The Thief In The Night

"For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." - 1 Thessalonians 5:2

This "thief in the night" wording in the Bible is not just a one time thing. It appears several other times in the Bible as well. Matthew 24:42-44, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 16:15, Revelation 3:3, Luke 12:40, etc.

Why is this concept repeated so many times? And each time it refers to the time of the end. Today though we will just be examining the suddenness and unexpectedness of this "thief in the night" event.

If we think about a thief breaking into our home, what characteristics of that event would we find? Secretive, sneaky, no warning, not prearranged, "in the night" (less visible). You get the idea.

And BOOM! It will happen just that fast. Paul tells the church in Corinth than it will happen in "the twinkling on an eye," implying great suddenness. There will be no warning and it will happen so quickly that there won't be time to do anything or to say, "Hey, wait for me!" Nope. Too late.

Can you understand the frustration of believers then, when they try to tell others about these things and the people just don't want to hear them? It's incredibly frustrating. Why? Because we love them. And we don't want to see them miss out on one of the most wonderful things that will ever happen on this Earth. God rescuing his children from the coming wrath.

One day soon that "thief," and He is in no way a criminal, will come and "steal away" all those who believe in Him. And none of them, NONE, will be sorry to leave this place.

"Maranatha" is an Aramaic phrase that is found only once in the Bible, in 1st Corinthians 16:22. It means "the Lord is coming" or "Come, O Lord."

Maranatha! Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!

This question remains: Are you ready?