Like a Thief in the Night
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3: "Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."
There was an unusual fascination with the second coming of Christ within the church in Thessalonica. Believers there were very concerned that they may have missed the second coming of Christ or that they were not fully ready for his return. In this obsession with the return of Jesus, the Thessalonians forgot the teaching of Jesus that his return would be completely unexpected; he would come at a time which seemed most unlikely. Paul entreated the believers in Thessalonica to live as if Jesus would return tomorrow; hence, the language of labor pains. A woman never knows exactly when the baby will be born, so she stays on alert and ready for all that is ahead in the process of labor, delivery, and then life with a newborn baby.
There have been movements in our day and age where people have thought they figured out the time of Jesus' second coming. Pamphlets have been written and distributed. People have even sold all their earthly goods in preparation for the return of Christ. Clearly, he has not yet come! They, too, forgot that he will return like a thief in the night. It will look like any other day until the Son of Man comes riding on the clouds bringing his kingdom. On that day, there will be sudden destruction for those who have rejected him. The delayed judgement will come, and as Paul said, "they will not escape."
Reflection:
Do you, like the Thessalonians, think too much about the second coming of Jesus, or do you not think about it enough? Paul would entreat us to live today as if Jesus is coming tomorrow!
There was an unusual fascination with the second coming of Christ within the church in Thessalonica. Believers there were very concerned that they may have missed the second coming of Christ or that they were not fully ready for his return. In this obsession with the return of Jesus, the Thessalonians forgot the teaching of Jesus that his return would be completely unexpected; he would come at a time which seemed most unlikely. Paul entreated the believers in Thessalonica to live as if Jesus would return tomorrow; hence, the language of labor pains. A woman never knows exactly when the baby will be born, so she stays on alert and ready for all that is ahead in the process of labor, delivery, and then life with a newborn baby.
There have been movements in our day and age where people have thought they figured out the time of Jesus' second coming. Pamphlets have been written and distributed. People have even sold all their earthly goods in preparation for the return of Christ. Clearly, he has not yet come! They, too, forgot that he will return like a thief in the night. It will look like any other day until the Son of Man comes riding on the clouds bringing his kingdom. On that day, there will be sudden destruction for those who have rejected him. The delayed judgement will come, and as Paul said, "they will not escape."
Reflection:
Do you, like the Thessalonians, think too much about the second coming of Jesus, or do you not think about it enough? Paul would entreat us to live today as if Jesus is coming tomorrow!
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