I COME AS A THIEF
Outline of information covered in this study:
Mentioned so many times, must be a point.
We will not know the specific time in advance.
The end time has a very sudden start.
The End Time is a package with a beginning, middle and end.
The ‘day of the Lord’ and similar expressions, when does it occur?
Short video (5 mins) onYouTube: How Does The End Time Start
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvaLBZ4mQXc
Behold, I Come as a Thief
When God says something, He must mean it. One of the techniques used in the bible to identify a point of importance used in both the Hebrew and Greek is to repeat an expression for emphasis. When that occurs we are being told to sit up and take notice.
With the ‘I come as a thief’ verses this concept is mentioned at least sixteen times. That is a lot of emphasis, so much so it is one of the most set in concrete themes of the New Testament. The point being made: we will positively not know when the Day of the Lord will occur. Bearing in mind the emphasis that has been placed on this statement we can presume that that is an absolute fact. We will not know in advance, by any direct or observable means whatsoever that the Day of the Lord is about to descend on us.
This is a very important consideration that most (if not all) people involved in trying to ‘decipher’ the end time events seem to forget. It is not so much a matter of not knowing a date, what is far more relevant is that there will be NO observable means to determine it is all about to happen.
That means we have to forget any notion of; ‘a temple’ being built, sacrifices in Jerusalem, the beast rising and the ‘mark’ or, any other such worldly event.
There will be no such sign!
However there are other conclusions that can be extracted and when added together we can understand why so much emphasis has been used.
Just to try us out, then comes along totally unambiguous statements explaining that we will see certain events that will leave no doubt whatsoever that we will know beforehand when the resurrection takes place.
When it comes to the bible Christ made it clear not one ‘jot or title’ is to be changed. He used exact quotes from scripture to sort out a lot of differences of opinion at the time.
The bible is the word of God or it is not. Without that foundation to depend on we really have nothing at all. There cannot be any contradictions, (real ones of consequence) or it is not the word of God and we all came from cosmic soup (and will go back there).
Immediately we can draw our first conclusion. The ‘Day of the Lord’, the ‘day the Lord cometh’ and the resurrection are not the same thing.
The following are most of the verses that state there will be no indications or warning that the Day of the Lord approaches:
(The Old King James is used since a few liberties have crept into some of the more modern translations).
Matt 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matt 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Matt 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Matt 24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matt 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out . 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Mark 13:35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: 36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
Luke 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Luke 12:35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; 36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. 40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
Luke 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. 45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Taken as a whole, there is not much room for manoeuvre.
Here are the issues:
1). The day of the Lord starts very suddenly. One day it is normal, the next day things have changed in some way.
2). There will be no warning signs.
3). We are to be aware beforehand this could take place. There is no period afterwards to ‘catch up’ with the situation.
40). If we were not prepared beforehand the consequences are dire.
Universally recognized is the need to conduct our lives at all times in such a way as to be not caught off guard at the critical moment. That much should be obvious.
As far as ‘being ready’ in advance Paul says something that is quite startling when you think more deeply about it:
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 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.
1 Thess 5:2
This verse indicates not only understanding that the day of the Lord comes without warning, but also that we have a perfect understanding of the facts involved. Next Paul says that the exact opposite of what certain people were expecting is what does take place. This indicates an ongoing situation.
On the one hand the Day of the Lord is a total surprise but the resurrection is not.
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 2 Thess 2:1
Paul had been asked a question: would he clarify the worries his readers had concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus and the possibility of missing the resurrection, the ‘gathering to Him’.
Paul was as emphatic as you can get that there was no chance of not recognizing ‘signs’ that would lead up to it. First, he said there would be a great falling away and then the man of perdition would be revealed, the one that would later sit as God saying that he was God. This character is the beast as Paul goes on to explain.
‘We beseech you brethren, let no man deceive you by any means’. There is no mistaking that he is being dogmatic. You will know in advance. The beast will be recognisable as such before the gathering to Christ, and there will be a great falling away also first.
The falling away will be no small event but the result of heavy pressure testing the resolve of God’s people, we are told before hand the desertion rate will be high. We can safely put two and two together; if the beast is well and truly established before the resurrection then His people are at risk, since there are plenty of scriptures showing the beast is persecuting the saints, that would be a reasonable conclusion.
When the midnight cry goes up “Behold, the bridegroom cometh”, do we have our wicks trimmed and lamps completely topped up with oil? (Matt 25:6).
Many will not and as the parable goes they were left out in the cold banging on the door. Right at the last moment, the critical one, many Christians will fail.
The consequences are awful.
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Conclusion
The real issue is in understanding what is really going to take place. Once the end time starts there is a job to be done. We are told (since there was no indication up to that point) that the beast will emerge after the day of the Lord begins. There will be a great falling away. Part of that will come from pressure from the beast. Part of that also will come from disillusionment when the ‘peace and safety’ they had expected turns into a nightmare. See Peace and Safety
The expression the ‘day of the Lord’ and the ‘day the Son of Man is revealed’, and other similar phrases as seen in the scriptures above all indicate that they refer to all end time events as a package from the very beginning untill Christ returns with the saints.
The ‘end time’ has a very distinct beginning. This is important because it allows us to think in terms of a ‘time line’ to start mapping out a program or map for the end time. See Day of the Lord
If we can pin point the first event, and we know the last event is Christ returning with the saints then we are well on our way to drawing up a time line. For the first event: See The gospel goes to all the world and The First Seal: The Rider on the White Horse