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“the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2, NKJV)
God tells us that the secret things belong to Him but the revealed things belong to us and our children to act upon them (Dt. 29:29). That means there are things we don’t know but what we should know we do know because God has made them known to us. There are many topics we would like more detail about but God has revealed in His word only what He wants us to know.
The time of Christ’s return is one of those things unknown to us. In teaching about Himself as the “Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory,” Jesus makes it clear that “of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matt. 24:36). We are not privy to the timing of our Lord’s parousia.
So when Paul writes to the Thessalonians, “but concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you” (1 Thess. 5:1), he is not suggesting that he does not need to write about the day and time of Christ’s return because they already know them. He is saying that they do not need to concern themselves with such details. It’s not in their purview.
What they do need to know is what they already do know, that Jesus is coming and they are to be ready. “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2). He will go on to elaborate but for now he wants them not only to be aware but particularly to live in view of that awareness.
“The day of the Lord” refers to the return of Jesus, not in humility as at His first appearing but in glory, not to die for sinners but to gather those for whom He died in His first appearing. The day will be a day of joy for those in Christ but a day of dread for those who have not bowed the knee before Him.
The dread will issue from the reckoning to come, when the wages of sin will be doled out. Before the judgment seat of the holy God, people will either represent themselves in their own defense or will be represented by Jesus who atoned for their guilt of sin and suffered the penalty of the lawbreaker.
What does the phrase “thief in the night” communicate? Usually, when someone wants to break into our house and rob us they do so under the cloak of darkness, and often in the wee hours of the morning when we are asleep. The homeowner is taken by surprise.
Peter also describes the return of Jesus as the arrival of a “thief in the night.” “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10). Peter describes the scope of Christ’s return, dealing not only with individuals but addressing a whole new creation (see also Rom. 8:19-25) that will be subject to change.
What difference does all this make for how we live our lives awaiting Christ’s return? Of primary importance, we need to make sure that we are believers, that we trust in Christ alone for salvation, that by God’s grace we embrace the gospel of the kingdom. Our only credential must be Christ.
Many are self-deceived that they have a sure hope but actually do not belong to Jesus. They presume upon a profession of faith or being raised in a Christian household or a sense of prideful entitlement that they are safe. We are to examine ourselves by the word of God and illumination of the Spirit that we are in the faith.
As ones belonging to Christ, we live with our hand to the plow, engaged in the work of the kingdom. In addition, we are to live faithful to our identity and calling in Christ.
Just as the Thessalonians were not to sit on the laurels of life that were theirs in Christ, so we are to press on in faith, seeking first His kingdom and righteousness.
How does the return of Christ to come affect our life for Christ now?
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
