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. THE SON OF MAN IS COMING LIKE A THIEF."About dates and times, my friends, we need not write to you, for you know perfectly well that the Day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night." (1 Thess 5:1,2 NEB). "But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, not even the Son; only the Father." (Matt 24:36 NEB). "It shall be one day, whose coming is known only to the Lord, without distinction of day or night". (From Zech 14:6,7 NEB). "Look! I am coming as a thief. Happy is the one that stays awake and keeps his outer garments, (1) that he may not walk naked and people look upon his shamefulness." (2) (Rev 16:15). "But the Day of the Lord will come; it will come, unexpected as a thief." (From 2 Peter 3:10 NEB). "There will be no saying, "Look, here it is!" or "there it is!"; for suddenly the Kingdom of God will be among you." (Luke 17:21 NEB & footnote). "Keep
awake, then; for you do not know on what day your Lord is to come.
Remember, if the householder had known at what time of night the burglar
(thief. NWT)
was coming, he would have kept awake and not have let his house (3)
be broken into. Hold yourselves ready, therefore,
because the Son of Man will come at the time you least expect him."
(Matt 24:42 "As things were in Noah's days, so they will be when the Son of Man comes. In the days before the flood they ate and drank and married, until the day that Noah went into the ark, (4) and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes." (Matt 24:37-39 NEB). "As things were in Lot's days, also:
they ate and drank; they bought and sold; they planted
and built; but the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained
fire and sulphur from the sky and made an end of them all "The Kingdom of God is not coming with striking observableness." (From Luke 17:20). "Keep a watch on yourselves; do not let your minds be dulled by dissipation (5) and drunkenness and worldly cares (6) so that the great Day closes upon you suddenly like a trap; for that day will come on all men, wherever they are, the whole world over. Be on the alert, praying at all times for strength to pass safely through all these imminent troubles and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man." (Luke 21:34-36 NEB). "Christ… will appear a second time… to bring salvation to those who are watching for him." (From Heb 9:28 NEB).
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