Doesn’t the description of Christ’s return “as a thief” communicate how secret and silent it will be?
Let’s take a careful look at that reference to a text in Revelation (emphasis supplied throughout):
“Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.” Revelation 3:3
Christ’s coming “as a thief” does not speak to how He will return, but when He will return. There is absolutely no question as to how that will be. The Bible is overwhelmingly clear that Christ’s return will be very visible (Revelation 1:7), very loud (1 Thessalonians 4:16), very bright (Psalm 50:3; Matthew 25:31), and that it will wake up dead people (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:51–52)! None of those details sounds thief-like, because a good thief is very secretive and quiet in his work.
Because we know the Bible is so clear as to how Christ returns, then we know this “thief” reference must speak to the timing of His return. In fact, the contextual clues within Revelation 3:3 witness to this fact.
Christ refers to His coming as a thief, then follows it with “you will not know what hour I will come upon you.” The word “hour” clarifies the nature of Christ’s “thief” description. Therefore, while the righteous know exactly how Jesus will return, no one knows when He will come (Matthew 24:36), and it will be like a thief to those who are not prepared (1 Thessalonians 5:1–3).