1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
One of the beliefs popular in Christian circles is the belief that we will be surprised by Christ’s coming. This belief holds that we don’t have any clue about the timing of Christ’s coming, and that when He comes, everyone will be surprised. I don’t think this is a Scriptural assertion.
Our text for today clears this up. The first part of our text tells us that Jesus will come like a thief in the night. But then Paul goes on to clarify what that means. He changes the pronoun in verse three and four. In verse three he speaks about “people” and them.
These “people” of verse three have a worldview that ignores the reality of Christ’s coming. They proclaim, as the Israelites did before the Exile to Babylon happened, that destruction won’t come to the people of Israel. This is the crowd that has a righteousness of their own, a value system that says, “We are good enough.”
But nothing could be further from the truth. Destruction and pain is heading their way, and they are unaware of its approach. Jesus’ return will take them by surprise.
But in verse four Paul switches the pronoun to “you” when speaking about fellow believers. Believers don’t live with their eyes closed, hiding from the events around them. They pay attention to the world. They are awake and sober. They keep their mental and spiritual faculties fully in their control.
For this group of believers, who are actively waiting and looking for Jesus to return, how could it take them by surprise? They know it is going to happen, and they actively await it. It won’t take them by surprise. We know there are things that will happen prior to His return, and we watch for them.
We might not know the day or hour in advance, but unlike those who are taken by surprise, we keep our eyes open and live our lives in light of its reality. We stay ready for Jesus’ return every day.
Jesus’ return will take most of the world by surprise. They aren’t expecting it. They think life will continue on this earth until humanity destroys it. But we who believe, we are watching and waiting for Jesus to once again invade history and remake the heavens and the earth. We know it is coming, so we eagerly await that day of release from this fallen and broken world.
As the ancients would say, “Maranatha!” Come Lord Jesus!
The Arnold Journey 