Thief in the Night

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
1 Thessalonians 5:2*

I really don’t like thieves but then, no one really wants their belongings taken from them. In my lifetime, I’ve had our car stolen and our home burglarized and both times I felt a sense of helplessness. Not only was I upset with the thieves, I has upset with myself; I should have done more. I could have and should have locked the doors.

In the verse above, it is actually the Day of the Lord that is called the Thief in the Night. However, when Christ addresses the church in Sardis, He says, “I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you” (Revelation 3:3). Later in the book, the Lord again speaks: “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches” (Revelation 16:15). Therefore, since Jesus is the one who is coming on the Day of the Lord as a Thief in the Night, it is a legitimate name of Christ.

The Savior made it clear that he didn’t come to earth to steal or kill but to give abundant life (John 10:10). Although He warned people repeatedly of His return, most haven’t believed and aren’t prepared. Just like the aftermath of a home invasion, many will feel unprepared and helpless on the Day of the Lord. For them, Christ will have come as a Thief in the Night.

That is not the case for believers. The Apostle Paul says, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:4). For Christians who are watching and expecting the rapture of the church, Jesus comes wearing the titles of the Lord of Glory and King of Kings. It is only to the Christ rejecters and scoffers of His second coming that He will be seen as a Thief in the Night.

*see also 2 Peter 3:10