January 22, 2024 • 24 mins
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.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome back to the two fish podcast.
My name is Nick, I'm Aaron andthis week we're finishing up.
First, thessalonians were inchapter five.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
That's right, two fish community.
We are back for another episodein first Thessalonians, chapter
five.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
I just abruptly I used to go all the way down.
That's okay.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Anyways, that's right , we are back this week, First
Thessalonians five.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
That's right.
This is actually like week.
I think we're a solid week toend of the new year, so
hopefully everyone has had agreat New Year's, a great
Christmas.
Obviously, you watch, youlisten to the episodes or
Christmas episodes that are inour New Year's episode.
And so this week we're going togo back.
First Thessalonians, chapterfive.
We're going to wrap up the bookPaul's right into the church
and Thessalonians and this isjust a continuation of one, two,
(00:54):
three and four.
He's continuing to write,continuing to encourage.
He's.
He's definitely said, hey, weneed to work on these things,
but here he's wrapping up thisletter, for sure in
encouragement.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yeah, last week we talked like the headings.
My Bible here last week talkedlive to please God and the hope
of the resurrection, and thisweek Paul's going to wrap up his
final thoughts in this letterto the Thessalonians.
So let's just dive into itfirst.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
All right.
First Thessalonians, chapterfive, verse one.
Now, concerning the times andthe seasons, brothers, you have
no need to have anything writtento you, for you yourselves are
fully aware that the day of theLord will come like a thief in
the night, while people aresaying there's peace and
security, then suddendestruction will come upon them
as labor pains come upon apregnant woman, and they will
(01:42):
not escape.
But you are not in darkness,brothers, for that day to
surprise you like a thief, foryou are the children of the
light, the children of the day.
We are not of the night or ofthe darkness.
Let's stop right there.
I really don't need to writeanything more because you know
he's saying this group hasdefinitely read letters, paul
has been there, timothy's beenthere, they, they know the right
(02:05):
from the wrong and they knowand they've listened and they
know what's coming and they knowthat, hey, we don't need to
tell you.
Things are going to be good andthen, all of a sudden, they're
going to be bad.
You guys know that because yourchildren of the light.
So when darkness is around you,you're going to understand.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, I think the one thing to keep in mind here that
he is writing to believersabout the unbelievers.
What's going to happen to theunbelievers?
Right, yeah, this is not what'sgoing to happen to you and I or
the two fish community.
This would be what's going tohappen to those that are not
believers, maybe to those thatwe should be preaching to.
This is what you should betelling them.
(02:42):
Yes that the day is going tocome and it's not going to be
announced per se, is going to besudden and come on like, like,
you're having a baby, which, ifyou ask any lady that has had a
baby, it is not a pleasantexperience.
Well, I don't want to say it'snot pleasant, but it is painful.
Yes, it's not like a.
I think in the Bible even Goddescribed it as you're going to
(03:06):
endure a painful labor.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah, the labor pains .
You know what's coming and Ithink that you're you're exactly
right the way you worded it.
This is for the believer knowsthe unbelievers going to say
what is going on here?
The believer knows, hey, theseare labor pains and there's an
event coming.
In this circumstance it's ababy.
There's an event coming.
I know it's coming.
I don't have to worry aboutwhat is going on and what are
(03:29):
these pains I'm going through.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Right, and then and then verse two the one thing it
really points to mine says um.
Verse three, sorry, when peopleare saying, all as well,
everything is peaceful andsecure, that is when this is
going to come.
It's going to come at a timewhere a lot of people I would
speculate the world is feelingreally comfortable and and that
(03:52):
is where the Bible challenges usas believers like, don't get
comfortable.
You know, the day of the Lordis coming and the warnings are
here.
They're here in firstThessalonians and then we get
them in revelations.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
They're all throughout the New Testament
Like it is coming and they'reall pretty well described like
this yeah, I know there's a lotof podcasts that talk about the
end times and a lot of preacherstalked about the end times.
Before the end times andleading up to the end times,
there's what the Bible says islabor, growing pains, labor
pains like these events arebuilding because there's a
(04:27):
movement of God coming, and sosometimes I wonder, like
nowadays, are we in the end endtimes?
Like will it be in ourgeneration?
Or are these just growing pains?
Are they the labor pains thatwe know?
Okay, this is a building ofwhat's to come.
The mother knows I'm about tohave a baby.
She knows why.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Just like we're in month six.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
We might, we could be .
Sometimes it feels like we'rein month Nine and a half and the
baby should already come.
But yeah, and I think somethingelse to think about this kind
of sticks out to me, where hesays for you are children of the
light, children of the day, weare not of the night or of the
darkness.
Every time that I read theBible he says where he talks
about light and darkness, youcan't, there's not.
(05:08):
Darkness will never be able tocover the light.
You know what I mean?
You turn.
If you're in a completely darkroom and you turn on a light,
it's gonna cut through thedarkness.
The darkness isn't dark enoughto withhold it.
So, no one, you can't see it.
And I think that's another oneof those things is we, as
believers, should be standingout.
(05:28):
I think, especially when theworld is saying, hey, we're
great, then all of a sudden,what is going on?
All of a sudden, there'sdestruction.
That we should be a, we shouldbe the ones and that can be and
that can be convicting and mesometimes is a lot of times I
want to go.
What is going on?
But I should know as a believerhey, this is the stuff that
leads up and the non-believershould be able to see hey,
(05:51):
there's some light in thedarkness there.
What's going on over there it'skind 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 (06:03):
Stay alert and be sober.
So that's kind of what I jumpedgun there a little earlier.
But we are to be aware of thisand we are to always be ready,
for we are, we are to be Readyfor the Lord to return right,
we're told that constantly inthe Bible.
We don't know the day, we don'tknow the time.
We know there's gonna be somewarning.
We're perhaps seeing some ofthose warnings, as you pointed
(06:26):
to, but we are to be ready.
So, verse 6 that's what that'stalking about there.
7 night is the time for sleepand the time when people get
drunk.
But let us who live in thelight think clearly, protected
by the body or armor of faithand love and wearing as Our
helmet the confidence of oursalvation, for God decided to
(06:49):
save us through our Lord JesusChrist, not to pour out his
anger on us.
He died for us so that we canlive with him forever.
Rather, we are dead or alive atthe time of his return.
So encourage each other andbuild each other up, just as you
are already doing.
(07:09):
That's good.
There's a lot in there.
Verse so when I'm dead, youbetter keep building me up.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Verse 6.
There you're kind of talkingabout being ready.
I know we've done an episode onthe pair.
We've done episodes on parablesand that's one of Jesus
parables.
He likes the bridesmaids whowhen the when the groom comes
through in the middle of night,they have the oil ready to go,
not like the other ones who usedall their oil and then they got
to go searching and thebridegroom comes and they're not
ready.
Be prepared.
(07:44):
Maybe go find that episode.
If you haven't heard thatepisode, I know we've done that,
I don't know when, can'tconfirm it, but I know we've
done it.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
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 themall, but that was one of them we
did for sure.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Really points.
I mean don't be, be awake andbe sober, the night is for
drunks.
I don't necessarily think he'ssaying that literally.
I mean he kid he very well is,but it's for things, not of God.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Yeah, I think a lot of times the things that go on a
night like are typically you'retrying to sneak around, you're
doing things you shouldn't bedoing, your your partying, your
the clubs are open late, allthose type of things like
usually you know you tell yourkids throughout, after the post
lamp comes on, right, you're notdoing anything good, nothing
good happens after 10 o'clock,right, and mine says the
(08:35):
breastplate of faith and loveand the helmet of hope, of
salvation, those are those,those things we need to
constantly be praying on.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
We've done those episodes before talking about
the full armor of God.
We need to have faith.
It's night, we're waiting andwe're ready.
We don't know when it's gonnacome.
Or, like I said earlier, arethese growing pains or these
actually in times?
I have no idea, but he's.
He's writing to the churchsaying you know these things, so
you need to continue to beprepared.
(09:03):
I don't need to explain them,because you understand them.
Hold on to that faith, pray onthat breastplate of faith and
that helmet of salvation, andMine says hope of salvation we
have.
Salvation is just not completeyet and and continuing.
God created us not to be angryat us, not to have his wrath on
us.
He created us to be with him.
(09:25):
And Jesus died so that we could.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah, verse nine.
I was just having the thoughtlike that kind of points back to
.
You know, he destroyed theworld, he destroyed everybody in
the world at one time and hepromised never to do that again
With water.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
With water.
That's right.
He's gonna do it again.
It's just gonna be fire Withwater.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
But it kind of points back to that and I think
sometimes we often forget likewe gotta go back to the Old
Testament, like it's not, it's acomplete book and we gotta go
back and look at some of thoseexamples and I think he's
pointing back to that here andpointing to, obviously, that he
ultimately has sent Lord JesusChrist to die for or send to be
our blood, atonement thatthere's no longer needed animal
(10:08):
sacrifices.
God provided the ultimatesacrifice for us.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
And he always provides a way out with
temptation, with everything.
Noah's building an ark and for120 years people mocked him.
All they had to do was believeand get on the boat, and no one
did.
And then foreshadowing like yousaid, it's a full book
foreshadowing hey there's gonnabe one way.
There's gonna be one boat.
His name is Jesus.
You need to believe and get onthat boat.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
You know, I just recently had a conversation
about that and oftentimes talkabout the boat and how that
exact thing.
Noah got on the boat with hisfamily, but what's not talked
about is the people that weredrowning at the base of the boat
, that were trying to cling ontothe boat to try and survive.
Yeah, because they chose tomock and they chose not to
(10:55):
believe in what Noah was tellingthem.
And then the rains came andhere they were, like drowning.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Yeah, gotta wonder tangent, gotta wonder what no
one is similar thinking Like tohear that going on.
I'm sure they wanted to havemercy.
I'm sure they wanted to getthose people on.
I think God would haveprotected them from that, to
having to hear that or deal withthat.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Yeah, I think so.
Yeah, maybe I would probably bethe Noah that would go told ya
oh, that's terrible, it is butso in that part where we talked
about the dead building, thedead up, nick's gonna laugh at
me you shouldn't have died youshould have listened.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
That's why I was not there and Noah was chosen Right.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
So I think those are great points for us to reflect
on what Jesus did for us.
And as we're doing that, verse11 points to.
The very thing that we'resupposed to do is we're
reflecting on that and how Jesusdied for you and your sins.
That's to reach out to yourbrother and build each other up.
That's to reach out to the twofish community and build each
(12:00):
other up.
Right, and Paul points to theThessalonians were already doing
this at that point, which mightlead to like why he said I
don't feel like I need to writethis to you Because you're
already doing these things, buthe was gracious enough to write
it to him, to put it in writingfor us, 2000 years later, to
(12:21):
remind us that, no, this day iscoming.
Yeah, don't get comfortable.
Don't get comfortable.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
You gotta keep encouraging each other.
Encourage your brother andsister to not get comfortable.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
And even the next generation, right.
So, like you brought up, willit happen in our generation?
We?
Speaker 1 (12:40):
don't know.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
We don't know the time, the place.
We don't know how quick thislabor is gonna be, we don't know
how painful it's gonna get, butwe know it's coming.
We know we're having some laborpains that's very evident in
today's world but we don't knowhow long that'll last.
So the next generation we gottabe preparing them as well.
(13:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Verse number 12, we ask you, brothers and sisters,
to respect those who labor amongyou and are over you in the
Lord, and admonish you and toesteem them very highly in love
because of their work.
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 forevil, but always seek to do
(13:26):
good to one another and to enjoyto one another and to everyone.
Rejoice, always, pray withoutceasing, give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is thewill of God in Christ Jesus for
you.
Let's stop right there for asecond Verse 12,.
We ask you, brothers, torespect those who labor among
you and who are over you in theLord.
(13:47):
I think he's talking about thepastors, the missionaries, the
elders, your brothers andsisters who are doing the work.
Maybe it's a Bible study leader, maybe it's someone that's
actively going out there anddoing it.
Take care of those people, butthen, on the flip side, also
take care of the people thataren't.
And then that goes with theencouraging thing again
Encourage them.
Mine says faint hearted, helpthe weak and be patient with
(14:10):
them all.
What was the see?
No one replace evil for evilthere.
That that's me and Noahsituation Like I'm.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
I'm standing there like told you that's probably
not right attitude.
You know what I mean.
Oh God, knocked you off, toldyou yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Encourage, encourage, encourage.
Verse number 16, rejoice always.
That's got to be like thesecond shortest verse in the
Bible.
I know the first one is Jesuswept.
This is also two words, butmore letters Rejoice always, oh,
mine's always be joyful.
Oh shoot, I guess it matterswhich version you're in Always
be joyful, I love it.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Yeah, my whole, well, my whole section.
Read a little bit different inyours, but same basic talking
point.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Give thanks in all circumstances.
This is hard, that's hard to do.
There are so many circumstancesthat happen against us or to us
.
We're it's just not our humannature to want to rejoice in
that.
So our human nature to be angryand upset and wonder why, and I
think going back all the way toverse eight, praying on the
breastplate of faith and loveand the helmet of hope of
(15:16):
salvation, yeah, it's going backto that.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
No, I think my verse 18,.
No matter what happens, alwaysbe thankful, for this is God's
will for you who belong toChrist Jesus, and when you are
thankful, if you don't know this, it's really hard to be anxious
.
You, your mind, cannot bethankful and anxious at the same
time.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
So if you are struggling or you were anxious
about something, right now youneed to find something to be
thankful for.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
Yeah, I've always wanted to start one of those
thankful journals and I think inmy head, gosh, that would be so
hard where every day you writesomething that you're thankful
for and you can never repeat itor be something different.
And I think at first it's hard,but then, once you get going
that's what I've heard because Ihaven't done it Once you get
going you realize I have so muchto be thankful for and it's
hard to be unthankful.
Yeah, Like you said, I think ifyou had an Apple phone.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Just came out with a new app journal app journal app.
You can be journaling in yourapp, but you're an Android guy.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Android Yep.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
So they probably don't have anything.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
I have a notes app.
I can write a note.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Well, we got that too .
We got notes and journals andnotes, yeah All right, verse
number 19,.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Do not quench the spirit, do not despise prophecy,
but test everything.
Hold fast what is good, abstainfrom every form of evil.
Oh goodness.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
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 (16:51):
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.
Well, that's where the test,everything comes in Exactly, so
maybe a red flag does come upand I go some sounds off of that
.
I need to double check thatbecause it'll never prophecy.
(17:12):
All that stuff will never goagainst what's actually written
in God's word.
Right, it will.
What's the word?
It will back up what God'salready written here in the
Bible.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
It should coincide with it.
Yes, some I don't.
I don't know how you.
I don't know how to describestifling the whole spirit, or
even how you do it.
I know we all do it, though.
I think, that's us fighting ourflesh.
We choose our flesh, maybe overthe Holy Spirit in our fleshly
desires and we don't follow thespirit in those moments.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Abstain from every evil.
That's a big one, because thereare so many levels of evil
things that whatever it's evilyeah, I mean you can't.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
I don't think you can go a minute through the day
without seeing some kind of evil.
Yeah, in today's world, whichis part of the laboring things.
It's probably is really hard tokeep away from evil, especially
if you're out after dark.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Nothing happens good after 10.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
And, all seriousness, the majority of things that I,
when I think back, the majorityof the trouble I got into, was
after 10 o'clock.
Yeah, I might have startedbefore 10, but like it got bad.
Yeah, after 10 o'clock.
Yeah, so that I mean Somethingto be wary of first number 23.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Now, may the god of peace now paul, I think is
wrapping this up kind of puttinga benediction, kind of blessing
the community here.
Now May the god of peacehimself sanctify you completely
and may your whole spirit andsoul and body be kept blameless
at the coming of our lord JesusChrist.
He who calls you is faithful,he will surely do it.
Brothers, pray for us.
(18:48):
Greet all the brothers with theholy kiss.
I put you under oath before thelord to have this letter and
read and read to all thebrothers.
The grace of the lord JesusChrist be with you.
Kind of wrapping it up here,kind of from some final
instructions.
May god, may god, may the godof peace sanctify you completely
.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I mean again.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
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 greatjob.
I don't even have to tell youabout this stuff because you
know right in here.
May god just sanctify youcompletely.
Like that blessing as I go.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Yeah, may he continue to work on you.
Right, like this is paul'sprayer to them.
Basically, he's wrapping it uphere with with a prayer for him
and once again, until our lordJesus, jesus Christ, comes again
.
Like he's thrown it in thereagain.
I think that's like the thirdtime, right, it's a, it's a
warning, like you got to stayholy, you got to continue to
(19:46):
follow your holy spirit and Beprepared for the day when lord
Jesus Christ comes again.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
It's an ongoing process.
I think he's doubling down, asyou were saying, that.
I think what I'm, what I feellike he's doing, is doubling
down on the fact that this is aprocess.
Yeah this is not a.
You came to Christ.
You understand it.
You're good.
This is a process make Icontinue to sanctify you.
May you continue to pray on thebreastplate of love and faith
and helmet of salvation.
(20:13):
May it's like you got tocontinue these things.
The labor pains are coming.
The end times are coming.
Continue to encourage oneanother, because I was having a
thought earlier and I didn't saythis.
But was it God's design that itwas going to get harder the
closer it got?
You know what I'm saying.
Like the world's going to startgetting crazy.
We understand it, but thatdoesn't mean we're shielded from
it.
We're going to go through whatthe world goes through.
(20:34):
We're just going to do itdifferently or we're called to
do it differently.
It seems like God's design is,and maybe that's testing our
faith.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
So this is kind of a rabbit hole, right, it's one of
those rabbit holes you can getinto.
Is it his design?
Or is it that he knows that'swhat's going to happen because
of our human free will and ourability to?
Is it talked about Our abilityto stifle the Holy Spirit?
(21:04):
Yeah, so I guess when I'mthinking about that, I'm going
to go back to what I saidearlier our ability to support,
press that and choose our fleshover God's way.
as time goes on more and moreevil is happening and it's just
going to get worse.
But was it his?
Speaker 1 (21:21):
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'regoing to do.
That's how I believe I.
He knows everything right.
He knows the end he's won.
But I think he knows thatthere's labor pains coming.
He knows the evil that's comingand he's, and I think that's
why in every single one of theseletters they kind of wrap up
with that man encouragement yeah, because it's gonna get hard.
(21:44):
Jesus said if I gotta do it,please understand you're gonna
go through it too.
Not that exact way, but that'skind of what he was saying.
And I think as the world getsevil even even closer and closer
and Jesus is sitting up therelike is it time?
And God's like not yet.
Is it time?
Not yet it's getting harderbecause, like you said, you
can't go a second through theday and not see evil around you
(22:08):
and our flesh and desire wantthat.
That's our original sin.
Our, our humanity wants thatevil and it's a constant fight
and as it gets worse, it's a,it's not it doesn't get easier.
No, nowhere does it say becominga Christian and life gets easy
and I think that might be why alot of people struggle or why a
lot of people deconstruct, orthey realize, well, I thought it
(22:31):
was going to be easier no, it'sgoing to be hard.
Yeah, you're the different,you're the light in the darkness
.
It's going to be hard.
And then he ends here, verse 28the grace of our Lord, jesus
Christ, be with you.
That grace, that grace we allneed because it is hard and God
understands that, and that graceis free for us if we accept it.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
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, andmay the grace of our Lord, jesus
Christ, be with you.
All of you like go out and readthis letter to your friend.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
I think it was don't hate church service.
Sunday morning, you guys openthis letter and read it together
.
Don't let us stop here.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
This needs to continue to move forward right
and I yeah, when you think aboutthat, like a lot of the
churches were like I don't, theyweren't home churches back then
, but maybe they were, but theywere smaller communities and
yeah, it was get get the word toyour brothers and sisters.
They weren't here Sunday.
You need to go read this letterto them yeah they need to be
(23:37):
aware of it.
So I think that's the challengefor the two fish community is to
share the two fish podcastabout this letter and help us
spread the word of of Jesus.
As we often talk about how wecame to the two fish podcast, it
was Jesus took the two fish andthe five loaves and he fed the
(24:00):
five thousand.
So the only way we can do thatis with your guys's help and, as
we're entering the new yearthere's 2024 we're asking for
your help.
Help us share the word, help usspread it, especially as we
talk about the warning of Jesuscoming back and we don't know
when so be ready, beencouragement, be ready and be a
(24:23):
part of the two fish community.
Welcome back to the two fish podcast.
My name is Nick, I'm Aaron andthis week we're finishing up.
First, thessalonians were inchapter five.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
That's right, two fish community.
We are back for another episodein first Thessalonians, chapter
five.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
I just abruptly I used to go all the way down.
That's okay.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Anyways, that's right , we are back this week, First
Thessalonians five.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
That's right.
This is actually like week.
I think we're a solid week toend of the new year, so
hopefully everyone has had agreat New Year's, a great
Christmas.
Obviously, you watch, youlisten to the episodes or
Christmas episodes that are inour New Year's episode.
And so this week we're going togo back.
First Thessalonians, chapterfive.
We're going to wrap up the bookPaul's right into the church
and Thessalonians and this isjust a continuation of one, two,
(00:54):
three and four.
He's continuing to write,continuing to encourage.
He's.
He's definitely said, hey, weneed to work on these things,
but here he's wrapping up thisletter, for sure in
encouragement.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yeah, last week we talked like the headings.
My Bible here last week talkedlive to please God and the hope
of the resurrection, and thisweek Paul's going to wrap up his
final thoughts in this letterto the Thessalonians.
So let's just dive into itfirst.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
All right.
First Thessalonians, chapterfive, verse one.
Now, concerning the times andthe seasons, brothers, you have
no need to have anything writtento you, for you yourselves are
fully aware that the day of theLord will come like a thief in
the night, while people aresaying there's peace and
security, then suddendestruction will come upon them
as labor pains come upon apregnant woman, and they will
(01:42):
not escape.
But you are not in darkness,brothers, for that day to
surprise you like a thief, foryou are the children of the
light, the children of the day.
We are not of the night or ofthe darkness.
Let's stop right there.
I really don't need to writeanything more because you know
he's saying this group hasdefinitely read letters, paul
has been there, timothy's beenthere, they, they know the right
(02:05):
from the wrong and they knowand they've listened and they
know what's coming and they knowthat, hey, we don't need to
tell you.
Things are going to be good andthen, all of a sudden, they're
going to be bad.
You guys know that because yourchildren of the light.
So when darkness is around you,you're going to understand.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, I think the one thing to keep in mind here that
he is writing to believersabout the unbelievers.
What's going to happen to theunbelievers?
Right, yeah, this is not what'sgoing to happen to you and I or
the two fish community.
This would be what's going tohappen to those that are not
believers, maybe to those thatwe should be preaching to.
This is what you should betelling them.
(02:42):
Yes that the day is going tocome and it's not going to be
announced per se, is going to besudden and come on like, like,
you're having a baby, which, ifyou ask any lady that has had a
baby, it is not a pleasantexperience.
Well, I don't want to say it'snot pleasant, but it is painful.
Yes, it's not like a.
I think in the Bible even Goddescribed it as you're going to
(03:06):
endure a painful labor.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah, the labor pains .
You know what's coming and Ithink that you're you're exactly
right the way you worded it.
This is for the believer knowsthe unbelievers going to say
what is going on here?
The believer knows, hey, theseare labor pains and there's an
event coming.
In this circumstance it's ababy.
There's an event coming.
I know it's coming.
I don't have to worry aboutwhat is going on and what are
(03:29):
these pains I'm going through.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Right, and then and then verse two the one thing it
really points to mine says um.
Verse three, sorry, when peopleare saying, all as well,
everything is peaceful andsecure, that is when this is
going to come.
It's going to come at a timewhere a lot of people I would
speculate the world is feelingreally comfortable and and that
(03:52):
is where the Bible challenges usas believers like, don't get
comfortable.
You know, the day of the Lordis coming and the warnings are
here.
They're here in firstThessalonians and then we get
them in revelations.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
They're all throughout the New Testament
Like it is coming and they'reall pretty well described like
this yeah, I know there's a lotof podcasts that talk about the
end times and a lot of preacherstalked about the end times.
Before the end times andleading up to the end times,
there's what the Bible says islabor, growing pains, labor
pains like these events arebuilding because there's a
(04:27):
movement of God coming, and sosometimes I wonder, like
nowadays, are we in the end endtimes?
Like will it be in ourgeneration?
Or are these just growing pains?
Are they the labor pains thatwe know?
Okay, this is a building ofwhat's to come.
The mother knows I'm about tohave a baby.
She knows why.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Just like we're in month six.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
We might, we could be .
Sometimes it feels like we'rein month Nine and a half and the
baby should already come.
But yeah, and I think somethingelse to think about this kind
of sticks out to me, where hesays for you are children of the
light, children of the day, weare not of the night or of the
darkness.
Every time that I read theBible he says where he talks
about light and darkness, youcan't, there's not.
(05:08):
Darkness will never be able tocover the light.
You know what I mean?
You turn.
If you're in a completely darkroom and you turn on a light,
it's gonna cut through thedarkness.
The darkness isn't dark enoughto withhold it.
So, no one, you can't see it.
And I think that's another oneof those things is we, as
believers, should be standingout.
(05:28):
I think, especially when theworld is saying, hey, we're
great, then all of a sudden,what is going on?
All of a sudden, there'sdestruction.
That we should be a, we shouldbe the ones and that can be and
that can be convicting and mesometimes is a lot of times I
want to go.
What is going on?
But I should know as a believerhey, this is the stuff that
leads up and the non-believershould be able to see hey,
(05:51):
there's some light in thedarkness there.
What's going on over there it'skind 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 (06:03):
Stay alert and be sober.
So that's kind of what I jumpedgun there a little earlier.
But we are to be aware of thisand we are to always be ready,
for we are, we are to be Readyfor the Lord to return right,
we're told that constantly inthe Bible.
We don't know the day, we don'tknow the time.
We know there's gonna be somewarning.
We're perhaps seeing some ofthose warnings, as you pointed
(06:26):
to, but we are to be ready.
So, verse 6 that's what that'stalking about there.
7 night is the time for sleepand the time when people get
drunk.
But let us who live in thelight think clearly, protected
by the body or armor of faithand love and wearing as Our
helmet the confidence of oursalvation, for God decided to
(06:49):
save us through our Lord JesusChrist, not to pour out his
anger on us.
He died for us so that we canlive with him forever.
Rather, we are dead or alive atthe time of his return.
So encourage each other andbuild each other up, just as you
are already doing.
(07:09):
That's good.
There's a lot in there.
Verse so when I'm dead, youbetter keep building me up.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Verse 6.
There you're kind of talkingabout being ready.
I know we've done an episode onthe pair.
We've done episodes on parablesand that's one of Jesus
parables.
He likes the bridesmaids whowhen the when the groom comes
through in the middle of night,they have the oil ready to go,
not like the other ones who usedall their oil and then they got
to go searching and thebridegroom comes and they're not
ready.
Be prepared.
(07:44):
Maybe go find that episode.
If you haven't heard thatepisode, I know we've done that,
I don't know when, can'tconfirm it, but I know we've
done it.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
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 themall, but that was one of them we
did for sure.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Really points.
I mean don't be, be awake andbe sober, the night is for
drunks.
I don't necessarily think he'ssaying that literally.
I mean he kid he very well is,but it's for things, not of God.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Yeah, I think a lot of times the things that go on a
night like are typically you'retrying to sneak around, you're
doing things you shouldn't bedoing, your your partying, your
the clubs are open late, allthose type of things like
usually you know you tell yourkids throughout, after the post
lamp comes on, right, you're notdoing anything good, nothing
good happens after 10 o'clock,right, and mine says the
(08:35):
breastplate of faith and loveand the helmet of hope, of
salvation, those are those,those things we need to
constantly be praying on.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
We've done those episodes before talking about
the full armor of God.
We need to have faith.
It's night, we're waiting andwe're ready.
We don't know when it's gonnacome.
Or, like I said earlier, arethese growing pains or these
actually in times?
I have no idea, but he's.
He's writing to the churchsaying you know these things, so
you need to continue to beprepared.
(09:03):
I don't need to explain them,because you understand them.
Hold on to that faith, pray onthat breastplate of faith and
that helmet of salvation, andMine says hope of salvation we
have.
Salvation is just not completeyet and and continuing.
God created us not to be angryat us, not to have his wrath on
us.
He created us to be with him.
(09:25):
And Jesus died so that we could.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah, verse nine.
I was just having the thoughtlike that kind of points back to
.
You know, he destroyed theworld, he destroyed everybody in
the world at one time and hepromised never to do that again
With water.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
With water.
That's right.
He's gonna do it again.
It's just gonna be fire Withwater.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
But it kind of points back to that and I think
sometimes we often forget likewe gotta go back to the Old
Testament, like it's not, it's acomplete book and we gotta go
back and look at some of thoseexamples and I think he's
pointing back to that here andpointing to, obviously, that he
ultimately has sent Lord JesusChrist to die for or send to be
our blood, atonement thatthere's no longer needed animal
(10:08):
sacrifices.
God provided the ultimatesacrifice for us.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
And he always provides a way out with
temptation, with everything.
Noah's building an ark and for120 years people mocked him.
All they had to do was believeand get on the boat, and no one
did.
And then foreshadowing like yousaid, it's a full book
foreshadowing hey there's gonnabe one way.
There's gonna be one boat.
His name is Jesus.
You need to believe and get onthat boat.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
You know, I just recently had a conversation
about that and oftentimes talkabout the boat and how that
exact thing.
Noah got on the boat with hisfamily, but what's not talked
about is the people that weredrowning at the base of the boat
, that were trying to cling ontothe boat to try and survive.
Yeah, because they chose tomock and they chose not to
(10:55):
believe in what Noah was tellingthem.
And then the rains came andhere they were, like drowning.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Yeah, gotta wonder tangent, gotta wonder what no
one is similar thinking Like tohear that going on.
I'm sure they wanted to havemercy.
I'm sure they wanted to getthose people on.
I think God would haveprotected them from that, to
having to hear that or deal withthat.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Yeah, I think so.
Yeah, maybe I would probably bethe Noah that would go told ya
oh, that's terrible, it is butso in that part where we talked
about the dead building, thedead up, nick's gonna laugh at
me you shouldn't have died youshould have listened.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
That's why I was not there and Noah was chosen Right.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
So I think those are great points for us to reflect
on what Jesus did for us.
And as we're doing that, verse11 points to.
The very thing that we'resupposed to do is we're
reflecting on that and how Jesusdied for you and your sins.
That's to reach out to yourbrother and build each other up.
That's to reach out to the twofish community and build each
(12:00):
other up.
Right, and Paul points to theThessalonians were already doing
this at that point, which mightlead to like why he said I
don't feel like I need to writethis to you Because you're
already doing these things, buthe was gracious enough to write
it to him, to put it in writingfor us, 2000 years later, to
(12:21):
remind us that, no, this day iscoming.
Yeah, don't get comfortable.
Don't get comfortable.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
You gotta keep encouraging each other.
Encourage your brother andsister to not get comfortable.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
And even the next generation, right.
So, like you brought up, willit happen in our generation?
We?
Speaker 1 (12:40):
don't know.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
We don't know the time, the place.
We don't know how quick thislabor is gonna be, we don't know
how painful it's gonna get, butwe know it's coming.
We know we're having some laborpains that's very evident in
today's world but we don't knowhow long that'll last.
So the next generation we gottabe preparing them as well.
(13:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Verse number 12, we ask you, brothers and sisters,
to respect those who labor amongyou and are over you in the
Lord, and admonish you and toesteem them very highly in love
because of their work.
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 forevil, but always seek to do
(13:26):
good to one another and to enjoyto one another and to everyone.
Rejoice, always, pray withoutceasing, give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is thewill of God in Christ Jesus for
you.
Let's stop right there for asecond Verse 12,.
We ask you, brothers, torespect those who labor among
you and who are over you in theLord.
(13:47):
I think he's talking about thepastors, the missionaries, the
elders, your brothers andsisters who are doing the work.
Maybe it's a Bible study leader, maybe it's someone that's
actively going out there anddoing it.
Take care of those people, butthen, on the flip side, also
take care of the people thataren't.
And then that goes with theencouraging thing again
Encourage them.
Mine says faint hearted, helpthe weak and be patient with
(14:10):
them all.
What was the see?
No one replace evil for evilthere.
That that's me and Noahsituation Like I'm.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
I'm standing there like told you that's probably
not right attitude.
You know what I mean.
Oh God, knocked you off, toldyou yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Encourage, encourage, encourage.
Verse number 16, rejoice always.
That's got to be like thesecond shortest verse in the
Bible.
I know the first one is Jesuswept.
This is also two words, butmore letters Rejoice always, oh,
mine's always be joyful.
Oh shoot, I guess it matterswhich version you're in Always
be joyful, I love it.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Yeah, my whole, well, my whole section.
Read a little bit different inyours, but same basic talking
point.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Give thanks in all circumstances.
This is hard, that's hard to do.
There are so many circumstancesthat happen against us or to us
.
We're it's just not our humannature to want to rejoice in
that.
So our human nature to be angryand upset and wonder why, and I
think going back all the way toverse eight, praying on the
breastplate of faith and loveand the helmet of hope of
(15:16):
salvation, yeah, it's going backto that.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
No, I think my verse 18,.
No matter what happens, alwaysbe thankful, for this is God's
will for you who belong toChrist Jesus, and when you are
thankful, if you don't know this, it's really hard to be anxious
.
You, your mind, cannot bethankful and anxious at the same
time.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
So if you are struggling or you were anxious
about something, right now youneed to find something to be
thankful for.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
Yeah, I've always wanted to start one of those
thankful journals and I think inmy head, gosh, that would be so
hard where every day you writesomething that you're thankful
for and you can never repeat itor be something different.
And I think at first it's hard,but then, once you get going
that's what I've heard because Ihaven't done it Once you get
going you realize I have so muchto be thankful for and it's
hard to be unthankful.
Yeah, Like you said, I think ifyou had an Apple phone.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Just came out with a new app journal app journal app.
You can be journaling in yourapp, but you're an Android guy.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Android Yep.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
So they probably don't have anything.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
I have a notes app.
I can write a note.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Well, we got that too .
We got notes and journals andnotes, yeah All right, verse
number 19,.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Do not quench the spirit, do not despise prophecy,
but test everything.
Hold fast what is good, abstainfrom every form of evil.
Oh goodness.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
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 (16:51):
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.
Well, that's where the test,everything comes in Exactly, so
maybe a red flag does come upand I go some sounds off of that
.
I need to double check thatbecause it'll never prophecy.
(17:12):
All that stuff will never goagainst what's actually written
in God's word.
Right, it will.
What's the word?
It will back up what God'salready written here in the
Bible.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
It should coincide with it.
Yes, some I don't.
I don't know how you.
I don't know how to describestifling the whole spirit, or
even how you do it.
I know we all do it, though.
I think, that's us fighting ourflesh.
We choose our flesh, maybe overthe Holy Spirit in our fleshly
desires and we don't follow thespirit in those moments.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Abstain from every evil.
That's a big one, because thereare so many levels of evil
things that whatever it's evilyeah, I mean you can't.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
I don't think you can go a minute through the day
without seeing some kind of evil.
Yeah, in today's world, whichis part of the laboring things.
It's probably is really hard tokeep away from evil, especially
if you're out after dark.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Nothing happens good after 10.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
And, all seriousness, the majority of things that I,
when I think back, the majorityof the trouble I got into, was
after 10 o'clock.
Yeah, I might have startedbefore 10, but like it got bad.
Yeah, after 10 o'clock.
Yeah, so that I mean Somethingto be wary of first number 23.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Now, may the god of peace now paul, I think is
wrapping this up kind of puttinga benediction, kind of blessing
the community here.
Now May the god of peacehimself sanctify you completely
and may your whole spirit andsoul and body be kept blameless
at the coming of our lord JesusChrist.
He who calls you is faithful,he will surely do it.
Brothers, pray for us.
(18:48):
Greet all the brothers with theholy kiss.
I put you under oath before thelord to have this letter and
read and read to all thebrothers.
The grace of the lord JesusChrist be with you.
Kind of wrapping it up here,kind of from some final
instructions.
May god, may god, may the godof peace sanctify you completely
.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I mean again.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
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 greatjob.
I don't even have to tell youabout this stuff because you
know right in here.
May god just sanctify youcompletely.
Like that blessing as I go.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Yeah, may he continue to work on you.
Right, like this is paul'sprayer to them.
Basically, he's wrapping it uphere with with a prayer for him
and once again, until our lordJesus, jesus Christ, comes again
.
Like he's thrown it in thereagain.
I think that's like the thirdtime, right, it's a, it's a
warning, like you got to stayholy, you got to continue to
(19:46):
follow your holy spirit and Beprepared for the day when lord
Jesus Christ comes again.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
It's an ongoing process.
I think he's doubling down, asyou were saying, that.
I think what I'm, what I feellike he's doing, is doubling
down on the fact that this is aprocess.
Yeah this is not a.
You came to Christ.
You understand it.
You're good.
This is a process make Icontinue to sanctify you.
May you continue to pray on thebreastplate of love and faith
and helmet of salvation.
(20:13):
May it's like you got tocontinue these things.
The labor pains are coming.
The end times are coming.
Continue to encourage oneanother, because I was having a
thought earlier and I didn't saythis.
But was it God's design that itwas going to get harder the
closer it got?
You know what I'm saying.
Like the world's going to startgetting crazy.
We understand it, but thatdoesn't mean we're shielded from
it.
We're going to go through whatthe world goes through.
(20:34):
We're just going to do itdifferently or we're called to
do it differently.
It seems like God's design is,and maybe that's testing our
faith.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
So this is kind of a rabbit hole, right, it's one of
those rabbit holes you can getinto.
Is it his design?
Or is it that he knows that'swhat's going to happen because
of our human free will and ourability to?
Is it talked about Our abilityto stifle the Holy Spirit?
(21:04):
Yeah, so I guess when I'mthinking about that, I'm going
to go back to what I saidearlier our ability to support,
press that and choose our fleshover God's way.
as time goes on more and moreevil is happening and it's just
going to get worse.
But was it his?
Speaker 1 (21:21):
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'regoing to do.
That's how I believe I.
He knows everything right.
He knows the end he's won.
But I think he knows thatthere's labor pains coming.
He knows the evil that's comingand he's, and I think that's
why in every single one of theseletters they kind of wrap up
with that man encouragement yeah, because it's gonna get hard.
(21:44):
Jesus said if I gotta do it,please understand you're gonna
go through it too.
Not that exact way, but that'skind of what he was saying.
And I think as the world getsevil even even closer and closer
and Jesus is sitting up therelike is it time?
And God's like not yet.
Is it time?
Not yet it's getting harderbecause, like you said, you
can't go a second through theday and not see evil around you
(22:08):
and our flesh and desire wantthat.
That's our original sin.
Our, our humanity wants thatevil and it's a constant fight
and as it gets worse, it's a,it's not it doesn't get easier.
No, nowhere does it say becominga Christian and life gets easy
and I think that might be why alot of people struggle or why a
lot of people deconstruct, orthey realize, well, I thought it
(22:31):
was going to be easier no, it'sgoing to be hard.
Yeah, you're the different,you're the light in the darkness
.
It's going to be hard.
And then he ends here, verse 28the grace of our Lord, jesus
Christ, be with you.
That grace, that grace we allneed because it is hard and God
understands that, and that graceis free for us if we accept it.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
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, andmay the grace of our Lord, jesus
Christ, be with you.
All of you like go out and readthis letter to your friend.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
I think it was don't hate church service.
Sunday morning, you guys openthis letter and read it together
.
Don't let us stop here.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
This needs to continue to move forward right
and I yeah, when you think aboutthat, like a lot of the
churches were like I don't, theyweren't home churches back then
, but maybe they were, but theywere smaller communities and
yeah, it was get get the word toyour brothers and sisters.
They weren't here Sunday.
You need to go read this letterto them yeah they need to be
(23:37):
aware of it.
So I think that's the challengefor the two fish community is to
share the two fish podcastabout this letter and help us
spread the word of of Jesus.
As we often talk about how wecame to the two fish podcast, it
was Jesus took the two fish andthe five loaves and he fed the
(24:00):
five thousand.
So the only way we can do thatis with your guys's help and, as
we're entering the new yearthere's 2024 we're asking for
your help.
Help us share the word, help usspread it, especially as we
talk about the warning of Jesuscoming back and we don't know
when so be ready, beencouragement, be ready and be a
(24:23):
part of the two fish community.
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