1 Thessalonians 5:1–8

"But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."

Nothing, as it seems, is so curious, and so fondly prone to pry into things obscure and concealed, as the nature of men. And this is wont to happen to it, when the mind is unsettled and in an imperfect state. Why has he not said that no one knows? why has he not said, that it is not revealed, instead of saying, "Ye have no need that aught be written unto you"? Because in that case he would have grieved them more, but by speaking thus he comforted them. For by the expression, "Ye have no need," as if it were both superfluous, and inexpedient, he suffers them not to enquire.

For tell me, what would be the advantage? Let us suppose that the end would be after twenty or thirty or a hundred years, what is this to us? Is not the end of his own life the consummation to every individual? Why art thou curious, and travailest about the general end? But the case is the same with us in this, as in other things. For this reason Christ did not tell it, because it was not expedient.

Hear Paul saying, "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." Not the general day only, but that of every individual. For the one resembles the other, is also akin to it. For what the one does collectively, that the other does partially. For the period of consummation took its beginning from Adam, and then is the end of the consummation; since even now one would not err in calling it a consummation.

For when they shall say, `Peace, 'and `All things are safe, 'then sudden destruction shall come upon them." Again, in the second epistle he addresses them with even greater earnestness: "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, nor be troubled, either by spirit, or by word," that is, the word of false prophets, "or by letter," that is, the letter of false apostles, "as if from us, as that the day of the Lord is at hand.

It is superfluous and useless to know "the times and the seasons" of the end (Acts 1:7). Even to the apostles the Lord did not reveal this, when they, having approached, asked Him. But Paul, from the "unspeakable words" (2 Cor. 12:4), could perhaps have known about this as well.

In what he had written before, Paul corrected them in matters which needed to be improved upon, and now he begins to instruct them concerning the future. He first gives them a warning and then provides a prayer with the words, may the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly. These two things are indeed necessary for us. For the good deeds that we do are the result of free will, and so a man could profit from a warning. And since these deeds are also the result of grace, man needs prayer as well.

Concerning the first point he does two things: Paul first urges the Thessalonians to prepare themselves for the coming judgment; secondly, he shows them how they should prepare themselves (5:11). In addition, he divides the first part into two: he points out a feature of the coming judgment and then he shows in what manner they ought to prepare themselves for the judgment (5:6). There is also a subdivision of the first section into two further parts that include this feature of the coming judgment and then an explanation (5:3). In the first part Paul puts to rest their concern for knowledge about the future coming, and then treats what they did know about it (5:2).

First then, Paul says it was necessary for me to write about the preceding matters because you needed to know about them. But as to the times, that is, of summer, winter, or rather of what the future times will be, it was not necessary to write. Because certain of these things are reserved for only the divine knowledge: "But of that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (Mk. 13:32). "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority" (Ac. 1:7). "The more words, the more vanity, and what is man the better? For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow?" (Ec. 6:11). And so it is not necessary to write about this, for you yourselves know what ought to be known, that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

So what is this day which the Lord has made? Live good lives, and you will be this day yourselves. The apostle, you see, was not talking about the day which begins with sunrise and ends with sunset, when he said, "Let us walk honorably, as in the day"; where he also said, "For those who get drunk are drunk at night." Nobody sees people getting drunk at the midday meal; but when this does happen, it is a matter of the night, not of the day which the Lord has made. You see, just as that day is realized in those who live godly, holy and righteous lives, marked by moderation, justice, sobriety. So too on the contrary, for those who live in an ungodly, loose-living, proud and irreligious manner—for that sort of night, the night will undoubtedly be a thief. "The day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night."

His teaching on the subject quite clearly consisted of three propositions. One, that He will certainly return. Two, that we cannot possibly find out when. Three, and that therefore we must always be ready for Him. Note the therefore. Only because we cannot predict the moment, we must be ready at all moments. Our Lord repeated this practical conclusion again and again, as if the promise of the return had been made for the sake of this conclusion alone.

Watch, watch, is the burden of His advice. I shall come like a thief. You will not, I most solemnly assure you, you will not see Me approaching. If the householder had known at what time the burglar would arrive, he would have been ready for him. If the servant had known when his absent employer would come home, he would not have been found drunk in the kitchen. But they didn't, nor will you. Therefore you must be ready at all times.

The point is surely simple enough. The schoolboy does not know which part of his Virgil lesson he will be made to translate. That is why he must be prepared to translate any passage. The sentry does not know at what time an enemy will attack, or an officer inspect his post. That is why he must keep awake all the time.

The return is wholly unpredictable. There will be wars and rumors of wars, and all kinds of catastrophes, as there always are. Things will be, in that sense, normal, the hour before the heavens roll up like a scroll. You cannot guess it. If you could, one chief purpose for which it was foretold would be frustrated. And God's purposes are not so easily frustrated as that. One's ears should be closed against any future William Miller in advance. The folly of listening to him at all is almost equal to the folly of believing him. He couldn't know what he pretends, or thinks he knows.

Of this folly George MacDonald has written well. Do those, he asks, who say, lo here or lo there are the signs of his coming, think to be too keen for him, and spy his approach? When he tells them to watch, lest he find them neglecting their work, they stare this way and that, and watch lest he should succeed in coming like a thief. Obedience is the one key of life.

The doctrine of the second coming has failed, so far as we are concerned, if it does not make us realize that at every moment of every day in our lives Don's question, 'What if this present were the world's last night?'...

What is important is not that we should always fear or hope about the end, but that we should always remember, always take it into account. An analogy may help here. A man of seventy need not be always feeling, much less talking, about his approaching death. But a wise man of seventy should always take it into account.

The apostle says: "The day of the Lord shall so come as a thief in the night. When they shall say, Peace and security, then on them shall come sudden destruction." [1 Thessalonians 5:2-3] Also in the Acts of the Apostles: "No one can know the times or the seasons which the Father has placed in His own power." [Acts 1:7]

Do not place your confidence in your youth, nor think that you have a very fixed term of life, "For the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night." On this account he has made our end invisible, so that we might demonstrate clearly our diligence and forethought. Do you not see men taken away prematurely day after day? On this account a certain one admonishes, "don't delay in turning to the Lord, and don't put things off from day to day," lest at any time, while you delay, you are destroyed. Let the old man keep this admonition; let the young man heed this advice. Indeed, are you in insecurity, and are you rich, and do you abound in wealth, and does no affliction happen to you? Still hear what Paul says: "when they say peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them." Affairs change often. We are not masters of our end. Let us be masters of virtue. Our Master Christ is loving.

By the Day of the Lord one must understand both the general end and the particular end of each person, for this latter is also unknown as to when it will come for each one. And this is beneficial for us for many reasons. First, because if a person knew his final hour, he would ceaselessly commit every sin, and then, toward the end of life, would approach the baptismal font. Second, because many, if they learned that they would die tomorrow, would inflict countless calamities upon their enemies, either simply out of despair or from a desire to satiate themselves with the blood of their enemies — which does not happen now, thanks to the fact that they are restrained by the fear of death and the love of life. Moreover, people attached to life could die of grief if they learned the fateful hour of their death. Finally, even the righteous, when exposed to dangers, would not deserve such a reward, because it would appear that since they know they will not die now but after so many years, they therefore do not spare themselves. But now, when it is unknown whether they will survive the dangers, and yet they do not spare themselves, their virtue is beyond doubt. Just as the three Hebrew youths deserve all the more admiration because, not knowing for certain whether they would be saved from the fire, they still did not worship the idol (Dan. 3:24). Thus, our end comes like a thief in the night. You know this, Thessalonians, from what the Lord said: "you do not know at what hour your Lord will come" (Matt. 24:42).

In fact, all days depend on the Lord: "By thy appointment they stand this day" (Ps. 119:91). But this day especially belongs to the Lord, because His will is fulfilled in everyone: it is accomplished in the good people who are led to salvation as an end foreknown by God: "Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4); and in the evil people that are punished: "At the set time which I appoint I will judge with equity" (Ps. 75:2).

It will come like a thief, that is, unannounced: "If the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have been awake" (Lk. 12:39). "The day of the Lord will come like a thief" (2 Pet. 3:10). "I will come like a thief" (Rev. 3:3). But why is it said that the day shall come during the night? It should be understood that both are involved because He comes during the day for the uncovering of our hearts: "Before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart" (1 Cor. 4:5); but He comes at night because of the surprise element: "Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him" (Matt. 25:6). Actually, it is not certain at what hour it will occur.

The time of the clear doctrine extended from Hadrian. But how long it lasted, who is able to say, and who has said? It is certain that we are living in it; it is certain also that it will last until the downfall of the beast that comes up from the sea, when Babylon will be confounded and destroyed, and peace will be given. But first, tribulation must come to pass. And here no boundary can be set, for no one knows how long this time of major peace is to last, "for when they shall say, 'Peace and security,' even then sudden destruction will come upon them."

These men, therefore, ought to learn [what really is the state of the case], and go back to the true number of the name, that they be not reckoned among false prophets. But, knowing the sure number declared by Scripture, that is, six hundred sixty and six, let them await, in the first place, the division of the kingdom into ten; then, in the next place, when these kings are reigning, and beginning to set their affairs in order, and advance their kingdom, [let them learn] to acknowledge that he who shall come claiming the kingdom for himself, and shall terrify those men of whom we have been speaking, having a name containing the aforesaid number, is truly the abomination of desolation. This, too, the apostle affirms: "When they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction shall come upon them." And Jeremiah does not merely point out his sudden coming, but he even indicates the tribe from which he shall come, where he says, "We shall hear the voice of his swift horses from Dan; the whole earth shall be moved by the voice of the neighing of his galloping horses: he shall also come and devour the earth, and the fulness thereof, the city also, and they that dwell therein." This, too, is the reason that this tribe is not reckoned in the Apocalypse along with those which are saved.

And so that you may learn by another thing that the Lord's silence on this matter is not a sign of ignorance on his part, take note of something else in addition to what we have mentioned. "But as in the days of Noah they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that the flood came and took everything away, so also shall the coming of the Son of Man be." He said these things in order to show that he would come suddenly and unexpectedly, and precisely when a majority of people would be living luxuriously. Paul also said this when he wrote, "When they shall speak of peace and safety, then sudden destruction will come upon them," and to show how unexpectedly, he said, "as travail upon a woman with child."

"When they are saying peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in nowise escape."

Here he has glanced at something which he has also said in his second Epistle. For since they indeed were in affliction, but they that warred on them at ease and in luxury, and then while he comforted them in their present sufferings by this mention of the Resurrection, the others insulted them with arguments taken from their forefathers, and said, When will it happen?

But it may be worth while to ask, If Antichrist comes, and Elias comes, how is it "when they say Peace and safety," that then a sudden destruction comes upon them? For these things do not permit the day to come upon them unawares, being signs of its coming. But he does not mean this to be the time of Antichrist, and the whole day, because that will be a sign of the coming of Christ, but Himself will not have a sign, but will come suddenly and unexpectedly. For travail, indeed, you say, does not come upon the pregnant woman unexpectedly: for she knows that after nine months the birth will take place. And yet it is very uncertain. For some bring forth at the seventh month, and others at the ninth. And at any rate the day and the hour is uncertain. With respect to this therefore, Paul speaks thus. And the image is exact. For there are not many sure signs of travail; many indeed have brought forth in the high roads, or when out of their houses and abroad, not foreseeing it. And he has not only glanced here at the uncertainty, but also at the bitterness of the pain.

The woman who is pregnant knows that she has a fetus in the womb but does not know when birth will occur. So it is with us as we know that the Lord will come, but we do not teach the time itself with certainty.

Since those who were insulting the Thessalonians were leading a life of pleasures, the apostle now comforts the believers, saying: do not think that they will escape punishment. Destruction will come upon them too, unexpected destruction, heavy and containing within it much grief, like the pangs of a woman in labor. But if Elijah and the Antichrist are to come, why does Paul now say that destruction will overtake them suddenly? Because the Antichrist and Elijah are a sign of the general end; but the coming of Christ is not yet; it will be sudden and no one knows when. Pay attention to the comparison with the pangs of birth. For there too, a woman knows that she will give birth, but exactly when — this she does not yet know. That is why many women, foreseeing nothing, gave birth even at seven months and on the roads. And just as they, while playing and laughing, are suddenly subjected to inexpressible pangs, so too the souls of those who now lead a life of amusements, when that day arrives, will by no means escape torment.

Then when he says: When people say "There is peace and security," he explains the things he had mentioned. First he refers to the evil people; secondly, to the good people (5:4). In regard to the first division he does two things. He first describes the false confidence of the evil people and secondly he refers to the danger of a delay. So Paul says: the Lord will come like a thief, because He shall come unexpectedly: When people say "there is peace," they shall be deceived in regard to the present time when they are living tranquilly: "But they live in great strife due to ignorance, and they call such great evils peace" (Wis. 14:22). Security has reference to the future: "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry" (Lk. 12:19).

But in contrast: "Men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world" (Lk. 21:26). Thus there is no security to be had. There are two explanations for this. The one offered by Augustine is that at that time some shall be good, but they will be afflicted, they will mourn and they will wait expectantly; and this is referred to in the quotation as "fainting" because of the absence of pleasures and the multiplicity of evils. But there will be peace and security among the evil people. The other explanation is found in the Gloss.

Then when he says, then sudden destruction will come upon them, he presents four aspects of the peril. First, that it will be unexpected, where he says: sudden, "like a break in a high wall,... whose crash comes suddenly, in an instant" (Is. 30:13). Secondly, he describes the peril as bringing death when he says destruction. "Destruction will tread upon him as a King" (Job 18:14). Thirdly, he refers to the peril as distressing, and he uses the word travail: "Anguish as of a woman in travail" (Ps. 48:6). Fourthly, he presents the peril as inevitable when he comments: and there will be no escape. Now is the time to escape from the wrath of God to the mercy of God, for the end of the world will not be a time of mercy but of justice.

Therefore, not to know the times is something different from decay of morals and love of vice. For, when the apostle Paul said, "Don't allow your thinking to be shaken nor be frightened, neither by word nor by epistle as sent from us, as if the day of the Lord were at hand," he obviously did not want them to believe those who thought the coming of the Lord was already at hand, but neither did he want them to be like the wicked servant and say, "My Lord is long in coming," and deliver themselves over to destruction by pride and riotous behavior. Thus, his desire that they should not listen to false rumors about the imminent approach of the last day was consistent with his wish that they should await the coming of their Lord fully prepared, packed for travel and with lamps burning. He said to them, "But you, brothers, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief, for all you are the children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night nor of darkness."

On the verse: "This is the day which the Lord has made." What we have sung to our Lord let us put into practice with his help. To be sure, every day has been made by the Lord, but with good reason has it been said of a particular day, "This is the day which the Lord has made." We read that when he created heaven and earth, "God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light, and God called the light Day, and the darkness Night." But there is another day, well established and definitely to be commended by us, concerning which the apostle says, "Let us walk becomingly as in the day." That day, commonly called "today," is caused by the rising and setting of the sun. There is still another day by which the word of God shines on the hearts of the faithful and dispels the darkness, not of the eyes, but of evil habits. Let us, therefore, recognize this light; let us rejoice in it; let us pay attention to the apostle when he says, "For we are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of night nor of darkness."

Now if the good God sees that a man's heart has not inclined to any of these things as David said, indicating the same, "You have tested my heart, You have visited it in the night, You have tried me by fire, and unrighteousness was not found in me," then God will help him and deliver him. Why does he say "in the night" and not "in the day"? Because the enemy's deceptions are a night, as Paul also said, "We are not children of the night but children of the day," since the Son of God is the Day, but Satan is night.

"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief."

Here he speaks of a life that is dark and impure. For it is just as corrupt and wicked men do all things as in the night, escaping the notice of all, and inclosing themselves in darkness. For tell me, does not the adulterer watch for the evening, and the thief for the night? Does not the violator of the tombs carry on all his trade in the night? What then? Does it not overtake them as a thief? Does it not come upon them also uncertainly, but do they know it beforehand? How then does he say, "Ye have no need that aught be written unto you"? He speaks here not with respect to the uncertainty, but with respect to the calamity, that is, it will not come as an evil to them. For it will come uncertainly indeed even to them, but it will involve them in no trouble. "That that Day," he says, "may not overtake you as a thief." For in the case of those who are watching and who are in the light, if there should be any entry of a robber, it can do them no harm: so also it is with those who live well. But those who are sleeping he will strip of everything, and go off; that is, those who are trusting in the things of this life.

Nay, but this whole world is the one house of all; in which world it is more the heathen, who is found in darkness, whom the grace of God enlightens, than the Christian, who is already in God's light. Finally, it is one "straying" which is ascribed to the ewe and the drachma: (and this is an evidence in my favour); for if the parables had been composed with a view to a Christian sinner, after the loss of his faith, a second loss and restoration of them would have been noted.

That is, you do not lead a dark and impure life. So then, what? Will the end not come upon them unexpectedly, even if they are not impure? It will come unexpectedly, but it will bring them no sorrow. For a thief can do no harm to those who are awake and have light, even if he manages to enter their house — on the contrary, those who are in darkness and sleeping he robs completely and departs.

Then Paul says, but you are not in darkness, brethren, and explains what he had mentioned in regard to the good people; and he does this by making two points: first, he excludes the good people from the company of the evil people and secondly, he provides a reason for this (5:5). And so he remarks, you are not in darkness, for you have been enlightened by Christ concerning that day; this is not an unexpected event for you. "He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (Jn. 8:12).

"Let us not then sleep, as do others, but let us watch," says the Scripture, "and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken, are drunken in the night," that is, in the darkness of ignorance. "But let us who are of the day be sober. For ye are all children of the light, and children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of the darkness." But whoever of us is most solicitous for living the true life, and for entertaining noble sentiments, will keep awake for as long time as possible, reserving to himself only what in this respect is conducive to his own health.

"For ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day."

And how is it possible to be "sons of the day"? Just as it is said, "sons of destruction" and "sons of hell." Wherefore Christ also said to the Pharisees, "Woe unto you-for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is become so, ye make him a son of hell." (Matt. xxiii. 15.) And again Paul said, "For which things' sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience." (Col. iii. 6.) That is, those who do the works of hell and the works of disobedience. So also sons of God are those who do things pleasing to God; so also sons of day and sons of light, those who do the works of light. "And we are not of the night nor of darkness."

If you wish to see Jesus transfigured before those who went up on the mountain with him, behold with me the Jesus in the Gospels as more simply understood. This is Jesus, as one might say, known "according to the flesh" by those who do not go up through uplifting words and works to the holy mountain of wisdom. Behold him with me as known in his divinity by means of all of the Gospels, beheld in the form of God according to the knowledge that his companions had. For before them Jesus is transfigured, but not to any of those who are below. But when he is transfigured, his face also shines as the sun, so that he may be manifested to the children of light. These have put off the works of darkness and have put on the armor of light and are no longer the children of darkness or night, but have become sons of the day and walk honestly as in the day. Being manifested, he will shine for them not only as the sun, but as the son of righteousness.

But when he urges us not to give place to evil, he does not offer the suggestion that we should take to our heels, he only teaches that passion should be kept under restraint; and if he says that the time must be redeemed, because the days are evil, he wishes us to gain a lengthening of life, not by flight, but by wisdom. Besides, he who bids us shine as sons of light, does not bid us hide away out of sight as sons of darkness.

Sons of Gehenna are those who do things worthy of Gehenna, and sons of disobedience are the disobedient; so also sons of light and day are those who do the deeds of light. "We are not sons of night, nor of darkness." That is, of sin.

And the reason for this is given at the words: for you are all sons of light. He also makes the point that they are the sons of the light and of the day. According to the Scriptures, someone is said to be the son of something because he abounds in that thing. "My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill" (Is. 5:1), that is, it was land which was very rich. Those who participate to a great extent in the day and in the light are called their sons. And this light is the faith of Christ. "I am the light of the world" (Jn. 8:12), and again: "Believe in the light, that you may become sons of light!" (Jn. 12:36).

In addition he says, of the day, for just as out of the early light comes the fullness of the day, so out of the faith of Christ comes the day which is the brilliance of good actions. "The night is far gone, the day is at hand" (Rom. 13:12). And because of this, you are not sons of the night, that is, involved in infidelity; or of darkness, that is, of sins. "Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light" (Rom. 13:12).

Wherefore also the Lord enjoins "to watch," so that our soul may never be perturbed with passion, even in dreams; but also to keep the life of the night pure and stainless, as if spent in the day. For assimilation to God, as far as we can, is preserving the mind in its relation to the same things... Wherefore the mysteries are for the most part celebrated by night, indicating the withdrawal of the soul from the body, which takes place by night. "Let us not then sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that are drunken, are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as an helmet the hope of salvation." And as to what, again, they say of sleep, the very same things are to be understood of death. For each exhibits the departure of the soul, the one more, the other less... "For blessed are those that have seen the Lord," according to the apostle; "for it is high time to awake out of sleep. For now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light." By day and light he designates figuratively the Son, and by the armour of light metaphorically the promises.

We must therefore sleep so as to be easily awaked... For there is no use of a sleeping man, as there is not of a dead man. Wherefore we ought often to rise by night and bless God. For blessed are they who watch for Him, and so make themselves like the angels, whom we call "watchers." But a man asleep is worth nothing, any more than if he were not alive. But he who has the light watches, "and darkness seizes not on him," nor sleep, since darkness does not. He that is illuminated is therefore awake towards God; and such an one lives... "Let us not then sleep, as do others, but let us watch," says the Scripture, "and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken, are drunken in the night," that is, in the darkness of ignorance. "But let us who are of the day be sober. For ye are all children of the light, and children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of the darkness."

So that you may know that the prayers which are uttered in time of affliction would have the best chance of being heard, hear what the prophet says, "In my affliction I cried to the Lord, and he listened to me." Therefore, let us stir up our conscience to fervor, let us afflict our soul with the memory of our sins, not so that it is crushed with anxiety but so that we may make it ready to be heard, so that we make it live in sobriety and watchfulness and ready to attain heaven itself. Nothing puts carelessness and negligence to flight the way grief and affliction do. They bring together our thoughts from every side and make our mind turn back to ponder itself. The man who prays in this way, in his affliction, after many a prayer, can bring joy into his own soul.

"So then let us not sleep, as do also the rest, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night."

Here he shows, that to be in the day depends on ourselves. For here indeed, in the case of the present day and night, it does not depend on ourselves. But night comes even against our will, and sleep overtakes us when we do not wish it. But with respect to that night and that sleep, it is not so, but it is in our power always to have it day, it is in our power always to watch. For to shut the eyes of the soul, and to bring on the sleep of wickedness, is not of nature, but of our own choice.

"But let us watch," he says, "and be sober." For it is possible to sleep while awake, by doing nothing good. Wherefore he has added, "and be sober." For even by day, if any one watches, but is not sober, he will fall into numberless dangers, so that sobriety is the intensity of watchfulness. The drunkenness he here speaks of is not that from wine only, but that also which comes of all vices. For riches and the desire of wealth is a drunkenness of the soul, and so carnal lust; and every sin you can name is a drunkenness of the soul.

Wherefore, let us honor this sacred day, the day on which the author of our salvation appeared. Whom the wise men revered as an infant in his crib, let us worship as all-powerful in heaven. Just as they offered to the Lord mystical kinds of gifts from their treasures, let us bring forth from our hearts things that are worthy of God. Although he himself bestows all good things, he nevertheless asks for the fruit of our effort. For the kingdom of heaven comes not to those who sleep but to those who work and watch according to the Lord's command. If we do not render his gifts ineffective, we may deserve to receive what he promised through the very things which he has given.

The winged messenger of day Sings loud, foretelling dawn's approach, And Christ in stirring accents calls Our slumbering souls to life with him. "Away," he cries, "with dull repose, The sleep of death and sinful sloth; With hearts now sober, just and pure, Keep watch, for I am very near."

That is, let us not be negligent in good works. The intensification of watchfulness is sobriety. For it is possible to be watchful, but not be sober; therefore the apostle says, as it were: let us do good works soberly and attentively.

Then when he says: so then, let us not sleep, he shows them how they should prepare themselves for that coming. First, they should prepare themselves for it by keeping away from anything evil; secondly, they should prepare themselves by regularly doing something virtuous (5:8).

In making the first point he does two things. First, he provides a warning, and next he sets down the reason for the warning (5:7). Paul says, therefore, that for this reason the day of the Lord is like a thief: "If the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have been awake" (Lk. 12:39). And so you know you ought to be vigilant. He adds: so then let us not sleep in the sleep of sin: "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead" (Eph. 5:14). "How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?" (Prov. 6:9).

But let us keep awake out of solicitude. "Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming" (Matt. 24:42). And to this end it is necessary that we be sober in order that both the body and the mind be sober, that is, free from the pleasures and cares of the world. "But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness" (Lk. 21:34). "Be sober, be watchful" (1 Pet. 5:8).

Sleeping here the apostle calls those who remain in evil, as being immovable toward virtue and immersed in dreamlike delusions. Such, indeed, are the affairs of the present life, in no way differing from the visions of sleep. Furthermore, by drunkenness he means not only drunkenness from wine, but from all passions, as that which draws a person out of his ordinary state and darkens the ruling faculty of the soul, that is, the mind. Therefore, you ought not to be such, for you are not sons of night and darkness, but sons of the day through baptism and the acceptance of the yoke of God's commandments.

And the reason for this is the suitability of a certain time; those who sleep or get drunk do so at night. But the night is not for us: so then, let us not sleep, as others do. And so Paul says: for those who sleep, sleep at night, that is, at night they get some rest and during the day they are active. "When the sun rises, they get them away and lie down in their dens" (Ps. 104:22). And again "Man goes forth to his work and to his labor until the evening" (Ps. 104:23).

There are also some who do not drink during the day because of the business which must be accomplished; but they are not so careful at night. "The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight" (Job 24:15). So sleep and drunkenness are suitable to nighttime, since drunkards are occupied with sin during the night of unbelief and the darkness of sin without having any regard for the future because of the love they have for present concerns. "They have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness" (Eph. 4:19).

"But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet the hope of salvation."

But it is not sufficient to watch and be sober, we must also be armed. For if a man watch and is sober, but has not arms, the robbers soon dispatch him. "Putting on the breastplate of faith and love," he says. He has shown what it is to watch and be sober, to have "the breastplate of faith and love." Not a common faith, he says, but as nothing can soon pierce through a breastplate, but it is a safe wall to the breast; so do thou also, he says, surround thy soul with faith and love, and none of the fiery darts of the devil can ever be fixed in it. For where the power of the soul is preoccupied with the armor of love, all the devices of those who plot against it are vain and ineffectual.

"And for a helmet the hope of salvation." For as the helmet guards the vital part in us, surrounding the head and covering it on every side, so also this hope does not suffer the reason to falter, but sets it upright as the head, not permitting anything from without to fall upon it. And whilst nothing falls on it, neither does it slip of itself. For it is not possible that one who is fortified with such arms as these, should ever fall. For "now abideth faith, hope, love." (1 Cor. xiii. 13)

But if we must also examine the statement, "And it was night," so that it has not been interjected to no purpose by the Evangelist, we must say that the perceptible night at that time was symbolic, an image of the night that was in Judas's soul when Satan, the darkness that lies over the abyss, entered him. "For God called the darkness night," of which night, indeed, Paul says we are not children, nor of darkness, when he says, "Therefore, brothers, we are not of the night, nor of darkness," and, "But let us who are of the day be sober."

It is not enough to be watchful and sober; one must also be armed. For he who is alert and sober but does not have weapons can be immediately overcome by robbers. By saying "the breastplate of faith and love," the apostle pointed to doctrines and a righteous life, which is precisely what it means to "be sober." And one must not simply have these things, but have them as a breastplate. For nothing can easily cut through a breastplate; on the contrary, it serves as a kind of fortress for the chest, and none of the fiery darts of the devil will touch us.

As a helmet, covering our most important part – the head, saves and preserves it, so also hope guards the mind and saves it, not allowing anything from outside to fall into it. Pay attention to the "faith, hope, and love," these three, which he pointed out in another place (1 Cor. 13:13), and which he now also commands to acquire.

But, since we belong to the day, that is, belong to the daytime of honesty and faith, let us be sober. "Let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day" (Rom. 13:13).

Then when Paul says: Let us put on the breastplate of faith, he shows how they should prepare themselves through good actions. First, he sets down a general admonition, and then he issues a special admonition (5:11). He divides the first point into two aspects; he first sets down the admonition itself and then he gives a reason for it (5:9). There are in man two important parts of the body which were protected in wars — the heart, which is the source of life, and the head, which governs the body's movements and is the seat of the senses and the center of the nervous system. The heart is protected by a breastplate and the head by a helmet. The life of the spirit in us is Christ, through whom the soul lives and the Lord dwells in us: "That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love..." (Eph. 3:17). "He who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 Jn. 4:16). Love gives life to faith. So we must have faith and love, and so Paul calls for the breastplate of faith and love, because it protects the vital parts of the body, and for a helmet the hope of salvation, for salvation is a spiritual motive force because it is the goal which we hope to attain.