For you yourselves know accurately that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.
(1 Thessalonians 5:2)


The world we live in is chaotic and ofttimes unpredictable. Looking at the news proves this point.
And yet man tries very hard to control his destiny, to predict his future, to peer into the darkness looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. There is only one outcome for man... and for many it is not the future they desire. . .
Do you have an alarm system on your door? Does the company that installed it proclaim that it will summon aid and assistance when you need it, all just a phone call away? Well, that is good, but often, when we least expect it, when we think we have it all together, the thief strikes. We cannot predict when he will come nor can we often prevent it. It is with a sudden shock that we have found that the thief has entered our lives.
And so also will it be with a shock when the day of the Lord comes, to many it will come as a surprise:
"But of the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that I write to you. For you yourselves know accurately that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety! Then sudden destruction comes on them, as travail upon a woman with child. And they shall not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you like a thief. You are all the sons of light and the sons of the day. We are not of the night, or of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us watch and be calm. For those sleeping sleep in the night, and those being drunken are drunken in the night." (1 Thessalonians 5:1-7)
Note what Paul writes about concerning those of the church. We are not surprise, nor are we asleep, but watchful, not for a thief to steal from us, but for Christ to return and take us home.
We are not asleep! We are of the day and we know what this is about! Many will say, Jesus is coming! and will not be true. Remember Paul writes to us and tells us that we do not nor do we need to know the day.
I remember reading about a sect that, in the 19th century, quit their jobs and sat on a hillside in July on a certain day to wait on the return of the Lord. From current events in the news, their leader had figured out the exact day and time of the coming of Jesus. Needless to say, they sat for a long time before they gave up. And still they came back a second time!
In our lifetimes, people have predicted Jesus’ coming, always wrong, and sometimes their mixed up doctrine has caused dire consequences for those that have followed their leadership.
God doesn’t want us to worry about this subject. The coming of Jesus is for Him to decided, not us and trying to figure it out is a useless waste of time.
Again, scripture is quite clear:
"the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he does not look for Him, and in an hour which he does not know. "(Matthew 24:50)
"For you yourselves know accurately that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. "(1 Thessalonians 5:2)
So the question remains to be asked. Are you ready to met the Lord? Will you be watching for Him or will you be surprised?