Thief in the Night, but Not for Everyone

Christians are familiar with the phrase "like a thief in the night" to describe the second coming of Jesus. Non-christians may be familiar with the phrase through the cult classic "Thief" film series, which probably scared the Jesus out of about as many American junior high kids as it scared Him into.*

Somehow, the promise of our Lord returning can be quickly turned into a guessing game or a threat (i.e. Look out or Jesus might catch you where you ought not be!) I sometimes picture a bunch of God-fearing people taking a calculated gamble anytime they pick sin. ("Let's see, here. It'll only take 30 seconds for me to illegally remove the tags from my sofa cushions....what are the odds that, in the course of all history, Jesus would come back in that window of time?")

But, we've got it flipped upside down.

In 2 Thessalonians, where a lot of thief in the night language is used, I think there's some phrasing that Christians may be quick to overlook:

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the darkness for the day to overtake you like a thief would. For you all are sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness. (1 Thess 5:4)

We are not of the night.

We are not of the night.

We are not of the night.



* This isn't necessarily a criticism. The film is internationally known and is popular in cultures far harder and more brutal than free Western nations. I have a theory that the more oppressive your government is, the more "Thief in the Night"** and its sequels may resonate with you.

**Which, incidentally, is produced by what used to be one of the most famous indie religious movie companies in America: Russ Doughton Films.*** Russell Doughton**** is still at the helm, although I believe the ministry has shifted more to distribution than to new production.

***Which, incidentally, is located about 8 miles from my cave, in Des Moines, Iowa.

****Doughton, by the way, was a producer of the original Blob,***** starring Steve McQueen.

*****Yes, I went on this long tangent just so I could say I made a diary entry that connected Jesus Christ, my home state, bad science fiction and Steve McQueen.****** So there.*******

******Interestingly, there is a wholly different way that the four of these can be very directly connected, but I'm not telling how.

*******Also, I wanted to break my asterisk record.