Thief in the night

I Thessalonians 5:1-3 (NIV)

Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 

The day of the Lord is a common Old Testament term, used at least 19 times, the most well known being Joel 2:11 where the day of the Lord is described as “great” and “very awesome”.  In the New Testament this term is used 4 times, here and Acts 2:30, II Thess 2:2, and II Peter 3:10.  II Peter 3:10 is the scary verse, saying that the heavens will pass away and the earth and everything in it will be burned up.  Many people believe that II Peter 3:10 prophesizes the destruction of the earth and heaven by a cataclysmic world nuclear war.  The day of the Lord is associated with God’s final judgment where He personally intervenes in our history and ends it.  The day might be a single day or a period of time, no one knows, but it does signify when God will finally act to end and punish evil forever and fulfill all prophecies.

This day of the Lord will occur like a ‘thief in the night”.  This is not stating that Jesus is a thief, but the day of the Lord will come like a thief.  What comes to your mind as you think about a thief in the night?  A thief in your house in the middle of the night would be totally unexpected, right?  You would not be prepared to deal with a thief in your house, right?  A thief at night is a very frightening thought, right?  Well, God’s judgment on the world will be like this.  While everyone is feeling secure—peace and safety—vast destruction will suddenly occur and no one will escape.  If you believe in the Rapture and you are saved in Christ, then you will not experience this terrible time of the wrath of God upon the unbelieving world. 

Another interesting thought about the idea of the thief in the night---if you read on—I Thess 5:4-11—you learn that believers are in the light, not darkness.  Unbelievers are lost and in the dark.  Believers are not targets of God’s wrath (v 9).  Because of this wonderful promise and blessing, all believers should encourage one another (v 11).

My son, Ryan, decided to be born suddenly, in the middle of the night, ahead of his due date.  When my wife, Midge, woke me up, screaming that she was in labor, there was nothing she or I could do to delay or stop Ryan’s birth.  He was well on his way of being born by the time I got her to the hospital.  She was wheeled away and by the time I checked her in, the baby was born.  This is what Paul means by a woman being unable to escape labor pains once they start.  In the same way, the world cannot escape God’s impending wrath. 

Jesus said in Luke 17:26-30 that people were not expecting judgment until it was too late.  If you are not saved in Christ when the day of the Lord happens, it will be too late and you will not escape.  Think about what it means not to be able to escape.  Think of a movie or a newsreel of actual events where you see people trapped and unable to escape impending destruction.  Think of people on 9/11 airplanes or those trapped when a natural disaster like a tsunami or tornado hits.  Think of imagines in horror movies where people are fleeing impending disaster but cannot escape.  That’s the imagery that Paul is describing about the Lord returning as a thief in the night.  Those who do not have a personal relationship with Him will not escape whatever judgment is coming.  Do you realize your need to put Christ first in your life and accept His way of salvation?  Then you never will have to fear His coming again as a thief in the night.  While you have time, right now, escape the darkness in your life by asking the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your life and fill your life with His light.