THE PAIN OF BEING ROBBED

by Rogath Henry | 31 January 2019 08:46 pm01

 

Revelation 16:15
“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he who stays awake, and keeps his clothes, lest he walk about naked and people see his shame.”

Have you ever wondered why the Lord Jesus often compares His coming to a thief? Why does the Lord compare Himself to thieves and not to holy people? We know theft is not good, and one of God’s commandments is “YOU SHALL NOT STEAL.” But here the Lord compares Himself to a thief. Why?

There is wisdom even in the ways of the wicked. That is why the Lord said elsewhere to be “wise as serpents.” Serpents have been used by Satan from Eden to now to spread sin. But the Lord told us to be wise as serpents… and He Himself compares Himself to the bronze serpent lifted by Moses in the wilderness.

John 3:14-15
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

The Lord also compares Himself to an unjust judge:

Luke 18:1-8
“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Saying, There was in a city a judge, who feared not God, neither regarded man.
And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
Hear what the unjust judge saith.
And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them?
I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?”

The Lord also teaches us through the parable of the unrighteous steward, who was a thief of his master’s possessions but acted wisely:

Luke 16:1-9
“There was a certain rich man, who had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?
And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.”

The Lord does not use holy people to teach in these examples. He uses wicked people—not to imitate their evil, but to learn their wisdom. The children of this world have wisdom in their ways.

Returning to the example of the thief, the Lord said: “Behold, I come as a thief.” A thief is not good. He comes to steal, but a wise thief acts quietly and subtly, taking what he seeks and leaving. He comes when people are asleep and exhausted. This is the wisdom the Lord will use when He comes to take His church.

He will come when the wheat and tares are separated, when the world forgets God, when the saints appear worthless. This is when Christ will “steal” His people from the world.

These times are dangerous. When the saints seem to be worthless to the world, that is the time of separation. Valuable things are neglected; that is when the thief comes. This is when worldly pleasures, immorality, and drunkenness fill many; that is when Christ invades the house.

No one will know the exact day the Lord takes His people. Afterwards, people will realize some are missing—the valuable saints who preached the good news are gone. Just as one feels the pain of being robbed, so many will feel the pain of being left behind during the Antichrist’s tribulation and the terrifying DAY OF THE LORD. They will mourn, regret, and cry. Their greatest pain will be: “Why did they stay?” They will see their peers in glory while they are left for the lake of fire. They will feel envy and bitter anger. This pain is like being robbed at night. Those left will hate the Lord Jesus, curse Him, and blaspheme Him.

Revelation 16:8-11
“And the fourth poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues; and they repented not to give Him glory.
And the fifth poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and repented not of their deeds.”

There will be no chance to repent then. It will be a time of mourning, wailing, and pain. All left-behind people will want to fight against the Lamb and hate Jesus Christ.

If you have been robbed, you know the pain. Many who do not know God spend their lives hating thieves. The Lord warns us about the PAIN coming to all left-behind people and says: “WATCH, I COME QUICKLY.”

Luke 21:34-36
“Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come upon you unawares.
For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Watch ye therefore always, and pray, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Matthew 24:42-44
“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.”

Watching is not merely staying awake physically; it is spiritual vigilance, living a life of holiness, avoiding sin, and continually learning God’s Word.

The last words of God that close the Bible are the words of the Lord Jesus:

Revelation 22:20-21
“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

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Source URL: https://wingulamashahidi.org/en/2019/01/31/the-pain-of-being-robbed/

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