Matthew Poole and continuators on 1 Thessalonians 5:2

2 For your selves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night .

By times and seasons then before-mentioned, he meant the time of the Lords coming, or he applies what he spoke in general to this particular, which he here calls the day of the Lord, And though they knew not the particular time, yet they did know this, it would be sudden and unexpected, coming as a thief in the night, Rev. 16.15. the comparison is to be restrained only to the suddenness of it; for his coming will be welcome, and so not as a Thief to all that believe: And [illegible: 1 letter]t is called the day of the Lord here and elsewhere, 1 Cor. 3.13. Phil. 1.6, 10. And that day, 2 Tim. 1.18. not to be taken for a natural day, but a certain period of time. Any eminent manifestation of God either in works of Mercy or Judgment are called his day in Scripture, Isa. 2.12. Ier. 46.10. And so because Christ will be more eminently manifested now than ever before, therefore his coming is called his day, and that it would be sudden, they did not only know, but know perfectly or accurately, Eph. 5.15. circumspectly: There could be only conjectures about the particular time: The influence hereof was powerful upon their hearts, and so they may be said to know it perfectly. In Religion knowledge is not perfect which is not operative.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 span], or [illegible: 1 word].; [illegible: 1 word] 24.43, [illegible: 1 word] 3.10.