As a thief
in the night.
Thieves
like the cover of darkness, right? Nowadays it seems as if a lot of thieves
don't wait for the cover of darkness, but do their evil in the broad daylight.
For all that are they are getting bolder, a lot of crimes- thievery among them-
are committed at night. It's always better to have a natural shroud covering
actions you don't want any witness to. Many thieves will wear dark clothes in
order to blend in with the night, and some will even put dark masks on, or
cover their faces with dark make up. A
thief in the night is largely unseen especially in the days before motion
sensor activated flood lights. Thieves adapt to their surroundings though and
will case out places they want to rob. If they notice anti-theft devices set up
they will prepare to take them out if the robbery warrants the pay off. Thieves
in the night are stealthy and often go completely unnoticed. The only evidence
of their having been there is the proof they leave behind by taking the belongings
of the one they are robbing.
So, why
all this talk of a thief in the night? Because just LIKE a thief in the night-
unseen, unnoticed, shrouded in darkness- leaving the victim completely unaware
of their working- we read this-
1Th
5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a
thief in the night.
You read
that right. The DAY OF THE LORD COMES as a thief in the night.
That's a
far cry from proclaiming 'every eye shall see Him' 'like lightening from the
sky shining from east to west' 'with a loud cry, the trump shall sound',
thieves do not trumpet their arrival, and they do not shine bright light
anywhere. So what does it mean, this analogy? It means, people aren't PREPARED
for thieves that sneak in and thwart all the cautious setups to deter them.
When lo and behold you've been robbed it often comes as quite the shock because
no one knows when a thief may strike. If you knew a robber was coming to your
house you would not go to sleep that night, you'd stay awake and scare them
off. You would NOT be taken off guard.
But just
like a thief, the day of the Lord is going to arrive and the majority of people
are going to be taken by surprised, being completely unprepared.
1Th
5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction
cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not
escape.
As long as
our main focus is upon this world, we are not going to be prepared. It is going
to be the person who lives and breathes the truth that the day of Lord is
coming, who will NOT be taken by surprise. If we are taking comfort in the fact
our lives are pretty much predictable- the sun will rise, we will wake up, our
daily routine will begin and continue with the occasional unexpected
interference, then the sun sets, but by and large we live in familiarity. When
sudden destruction does occur, we aren't prepared. Women who are pregnant and
nearing their due date, they are expecting the pangs of contractions to hit at
any moment, and still when it happens they are unprepared completely- why?
Because they don't KNOW exactly when it will happen. Not only that, once true
labor begins there is no stopping it. Many a show on tv has depicted women in
labor crying out that they aren't ready for it to happen, that they want it to
stop, and so on and so forth because of the fear they are filled with. They'll
say stuff like, 'I don't want to do this.'
All the while they know there is no stopping what's happening whether
they want it to happen or not.
People who
are not ready for the LORD to return at any moment, will be shocked, and unable
to stop what is happening so they can prepare. It will happen and they will
face their own destruction with the knowledge they had a chance to prepare but
they chose not to.
1Th
5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake
you as a thief.
Those
waiting and watching for the Lord's return at any moment, they will not be
surprised as if being robbed in the night.
1Th
5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are
not of the night, nor of darkness.
We are
children of God who know that Christ is returning, and we are waiting for His
return. There will be no surprise for us. It will be a glorious event, long
anticipated that finally happens and only pure joy will fill our hearts.
1Th
5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be
sober.
1Th
5:7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are
drunken in the night.
1Th
5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate
of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
Those of
us who are aware of our Savior returning, and live our lives in that
expectation must live accordingly. We have to have our lives filled with faith
and love, with the hope of salvation.
When we live for here and now we will forever face a multitude of
disappointments. When we live for the day of our Lord's return, we recognize
the truth that the life we are intended for is in the future world, not this
one.
1Th
5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by
our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th
5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live
together with him.
1Th
5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even
as also ye do.
We are
appointed to salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord who died for us. It won't
matter if we die before our Savior returns if we die in the hope of His return.
When Christ returns those who died in that faith will rise up from death and
join those living in that faith- and we will all live with our Savior!
We need to
COMFORT each other with these words. We need to build up the faith of each
other constantly. We have to keep the hope before us always!
All
through the grace and love, the will, the mercy of our God! All by Jesus Christ
our Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit sent to comfort us and keep us in the
love of God, now and forever!
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment