Like A Thief in the Night!
By Senior Pastor
Prince Guneratnam
There are two events to the Second Coming of Christ. The
first is called the Rapture. This first is Christ’s coming for His Church.
Christians who are alive and those who have died in Christ will be taken up to
be with the Lord. “For the Lord himself has come down from heaven, with a loud
command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and
the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are
left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
The Rapture will take place in the air and He will not be
seen in bodily form. The second event is when Jesus comes with the saints and
everyone will see Him. He shall come as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Satan will be bound and Jesus will rule the world for a thousand years before
the next event (Revelation 19 and 20).
The Rapture of the Church is the blessed hope of the
Christian. Every believer anticipates this event. Even the darkest hour could
give could give the Christians hope, thereby enabling him to be faithful,
committed and loyal.
Our God is a God of revelation. He has revealed to us through
His Word, the events that will precede as well as the nature of the Rapture. He
is not One who keeps His people in ignorance. Therefore, Paul addresses this
subject for our benefit in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. The Thessalonians were
concerned as to when the rapture will take place.
THE TIME OF THE
RAPTURE
“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” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2).
The Thessalonians can know when, by the events that take
place in the world. Paul reminded then that the exact “time” of the Lord’s
return cannot be known. This is only known by the Father (Mark
1. Like a Thief in
the Night (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2).
Our Lord uses this simile in His own teachings (Matthew
24:42-43; Luke 12:34-40). The unexpectedness of the coming of the thief and the
unpreparedness of those whom He comes are the essential elements conveyed
through this simile. In Revelation 3:3 and
Since we do not know when the Lord will return for His
people, we must live a constant attitude of watching and waiting, while we are
busy working and witnessing. His emphasis here is simply that the believers are
“in the know” while the non-believers were living in ignorance of God’s plan. The suddenness of Christ return will reveal
to the world its ignorance of divine truth.
2. Like an Expectant
Mother (1 Thessalonians 5:3-5)
“While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction
will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will
not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should
surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day…”
The non-believers will be enjoying a time of false peace and
security just before these cataclysmic events occur.
Note the contras between “they” and “you” in this portion of
Scripture, “they” referring the non-believers. “They” will say “Peace and
safety!” but “we” will say, “Jesus is coming!”
The world is caught by surprise because men will not hear
God’s Word or heed God’s warning. The Bible records some examples for us. God
warned that the earth will be destroyed by waters, yet only eight people
believed and were saved (1 Peter
Christians are the “sons of the light” and therefore are not
“in the dark” when it comes to future events. Non-believers ridiculed the idea
of Christ’s return. Paul compared the coming judgment to “labour pains of a
pregnant woman” (5:3). The prophet
Isaiah used this same picture in Isaiah 13:6-13. Birth pangs are real and
painful. They come with the muscle contraction that enables the mother to give
birth to the baby.
What truth do Isaiah, Jesus and Paul teach us? The truth
that out of the “Day of the Lord” will come the birth of Christ’s kingdom. When
God’s judgments are finished, God’s Son will return “with power and great
glory” (Matthew 24:30).
WHAT SHOULD THE
LIFESTYLE OF A CHRISTIAN BE IN THE LIGHT OF CHRIST’S COMING?
Live expectantly. Believer’s who live in expectation of the
Lord’s return will certainly enjoy a better life than Christians who compromise
with the standards of the world. In 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, Paul points out four
characteristics of the believer’s lifestyle:
1. Be awake and not
asleep
Many times in scripture the word “sleep” is used to describe
a negative or careless attitude. Here it means to live as if there will never
be a judgment day. Jesus warned us about such attitude in the parable of the
ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. We need to live with our eyes open.
2. Be watchful and
alert
We are to maintain constant vigilance in the presence of
threatening enemies. Both spiritual and moral alertness is indicated. In
Matthew 24:42-51, Jesus exhorts us to be watchful servants, faithful until the
“lord of the house” returns.
3. Be sober and
self-controlled
This means we need to live soberly and righteously. We are
to be filled with spiritual and moral earnestness; we should be clear minded
and disciplined (1 Peter 4:7). We are not complacent, but neither are we
frustrated and afraid. We know our future is secure in God’s hands, so we live
each day creatively, calmly and obediently. Outlook determines outcome and our
outlook is the uplook, then our outcome is secure.
The non-believers live differently. They are like drunken
men enjoying a false sense of security. When the Holy Spirit first filled the
first Christians at Pentecost, the non-believers accused the believers of being
drunk (Acts
In 1 Thessalonians 5:8, faith, hope and love are described
as an armour to protect us in this evil world. Faith
and love are like a breastplate that covers the heart: faith toward God and
love toward God’s people. Hope is a sturdy helmet that protects the mind. The
unsaved fix their minds on the things of this world while dedicated believers
set their attention on the things of God.
WILL CHRISTIAN GO
THROUGH THE TRIBULATION?
Believers do not have to fear the future judgment because it
is not part of God’s appointed plan for them. 1 Thessalonians
1. Christ is the Head
of the Church (Col. 2:17-19)
When He died for us on the cross, He bore for us all the divine
judgment necessary for our salvation. He has promised that we shall never taste
any of God’s wrath.
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes
him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over
from death to life” (John 5:24).
2. Christ’s coming is
to claim what he purchased on the cross for us (1 Thess
“He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we
may live together with him.” We are bought with a price. We are His bride and
He will come and claim us for Himself before He sends judgment on the earth.
3. Christ’s coming is
to bring comfort, not fear.
“Therefore encourage each other with these words” (1 Thess
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,
just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thess
The truth about the Lord’s return and resurrection of deceased
believers is to be an encouragement and comfort for Christians. When we see
things from God’s perspective, we receive comfort.
HOW ARE WE BLESSED
WHEN WE LIVE IN THE TRUTH OF HIS IMMINENT RETURN?
1. Keep ourselves pure (1 John 3:3)
2. Faithfully do whatever work He has assigned to us (Luke
3. Attend Church regularly (Hebrews
4. Persevere in times of difficulty (2. Cor 5; 1-8)
5. Win the lost (2 Cor 5:9-21)
Many believers have such a comfortable situation here on
that earth they rarely think about going to heaven and meeting the Lord. They forget
that they must one day stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ where we will be
rewarded for our faithfulness and obedience. It sustains and builds up when we
recall that Jesus is coming soon again. This blessed hope is ours. Maranatha! Even
so come Lord Jesus!
Issue 23, September – October 1993