For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
The day of the Lord is the revelation of Christ at His second coming upon the unbelieving world, coming suddenly and unexpectedly, swiftly and silently and without warning, like a thief entering an unguarded home at night. It overtakes the ungodly, careless and unprepared while they are resting in false security and saying peace and safety, bringing sudden destruction and wrath from which they will not escape. The exact day and hour of that appearing remain unknown to human beings and cannot be set by human prediction, though fulfilled prophecy and given signs show the coming is near and at the threshold. Those who receive the truth, believe the warning and heed the signs are not in darkness and need not be overtaken as by a thief, for they are children of light and of the day. They are therefore called to awake from sleep, to watch and be sober and pray earnestly, keeping their lamps trimmed and their lives cleansed and complete in Christ, and to work faithfully to warn others while probation still lingers.
Sense of Thief Image
The day of the Lord is the revelation of Christ at His second coming upon the unbelieving world. It will arrive unexpectedly upon those who ignore the signs and live as though all were secure, bringing sudden destruction and wrath from which there is no escape. The warning applies especially to the last generation living on earth when that day comes, when the world is absorbed in selfish pursuits and lulled by claims of peace and safety while scoffers dismiss the promise of His coming. The time is not unknowable to vigilant believers, for the events preceding the return have been made known and those who receive the truth and heed those signs need not be caught unawares. Indifference to those signs is sinful darkness, while constant readiness is essential for those who know.
Coming as a thief in the night means coming suddenly, unexpectedly, swiftly, stealthily and silently, with muffled tread like an unguarded home entered at night and like a snare sprung without warning. Its approach may pass unnoticed by a world lulled into false security, and it will overtake the pleasure-loving and sinful, the careless and unprepared, when they feel safe. The ungodly, absorbed in ordinary pursuits, will be overtaken by sudden destruction when they say peace and safety, and they shall not escape. Believers in the light of Scripture are children of light and of the day, not of the night nor of darkness, and are called to stay awake, watchful and sober, equipped with faith and love and the hope of salvation. The message of the second coming is to be earnestly proclaimed with constant preparation, and no interpretation of prophecy should weaken the conviction that the event is near, for the warning reaches even church members.
The same thief-like stealth also describes Satan's secret advance to seize the sleeping as prey. He comes suddenly and secretly upon workers, with stealthy tread and covert plans and devices including lying wonders, watching artful and subtle to hedge up the way, pervert ideas, frame plans, and startle those not kept by grace. Unless human agents are humble, meek, lowly of heart, prayerful and watchful, following Jesus, they will fall under temptation, be taken unawares and made captives. Deception can creep in this way upon those who do not recognize their danger, as worldly policy and false ideas dim spiritual vision, lead astray, and grieve the Holy Spirit. Spurious scientific theories likewise come in like a thief in the night, secretly stealing away the landmarks and undermining the pillars of faith.
Those who held a different position taught that coming as a thief means Christ will come invisibly to take the saints without anyone knowing, after which they will come down through the air to old Jerusalem to which the Jews will return, with opportunity still to repent and be saved.
Nearness Signs and Time
The day of the Lord is near, right upon the world, at hand and on its threshold, a truth believers know perfectly and should take seriously with alarm or with rejoicing. It will come unexpectedly like a thief in the night, bringing distress, anguish, judgment, plague, retribution for sin, and sudden destruction upon the world from which there will be no escape, so the short time remaining must be used urgently for speedy preparation and faithful work of warning while there is still time. Knowing this requires awakening from spiritual stupor to remain spiritually alert and sober rather than sleeping, grounded in faith and love and in the hope of salvation, waiting, watching and working vigilantly with lamps kept alive by the oil of grace, guarding against spiritual decline and encouraging and strengthening one another, and not living as though the coming were delayed lest that day overtake the unprepared. Christ will come in the clouds with power and great glory.
Concerning His people, God's will and mind is that they are in the light all the time, taught of God, with His counsel not hidden from them, and they are to remember this and take their position as those taught of God. Events preceding Christ's return have been made known and prophecies are being fulfilled, yet few recognize how near the day is. Faithful watchmen who diligently and prayerfully search Scripture, including the truths presented in Daniel and Revelation, can know the prophetic signs and the time of night, so that as children of light who heed the warnings and believe the warning they need not remain in darkness and spiritual peril nor be overtaken as by a thief, while students who fail to learn the truth may be overtaken unprepared. Those who say Peace and safety and fail to watch and wait for the Lord will be caught swiftly, silently and without warning as in a snare.
The exact day and hour of Christ's appearing remain unknown to human beings and cannot be set by human prediction, so all are told to watch, since many will not expect Him when He comes. Though the time cannot be known, fulfilled prophecy shows that the second coming is near, and no interpretation of prophecy should erase the conviction that events show it is near or obscure the signs. The thief-like coming overtakes sinful people, pleasure-lovers, and all who feel secure in false security, when they believe they are safe, leaving no time to prevent the loss, the danger being discovered only when it is too late. It overtakes them while absorbed in eating and drinking, planting and building, pleasure-loving, amusements, gains, traffic, moneymaking, dishonest practices, luxury, extravagance, wine-drinking and reveling, and robbing the poor of sustenance, as Sodom steeped in iniquity and as it was in the days of Noah. It overtakes also the church doing after the practices of the world and the Christian world lulled in blind, deluded slumber of security, with denominational churches speaking smooth sayings and ministers crying peace and safety, leaving them unready and unprepared when sudden destruction breaks upon them as a snare upon all who dwell on the earth, just as Noah's warning that in one hundred and twenty years God would destroy the inhabitants by a flood was mocked and laughed to scorn though the ark was built on dry land for all who would believe and enter, and unbelief did not prevent the rain from coming and the wicked from perishing.
No interpretation of prophecy should weaken the conviction that the event is near, and there is no temporal millennium in which to postpone the work of warning the world. Its approach may pass unnoticed by a world lulled into false security, and it will overtake the pleasure-loving and sinful when they feel safe. The warning applies to everyone, including church members, calling all to remain ready rather than trust assurances of peace and safety, to be prepared before God's forbearance ends and judgment falls on transgressors, and not to live as though the Lord's coming is delayed.
Sudden Destruction of Unprepared
The day comes unexpectedly upon the ungodly, the careless, the indifferent and the unprepared, while they are saying peace and safety in false security. It does not come so upon those who heed the warning, receive the truth, watch and love the appearing, for they are not in darkness. To the unheeding it brings sudden destruction and wrath from which there is no escape.
They are overtaken while absorbed in ordinary pursuits and worldly concerns, eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying and giving in marriage, buying and selling, business and trade, pleasure and excitement, appetite and indulgence, seeking the highest place, with hearts overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and the cares of this life, and with idolatrous wickedness, luxury, extravagance, dishonest gain and robbing the poor. Outward life appears unchanged, the sun keeps its usual round and the heavens still declare glory, while the crisis steals gradually upon the world. Though signs warn of its approach like a thief entering an unguarded home at night, those absorbed in false confidence are caught unaware.
As in the days of Noah final appeals were given silently for one hundred and twenty years while the ark was built on dry land for all who would believe and enter, until warning was mocked and laughed to scorn and the Flood destroyed the rejecters. The days before the Flood passed quietly while people felt secure because the respected and learned had no fear, yet confidence in reason, science and the opinions of respected men did not make the warning less true or less urgent, and unbelief did not prevent the rain from coming. So also Lot's family counted warning of Sodom's destruction as enthusiasm and were unprepared, and Jerusalem rejected warning of its doom, and warnings are now sent that the end is at hand. The same snare-like sudden destruction breaks upon all who dwell on the earth while eating and drinking, planting and building, absorbed in pleasure-loving amusements, gains, traffic, moneymaking, wine-drinking and reveling, as Sodom steeped in iniquity and as in the days of Noah.
Terrible calamities abroad in the land illustrate that suddenness, such as the San Francisco devastation and destruction, floods, fires, rail disasters, earthquakes in divers places, hurricanes, plagues, disease and loss of life and property. They serve as warnings that should move people to investigate Bible truth, learn the meaning of judgments, tell neighbors in darkness, and be ready for the coming. Yet many remain unimpressed and go on the same, full of amusements of every description, because a power from beneath moves in these calamities and minds are kept so full of pleasure by devices that they are unready.
The warning falls even on professed believers, church members and workers who do not realize where they stand, and even on those who read the signs of the times. Self-love can deaden spiritual senses despite famines, disasters, plagues and war, and carelessness and indifference, Laodicean ease, controversy and disputes among themselves, unsanctified hearing without faith, unfaithful leaders, denominational smooth sayings, and ministers crying peace and safety can leave them asleep, lured by hidden snares of worldliness, error and deception away from humility and the narrow path, and overtaken without escape. Therefore constant watchfulness and diligent alertness are called for, with preparation for the future life and knowledge of how to escape the wrath to come, lest the day bring judgment upon the unready.
Believers Not Overtaken
Brethren who receive the truth, believe the warning and heed the signs are not in darkness and need not be overtaken as by a thief, for they are children of light and of the day, not of the night nor of darkness. The day of the Lord is the revelation of Christ at His second coming, coming as unexpectedly as a thief in the night, and the signs that precede it have been made known so that those who heed them need not be caught unawares. Indifference to those signs is sinful, for to ignore them is to remain in darkness while believers are called to watch and remain sober. The verse is a message of Christ's second coming to be earnestly proclaimed, emphasizing constant preparation, since when they say Peace and safety then sudden destruction comes upon them and they shall not escape. It comes unexpectedly upon the ungodly who do not heed the warning and are absorbed in worldly concerns and ordinary pursuits, lulled into false security, while Christians who receive the warning watch for Christ and love His appearing. It comes suddenly to the unwary like a thief entering an unguarded home at night, yet it does not teach that people must remain ignorant of its nearness, for though the exact day and hour remain unknown, believers are to recognize when the coming is near.
They are therefore called to awake from sleep and stupor, to watch, be sober, pray earnestly and live thoughtfully, lest spiritual stupor keep them from recognizing how near that day is. Staying spiritually awake and ready means resisting spiritual decline through watchfulness and sustaining grace, keeping the soul ready and the lamp trimmed with the oil of grace, equipped with faith and love and the hope of salvation. The call not to sleep but to watch and be sober means staying spiritually alert, sober and attentive to the signs of the times, rather than resting in carnal security, putting the day far off, or being absorbed in selfish worldly pursuits. Because the time is short and the night is coming when no one can work, those who know present truth should urgently share it and warn others of coming judgment, and those who labor with God will triumph when the truth triumphs. The image warns that the day will come stealthily and unexpectedly like a thief moving at night and will catch unawares those who are not watching.
To escape surprise they must obey God and not excuse disobedience when obedience requires self-denial, leaving iniquity and becoming ready for that day. Every person must confess sins before God and before those wronged, cleanse the mind and purify the soul in order to stand blameless, doing the work to be done in the great day of atonement, for those who neglect this cleansing will be surprised by that day and have their candlestick removed out of its place. Readiness means judgment is already at hand and each person has an individual case before the heavenly court, where they must be found complete in Christ rather than wanting, Christlike in heart and life. Those who disregard God's Word will be unholy, unsanctified and unready, while those who are unready will face sudden destruction and will not escape.
Those whose lives are hidden with Christ in God need not fear the approaching time of trouble, for when they recognize their weakness and trust in God He is their strength and protection. That time of trouble comes suddenly and unexpectedly as a thief in the night, bringing great confusion and the conflict of armies, and God's household must answer the call to follow heavenly leading down to the safe retreat prepared for them.
Closing Crisis Foretold
The day of the Lord brings distress, anguish, judgment, plague, retribution for sin, and sudden destruction upon the world from which there is no escape. It comes unexpectedly like a thief at night, and belongs not to the past but to the last generation living on earth at Christ's second coming, when wrath falls on the unprepared. Its nearness leaves only a short time remaining, demanding urgent preparation and earnest work to warn others.
Probation is rapidly closing while the crisis steals gradually upon the world, and every case is about to be decided for eternity with a heaven to win and a hell to shun. The decisive hour and withdrawal of mercy come silently and unnoticed shortly before the Lord appears, fixing each destiny while people continue ordinary life unaware that their fate has been settled. Outward life appears unchanged, the sun keeps its usual round and the heavens still declare glory, while men pursue eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying and giving in marriage, buying and selling, seeking the highest place, and chasing pleasure and excitement. Few believe with heart and soul how soon the crisis will come, and those who do show their faith by their works, refusing to be lulled into distraction but recognizing the fulfillment of signs and acting faithfully while opportunity to choose still remains.
The storm of coming events is gathering while angels hold back the four winds until the specified work of warning is given to the world. Great and solemn events stand on the threshold with prophecies being fulfilled and stormy times ahead, old controversies long hushed revived and new controversies springing up, old and new commingled. The clouds are loading ready to burst, and when they burst it will be to many as unexpected as a thief in the night.
That day fulfills prophecy to receive Christ our Prince after great preparations have been made, coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory attended by ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of the heavenly host to gather those who have been faithful. The last trump will sound and be heard over the whole earth from the highest mountains to the deepest mines. The righteous dead will hear it and come forth from their graves clothed with immortality to meet their Lord, while those who pierced, scourged, and crucified the Saviour will also be raised to behold Him whom they mocked and despised. In that day the heavens will pass away with a great noise, the elements will melt with fervent heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
The day of trial and time of trouble comes as a thief in the night, stealing unawares upon those weighed down by earthly treasures and the cares of life. Satan works to keep hearts burdened so they are caught unprepared and unable to stand. Meeting it requires the training and consecration of all powers to service, employing time and youthful zeal and ardor to glorify God in real, thorough, well-organized efforts under instructors to be a blessing to others.
The present lull is a brief calm before an unprecedented storm and final crisis whose dangers are already near and already stealing on with the stealth and suddenness of a thief. The union of church and state to restrict religious liberty, the final climax of oppressive and resurrected old laws for the government of nations, and the universal exaltation of the man of sin's day of worship over God's holy day mark the time for God to act. The crisis comes upon people unawares while the worldwide last message of mercy and call to come out of Babylon is being proclaimed, to be carried forward understandingly and in faith, quietly and without condemnation of powers, stirring up no opposing elements and provoking no retaliation, yet speaking Bible truth.
Call to Watch and Work
Constant readiness is essential because the day of the Lord — the second coming of Christ — will arrive unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. The warning is to wake up and act now, lest that day overtake the soul unprepared. Alert, diligent watchfulness is required against hidden snares, worldly entanglements, error and deception that draw followers away from humility and from the narrow path to the city of God. The careless and indifferent are the ones upon whom the day will come unexpectedly, so believers must stay constantly watchful not to be caught in that condition.
Waiting for that day must never be idle but must join prayer, vigilance and earnest work to save souls. Those who have light and knowledge must follow Jesus, walk in His footsteps, share what they have received, and work out their salvation with fear and trembling, with special urgency resting on men in positions of responsibility in this time of peril. The living church must not merely wait but must vigilantly watch and work with reference to the grand and awful scene that will close earth's history, with none neutral and all representing Christ in active effort for perishing souls, taking every precaution now, strengthening the mind to look deep and discern the reasons of faith, and having the soul-temple purified by truth, for only the pure in heart will stand against Satan's wiles. Those who fold their hands, stand neutral, do haphazard work, fall into declension and sleep like the foolish virgins will be overtaken as by a thief, while careless work brings spiritual decline and works corresponding with light place one on the Lord's side.
The day is right upon the world and comes with stealthy, muffled tread, taking unawares all who are not watching, and pity falls on the people when the watchmen themselves are asleep. Faithful awake stewards of grace must therefore give the trumpet a certain sound and voice the third angel's message telling the world to make ready for the great day of God, a message bearing the seal of the living God, with the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments combined to fit up a people to stand. Those who fail in duty to warn others and urge preparation will themselves be overtaken unexpectedly, so the nearness of the end calls believers to keep working, prepare themselves, and proclaim the gospel throughout the world before the end comes. The time to warn is now, while men are ambitious for power and the world is stirred with strife, discontentment, confusion and bloodshed, that soon the Prince of Peace is to come in power and great glory, with young men and women prepared as God's helping hand to receive light and impart it to those in darkness, including by doing all that can be done such as holding open-air grove meetings to reach those who would not attend a church service.
The call not to sleep but to watch and be sober means staying spiritually alert, because the time is short and the night is coming when no one can work. That approaching night is the ending of opportunity to carry the warning and to choose, as the Spirit of God is grieved away and nations prepare for war. Opportunity to spread the truth will soon be hedged with dangers on every side and everything placed to obstruct what can be done now, while powers of darkness work with intense energy from beneath and Satan advances with stealthy tread to seize the sleeping as prey; therefore warnings must be given and the work done now with aggressive speed, keeping in the channel of light with eyes fastened on Jesus as Leader and patiently pressing on to victory. Because the day is near and may overtake unexpectedly, people must attend to others' spiritual needs and diligently use God-given talents and opportunities to be ready and return to God what He entrusted, for the Lord will bear with increasing gross wickedness only a short time and diligent work for eternity is urgent.
Watching is hindered when Satan distracts Christians with disputes and conflicts among themselves so that the day overtakes them unprepared. The danger is increased because he prepares to work in secrecy through human agencies, making it the most important crisis ever to come upon the world, stealing upon even God's people if they are not wide-awake. Minds full of pleasure amid calamities also fail to prepare: when the Spirit is being withdrawn, with casualties and loss of life by floods, fire, rail disasters, earthquakes, plagues and disease, many remain unimpressed and go on with amusements, while a power from beneath moves in those calamities to keep them unready. God's people must therefore onward to the close of time stay awake by trusting wholly in the wisdom of their Leader and not their own, by setting aside days for fasting and prayer with denial of usual enjoyed food for a plain simple diet, and by genuine humiliation and most earnest prayer rather than lifting up the soul unto vanity in self-indulgence and pride.
Readiness blends personal devotion with faithful labor until the Lord comes, for present choices are matters of eternal life or death. The approach of the day, with iniquity increasing and many growing cold in love, exposes those absorbed in business, pleasure, appetite and worldly concerns who put eternity out of reckoning and follow the apostate toward destruction, while worldly business, wealth and security can blind people to the signs so that the day comes unawares as judgment on those who refuse to watch. Since the end of all things is at hand with only a little while remaining and the Lord coming suddenly amid idolatrous wickedness, His people must draw near to God, watch and pray lest they be caught unprepared, give clear decided testimony right to the point, do their work faithfully, and remain vigilant rather than relying on their own wisdom. They are thus fitted to stand and to see the King in His beauty by sending light into moral darkness so as not to be drawn away, while ministers bear the message to prepare them and false reports against those ministers obstruct its reception.
The day of the Lord is the revelation of Christ at His second coming upon the unbelieving world, coming suddenly and unexpectedly, swiftly and silently and without warning, like a thief entering an unguarded home at night. It overtakes the ungodly, careless and unprepared while they are resting in false security and saying peace and safety, bringing sudden destruction and wrath from which they will not escape. The exact day and hour of that appearing remain unknown to human beings and cannot be set by human prediction, though fulfilled prophecy and given signs show the coming is near and at the threshold. Those who receive the truth, believe the warning and heed the signs are not in darkness and need not be overtaken as by a thief, for they are children of light and of the day. They are therefore called to awake from sleep, to watch and be sober and pray earnestly, keeping their lamps trimmed and their lives cleansed and complete in Christ, and to work faithfully to warn others while probation still lingers.
Sense of Thief Image
The day of the Lord is the revelation of Christ at His second coming upon the unbelieving world. It will arrive unexpectedly upon those who ignore the signs and live as though all were secure, bringing sudden destruction and wrath from which there is no escape. The warning applies especially to the last generation living on earth when that day comes, when the world is absorbed in selfish pursuits and lulled by claims of peace and safety while scoffers dismiss the promise of His coming. The time is not unknowable to vigilant believers, for the events preceding the return have been made known and those who receive the truth and heed those signs need not be caught unawares. Indifference to those signs is sinful darkness, while constant readiness is essential for those who know.
Coming as a thief in the night means coming suddenly, unexpectedly, swiftly, stealthily and silently, with muffled tread like an unguarded home entered at night and like a snare sprung without warning. Its approach may pass unnoticed by a world lulled into false security, and it will overtake the pleasure-loving and sinful, the careless and unprepared, when they feel safe. The ungodly, absorbed in ordinary pursuits, will be overtaken by sudden destruction when they say peace and safety, and they shall not escape. Believers in the light of Scripture are children of light and of the day, not of the night nor of darkness, and are called to stay awake, watchful and sober, equipped with faith and love and the hope of salvation. The message of the second coming is to be earnestly proclaimed with constant preparation, and no interpretation of prophecy should weaken the conviction that the event is near, for the warning reaches even church members.
The same thief-like stealth also describes Satan's secret advance to seize the sleeping as prey. He comes suddenly and secretly upon workers, with stealthy tread and covert plans and devices including lying wonders, watching artful and subtle to hedge up the way, pervert ideas, frame plans, and startle those not kept by grace. Unless human agents are humble, meek, lowly of heart, prayerful and watchful, following Jesus, they will fall under temptation, be taken unawares and made captives. Deception can creep in this way upon those who do not recognize their danger, as worldly policy and false ideas dim spiritual vision, lead astray, and grieve the Holy Spirit. Spurious scientific theories likewise come in like a thief in the night, secretly stealing away the landmarks and undermining the pillars of faith.
Those who held a different position taught that coming as a thief means Christ will come invisibly to take the saints without anyone knowing, after which they will come down through the air to old Jerusalem to which the Jews will return, with opportunity still to repent and be saved.
Nearness Signs and Time
The day of the Lord is near, right upon the world, at hand and on its threshold, a truth believers know perfectly and should take seriously with alarm or with rejoicing. It will come unexpectedly like a thief in the night, bringing distress, anguish, judgment, plague, retribution for sin, and sudden destruction upon the world from which there will be no escape, so the short time remaining must be used urgently for speedy preparation and faithful work of warning while there is still time. Knowing this requires awakening from spiritual stupor to remain spiritually alert and sober rather than sleeping, grounded in faith and love and in the hope of salvation, waiting, watching and working vigilantly with lamps kept alive by the oil of grace, guarding against spiritual decline and encouraging and strengthening one another, and not living as though the coming were delayed lest that day overtake the unprepared. Christ will come in the clouds with power and great glory.
Concerning His people, God's will and mind is that they are in the light all the time, taught of God, with His counsel not hidden from them, and they are to remember this and take their position as those taught of God. Events preceding Christ's return have been made known and prophecies are being fulfilled, yet few recognize how near the day is. Faithful watchmen who diligently and prayerfully search Scripture, including the truths presented in Daniel and Revelation, can know the prophetic signs and the time of night, so that as children of light who heed the warnings and believe the warning they need not remain in darkness and spiritual peril nor be overtaken as by a thief, while students who fail to learn the truth may be overtaken unprepared. Those who say Peace and safety and fail to watch and wait for the Lord will be caught swiftly, silently and without warning as in a snare.
The exact day and hour of Christ's appearing remain unknown to human beings and cannot be set by human prediction, so all are told to watch, since many will not expect Him when He comes. Though the time cannot be known, fulfilled prophecy shows that the second coming is near, and no interpretation of prophecy should erase the conviction that events show it is near or obscure the signs. The thief-like coming overtakes sinful people, pleasure-lovers, and all who feel secure in false security, when they believe they are safe, leaving no time to prevent the loss, the danger being discovered only when it is too late. It overtakes them while absorbed in eating and drinking, planting and building, pleasure-loving, amusements, gains, traffic, moneymaking, dishonest practices, luxury, extravagance, wine-drinking and reveling, and robbing the poor of sustenance, as Sodom steeped in iniquity and as it was in the days of Noah. It overtakes also the church doing after the practices of the world and the Christian world lulled in blind, deluded slumber of security, with denominational churches speaking smooth sayings and ministers crying peace and safety, leaving them unready and unprepared when sudden destruction breaks upon them as a snare upon all who dwell on the earth, just as Noah's warning that in one hundred and twenty years God would destroy the inhabitants by a flood was mocked and laughed to scorn though the ark was built on dry land for all who would believe and enter, and unbelief did not prevent the rain from coming and the wicked from perishing.
No interpretation of prophecy should weaken the conviction that the event is near, and there is no temporal millennium in which to postpone the work of warning the world. Its approach may pass unnoticed by a world lulled into false security, and it will overtake the pleasure-loving and sinful when they feel safe. The warning applies to everyone, including church members, calling all to remain ready rather than trust assurances of peace and safety, to be prepared before God's forbearance ends and judgment falls on transgressors, and not to live as though the Lord's coming is delayed.
Sudden Destruction of Unprepared
The day comes unexpectedly upon the ungodly, the careless, the indifferent and the unprepared, while they are saying peace and safety in false security. It does not come so upon those who heed the warning, receive the truth, watch and love the appearing, for they are not in darkness. To the unheeding it brings sudden destruction and wrath from which there is no escape.
They are overtaken while absorbed in ordinary pursuits and worldly concerns, eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying and giving in marriage, buying and selling, business and trade, pleasure and excitement, appetite and indulgence, seeking the highest place, with hearts overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and the cares of this life, and with idolatrous wickedness, luxury, extravagance, dishonest gain and robbing the poor. Outward life appears unchanged, the sun keeps its usual round and the heavens still declare glory, while the crisis steals gradually upon the world. Though signs warn of its approach like a thief entering an unguarded home at night, those absorbed in false confidence are caught unaware.
As in the days of Noah final appeals were given silently for one hundred and twenty years while the ark was built on dry land for all who would believe and enter, until warning was mocked and laughed to scorn and the Flood destroyed the rejecters. The days before the Flood passed quietly while people felt secure because the respected and learned had no fear, yet confidence in reason, science and the opinions of respected men did not make the warning less true or less urgent, and unbelief did not prevent the rain from coming. So also Lot's family counted warning of Sodom's destruction as enthusiasm and were unprepared, and Jerusalem rejected warning of its doom, and warnings are now sent that the end is at hand. The same snare-like sudden destruction breaks upon all who dwell on the earth while eating and drinking, planting and building, absorbed in pleasure-loving amusements, gains, traffic, moneymaking, wine-drinking and reveling, as Sodom steeped in iniquity and as in the days of Noah.
Terrible calamities abroad in the land illustrate that suddenness, such as the San Francisco devastation and destruction, floods, fires, rail disasters, earthquakes in divers places, hurricanes, plagues, disease and loss of life and property. They serve as warnings that should move people to investigate Bible truth, learn the meaning of judgments, tell neighbors in darkness, and be ready for the coming. Yet many remain unimpressed and go on the same, full of amusements of every description, because a power from beneath moves in these calamities and minds are kept so full of pleasure by devices that they are unready.
The warning falls even on professed believers, church members and workers who do not realize where they stand, and even on those who read the signs of the times. Self-love can deaden spiritual senses despite famines, disasters, plagues and war, and carelessness and indifference, Laodicean ease, controversy and disputes among themselves, unsanctified hearing without faith, unfaithful leaders, denominational smooth sayings, and ministers crying peace and safety can leave them asleep, lured by hidden snares of worldliness, error and deception away from humility and the narrow path, and overtaken without escape. Therefore constant watchfulness and diligent alertness are called for, with preparation for the future life and knowledge of how to escape the wrath to come, lest the day bring judgment upon the unready.
Believers Not Overtaken
Brethren who receive the truth, believe the warning and heed the signs are not in darkness and need not be overtaken as by a thief, for they are children of light and of the day, not of the night nor of darkness. The day of the Lord is the revelation of Christ at His second coming, coming as unexpectedly as a thief in the night, and the signs that precede it have been made known so that those who heed them need not be caught unawares. Indifference to those signs is sinful, for to ignore them is to remain in darkness while believers are called to watch and remain sober. The verse is a message of Christ's second coming to be earnestly proclaimed, emphasizing constant preparation, since when they say Peace and safety then sudden destruction comes upon them and they shall not escape. It comes unexpectedly upon the ungodly who do not heed the warning and are absorbed in worldly concerns and ordinary pursuits, lulled into false security, while Christians who receive the warning watch for Christ and love His appearing. It comes suddenly to the unwary like a thief entering an unguarded home at night, yet it does not teach that people must remain ignorant of its nearness, for though the exact day and hour remain unknown, believers are to recognize when the coming is near.
They are therefore called to awake from sleep and stupor, to watch, be sober, pray earnestly and live thoughtfully, lest spiritual stupor keep them from recognizing how near that day is. Staying spiritually awake and ready means resisting spiritual decline through watchfulness and sustaining grace, keeping the soul ready and the lamp trimmed with the oil of grace, equipped with faith and love and the hope of salvation. The call not to sleep but to watch and be sober means staying spiritually alert, sober and attentive to the signs of the times, rather than resting in carnal security, putting the day far off, or being absorbed in selfish worldly pursuits. Because the time is short and the night is coming when no one can work, those who know present truth should urgently share it and warn others of coming judgment, and those who labor with God will triumph when the truth triumphs. The image warns that the day will come stealthily and unexpectedly like a thief moving at night and will catch unawares those who are not watching.
To escape surprise they must obey God and not excuse disobedience when obedience requires self-denial, leaving iniquity and becoming ready for that day. Every person must confess sins before God and before those wronged, cleanse the mind and purify the soul in order to stand blameless, doing the work to be done in the great day of atonement, for those who neglect this cleansing will be surprised by that day and have their candlestick removed out of its place. Readiness means judgment is already at hand and each person has an individual case before the heavenly court, where they must be found complete in Christ rather than wanting, Christlike in heart and life. Those who disregard God's Word will be unholy, unsanctified and unready, while those who are unready will face sudden destruction and will not escape.
Those whose lives are hidden with Christ in God need not fear the approaching time of trouble, for when they recognize their weakness and trust in God He is their strength and protection. That time of trouble comes suddenly and unexpectedly as a thief in the night, bringing great confusion and the conflict of armies, and God's household must answer the call to follow heavenly leading down to the safe retreat prepared for them.
Closing Crisis Foretold
The day of the Lord brings distress, anguish, judgment, plague, retribution for sin, and sudden destruction upon the world from which there is no escape. It comes unexpectedly like a thief at night, and belongs not to the past but to the last generation living on earth at Christ's second coming, when wrath falls on the unprepared. Its nearness leaves only a short time remaining, demanding urgent preparation and earnest work to warn others.
Probation is rapidly closing while the crisis steals gradually upon the world, and every case is about to be decided for eternity with a heaven to win and a hell to shun. The decisive hour and withdrawal of mercy come silently and unnoticed shortly before the Lord appears, fixing each destiny while people continue ordinary life unaware that their fate has been settled. Outward life appears unchanged, the sun keeps its usual round and the heavens still declare glory, while men pursue eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying and giving in marriage, buying and selling, seeking the highest place, and chasing pleasure and excitement. Few believe with heart and soul how soon the crisis will come, and those who do show their faith by their works, refusing to be lulled into distraction but recognizing the fulfillment of signs and acting faithfully while opportunity to choose still remains.
The storm of coming events is gathering while angels hold back the four winds until the specified work of warning is given to the world. Great and solemn events stand on the threshold with prophecies being fulfilled and stormy times ahead, old controversies long hushed revived and new controversies springing up, old and new commingled. The clouds are loading ready to burst, and when they burst it will be to many as unexpected as a thief in the night.
That day fulfills prophecy to receive Christ our Prince after great preparations have been made, coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory attended by ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of the heavenly host to gather those who have been faithful. The last trump will sound and be heard over the whole earth from the highest mountains to the deepest mines. The righteous dead will hear it and come forth from their graves clothed with immortality to meet their Lord, while those who pierced, scourged, and crucified the Saviour will also be raised to behold Him whom they mocked and despised. In that day the heavens will pass away with a great noise, the elements will melt with fervent heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
The day of trial and time of trouble comes as a thief in the night, stealing unawares upon those weighed down by earthly treasures and the cares of life. Satan works to keep hearts burdened so they are caught unprepared and unable to stand. Meeting it requires the training and consecration of all powers to service, employing time and youthful zeal and ardor to glorify God in real, thorough, well-organized efforts under instructors to be a blessing to others.
The present lull is a brief calm before an unprecedented storm and final crisis whose dangers are already near and already stealing on with the stealth and suddenness of a thief. The union of church and state to restrict religious liberty, the final climax of oppressive and resurrected old laws for the government of nations, and the universal exaltation of the man of sin's day of worship over God's holy day mark the time for God to act. The crisis comes upon people unawares while the worldwide last message of mercy and call to come out of Babylon is being proclaimed, to be carried forward understandingly and in faith, quietly and without condemnation of powers, stirring up no opposing elements and provoking no retaliation, yet speaking Bible truth.
Call to Watch and Work
Constant readiness is essential because the day of the Lord — the second coming of Christ — will arrive unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. The warning is to wake up and act now, lest that day overtake the soul unprepared. Alert, diligent watchfulness is required against hidden snares, worldly entanglements, error and deception that draw followers away from humility and from the narrow path to the city of God. The careless and indifferent are the ones upon whom the day will come unexpectedly, so believers must stay constantly watchful not to be caught in that condition.
Waiting for that day must never be idle but must join prayer, vigilance and earnest work to save souls. Those who have light and knowledge must follow Jesus, walk in His footsteps, share what they have received, and work out their salvation with fear and trembling, with special urgency resting on men in positions of responsibility in this time of peril. The living church must not merely wait but must vigilantly watch and work with reference to the grand and awful scene that will close earth's history, with none neutral and all representing Christ in active effort for perishing souls, taking every precaution now, strengthening the mind to look deep and discern the reasons of faith, and having the soul-temple purified by truth, for only the pure in heart will stand against Satan's wiles. Those who fold their hands, stand neutral, do haphazard work, fall into declension and sleep like the foolish virgins will be overtaken as by a thief, while careless work brings spiritual decline and works corresponding with light place one on the Lord's side.
The day is right upon the world and comes with stealthy, muffled tread, taking unawares all who are not watching, and pity falls on the people when the watchmen themselves are asleep. Faithful awake stewards of grace must therefore give the trumpet a certain sound and voice the third angel's message telling the world to make ready for the great day of God, a message bearing the seal of the living God, with the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments combined to fit up a people to stand. Those who fail in duty to warn others and urge preparation will themselves be overtaken unexpectedly, so the nearness of the end calls believers to keep working, prepare themselves, and proclaim the gospel throughout the world before the end comes. The time to warn is now, while men are ambitious for power and the world is stirred with strife, discontentment, confusion and bloodshed, that soon the Prince of Peace is to come in power and great glory, with young men and women prepared as God's helping hand to receive light and impart it to those in darkness, including by doing all that can be done such as holding open-air grove meetings to reach those who would not attend a church service.
The call not to sleep but to watch and be sober means staying spiritually alert, because the time is short and the night is coming when no one can work. That approaching night is the ending of opportunity to carry the warning and to choose, as the Spirit of God is grieved away and nations prepare for war. Opportunity to spread the truth will soon be hedged with dangers on every side and everything placed to obstruct what can be done now, while powers of darkness work with intense energy from beneath and Satan advances with stealthy tread to seize the sleeping as prey; therefore warnings must be given and the work done now with aggressive speed, keeping in the channel of light with eyes fastened on Jesus as Leader and patiently pressing on to victory. Because the day is near and may overtake unexpectedly, people must attend to others' spiritual needs and diligently use God-given talents and opportunities to be ready and return to God what He entrusted, for the Lord will bear with increasing gross wickedness only a short time and diligent work for eternity is urgent.
Watching is hindered when Satan distracts Christians with disputes and conflicts among themselves so that the day overtakes them unprepared. The danger is increased because he prepares to work in secrecy through human agencies, making it the most important crisis ever to come upon the world, stealing upon even God's people if they are not wide-awake. Minds full of pleasure amid calamities also fail to prepare: when the Spirit is being withdrawn, with casualties and loss of life by floods, fire, rail disasters, earthquakes, plagues and disease, many remain unimpressed and go on with amusements, while a power from beneath moves in those calamities to keep them unready. God's people must therefore onward to the close of time stay awake by trusting wholly in the wisdom of their Leader and not their own, by setting aside days for fasting and prayer with denial of usual enjoyed food for a plain simple diet, and by genuine humiliation and most earnest prayer rather than lifting up the soul unto vanity in self-indulgence and pride.
Readiness blends personal devotion with faithful labor until the Lord comes, for present choices are matters of eternal life or death. The approach of the day, with iniquity increasing and many growing cold in love, exposes those absorbed in business, pleasure, appetite and worldly concerns who put eternity out of reckoning and follow the apostate toward destruction, while worldly business, wealth and security can blind people to the signs so that the day comes unawares as judgment on those who refuse to watch. Since the end of all things is at hand with only a little while remaining and the Lord coming suddenly amid idolatrous wickedness, His people must draw near to God, watch and pray lest they be caught unprepared, give clear decided testimony right to the point, do their work faithfully, and remain vigilant rather than relying on their own wisdom. They are thus fitted to stand and to see the King in His beauty by sending light into moral darkness so as not to be drawn away, while ministers bear the message to prepare them and false reports against those ministers obstruct its reception.