Thief in the Night

The phrase “a thief in the night” has been used extensively to argue for an end times doctrine called the rapture. It teaches that believers will be taken up in the air when Jesus returns and ascend to heaven before the time of tribulation. Those who espouse the rapture combine Revelation 16 with words of Jesus in Matthew 24:27-44 and Paul’s teaching on being “caught up in the clouds” in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. Greg Boyd challenges this doctrine with four concerns and then provides three points of application.

The first issue with the rapture is that it is a relatively new idea. It was first taught in the 1830s, and then it was broadly diffused through churches with the publication of the Scofield Reference Bible in 1909. The fact that it is a new teaching does not necessarily prove it is wrong. However, those introducing a new theological perspective have the responsibility to prove it correct when it varies so significantly from the tradition.

The second problem is that the imagery of 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 is symbolic. The
imagery is taken from Daniel 7 and Zechariah 14, and it refers to a public divine revelation or unveiling. This was never taken literally in the first century context. No one would have read this and thought that believers would ascend into the sky and meet Jesus as he descends. The clouds are a symbol of majesty, and the air was viewed as a realm of authority over the earth. Therefore, the passage is saying that his followers will greet him in his majesty and authority when he returns.

The third concern is that the person who is “taken” is unfortunate, not blessed. The rapture teaching says that the one who is taken is literally ascending to heaven and those who do not believe are left behind. When we understand the context of the first century, the opposite is the case. The Roman soldiers were notorious for randomly seizing people to squash rebellions. Jesus is not the one taking and the reference has nothing to do with one’s eternal abode in heaven.

Finally, the rapture teaching is problematic because Jesus’ warning in Revelation is given after the sixth bowl judgement. According to rapture teaching, Christians are taken out of the earth and then the “great tribulation” takes place. But the warning in Revelation is giving after the seven seal judgments, after the seven trumpet judgments, and just before the last of the seven bowl judgments. The clarion call is for followers of the Lamb to endure and remain faithful in the midst of the struggle. They are victorious not by escaping this judgment, but by being willing to die for their allegiance to the lamb.

Three points of application are:

1. Love does not run away. The rapture doctrine encourages an escapist mindset, but the New Testament makes it clear that we are to be imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1-2) and love as he loved. We are not to seek a path away from the world but instead we are to run toward those who do not know love.
2. We do not know what Jesus’ second coming will look like. Those who get caught up in predicting the future miss the point. It really does not matter how he will appear. Only the fact that he will appear is worth noting. He will be unveiled, fully manifesting the complete love of God to all.
3. We are called to live each day like it could be our last. The “thief in the night” imagery is used to jolt us so that we will watch and be ready. It is so easy to take the current reality for granted, thinking that what is now always will be. However, we can live with courage and hope that the good news of God will be fully manifest, even when the present appears to be anything but good.