There are several times in the Gospels and Epistles we have references to a thief. The first reference to the thief concept comes from Jesus himself describing Satan in John 10 where he comes to steal, kill and destroy, but not “in the night”. The other is a parable about being ready for Jesus’ parousia and the latter, of course, is one we are focusing on.
We find this parable in Matt 24:42-51 which is also recorded for us in Luke 12:39-48. This comes right after Jesus urges us to watch because you don’t know what hour our Lord is coming. I believe the thrust of what Jesus wanted us to know he tells us right afterward where goes right into a teaching about faithful and evil servants where the slothful servants were really not serving at all! In Luke’s account this teaching is in response to Peter’s question about thief story he just gave. This teaching also emphasizes the necessity of being attentive to doing the Lord’s will by actively serving him until his coming. He also stresses that we should watch.
The next occurrence of the thief in the night concept takes us back to Paul’s first letter to the Church at Thessalonica where he gives us the admonition to watch in 1 Thes 5:2 I believe this section of scripture is important enough to include all the first 5 verses here. See here another example of what I said in section 1 of how Paul brings much clarity to the context of what Jesus teaches.
1 Thes 5:1-5 (KJV) “But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day the the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a women with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Lets stop right here and take a look at our encounter with this “thief”. If Jesus is coming back to secretly rapture us to heaven and leave everyone else behind then why does sudden destruction come on that Day? Are not we taught by Darby that the destruction doesn’t come at that time but will build over the next 7 years?
Furthermore we are affirmed by Paul in verse 4 that we the believers are not in darkness and will not be overtaken by the the thief. Remember, Jesus exhorted us to watch!
Peter concurs with this destruction theme. 2 Peter 3:10 (KJV)
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat...”
That does seem to go with Paul’s assertion it being sudden.
Let’s now look at the time when Jesus actually does come as a “thief in the night” to take care of business and you might be surprised when. Would you believe Rev 16:15? That’s right! It’s during the 6th bowl of wrath. He proceeds to destroy the wicked after plunging the world into darkness with the 5th bowl.
Rev 16:15-16 (KJV) “Behold I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” (Which in not a plane but a mountain considering Har in Hebrew is mountain. Mount of Olives to be precise. (Zech 14:4) Micheal Heiser breaks this down the word etymology in detail in a you-tube video).
So then the next question to answer is how we are going to be around for this day and not be burned up by all the fire (comets probably) being hurled down on the earth?
Both Apostles Paul and John help with this answer. Not independently but cooperatively. Remember back in section #3 what Paul tells us in 1 Cor 15:52? I’ll include the verse before it this time and you will see why.
1 Cor 15:51-52 (KJV) “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”
?Think about one of Paul’s titles that people refer to him as. Does the name Saint Paul the Evangelist sound familiar? He brought the Gospel to Gentiles. Hold on to this title.
Now drawing back from section #6 do you remember all the things that happen at the 7th (last) trumpet and how I promised to add more to it in this section? I never pointed out that in John’s account the 7th angel with the 7th trumpet spans all the way from the beginning of chapter 10 to the end of chapter 11 with the two witnesses sandwiched in between. Right after the angel says there will be “time no more” John also shares this:
Rev 10:7 (KJV) “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he euaggelizo to his servants the prophets.”
I subbed in the Greek word for “proclaimed” so you could see all the connections. John is referring to Paul’s Gospel. He also calls it the “mystery of God” just like in 1 Cor 15:51.
Paul in First Corinthians proclaimed (evangelized) to us the good news that we will be given glorified bodies at the last trump and then John’s account of the last trumpet affirms Paul’s words. Isn’t it awesome how the puzzle pieces do fit together and how strait forward God’s plan is. Paul and John also agree that it is a mystery that our Father has revealed in his word through the prophets.
So there you have it! We are impervious or immune to the Wrath of God so we are indeed “Not destined to wrath” because we are in our glorified bodies so the wrath is poured out from Revelation 10:7 onward does not affect us. Whew!