We don't know if that will be today or a thousand years from now. There should be an expectant edge to our lives, as we wait for the day when our hopes are realized. If we're awake, we won't be surprised by a thief in the night. In that same letter, Paul said, "So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled" (1 Thessalonians 5:6). Just as thieves arrive unexpectedly, Jesus will return without warning.įor early Christians, the idea that their Lord was coming back was an exciting one. There will be no Mayan calendars announcing the end of the world. There will be no billboards along the highway. So he tells them: It will be like a thief in the night. He didn't want them trying to calculate dates nor decipher times. Paul had just written to these believers about Jesus' return, but he didn't want them worrying about when that would be. This man, named Paul, wrote: "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). People around them were talking about the timing of the end of the world, and he wanted to reassure them that the rumors they were hearing were not true. Years ago, a man of God felt the need to comfort some of his friends. I don't question the sincerity of the people who put those signs up, but I'm convinced they're wrong. You may have seen the billboards along the side of the road. Some people think they have figured out exactly when that will be. Christians have been waiting for His return ever since. At that time, his followers were told, "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). (days after being raised from the dead, Jesus Christ was taken to heaven. ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). He urges us to be watchful so we will be prepared. There will be a condition of apathy in the latter days that will tend to lull even the faithful to sleep if they don’t take heed to His words. In the same way that a thief comes when people are the least prepared, so our Lord will return in a time when people are not looking for Him.
The Lord is pointing out the urgent need to be ready for His return. He is stressing that His coming will take the world by surprise. Jesus is emphasizing that the unbelievers will not recognize that He is coming until it is too late. This corresponds exactly with Jesus’ prophecies about His coming being like the appearance of a thief in the night. People will not discern the signs of His coming just as the people during Noah’s day didn’t realize their impending judgment. Just as Jesus had warned His disciples not to be deceived by false Christs because His second coming would be visible to everyone, He also explains that until the very day of His coming, the world will continue on its present course.