" they have already been clothed with the armor. Once a person has trusted Christ, he already has put on the armor. The armor is just a graphic way of saying what Paul says in Romans 13.
But put on the Lord Yeshua the Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:14 ESV
In other words, Christ Himself is our armor. "Put on" is from the Greek enduo, which means "to put on clothes," or "envelope in." It has the idea of a garment which is wrapped around oneself, and the Greek word is used literally this way in a number of places in the New Testament. Enduo here is an aorist imperative middle. An aorist imperative calls for a specific, definite, decisive choice: "Do this now, at once, once for all." The middle voice indicates the subject performs an action upon himself or herself. So, believers are called to once and for all put Christ on as a garment, to play the part of Yeshua. Paul is saying, "Become like Yeshua Christ; act like Him.
The breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation"—Paul used this military armor metaphor often. The picture is of a soldier, who, after having been clothed with armor, must now be watchful in order to conduct battle and to avoid harm.
"Faith…love…hope"— this was Paul's favorite triad of Christian virtues. These virtues are usually expressed as "faith, hope, and love." Paul's order here of faith, love, and hope (here and in 1:3) stresses the eschatological hope associated with Christ's Second Coming which is the focus of his letter.
"And for a helmet the hope of salvation"—the salvation here includes all that we have in Christ, but by context, Paul specifically had in mind deliverance from the wrath of the Day of the Lord. Why does he say the "hope" of salvation?
Paul calls salvation a hope because they were living in the transition period and their salvation has not yet been consummated. This forty-year transition period can be called "The Christ Event" or the Second Exodus and it is also what the Bible calls the "last days" (e.g., the last days of the Old Covenant). Those "last days" began at the ministry of Christ and ended at A.D. 70 when the Jewish temple was destroyed. The time period is also called "this age" in the Scriptures.
We now live in what the Bible calls "the age to come" (the New Covenant age). The forty-year period, from Pentecost to Holocaust, was a time of transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. In this transition period, the New Covenant had been inaugurated but not consummated. It was a time of "already but not yet." It was the ONLY time of the "already but not yet." During this Transition Period, they lived in hope of what they had been promised. Notice what Paul tells the Ephesian saints.
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV
The word "guarantee" is from the Greek word arrhabon. Strong's says this word is of Hebrew origin; a pledge, that is, part of the purchase money or property given in advance as security for the rest:—earnest. The Hebrew word for "pledge" is arabon. The Holy Spirit was given to first-century believers guaranteeing their future redemption.
Notice what the transition saints hoped for.
For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. Galatians 5:5 ESV
in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began. Titus 1:2 ESV
so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:7 ESV
waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Yeshua the Christ, Titus 2:13 ESV
The return of Christ was their blessed hope because all that they hoped for would be fulfilled by His presence.
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Yeshua the Christ. 1 Peter 1:13 ESV
The "Christ Event" (Transition Period, Second Exodus) was a time of hope. They hoped for what they did not see. They hoped for the completion of their redemption.
For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:24-25 ESV
You don't hope for what you have. So, the transition saints lived in hope—the hope of the second coming that would bring them the fulness of salvation.
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Yeshua the Christ, 1 Thessalonians 5:9 ESV
"For God has not destined us for wrath"—the verb translated "destined" here is tithēmi, which means "to destine or appoint someone to or for something" (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, by Walter Bauer, William Arndt, and Wilbur Gingrich [University of Chicago Press], 2nd ed., p. 816). It "is used regularly for God’s sovereign determination of events" (Milligan, cited by Robert Thomas, Expositors Bible Commentary [Zondervan], ed. by Frank Gaebelein, 11:284).
It means "to destine or appoint someone to or for something" (Acts 13:47; Rom. 4:17; 9:33; 1 Cor. 12:18, 28; 1 Tim. 1:12; 1 Pet. 2:6). Whenever the verb is used in this manner, the divine appointment is made so that God’s purposes might be fulfilled.
This is called the doctrine of predestination. Many Christians stumble over it, but it is what the Bible teaches. A comment by theologian Millard Erickson is helpful. He writes, "'Predestination' refers to God's choice of individuals for eternal life or eternal death. 'Election' is the selection of some for eternal life, the positive side of predestination."
Does predestination make God unloving? No. Everyone deserves God's wrath; no one deserves to be in His presence. When people experience God's wrath, that is justice. When people go to heaven, that is loving grace. Therefore, predestination shows the love of God as God chooses to make His enemies His friends by grace.
We see an analogy of this in John 5.
Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. John 5:2-3 ESV
So, there is a multitude of sick at this pool.
Yeshua said to him, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk." And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. John 5:8-9 ESV
Out of the multitude, Yeshua healed one man at a pool. He could have healed everyone, but He chose to heal only that man. He passed over the others who were present and wanted healing. Now, if you were a sick person at that pool who didn't get healed, what would have been your response? "That's not fair—you have to heal me too." It would have been just as easy for Christ to have healed the great multitude as it was for Him to heal the one man, but He didn't. Why? He chose not to.
Likewise, in the doctrine of predestination, God heals some people spiritually while not doing the same for others. The truth is that God could save everyone, just as He could have healed everyone when He was on the earth. Yet, because God is obligated to no one, the fact that He heals or saves anyone is a gracious, loving gift.
Paul has already mentioned God’s choice of the Thessalonians and the fact that God called them to salvation.
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 1 Thessalonians 1:4 ESV
Our verse in chapter 5 is saying the same thing.
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Yeshua the Christ, 1 Thessalonians 5:9 ESV
Why does Paul emphasize this so often? He does so because it is a big deal. In fact, it is the basis of our salvation. It means that God set His love on you and prepared a glorious future for you before you were ever born, before the foundation of the world. He sent His own Son to pay the price required for your redemption from sin. So, your salvation from God’s wrath is secure, not because of anything you have done or could do but because Yahweh chose you.
That God did not appoint us to wrath is reminiscent of a similar statement in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 regarding wrath. The fury of God’s wrath is described graphically in 2 Thessalonians 1:6–10 and 2:8–10 as it is directed against those who do not obey the gospel—unbelievers.
"But to obtain salvation through our Lord Yeshua the Christ"—commenting on this phrase J. Hampton Keathley, lll writes:
The Greek text is very descriptive here calling our attention to a further fact that defines the reason for our deliverance. Paul used what grammarians call an adjectival participle which ascribes a special fact, quality, or characteristic to the noun or substantive it modifies, or it may even add a further defining fact. Here that substantive is our "Lord Jesus Christ" and the reason for our deliverance is that He is "the One who died for us."
who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 1 Thessalonians 5:10 ESV
"Who died for us"—who is the "us" here? It is believers! Paul also says this in Romans 5.
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 ESV
"Who died for us"—this expresses Yeshua’s substitutionary, vicarious sacrifice on our behalf. The idea is that Yeshua died in our place, as a substitute for us.
If 1 Thessalonians was Paul’s earliest writing, then this is the first time in his writings that he states the specific means by which Christ procures our salvation. By his mentioning this briefly in passing here, we can assume that Paul had emphasized it when he was in Thessalonica. Luke summarizes Paul’s preaching in the synagogue at Thessalonica in Acts 17.
explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Yeshua, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ." Acts 17:3 ESV
The substitutionary death of Christ is at the heart of the gospel. Why did Yeshua have to die for our salvation? Why couldn’t Yahweh just forgive us? Because if He didn’t punish sin, He would not be holy and just.
"So that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him"— there is much disagreement as to what "sleep" means here. Does it refer to death as in chapter 4 or to spiritual apathy as in 5:6-7? In this context, what did we say that sleep means? Katheudō is often used in the New Testament for moral indifference or spiritual insensitivity. It’s a synonym for spiritual lethargy or carnality and is in contrast with being spiritually awake and in tune with the Lord.
So, the Lordship people have to make "sleep" here refer to death because they can’t have a carnal person living with Christ. But if Paul was talking about death here, why didn’t he use the word for death that he used in chapter 4? The immediate context favors the view of spiritually insensitive here because of verses 6-7 and the call to be alert and sober.
While the word for sleep here (katheudo) is used of death in only one passage in the gospels, the word used for being alert or awake (gregoreo) is never used metaphorically of physical life in the Greek Bible. The use of katheudo for physical death is rare. Normally, it is used of spiritual sleep. Since Paul used koimao for the death of believers in chapter 4, it is highly unlikely that he meant that here.
All this leads me to conclude that Paul was speaking of spiritual lethargy here in verse 10 and not physical death. Whether they are spiritually alert and expecting Christ’s coming or spiritually asleep and insensitive to His coming, they will live with Him when He comes. In other words, because their salvation is based on Christ’s finished work, it cannot be nullified by our lack of readiness.
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV
"Encourage" is the Greek parakaleo. It includes the concept of giving aid, of coming alongside to help, or to enable as needed. The noun form is used of the Holy Spirit who is called our Comforter.
They were also to "build one another up." This is the Greek word oikodomeo ("to build up, erect, restore"). Here it is used metaphorically of spiritual edification or restoration as might be needed in the life of each individual believer.
As in 4:18, Paul again calls the members of the Christian community to use this teaching of eschatology for mutual comfort as well as for edification. Paul is saying there is practical benefit in knowing biblical truth. Paul wrote this passage on eschatology to bring comfort the Thessalonians.
Are we today encouraged and built up by the doctrine of eschatology? We are if we correctly understand eschatology. We are comforted in the fact that as believers we are now in the presence of the Lord; we are not waiting for anything. Especially not for the day of the Lord’s judgment. We are now in His presence, and when we die, we will leave the physical realm and move into the heavenly/spiritual realm with our new spiritual body.
Verse 11 is the first of 22 commandments for Christians that follow through verse 27.