As A Thief In The Night

As a Thief in the Night

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Last week, we looked at the well-known passage of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. This passage is in common use among students of prophecy, and many theories of “rapture” have emerged from this study. It is also commonly used at funeral to give comfort to the bereaved that their deceased brother or sister in Christ is with Christ, and that there will be a reunion with them one day. We also learned that this is not a blanket comfort as it is reserved for Christians only. It is the true hope of Christians, but it is a false hope if offered to non-Christians who will wake to eternal judgment. Therefore we must warn the unbeliever of their true future and challenge them to repent.

This week we pick up on the same theme of offering comfort. We see this in the last verse of the passage in 1 Thessalonians 5:11: “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” Comfort comes from being reminded of the true state of affairs which is based upon the truth of Christian doctrine. In this way, comfort is seen in the light of admonition as well. What is important is that we live Christian truth. Doctrine has implications. It forms the basis of what we should or should not do. Comfort comes from the belief that Jesus shall return, we shall be reunited with our Christian brethren who have fallen asleep. We shall ever be with the Lord. But we also find admonition in that we must also check our conduct.

In this passage, Paul reminds us that Jesus shall return as a thief in the night. Jesus also talked much about the suddenness of His return in several places such as Revelation 22:12 and Matthew 24:44. As the return of Christ is what we hope for, we get a little impatient to see that day come. The eleven disciples asked Jesus before He ascended whether the Kingdom would be restored at the time the Holy Spirit fell upon them. They understood the time until Pentecost was short. they obviously expected the establishment of an earthly Messianic kingdom. But Jesus clearly teaches that this will not be the case and that the time of His return is based upon the will and timing of the Father (Acts 1:6-7).

The Thessalonians were also eager for the return of Jesus. All Christians should be. Paul addresses the idea that the return was imminent. The emphasis in Christian doctrine is the suddenness of His appearance. When Jesus says as we see in the Book of Revelation that He is coming quickly, it really emphasizes that when the proper time comes that it will come suddenly, or as Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 15:52 it will be in “the twinkling of an eye. In Greek the word is literally “in an atom.” We understand that an atom is the smallest unit of an element that retains the property of the element. We now know there are sub-atomic particles such as protons, electrons, neutrons, quarks, and such, but none of these retain the elements properties. when we apply this idea to the realm of time, it refers to the tiniest division that time can be divided and still be time. There will be no time for repentance at that point.

Paul gives the Thessalonians a clue to those times. It will be a time in which people cry for peace and safety. It means that the times will be turbulent. But when in history has the world ever been safe and peaceful. there have been times of terrible war, plague, and famine throughout history. there have been massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, meteor strikes, hurricanes, and such. The bible teaches that at the end times that these things will increase. It seems that this time is quickly coming to the world today. After all, how much worse can it get. People are alarmed at moral decay, the forsaking of God, trans-humanism, climate change, fear of killer asteroids, nuclear war, and what pandemic might be coming next. The world senses catastrophe. It is easy for us to get swept away by these fears. this is why we must remember who God is, what Jesus has done for us, and the promise of His return lest our hearts fail us with fear. But is this the certain sign that He is coming in the immediate future? It may very well be, but things could get even worse. No one knows when He will return. This, too, is Christian truth. We must remember that the Lord apparently delays His coming in our eyes. Peter addressed this in 2 Peter 3-9. He is not willing anyone should perish. This is why He is long-suffering. We should also notice 2 Peter 3:10: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” So, we need to warn all unbelievers and urge them to repent and receive Christ. This is what we must do.