“LIKE A THIEF. Several passages of Scripture mention Christ coming “as a thief in the night”
It’s important to emphasise that as Christians we are warned to be ready whenever He comes - we don’t have to watch out for signs & wonders, in fact Jesus Christ Himself was rather scathing about those who were looking for such. That state of readiness is the nature of the Christian life. His coming “as a thief” is for those who are not ready, ie those who don’t believe.
There is no 2-stage coming, merely 2 types of people. Those who are ready.......and those who are not.
Right! As Jesus said, He would come as a thief comes to break into a house; one wouldn't know at what time that thief would come, so the owner of the house should be ready at all times. The return of Christ will be like a thief in the sense that we don't know when he will strike. We must watch at all times. But there is nothing in any of the thief passages to indicate that the event will be secret. See Mt. 24:43, 44; Luke 12:39, 40).
Instead of teching that Christ would return in a secret coming in the dead of the night, Jesus actually warned against this concept: See Mt. 24:23, 26, 27). In Mt. 24 Jesus stressed that men will not know the day or hour of his coming (v. 36). It will be like the days of Noah when people were eating, drinking and getting married, not expecting destruction to fall. They "knew not UNTIL the flood came and took tham all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (v. 36). The wicked didn't know util the flood came - but, it is very obvious that when it came they knew it! It was no secret event; it was observed by believeres and unbelievers (although it was only Noah's family that were the believers!).
There is no 2-stage coming, merely 2 types of people. Those who are ready.......and those who are not.
Exactly!