The Thing About Thieves

by Michael G. Mickey

(10-24-05)

Matthew 24:43-44: 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.

As a police officer, I can tell you one thing about a thief. He is most often coming to take what is yours when you least expect it, late in the night or when you're away from your prized possessions. Jesus told us, concerning His coming, that we should be ready all the time. His coming, we're plainly told, will take place in an hour when we think not. SURPRISE!

Occasionally, I'll have someone write me to tell me they believe there is a great deal left to take place before the Rapture of the Church will take place. While they may be right, they may also be dead wrong. Remember the thing about thieves. Many of these individuals support the theory of a Mid or Post-Tribulation Rapture of the Church, but some are individuals who believe, as I do, in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church. They think that peace talks and the dividing of Israel's covenant lands, for example, haven't proceeded to a point that the advent of the Antichrist could take place anytime soon, leading the world into the Tribulation Period by way of confirming a seven-year covenant of peace in the Middle East "with many" in fulfillment of Daniel 9:27. To those, my admonition is this: Remember the thing about thieves! The element of surprise is a huge component of any successful attempt at theft they make. "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."

Could the advent of the Antichrist take place underneath our collective radar as a result of secretive peace efforts being made that we're not aware of? I believe a Haaretz article may shed some light on that issue. Near the end of the article, we find the following written (emphasis added mine):

Israel, U.S. reject call for secret peace talks

In the meanwhile, Israel and the U.S. have rejected a Palestinian call to open secret peace negotiations on final status issues, a senior source in Jerusalem said on Saturday.

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas raised the idea during a series of meetings in Washington last week and reiterated his proposal in an interview with a French news agency.

Government officials said that already during his visit, U.S. officials made it clear to Abbas that secret negotiations would not lead to a breakthrough in the peace process, and that the Palestinian leader should first focus on fighting terror within the PA.

"The question is not whether negotiations are open or secret," an Israeli official said, "but what will their contents be. Abbas is trying to create shortcuts and discuss issues relating to the final status. This is completely unacceptable to us and the American administration."

Why would the Palestinian government want to hold secretive meetings with the Israelis to discuss final status issues? There are several possibilities that come to mind, from my perspective:

It would prevent terrorist factions in opposition to peace from knowing what's going on, preventing them from sabotaging peace efforts as they so often do.
Secretive peace talks could see new ideas for bringing peace to the Middle East put on the table, potentially by individuals looking to make a name for themselves as peacemakers. Someone from the revived Roman empire of Bible prophecy, for example, could attend such meetings, have significant input into peace talks, and offer to confirm any agreed upon plan for peace through the use of a peacekeeping force, for example.

For now, as we see in the Haaretz article, both the United States and Israel are rejecting the Palestinians' call for secretive peace talks on final status issues, but the door has now been opened - a door Israel may later, unbeknownst to anyone, walk through. If they do so, will their representative or representatives at any such talks be greeted with a warm handshake from an official from within the revived Roman empire of Bible prophecy who has been invited to sit in on the secretive talks, a man Daniel 8:25 tells us will destroy many by peace? You never know! That's the thing about evil. It often shows up where you least expect it, in what seems innocent enough, at least on the surface.

Given all that's taking place visibly in the world around us pointing toward the soon-coming return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we need to bear in mind that there is much going on below our level of awareness that is bringing us closer to the Rapture of the Church as well.

Secretive Middle East peace talks, in spite of the fact they're currently being rejected, could come in the future, bringing about the advent of the Antichrist, an event which will be preceded by the Rapture of the Church. Because any such talks would naturally be secret in nature, there would be no media coverage, raising the possibility resolution of the Middle East peace issue could come "in such an hour as ye think not", borrowing a line from Matthew 24:44.

In closing, my advice to my readers is this: Remember the thing about thieves where the return of Jesus Christ for His Church is concerned! He told us to do so and we absolutely should!

Each and every day of my life, I wake up thinking the day I'm rising to meet could be the day Jesus returns for His Church. I go to bed each night thinking the morning may not come before Jesus comes for His Church. Why do I live my life that way? Because I understand the thing about thieves. They come when you least expect it.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

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