Christian teaching

The day will not overwhelm you

A. You are fully aware – ¹Now concerning the times and the seasons brothers and sisters, you have no need to have anything written to you. ²For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

B. Those in darkness/not ready: ³While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

A¹. You will not be surprised – ⁴But you are not in darkness, brothers and sisters, for that day to surprise you like a thief. ⁵For you are all children of light, children of the day.

Continue to be ready

C. Let’s act like we are not of the night – We are not of the night or of the darkness. ⁶So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.

D. Those in darkness/not ready – ⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.

C¹. Let’s act like we belong to the day – ⁸But 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.

Our hope

⁹For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

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A. and A¹ – in both they know about the day; both refer to the thief; both have “brothers and sisters”; references alternate between “day” – “night”/ “darkness” – “day” “light” “day”; both use second person language.

C. and C¹ – in both the point is made that they are of the light, first negatively (C), then positively (C¹); both have exhortations – “let us”; both refer to being “sober”; both use first person language.

B and D parallel each other in basic theme; both have third person language.

The hope section (vs. 9-11) comes from the phrase at the end of the second section “the hope of salvation.”