1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 About dates and times, my friends, there is no need for me to write to you, for you know perfectly well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
The Day that Paul is talking about here cannot be the same Day as he mentions in 1 Thess. 4:13-18, or later in 2 Thess. 1-8 where he says that the Day Jesus Returns will not come until the Anti-Christ is revealed and enthrones himself in the Temple.
We read in Rev. 13:5 that the Anti-Christ is allowed to continue for 42 months, then Jesus will Return and chain him up for 1000 years. This time period is confirmed by Daniel 12:7 and again in Rev. 12:6 as 1260 days. [The three and a half year Great Tribulation]
Therefore those who are alive when the Anti-Christ declares himself to be God in the new Temple, can know exactly how long it will be before Jesus will Return. That glorious event should not be unexpected for them.
So what Day is Paul talking about in 1 Thess. 5:1:2? It is NOT the Return of Jesus on the Great Day of the Sovereign Lord, Rev. 16:14 and as described in Zechariah 14:3-5, Matthew 24:30, or Rev. 19:11-14, but it IS the terrible Day of the Lord’s vengeance and wrath – a Day that will come unexpectedly.
Isaiah 29:5-6 …suddenly, in an instant punishment will come from the Lord, with a great noise, storms, earthquakes and a devouring fire. Psalm 73:19, Jer. 4:20, Psalm 6:10, Psalms 11:4-6
1 Thess.5:3 While they are saying: Peace and safety, then sudden destruction will come upon them and there will be no escape. Ezekiel 7:16, Romans 2:3
It seems that just before this terrible Day, there may be an agreement of some kind in the Middle East, between Israel and the Islamists.
The world will breathe a sigh of relief, but as we are told in Psalms 144:11…their every word is worthless, every oath is false. They will simply use that time of lessened vigilance to prepare their attack. The moment of attack is the trigger for the Lord to arise and instigate His judgement/punishment by fire, a massive CME sunstrike. Isaiah 30:26, 2 Peter 3:7
2 Thess. 1:8 In flaming fire, the Lord Jesus will mete out punishment to all those who refuse to acknowledge their Creator and do not obey Him. Hebrews 10:27
1 Thess. 5:4-9 But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that this Day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light, we do not belong in the darkness. So then let us keep sober and alert, armed with the breastplate of faith and love, and with the hope of salvation as a helmet. God has not destined us to suffer His wrath, but for the full attainment of salvation through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Rev. 3:10
The punishment of the nations, the next prophesied event, the Sixth Seal - Rev 6:12-17, Isaiah 2:12-21, Jer. 23:19, Ezekiel 30:2-5, Zephaniah 3:8, 2 Peter 3:10 and many other vivid prophecies, will literally be fulfilled on that Day of disaster for all the world. Everyone will be affected, Luke 21:35, and huge numbers of people will die. Isaiah 66:16, Jer. 9:22, Matthew 24:40. It will be God’s second ‘reset of civilization’, an event similar in scope to the flood in Noah’s day. At that time, only Noah knew what was going to happen, now only just a very few understand the truth, as Daniel 12:10 says. Mathew 24:37-39
We, who believe in God, trust Jesus for our salvation and rely on His protection, have the promise of 1 Thess. 5:9 that we will not suffer His wrath. Many prophesies say how the Lord will protect His people during His wrath against the wicked peoples. Isa. 43:2, Psalms 31:23-24, Jer. 17:7-8, +
alright so here's the thing. the Abomination of Desolation does not mean that Jesus returns right then and there. It's the start of the great tribulations which is the persecution of Christians, Jews, and anyone else who won't take the mark and worship the antichrist, by the world.
That can go on some time, up to 3 years (leaving 5 months for the 5th trumpet as an absolute minimum) after the abomination of desolation.
Jesus can return at any time during that 3 years, and for the world who has accepted the mark, they'll go on like normal, eating and drinking, marrying, and for them it'll be a time of relative peace, the wars and rumors of wars and famines that brought the antichrist into power would likely have been for the most part solved, part of why he's in power, and why many believe he's god.
Jesus says that the world will be going on like normal, as in the days of noah, and the days of Lot in matthew 24. Which means 1 of 2 things
Either He comes before any tribulations, which is not what He said in Matthew 24:29, and not what Paul taught in 2 Thessalonians 2:3
OR
He comes after the tribulations which the setup to the tribulations is war and famine and disease and disasters, how does anyone go on living like normal with all that going on?
It's a presumption I'll admit, but the way it makes sense is that after the antichrist seizes control of the world and declares himself God, that those problems all appear to dissipate. The natural disasters stop, or at least appear to (IE they won't get 24/7 news coverage), the wars appear to stop (again, can be done with reducing news coverage of breaches of peace), the economy appears to be stable, and as long as someone worships the beast and takes the mark, they have food on the table and shelter and clothes. It's a return to normalcy, and a return to sinful lifestyle, especially when the "religious extremists" who won't worship the beast, are being removed from society, arrested, executed, and people will think they deserve it.
This is how you get back to the days of lot, how you get back to the days of noah, a wicked world, where everyone is thinking they're dwelling in safety and comfort, while those who fear God know that disaster is coming.
It will be unexpected by many when the Abomination of Desolation happens, persecution of Christians happens, and there is no divine judgement right away, time passes. People might at first think of end times prophecy when someone does these things, but when nothing happens except Christians being martyred over months, maybe even over years.. they will go about their normal lives.
But at any time after those prerequisite conditions are met, within the alotted 42 months/1290 days/3.5 years, Jesus can come back, and it will catch most people totally off guard.
So yes, even with prerequisite signs, the day of the Lord can come as a thief in the night, and by this, I mean the rapture/gathering/Jesus in the clouds/beginning of the wrath of God.
After that happens it will NOT be as in the days of Lot or Noah, it will be disaster everywhere.
So there HAS to be 2 separate events.
BUT, if you'll remember, Revelation 16:12-14
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
See, Satan can read scripture, and is in fact, very knowledgeable about it, way more well versed than any human. He'll know when the abomination of desolation takes place, and knows that 1290 days later, is the end, which is Jesus returning on a white horse. Unlike the rapture/coming in the clouds, which has no specific day or hour, and is something witnessed worldwide, and we only know prerequisite conditions/signs, coming on the white horse on the mount of olives, has a specific day, and location.
So the Father can't be the only one who knows about that coming, because the angels know, which includes Satan, and so does anyone who reads the book of Daniel.
When you try to combine those 2 events into a single event, then you have to disregard the dates set in Daniel, because Jesus told us nobody knows the day or hour except God the Father.
But when you recognize 2 different events, you'll understand how Satan can prepare an army to meet at Armageddon, knowing where and when to expect Jesus.