Are you alert for the thief?

The bible mentions the word thief many times and in different context. It is mentioned as you would think, someone stealing or taking another’s belongings. A thief is also mentioned as an ally we become friends and partner with in un-holiness. And it is mentioned as something we should have been prepared for, anticipation of something or an event, being made ready.

Four verses in particular compare the imminent return of Christ Jesus “like a thief.” These come after we read John 10:10,
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.

Jesus is not a thief, but His return will come like one, unexpected, in the night and when we will be least ready for it.

In the below four verses it reveals our preparation for His return:

1 Thessalonians 5:2
For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night.

2 Peter 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be discovered.

Revelation 3:3
‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Then if you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

Revelation 16:15
(“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and people will not see his shame.”)

Notice the difference? “If you are not alert” is key. We must stay awake and alert, not sleeping through our pursuit of Him. Read about Him. Pray to Him. Share who He is with others. This is obedience to Him and His commands, rather than our own.

The three R’s can be very helpful in our preparedness:
-Remember what He has done for us.
-Repent (never behave that way again) through confession of the sins we have done.
-Repeat that process over and over.

Jesus is coming back. That is a promise He made several times and we can rely on His promises because He is the truth, the way, and the life. We are then left with this one question, “What are we doing to prepare for His return?” ?