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Christ's
coming as a thief
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The
Day of the Lord and the return of Jesus, the Son of Man, are both described
in the Bible as coming like a thief. This is not the kind of thief that
lies in wait on the highway to plunder and rob the traveller. This is
one who comes by stealth and takes any person by surprise who has not
prepared against such an intrusion. This is made plain by the original
Greek term used in these instances.
Another
term, different in meaning is used to identify those who were crucified
alongside of Jesus, and the robbers who waylaid the unfortunate traveller
on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho in the parable of the Good Samaritan.
So the emphasis concerning the coming of the Son of Man needs to be
placed on surprise, due to people being unprepared. This is certain,
for He said, "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee
as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee."
(Rev. 3:3) So that is the sense Jesus himself conveyed.
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HE
COMES AS A THIEF IN THE NIGHT
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The
believers in Thessalonica knew that the day of the Lord was to come
as a thief in the night. Paul said in 1Thessalonians 5:2 – 3 "For
yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief
in the night. For when they shall say, ‘Peace and safety’; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and
they shall not escape." Note the difference between those who knew
that Jesus was to come as a thief in the night, and those who did not.
Those to whom he is writing (the believers in Thessalonica) knew.
But those who imagine all is well, and talk peace and safety will be
ensnared in destruction. These are obviously either unbelievers, or
unwary believers, perhaps even those who imagine they can fix the world’s
ills themselves. One thing is certain; they are not the elect of God.
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BELIEVERS
WHO WATCH ARE SECURE FROM THEFT
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So
Paul continues, "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that
day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light,
and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober."
(1Thessalonians 5:4-6) The element of complete surprise is obvious
here to the unprepared and those ignorant of God’s purpose to send Jesus.
That day comes upon them unawares, just as a thief in the night would
do. So if we do not want to be caught by surprise, special knowledge
of God’s plan is essential, coupled with a constant daily alertness
to the fact that CHRIST IS COMING. Not only does Paul emphasise the
need to stay awake and watch, but he also warns against the intoxication
of false teaching that can blur our vision. We must know The Truth.
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THE
THIEF TAKES THE UNWARY BY SURPRISE
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It
is amazing that in spite of over three hundred references to the coming
again of Jesus in the New Testament, there are still those claiming
to be Christian, who even scoff at the notion of the personal return
of Jesus to this earth. Jesus knew this in advance for he gave the advice
to "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
If the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would
come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to
be broken up." (Matthew 24:42,43) One cannot really claim
to be a follower of Christ unless he first reads the Lord’s message
and then intelligently applies it to himself. Jesus will come whether
we expect Him or not. So seeing the Saviour said that we "know not
the day nor the hour wherein the son of man cometh," (Matthew 25:13)
all who claim to be Christian should at be always on the alert for his
coming. If we are not, He will come upon us as a thief, and we will
suffer great loss, even entrance into the Kingdom of God. Jesus repeats
this parable in the twelfth chapter of Luke. He likens His return to
a thief that not only takes the unwary by surprise, but to a thief that
digs through into his house to take away his goods. (Luke 12:39) The
unwary will lose everything he once had.
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BELIEVERS
LOOKING FOR CHRIST ARE NOT SURPRISED
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So
if you do not want to lose everything you have lived for, be ready as
Jesus says in the next verse, "Be ye therefore ready also: for the
Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not." (Luke 12:40)
The original word translated "think" here, has a special
meaning. It applies to one who is making his own suggestions by supposing
this and that. It doesn’t ignore the observance of the signs Jesus gave,
but emphasises working for Him. The following clarification is
given by the Lord Himself. "42 And the Lord said, Who then is that
faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household,
to give them their portion of meat in due season? 43 Blessed is that
servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing."
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BELIEVERS
GIVING UP WATCHING LOSE EVERYTHING
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So
it is clear that to be ready is to be found busy doing His work. Then
if we are busily and productively so occupied, we should also be consciously
in that state of readiness. The Lord will then not surprise us in coming
upon us as a thief, provided we do not fill the following description.
"45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his
coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to
eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come
in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not
aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion
with the unbelievers. In other words the Master will come to this
unfaithful servant as a thief in the night, and cast him into outer
darkness.
There
are also those today who actually anticipate the coming of Jesus by
their own crude reckoning, and sometimes in fanciful ways. Some even
thought they would be taken away in a space ship, but committed suicide
instead. Yet those people perished with no real hope. Their reckoning
was not only untimely, but also inventive. They did not understand God’s
plan for they thought they were embarking on a trip to heaven. But the
Bible does not promise Heaven at all. It says, "The meek shall inherit
the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
(Psalm 37:11 Matthew 5:5) "The righteous shall inherit the land (Hebrew
‘erets’ earth) and dwell therein for ever." (Psalm 37:29) The Hebrew
word for "ever" here means just that.
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THE
RAPTURE THEORY EXPOSED
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There
are also those who mistakenly think that the Lord is coming to take
his church up to Heaven. They say He will come for it in secret, and
no one will see Him, that believers will suddenly and inexplicably disappear
into the atmosphere. But the Bible says, "He cometh with clouds and
every eye shall see him." (Rev 1:3) Exponents of this rapture
theory appeal to 1Thessalonians 4:16,17."For the Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then
we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be
with the Lord."
Notice
that there is only one mention of heaven in these verses. That is when
Jesus leaves it to come down to earth. A literal translation of the
original Greek text indicates that the faithful dead and living are
together carried away in clouds for a meeting of the Lord in air. The
text does not support a mass transportation to heaven. If it is to be
taken literally, they are caught up for a grand meeting of the Lord
in the very air enveloping this earth. The usual rapture theory goes
too far, suggesting transportation beyond the arena mentioned in the
text. So His coming as a thief is due to the element of surprise, and
is not an unobserved secret event.
So
keep watching for the Lord and be ready when He comes.
