great ordinary happenings

The message delivered in one community anniversary was encouraging: for children of God, death is not sudden, it will not catch you unprepared, so therefore it comes not as a thief in the night.

Oh? But it’s in the Bible! And that’s what we often hear, being in the Gospel. However, in some parts also of the Word of God, there is this above assurance, but only for those who obey the commands of the Lord, only for the children of the Light, not of darkness. And so it is written in 1Thessalonians 5, verses 4&5, “But you, brothers, are not in the darkness, and the Day should not take you by surprise like a thief. All of you are people who belong to the light, who belong to the day.” The whole chapter is for us to “Be Ready for the Lord’s Coming”.

If we remember some happenings in the Old Testament, as early as in the days Abraham, we can already get an example: before burning sulfur rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah, God’s chosen were told to get out of the place before it was destroyed. A warning was even given to them not to look back! In the times of Moses, when the Israelites were still slaves in Egypt and God Almighty wanted to punish the hard-headedness of the pharaoh by killing the first-born sons in the land, instructions were given to the chosen people so that the Angel of Death would only pass by their dwellings, and their own first-born sons would be spared.

Samson was yet in his mother’s womb when she was already told the secret of his strength, and that it was he who would deliver the Israelites from the power of the Philistines. When Gideon was asked to lead 300 men in a war against the multitudes of all Midian and its allies, and fear got over him, the Lord God instructed him what to do so that he could hear the conversation of his enemies which then bolstered his courage to attack. David was inspired how to defeat the giant Goliath, and was not afraid to face him. And there are so many more, you can read in the Bible. Oh but these are in the Old Testament?

“God is the same, yesterday, today and forever.”

In the New Testament, as early as the birth of Jesus, the three wise men were instructed not to go back to Herod, God knowing the evil plan he had in his heart. Also later, an angel warned Mary and Joseph to escape to Egypt when baby Jesus’ life was threatened by Herod’s obsession to cling to power.

All the above incidents tell us that God speaks to His people to reveal things to come, according to His purpose. Death comes as a thief in the night for those who do not obey God’s laws, those who rebel against Him. Sure, death comes “as a thief in the night” – unannounced – if they don’t heed the call of the Word of God now.

However, if we just be careful to always be in His grace, reconcile with Him right away when we fall, I believe that one way or the other, He prepares us for the eventuality, and there should be no fear when our time comes – for it will come “not as a thief in the night”.

Filed under: Uncategorized