Do you remember when you realized that Santa Claus was not coming anymore? Did you ever consider that Santa Claus might be a Christ figure? I think the Santa Claus song is good theology if you substitute the Lord’s name for Santa’s: Better watch out, for the Lord Jesus Christ is coming to town. He is coming, and His rewards are with Him.

But will you and I be found faithful?

That is Paul’s point in 1 Thess 5:1-11: Better watch out––He’s coming soon!

The Rapture (1 Thess 4:13-18) is a great promise. But if a person is unsure of his eternal destiny, belief in the Rapture is no comfort at all.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 calls for believers to live appropriately, considering Jesus’ soon return. Like 1 Thess 4:13-18, it is addressed to those who know they are eternally secure.

Paul said that the Lord Jesus is coming “like a thief in the night” (1 Thess 5:2). It was the Lord who first taught that (Matt 24:40-44). See also 2 Pet 3:10.

Paul said that “sudden destruction comes upon them [unbelievers], as labor pains upon a pregnant woman”(I Thess 5:3). That sudden destruction will be the seven years of the Tribulation. The birth of the Lord’s kingdom will occur after seven years of labor pains.

Paul contrasts unbelievers—“they shall not escape” (1 Thess 5:3)—with believers, who will escape the Tribulation (1 Thess 5:9, 10).

Christians should not be overtaken by the Day of the Lord (1 Thess 5:4). Paul is giving a warning here. Believers may be overtaken.

The believer who is overtaken is described in many of Jesus’ parables, among them the four soils (Luke 8:11-15), the minas (Luke 19:11-26), the talents (Matt 25:14-30), and the just and unjust servant (Matt 24:45-51).

To remain watchful, we need to be in a spiritual family that is sound in its preparation for the Lord’s soon return.

The Greek word for sleep, katheudō, found in verses 1 Thess 4:6, 7, and 10, is not the same word used in verses 13 and 15. Koimaō refers to the death of believers. Katheudō, “sleep,” in 1 Thess 5: 6-10, refers to moral lethargy.

Believers are not automatically prepared for His return.

To be prepared, we must be watchful.

The believer who is not attentive will be overtaken by the Day of the Lord, just as a thief in the night overtakes an unsuspecting person who is sleeping and not watching.

The thief takes away something that is valuable to the sleeper.

The believer who is morally asleep when Christ returns will miss out on some valuable things.

Grēgoreō, the Greek verb for “watching,” is used repeatedly in contexts related to the imminent return of Christ. It is found in Matt 24:42-43 and 25:13––verses from the Olivet Discourse related to the need to be watchful of His soon return.

It is also used in I Thess 5: 6b, 10, though the NKJV translates the word as wake in the latter verse.

Believers who are morally asleep (not watching) are not ready for the Rapture. They are not “Gregory” (playing off grēgoreō) Christians.

They will be raptured. They will live forever with the Lord (v 10). But they will not be ready to meet the Lord Jesus at the Bema, which follows the Rapture.

The trilogy of faith, hope, and love is found in verse 8.

Faith and love together form the breastplate. Compare verses like James 2:15-16 and 1 John 3:17––“Whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in Him?”

The hope of salvation is the certainty that soon we will be delivered from this evil age and escape the coming Tribulation by means of the Rapture.

The salvation referred to here is not deliverance from eternal condemnation, but deliverance from the Tribulation via the Rapture.

Paul does not explain in 1 Thess 5:1-11 what the watchful believer gets or what the sleeping believer misses. But he does explain this in other chapters in this book and in his other letters. And so do other NT authors. Compare Matt 24:45-51; Luke 19:16-26; 1 Cor 9:24-27; 2 Cor 5:9-10; 1 Thess 3:13; 5:23; 2 Tim 2:12; 4:6-8; Rev 2:26; 3:21.

Jesus died for us “that whether we wake [lit. are watchful] or sleep, we should live together with Him” (5:10). This was one of Zane Hodges’s favorite verses.

James said, “the Judge is at the door” (James 5:9). John said, “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:28).

Though all believers will be raptured––even those who are not watchful––we should be highly motivated to remain alert because we want His approval (1 Cor 9:27), His praise (Luke 19:17), and a heightened ability to serve Him.

The application for the unbeliever is simple: Believe in Christ for eternal life (John 11:25-27).

The application for the believer is simple too: Be a “Gregory” Christian. Be watchful and alert. Be vigilant. Receive weekly training so you will be ready for His soon return (Heb 10:23-25).

Not being watchful leads to shame at the Bema (1 John 2:28) and to missing out on ruling with Christ in the life to come (2 Tim 2:12).

While all believers will be raptured, that does not mean all believers will be ready for the Rapture. Larry Norman’s words, “I wish we’d all been ready,” apply to believers too. Let us be watchful every day. If we are, we will not be taken by surprise by the Lord’s soon return.