Did Christ Ever Come When We Were Not Expecting Him?

Hi Mike,

What does the verses below seem to explain considering that we are coming out of darkness into light?

1Th 5:4-5, But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

M____

Hi M____,

When reading God’s Word we must always keep in mind that its Truth is in its sum and not in any one section of scripture.

Psa 119:160 The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever. (ASV)
2Pe 1:20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture at all is becoming its own explanation. (CLV)

So we know from the sum of God’s Word that we are dying daily (1Co 15:31), we are being crucified with Christ daily (Gal 2:20), Christ is increasing in us daily (Joh 3:30) and as the verses you inquire of here in 1Th 5 demonstrate, we are coming out of darkness into light daily.

1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
1Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Now let’s put all these principles into practice and use the sum of God’s word to understand this verse.
In Mat 4 we are told that we must all “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”. In 1Co 3:21-22 we are told that “all things are ours” including “the world… death… things present and things to come”.
Based on those verses alone we know that we, too, have “in times past” been children of darkness” (Eph 2:2-3), and we all know that Christ came to us when we were at our wits’ end (Psa 107: 21-31) and dragged us to Himself “at a time when we thought not”.

Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Luk 12:40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

So truly “all things are ours… things present and things to come” because we, too, have lived by “every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God”, and we can now say :
“[ We] are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake [ us] as a thief. [ We] are [ now] all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.â€
Now all of this is in accord with this verse of scripture:

Ecc 9:2 All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

So we were all in darkness, that day did overtake us as a thief and now we have that behind us.

Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by [ God’s chastening] grace ye are saved;)

I hope all these verses of scripture have helped you to understand these verses of scripture as they are to be understood within “the sum” of God’s Word.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike