“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!” – Revelation 16:15
Statistics reveal that most residential burglaries occur between 10:30 and 11:30 in the morning, and again between 2:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon. These are the times when thieves assume that people are working or in transit, or, in the afternoon hours, that last-minute runs to the grocery store or picking up children from school take people from their homes. Most of the criminals who engage in these thefts have surveilled their “prospects,” but there are others who chance on the opportunity of the moment, such as the “porch pirates” who grab freshly delivered packages. Few residential burglaries occur at night because those involved in the crime do not want to engage with the persons living there.
Jesus Christ is coming again. It could be today. No one knows the day or hour, as Jesus said in Matthew 24:36. However, in today’s verse, Jesus says He will come when you are least expecting Him. No one is expecting a thief to come in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2). The timing is not the key. Your watchfulness, vigilance, and readiness are what is important. Pastor and author David Pratt says the reason Jesus uses the imagery of the thief in the night is to “call us to be ready. If you knew a thief was coming to your house tonight, you would probably not go to sleep. You would stay awake. In fact, you would do everything you can to stay awake. … You’d be ready, be prepared for what you’re going to do when he comes, and you would not fall asleep waiting for him to come.”
If Jesus were to come today, how would He find you? Are you looking forward to His coming? Are you walking in truth? Are you seeking to live daily according to His Word and in His righteousness? Do you have a sense of urgency in praying for the lost? Are you showing Christ’s love to others? “O, the King is coming, the King is coming. I just heard the trumpets sounding, and now His face I see.” Be ready!
Today’s Verse: Revelation 16:15
(“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Matthew 24:36-44
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
