The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have have it more abundantly.

Jesus in this verse is telling us that when He comes as a thief would, He will be playing the roll of the thief. The thief purpose for coming is to steal, to kill and to destroy those who are awaiting Christ to come as a thief in the night. The people in the churches are expecting Christ to come as a thief in the night not knowing that when Christ comes as a thief in the night He will be coming to destroy them. Jesus reiterated this same message in 1Thessalonians 5:2-3. There Jesus said;

For you yourselves know that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Same theme, same message. Here in this verse God is describing those who are expecting Christ on that day to come as a thief in the night. And God is describing the attitude that the people in the church have today. They feel a sense of peace and safety in their resignation that Christ is coming back as a thief in the night and they don’t need a date of when He is coming. In other words, they are the church and they already know the truth. This is what they were taught from day one. And indeed it was what Jesus said in Acts 1:7; It is not for you to know! The people in the church have obviously stopped listening to the Bible. Here in 1Thessalonians 5 and John 10:10 God is saying to those who expect Christ to return as a thief in the night, He is not coming to save them. He is coming to destroy them.

So here these poor people in the church are quite confident that they have the truth. There is peace and safety there. They don’t need a date because they already know that Christ is coming as a thief in the night. But here in Thessalonians 5 God said sudden destruction will come upon them and they shall not escape. How tragic.