left in darkness , that that day should overtake them unawares . But to them that will not watch , " the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night ." 1 Thessalonians 5:2-5 .
The world is no more ready to credit the message for this time than were the Jews to receive the Saviour ' s warning concerning Jerusalem . Come when it may , the day of God will come unawares to the ungodly . When life is going on in its unvarying round ; when men are absorbed in pleasure , in business , in traffic , in money-making ; when religious leaders are magnifying the world ' s progress and enlightenment , and the people are lulled in a false security--then , as the midnight thief steals within the unguarded dwelling , so shall sudden destruction come upon the careless and ungodly , " and they shall not escape ." Verse 3 .
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