1 Thessalonians 5:2

5:2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord ¹  will come in the same way as a thief in the night. ² 

1 Thessalonians 2:4

2:4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we declare it, not to please people but God, who examines our hearts.

1 Thessalonians 2:8

2:8 with such affection for you ³  we were happy ⁴  to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.

1 Thessalonians 4:14

4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that ⁵  God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians. ⁶ 

1 Thessalonians 4:17

4:17 Then we who are alive, who are left, ⁷  will be suddenly caught up ⁸  together ⁹  with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

¹ sn The day of the Lord is the period of time in the future when the Lord will intervene in the events of this earth to consummate his redemption and his judgment (Isa 2:11-12; 13:6-13; Ezek 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:32; 3:18; Amos 5:18-20; Obad 15-17; Zeph 1:7-18; 2:2-3; Zech 14:1, 13, 20-21; Mal 4:1, 5; 1 Cor 1:8; 5:5; 2 Cor 1:14; 2 Thess 2:2; 2 Pet 3:10). It includes both blessings and curses, though the latter is emphasized here.

² sn Jesus used a thief coming at night as an illustration of the unexpected and hostile nature of the coming of God’s judgment in the future. This is repeated in various ways in v. 4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15.

³ tn Grk “longing for you in this way.”

⁴ tn Or “we are happy.” This verb may be past or present tense, but the context favors the past.

⁵ tn “we believe that” is understood from the first clause of the verse, which is parallel. Grk “so also God will bring.”

⁶ tn Grk “those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.” It is possible that “through Jesus” describes “bring,” but this gives the unlikely double reference, “through Jesus God will bring them with Jesus.” Instead it describes their “falling sleep,” since through him their death is only sleep and not the threat it once was. Also Christians are those whose total existence – life and death – is in and through and for Christ (1 Cor 8:6).

⁷ tc The words οἱ περιλειπόμενοι (Joi perileipomenoi, “[the ones] who are left”) are lacking in F G {0226^vid} ar b as well as a few fathers, but the rest of the textual tradition has the words. Most likely, the Western mss omitted the words because of perceived redundancy with οἱ ζῶντες (Joi zwnte", “[the ones] who are alive”).

⁸ tn Or “snatched up.” The Greek verb ἁρπάζω implies that the action is quick or forceful, so the translation supplied the adverb “suddenly” to make this implicit notion clear.

⁹ tn Or “simultaneously,” but this meaning does not fit as well in the parallel in 5:10.