Thief In The Night

“Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.” (Rev 16:15).

Why in the world would Jesus liken himself to a thief when He speaks about His second coming? Six different times in the New Testament this analogy is used, four of which are spoken by Jesus himself. It is a strategic word picture. What are the important concepts that Jesus is communicating with this analogy?

First of all, the coming of a thief is always unexpected. So, then, Jesus said that we need to be ready, alert, and prepared for His coming, like the coming of a thief. For those who are expectant, the thief’s coming will actually be a blessing. Conversely, those who are not prepared or ready for His coming, they will be caught naked and shamefully exposed. They will not be up at the third watch of the night, with their lanterns full of oil. They will be in their night gown or their boxer shorts, asleep in bed. They will be oblivious, thinking all is “peace and safety” (I Thes 2:2-3). As in the days of Noah they will be eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, unaware that God’s judgment is happening (Mt 24:38-39).

We who are Christians, who are expectantly ready and prepared, who have not despaired and given up waiting for his return, we will not be caught by surprise when the thief comes. We who know that his coming is right at the door, we will be ready, we will be blessed. Paul wrote: “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. ⁵ You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. ⁶ So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober” (I Thes 5:4-6).

Secondly, a thief wreaks destruction. I can remember, all too well, the time that I was burglarized by a thief. We came home from a weekend youth retreat to find our house totally ransacked. Every drawer, every cupboard, every shelf was strewn all over the floor, in every room. The entry door and sidelight glass windows were destroyed. My cherished belt-drive turntable did not make it to the get-away car. It was dropped in the driveway, shattered into pieces.

If Jesus had only wanted to emphasize the unexpectedness of His second coming, He could have likened himself to a health inspector, or a tax auditor. But, no, a thief brings destruction. Paul picked up on this important concept of the analogy. Paul says that when the thief comes, that is Jesus, he will bring destruction (I Thes 5:3). He will especially bring destruction upon the eighth beast, the 200 million strong army that invades Israel. Armageddon will be the winepress of God’s wrath. But He will also help to mete out God’s intense judgment upon the nations -- the seventh trumpet and the seventh bowl judgments.

The third importance of this statement derives from the strategic location where it appears in the vision of the seven bowl judgments. It occurs between the sixth bowl and the seventh bowl (Rev 16:15). The second coming of Jesus, like a thief in the night, is clearly pinpointed as to when it will occur. It will happen after the sixth bowl is poured out, which is the drying up of the Euphrates River and the gathering of the kings of the earth for the great battle of Armageddon. Jesus will return even as the kings and the armies begin marching into Israel (Rev 16:16). And it happens before the seventh bowl is poured out, the great and awful unleashing of God’s judgment upon the whole earth.

Since the seven bowl judgments mirror the seven trumpet warnings, we would expect to find the second coming of Jesus pinpointed at the same time in each series of events. And that is exactly what we find. The second coming of Jesus occurs at the last trumpet. And it is at the last trumpet that the saints are caught up to be with Jesus, portrayed by the first of the two harvests recorded in Rev 14:14-20. These two harvests clearly occur when the Battle of Armageddon is about to ensue, when God’s judgment is poured out like grapes of wrath. And that is exactly the same time frame as we find in Rev 16:15. These two passages mirror each other, strategically so, revealing the timing of the second coming of Jesus, each one confirming the other. Blessed are those who are awake and ready for the thief to come, for they will be caught up in the first harvest. Cursed are those who are found naked and exposed, for they will be harvested and judged by the winepress of God’s wrath.