By David Ettinger
Well-Meaning
Regarding the return of Christ, there is a variety of opinions as to when that blessed moment will occur.
Though end-time issues are often confusing, most serious Christians understand there will be a unique 7-year period at the end of this era of human history. And though no one can put all the pieces together sequentially, Christians understand that this time will include the rise of the Antichrist, the terrible persecution of Christians and of Israel, cataclysmic episodes occurring upon the earth and in the sky, and the Rapture of the Church.
This last event – the Rapture of the Church – has given rise to the most controversy. Will the Rapture – the gathering of Christians to Christ at His coming (1 Thessalonians 4:17) – occur before the climactic 7-year period, after it, or sometime during? Christians hoping to avoid having to go through this period of time – wrongly called “The Tribulation” (though for expediency’s sake I will call it that here) – cite one particular verse to defend what is commonly called the “Pretribulation Rapture” view.
The verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:2, which says, “for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” However, as we will soon see, many well-meaning believers have misinterpreted this verse.
The Misinterpretation
The Day of the Lord refers to the return of Jesus when He will do two things: rapture the Church, and pour out His wrath upon unbelievers.
Pretribulation Rapturists believe this will occur before the 7-year period, based on 1 Thessalonians 5:2. The idea is that a “thief in the night” comes at a time when the occupants of a home are not expecting him. They are totally unaware that something astonishing is about to occur. Christians who hold this view believe the Lord will return to Earth at any time – that is, without notice or warning.
However, look at the context of 1 Thessalonians 5:2. Yes, Jesus will “come like a thief in the night,” but for whom? Verse 3 says: “While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”
Hmm. This doesn’t sound like the Rapture, does it? After all, verse 9 tells us, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” But verse 3 indicates that Jesus will bring His wrath with Him.
There is no contradiction here. Notice the term in verse 3, “While people …” The King James version says, “While they …” Who are these “they”? Verse 4 reads: “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.”
Aha! This is addressed to “brothers and sisters” – believers. The unbelievers are the ones living “in darkness.” Believers, however, are not in the dark, as verse 5 affirms: “You are all children of the light and children of the day.”
So yes, the Lord will come like “a thief in the night,” but He will come this way for unbelievers, those who have no idea what is coming upon the earth. Believers, on the other hand, will not be taken by surprise at the return of Christ; we will know the time is getting close, and we will be expecting His return.
The Ramification
As misinterpreted by Christians, Jesus coming as “a thief in the night” means He can come at any moment of any day and take us to be with Him. However, the apostle Paul (the author of 1 Thessalonians) says this is not the case. The ramification of this truth is that Jesus will not be “sneaking up” on Christians. Spectacular world events will offer solid indications as to the nearness of Christ’s return.
Furthermore, Jesus Himself clues us in as to the timing of His return. The key is Matthew Chapter 24, and I encourage you to read all of it. The primary verses are 29-30:
“Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven.”
In other words, when we see cataclysmic events occurring in the sky, believers will know Jesus is about to return. There will be no coming “as a thief in the night” regarding this momentous event!
You are no doubt familiar with Jesus’ words in verse 36: “But about that day or hour no one knows …” What this simply means is that no one can pinpoint the exact year, month, and day of Christ’s return. However, according to Matthew 24, there will be unmistakable signs on Earth and in the sky which will tell us that Christ’s coming will very soon become a reality.
An Ironic Twist
There is, of course, an ironic twist to all of this. Though the Bible is clear that Christ’s return will not take Christians by surprise, believers should nonetheless order their lives as if He will return at any time. How would your life change if you lived every day with the firm belief that the Lord will be returning in 48 hours?
It would revolutionize your life, right? It sure would change mine!
David Ettinger is a writer/editor at Zion’s Hope, Inc., and has written for Zion’s Fire magazine since its inception in 1990.
jarilissima
May 11, 2021
Great blog post, Mr. David 🙂 In your closing, that’s a good question and a wonderful thing to consider!
LikeLiked by 1 person
dettinger47
May 11, 2021
Thank you, Yari.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loren
May 11, 2021
Great read!! Thanks!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
dettinger47
May 11, 2021
Thank you, Loren.
LikeLike
Blue Collar Theologian
May 11, 2021
I hold to Prewrath as well and I am praying for people to not get discouraged and fall away because of the teaching you mentioned. The Day of the Lord is a mighty big deal and it is often neglected in teaching. Imminence in my humble opinion is also misunderstood/misapplied due to the teaching that you referenced. I am thankful that Jesus is returning and like everything that God does there will be order even in the midst of chaos. Chaos points us to Jesus who is the same yesterday, today and forever.
LikeLiked by 1 person
dettinger47
May 11, 2021
Great points, Mandy, particularly about even at the most chaotic time in history, there will be order. Well said!
LikeLiked by 1 person
vicklea
May 11, 2021
Always be ready for Jesus’s return!
LikeLiked by 1 person
dettinger47
May 11, 2021
Amen, Vickie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bruce Cooper
May 11, 2021
David, this post is a breath of fresh air. If anyone sends me one more video clip or article about speculation that is laced with words such as “perhaps”, “maybe” “depending upon” or the preverbal “if”, on how Covid19 is prepping us for the coming world order, ushered in by the pending world financial collapse, I may very well disconnect myself from the Internet. God’s Word is very clear about detailed signs that we are to watch for. And these “signs” are not obscure, in fact, one would have to be Biblically blind to miss them. And as you have stated, “And though no one can put all the pieces together sequentially, Christians understand that this time will include the rise of the Antichrist, the terrible persecution of Christians and of Israel, cataclysmic episodes occurring upon the earth and in the sky, and the Rapture of the Church.” But the sheer magnitude of the “what if’s” and “possible preludes to” are being driven by fear of what lies ahead for Christian believers from all walks of life. We are clearly told that lawlessness will increase and a great falling away will happen. In fact, Jesus specifically said that these things MUST happen,(Luke 21:9) before this sequence starts to happen, but that we are not to fear because He has already overcome the world (John 16:33). And yet, for many, there seems to be a mentality that if we can only identify these possible preludes and convince others of their reality, that somehow, we can turn all of this that has been decreed around. You can correct me if I am wrong but I don’t see that command given anywhere by Jesus. God’s Word clearly states that once this sequence has started, some will be put in prison and some will be killed. The Revelation of Jesus Christ tells us to stand fast in our faith and not, repeat not, to give into the deception that will sweep the world of unbelievers. And we are not to take the mark of the beast on our hand nor our forehead. And if we die, we die and if we are killed, we will be brought back to life in the first resurrection, when Jesus reigns on this earth for 1000 years. The fact of the matter is that whether we live or whether we die, we live or die unto the Lord. if Paul and Silas can pray and sing hymns of praise to God while in jail and in feet stocks, after being beaten, then why can’t we? What the heck are we missing that they didn’t. Sorry for the long comment, blessings!
LikeLiked by 1 person
dettinger47
May 11, 2021
Great points up and down, Bruce, and all I can really add to all you wrote is “amen and amen”!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
bigskybuckeye
May 11, 2021
David, I appreciate the thought-provoking ending to this post. As believers, are we up to such a challenge? May we step into the light and proclaim a resounding “Yes.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
dettinger47
May 11, 2021
Good thought, Big Sky. It is a challenge indeed!
LikeLike
Lisa Beth
May 11, 2021
Thank you brother for setting straight so many erroneous teachings. The prophecies of Christ’s return are as important as those pointing to His birth!
I appreciate your clarity on this subject! Btw, even though Jesus may not “come at any moment” I also consider I could die on any day and meet Him!
Press on David!
LikeLiked by 2 people
dettinger47
May 11, 2021
Great point, Lisa Beth!
LikeLiked by 2 people
heavensreef
May 12, 2021
I think we should live expecting HIM every single day. When I wake up and see the sun on my patio, I just breathe “one more day LORD” and then I know there is still work to be done for the Kingdom! I pray I won’t miss any of the important signs……but to keep looking UP is very important. Thank you for clarifying all of this!
LikeLiked by 1 person
dettinger47
May 12, 2021
Keep looking up … amen to that, Maxine!
LikeLike
Chris Pennington
May 14, 2021
David Ettinger
Wonderful article, thank you .
I truly enjoy your teaching and the teachings of all the members at Zion’s Hope.
I have a question.
Could ” NIGHT ” also be word play?
I’ll explain
In some scriptures it states “like a thief ”
If the moon, sun, stars go dark
It would be NIGHT time all around the world.
When Paul writes “in the NIGHT ”
Or when we read in Matthew 25
“The Groom comes at midnight ”
Or “we are not of the NIGHT ”
Could NIGHT be wordplay?
Something else that I found interesting is a day begins at nightfall in the Jewish custom
Your thoughts
Thanks again
Chris
LikeLiked by 1 person
dettinger47
May 14, 2021
You’re on the right trail, Chris. I think the better word would be “metaphor” rather than “word play.” For instance, if you read the first two chapters of Micah, the prophet uses many word plays regarding the cities he is describing. In this case, I think “night” is a more a metaphor, in the same that conservatives are referred to as being “on the right,” and liberals “on the left.”
I hope this makes sense, and thank you for the great question!
LikeLike
Bonnie Roerdink
May 15, 2021
David, I have poured over and underlined many details of the excellent article in Zion’s Fire titled: “God’s Prophetic Calendar” written by Marvin Rosenthal. He refers to the Feast of Trumpets (October) as depicting Christ’s return for the church. Based on that it would seem we do know the month of His return. I thoroughly enjoyed and “met” with God while studying this magazine article and talked with my pastor about it. I am glad that Jesus will whisk me away just prior to the start of another frigid Wisconsin winter. Praise the Lord!
LikeLiked by 1 person
dettinger47
May 15, 2021
Amen. Thank you, Bonnie!
LikeLike