"Behold, I Come As A Thief..."

Rev. 16:15

  1. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

Commentary

"What I say unto you I say unto all: Watch" (Mark 13:37). Many times throughout the Gospels, we find Jesus giving this warning to his disciples in one form or another. Now again in the final Revelation given to John, He gives it once more, with an illustration that is both instructive, and appropriate to our present day. As we look around, we see a world that has forgotten the meaning of shame. The things that were not even talked about in our grandparents' day were first discussed, then tolerated, then accepted, and finally, we find them being justified and even applauded. That the heathen world should be on such a downward slide is no surprise; the real cause for alarm is that we, the church, are sliding down with them.

In one of his parables, Jesus told of a servant who was left in charge of his master's household, but eventually decided his lord would be a long time coming, and began to do as he pleased. (Luke 12:45-46) The fate of that servant should be a warning to us, for if we take our cues from the world instead of the Word, feed the flesh and starve the spirit, we are sure to end up as he did – surprised and unprepared at our Lord's return.


All Scripture references from KJV. Commentary ©2011 Hitchcock Family Ministry. Unaltered text may be reproduced freely without financial gain. Original commentary and Scripture song available at http://www.freescripturesongs.org/behold-I-come-as-a-thief.