1 Thessalonians 5:4 - Exposition

But ye, brethren; ye believers, in opposition to the unbelieving world. Are not in darkness ; referring back to the night ( 1 Thessalonians 5:2 ), when the thief comes. By darkness is here meant, not merely ignorance, but moral depravity—the darkness of sin. Ye are not in the ignorant and sinful condition of the unredeemed world, so as to be surprised by the day of the Lord. With you it is not night, but day; the light of the gospel is shining around you; and therefore the day of the Lord's coming will not surprise you in an unprepared state. That ; a statement, not of result, but of purpose—"in order that." That day; the day ; namely, the day of the Lord. Should overtake you —surprise you—as a thief.