Remember "A Thief in the Night"? 40 years old today

with the prophecy preaching run amok during the 70’s.

Remember:

The state of Israel will turn 33 in 1981, same age as the life of Christ.
NATO will have ten nation members by 1980.
If you give numerical values to the letters in Henry Kissinger’s name they add up to 666.

that I had major nightmares as a child after seeing this movie, nostalgia is the farthest thing from my mind. I would really like to go back in time and grab a few people by their earlobes and holler “WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?”

I remember the prophecy craze. I may have been a little kid, but there was a spirit of paranoia that seemed to hover every time Christians watched or talked about the news (my grandmother thought Kissinger was the anti-Christ). Although I guess it hasn’t gone away- http://www.jvim.com/ Jack Van Impe is still going strong. Dick Clark ain’t got nothin’ on him.

The Fishmarket Combo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTE6Ui3MoFc

Starts at about 20 seconds after a very annoying 19 seconds

Greg Long (S/I) posted over on Facebook

I wish I could say something nice about this song but ….

I’m trying to think of the film …

“Who’s gunna (nice tie in to MBBC video! :) ) tell Kevin?” (or something like that!)

Anyone remember that one?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0461796/ Kevin Can Wait

Born and raised premillennial dispensational. No longer adhere to that system, but I cannot identify with amillennialism, preterism (whether partial or full) or postmillennialism. I have been considering historic premillennialism because of its historicity ( http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Eschatology/Millennial… as attested here ) and have been able to fit in all of the eschatological/prophetic passages into my understanding of that system except Matthew 24:36-44. A nice Lutheran fellow once told me that this passage referred to the last day. I really don’t see how when one will be taken and the other left.

Can anyone direct me towards where I can find a good exegesis of that passage from a non-“rapture ready” perspective?

Check out the official streaming version of many Russ Doughton films here: http://blip.tv/rdfilms] http://blip.tv/rdfilms

Watch the full version of http://blip.tv/rdfilms/a-thief-in-the-night-1542657] The Thief in the Night

[JobK] Can anyone direct me towards where I can find a good exegesis of that passage from a non-“rapture ready” perspective?

I am pre-trib and don’t view this as a “rapture” passage

(I’m think’n … we’ll what a turn this thread is tak’n :) ) So I’m gunna recommend a couple of articles!

A couple of articles from Ice and crew:

http://www.pre-trib.org/data/pdf/Ice-Matthew2431RaptureOrS.pdf

http://www.pre-trib.org/data/pdf/House-Differencesbetween1T.pdf

Matthew 24… there doesn’t seem to be any interp. of the chapter that isn’t disturbingly awkward in places—no matter what eschatological framework one uses.

Not that anyone cares but please indulge me my own anecdote about the movie. It was the middle ’70s, the movie had been out several years, and I was driving a Pepsi delivery truck for a year between college and seminary—in Des Moines where TITN was filmed. I had a favorite spot by the Des Moines River where, after my first few deliveries, I would pull in to read and enjoy a Mountain Dew (I know, I know).

One morning, as I was reading, a van that looked exactly like the one in the movie pulled in beside me (I think it said “UNITE” on the side). Two men in army fatigues and armbands, just like the soldiers in the movie, jumped out of the van, grabbed their rifles, and ran down to the river! Now I knew the movie was fiction, but I had a momentary creepy feeling. My first inclination was to fire up my truck and flee but instead I got out and followed them down to the river where I discovered they were shooting a scene for the second movie.

I engaged one of the “soldiers” in a bit of conversation and went about my workday. A few days later the “soldier” called me and tried to sell me insurance.

So close to the glamor of Hollywood … Christian filmmaking

[JobK] Born and raised premillennial dispensational. No longer adhere to that system, but I cannot identify with amillennialism, preterism (whether partial or full) or postmillennialism. I have been considering historic premillennialism because of its historicity ( http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Eschatology/Millennial… as attested here ) and have been able to fit in all of the eschatological/prophetic passages into my understanding of that system except Matthew 24:36-44. A nice Lutheran fellow once told me that this passage referred to the last day. I really don’t see how when one will be taken and the other left.

Can anyone direct me towards where I can find a good exegesis of that passage from a non-“rapture ready” perspective?

The “taken away” in the days of Noah refers to the judgment of the Flood: “until the flood came and took them all away” (Matthew 24:39). So I think it’s safe to say the taking away in the later verses (Matthew 29:40-41) is also judgment.

I’d agree with Jim Peet (post 8) that it’s not a rapture passage; I also think you could have any number of eschatalogical positions and not think it’s a rapture passage. I’d agree with Aaron (post 9) that no matter how you try to fold this shirt, there are wrinkles.

This is a cruel post putting that song back in my head. Some years back a friend I had seen A Thief in the Night with, knowing my love of cinema as an art form, sent me the whole set of films on VHS (with an actual copy of the prophecy chart so prominently featured!). That was cruel, too! But it was a cause of great rejoicing that we no longer dress like we did in the 70s. And I had forgotten how distracting the girl sharing the gospel in a miniskirt was…but she was way more distracting when I was in my teens.

“For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”

All right. A somewhat complex metaphor. Noah = left. Those not in the ark = taken. Final judgment: those in Christ will be accepted, or “left” like Noah. Those not in Christ will be “taken” in judgment. Thanks guys!

[Donn R Arms]…A few days later the “soldier” called me and tried to sell me insurance.

Proves my theory—Insurance salesmen are of the devil!!