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The Day of the Lord Comes as a Thief

“. . . the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night . . .  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” 1 Thess. 5:2-4

To many Christians, the second coming of Christ is an earth shattering event. If so, how do we explain the above text describing his return “as a thief in the night?” We suggest that the second
presence of Christ is not a cataclysmic event, but a period of time during which he accomplishes the preparation of the world for his Messianic Kingdom.

The text above indicates that the true Christian would be alert and searching for evidence of Christ’s return. When his disciples asked Jesus, “…what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world,” he did not leave them clueless, but proceeded to list many evidences which would be indications of this time. Matt. 24:3

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25 comments to The Day of the Lord Comes as a Thief

  • humbleman

    that would be Zechariah 14 v 16 & Matt 12 v 36

  • humbleman

    Hi Bro John s here are just some of my thoughts. if Jesus is glorified with his saints this would indicate they have been resurrected and given authority to judge for a 1000 years rev 20 v 6 Zechariah 14 starts of with the day of Jehovah. its starts with Armageddon but it continues all the way in to what the jws would term the new system Zechariah 14 v 6. it also says that plagues will afflict the nations that don’t go to Jerusalem to worship. so even after Armageddon the destruction of the ungodly continues and its still saying we are IN THAT DAY. the day hasn’t changed its the same day 1000 years long but it starts with the time of trouble but all of Jesus enemies will not be brought to nothing until the end of that day 1 Corinthians 15 v 24. i believe this to be the same day of judgement/ day of the lord/ Jesus spoke of in Matt 10 v 15 Matt 2 v 36. so it seems there is only one day of judgement. and it starts with Christ second coming bringing Gods wrath but his wrath will continue through out the 1000 years for those who don’t get on the highway of holiness Isaiah 35 your bro in Christ Humbleman

  • John S

    By the way,I really enjoyed the article in the Newsletter on the historic journey of God’s word.I’m going to read it again,I learned alot on that.Thanks.

  • John S

    By the way,it feels good to be talking with you guys on a decent computer that has all the keys,and about these heavier topics….its been awhile.It’s good to get into it again,and as one semi-Bible Student I was talking to said,”this is shaping up to be a busy year in Bible prophecy”.If these super-powers get involved I’m sure we will see horrible things for even more millions than are presently suffering,which is already way beyond our ability to grasp in real Godlike awareness.

  • John S

    I’m not sure I understand the Day of the Lord.Does that refer to Judgement Day?Armageddon might be termed “Jehovah’s Day”.As for the time involved in the destruction of the ungodly men,referred to by Peter,one of those that asked about the conclusion of the system at Matthew 24:3,where we are encouraged to acts of Godly devotion,being warned here of the “thieflike”coming of Jehovah’s day,just as described in Luke and Matthew,and in the same context;the destruction on ungodly men at the flood,no exact time is given for this super cataclysmic event,where the heavens pass away with a hissing noise and earth and the works in it will be discovered.So this terrible carnage may take a couple weeks,like the flood,I don’t know.2Peter3 As for the day the Lord comes to be glorified with his holy ones,spoken in 2Thess.1:10,it says this is at the end of this system also,as Christ is here seen bringing relief to the Christians being persecuted at the hands of their enemies,this no doubt applies to those spoken of in Revelation at the end who persecute the Chritians and put all under compulsion to take the mark of the beast,so right at the end of this system seems clear as to the fulfillment of 2Thess.1:10see also Rev.17:13,14

  • John S

    I like your research ,Peter that Christ had told him repeatedly he would go away but come again in Kingdom power then they all would reign(Luke 20:9-18),although before the spirit was poured out,they didn’t seem able to connect the dots.Also,how do you arrive at the conclusion Luke 21 is only applying to Jerusalem’s conclusion,and not the world system,as verses 25-28,35 show the whole earth and the powers of the heavens are involved in this fulfillment?

  • humbleman

    Thanks for that bro john s 🙂 just a couple of questions

    1) when does the day of the lord start ? & end

    2)How long does the destruction of the ungodly last for ?

    3) on what day does Jesus come to be glorified in his saints/holyones ?

  • John S

    Hello Bob,and Peter;
    I would like to give an answer to Bob’s question,as well as my view of the interpretation given to Jesus’and Peter,s words in the article above,supplied from the Bible Student’s newsletter.As to Bob’s question,why were the disciples asking a question about the end of the age,world,system;Messianic prophecy in no way limited the Messiah’s kingdom to radical changes upon just the land of Israel.Notice,for instance,the book of Daniel (7:13,14,18,22)Now I will sum this up by quoting from7:27…”And the kingdom and the rulership and the grandeur of the kingdoms under all the heavens were given to the people who are the holy ones of the Supreme One.Their kingdom is an indefinitely lasting kingdom,and all the rulerships will serve and obey even them.” This world-scope take-over by the Messiah’s heavenly kingdom is prophesied in another chapter of Daniel;2:44,where the Kingdom is foretold to be cut out of a mountain and strike the image of the kingdoms on earth who defy God,destroy them ALL and then it itself fills the whole earth and rules forever.Very clearly,the followers of Jesus were more than aware of what the Messianic kingdom was going to do;destroy all kingdoms opposing God and it alone would rule,hence their logical question,and also Jesus’ reply about the sign of his presence and the end of the age or system.We note the article above states there will be no world cataclysm at the end of the age,in 180 degree turn around from what Jesus and the book of Daniel said,notwithstandind all of the scriptures in Revelation concerningthe destruction of the wild beasts governments,Babylon the Great ,etc.Jesus clearly went on to state(if the article would have continued to read in Matthew,24:39…”they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away”(world destruction,although the obedient survived).Also,finally,in Luke’s parallel account,the lesson continued in reminding his disciples about Sodom and Gomorrah and their wickedness;lesson?the whole region,not just those two cities,was destroyed by fire;which appears a lot in Jesus’teaching to show a death which infers God’s disfavor due to the recipient’s wicked behavior.Summing up,Jesus said of the days of Noah lesson,that the Kingdom would come (Luke 17:20,21),and as in Noah’s day….vs 27…”the flood arrived and destroyed them all”.About Sodom and Gomorrah…”But on the day that Lot came out of Sodom it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed them all.The same way it will be on that day when the Son of man(referring to the prophecy in Dan.7)is to be revealed.” As to the wicked people being destroyed at the Lord’s return(wicked,not everyone on earth as the J.W.s teach),the disciples were well aware before the “sign”sermon was delivered that Jesus was talking world events ,not just Palestine as regards these Kingdom of God prophesies,and a destruction/judgement upon wickedness and those causing it would occur.Notice in the illustration chapter of Matthew 13:36-43;(disciples asked)”Explain to us the illustration of the weeds in the field.”…”In response he said,”The sower of the fine seed is the Son of man(this is clearly the Gospel Age);the field is the world;as for the fine seed,these are the sons of the kingdom;but the weeds are the sons of the wicked one,and the enemy that sowed them is the Devil.(which could not happen during the 1000 year Millenium but is occurring now with false religions)The harvest is a conclusion of a system of things,and the reapers are angels.Therefore just as the weeds are collected and burned with fire,so it will be in the conclusion of the system of things.The Son of man(Dan.7again)will send forth his angels,and they will collect out from his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling(false religion?)and persosns doing lawlessness,and they will pitch them into the fiery furnace.Their is where their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth will be.At that time the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.(As anointed sons of God receive their birth into heaven via resurrection or taking up).So we can see not only were the disciples aware that the Kingdom would mean a transformation of the world(not merely Palestine),but were taught in the Hebrew scriptures and by Jesus that the kingdom would bring adverse judgement upon the wicked and the fulfillment of the prophecy about the Holy Ones taking their seats on thrones in heaven.(Dan.7)Only then will earth begin to live in the New Age ,New Earth,the Millenial “1000 year”rule of peace and freedom from wicked men.

  • Bob

    Peter- What you say is true, Jesus told his disciples in many instances what was going to happen to him. However, according to the scriptures they did not understand him. (Mark 9:31-32, Luke 18: 31-34) After the transfiguration Jesus told his disciples not to mention what had occurred: “9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.” In John 20: 8-10 we read again that the disciples did not understand what Jesus had told them: “8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. “
    Luke recounts on the road to Emmaus in chapter 24 verses 20- 21 that they still thought Jesus would redeem Israel: “20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.” Jesus chided them for their lack of understanding: “25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Would Jesus have reproached them if his disciples understood what he had been telling them? Reading down in the same chapter verses 44-49 Jesus explains to them again and in this case “opens their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures.” Up to the point of Jesus ascension they continued to ask him if he was going to redeem Israel at this time (Acts 1: 6).
    You mention Mat 24: 37; I refer you to the parallel scripture in Luke 17: 26-30. Luke in the same instance does not use the word “parousia” but instead uses the word “apokalipto”: “30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. “ Luke wrote his gospel in Greek and used the words he thought would best fit in the context. Matthew is the only gospel writer to use the word “parousia” and it is debatable whether Matthew actually used that word since many scholars believe that his gospel was written in Hebrew and translated to Greek around the second century when many apostate ideas had already taken root. Matthew is the most corrupted of the gospels with many spurious verses, most likely due to errors or add-ons in the translations. Certainly neither Jesus or his disciples used the word “parousia” since they spoke Aramaic or Hebrew and not Greek. I can’t agree with you that Mark focuses on the end of the age, as I read Mark 13: 2-3, I see Jesus apostles asking him when will these things occur, meaning the destruction of Jerusalem not anything else: “ 2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
    3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” Since Jesus had not mentioned anything about the end of the age, there was no reason for his apostles to ask him about it, they were simply continuing the conversation from where Jesus had left off.

  • Bob

    Mat 24:3 is an interesting question that none of the other gospels mention. The question is interesting because Jesus had not spoken about the end of the world only the destruction of Jerusalem. So why would his disciples ask him about a subject he hadn’t brought up? The disciples didn’t understand at that time that Jesus was going to die or leave them. So why would they ask him when he would return? The gospels of Luke and Mark have parallel accounts of this instance, yet their question is completely different and only deal with what Jesus had talked about earlier, namely the destruction of Jerusalem. So then, why is Matthew’s account so much different than theirs?

    • Peter K. (admin)

      Bob – Thanks for a good question. Jesus had told his disciples several times that he would die. For example, in Mark 10:33-34, we read, “Again he took the twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.” They must have know he would return, because in Matt 19:28 says, “And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Also in Luke 17:24 “For as the lightning (sun) that flashes (shines) out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 “But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” NKJV The disciples must have been asking about Jesus return, because in Matt 24:3 they asked about the sign of his presence – Greek parousia. This is the same word parousia in Matt 24:3 is found in Matt 24:37 “As and the days of the Noah, even so will be also the presence of the son of the man.” Diaglot. Luke 21 focuses on the first advent destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the Jewish Harvest. Matt 24 and Mark 13 focus on what it pictured, namely the second advent of Christ and the end of the Harvest/End of the Gospel Age and destruction of nominal Israel or Christendom.

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