Rev. 16:15  "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame."

The Lord did not say that he was a thief. He certainly is not a thief. However, he said that he came as a thief. That is, he came as a thief would come. A thief comes suddenly and without expectation and a thief takes something away. There are some verses of scripture where the Lord compares his coming as a thief:

1. Matt. 24:43 "But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."
2. 1 Thes. 5:2 "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 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. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief."
3. 2 Peter 3:10 "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."
4. Rev. 3:3 "Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee."

Each time above that the Lord comes as a thief he is coming in judgment. The context of References 1 and 2 suggest that he came as a thief in judgment against the nation of the Jews at 70 A.D. The context of Reference 3 suggests that he comes as a thief in the judgment of the non-elect at the end of time. The context of Reference 4 suggests that he comes as a thief in judgment of the local church. In all of the above, he comes suddenly, without expectation, and takes something away.

"Blessed is he that watcheth." The word, "watcheth," speaks of wakeful vigilance. There are several times and several situations in which the Lord's people are commanded to watch:

1. Matt. 24:42 "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up."
2. Matt. 26:41 "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
3. Acts 20:31 "Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears."
4. 1 Cor. 16:13 "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong."
5. Col. 4:2 "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving."
6. 1 Thes. 5:6 "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober."
7. 2 Tim. 4:5 "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."
8. Heb. 13:17 "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you."

"And keepeth his garments." There are garments that God has clothed us with and garments that we are to wear:

1. Is. 61:10 "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."
2. 2 Cor. 5:2 "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life."
3. 1 Peter 5:5 "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."
4. Rev. 3:5 "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."
5. Rev. 11:3 "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth."
6. Rev. 19:14 "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."
7. Eph. 4:24 "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
8. Eph. 6:11 "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
9. Col. 3:12 "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness."

In summary, God has clothed us with salvation, righteousness, and glory. We are to clothe ourselves with humility, right living, the whole armour of God, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiveness, and charity.

What God has clothed us with no man can take away. Those things that he has told us to cloth ourselves with, we can lose. To fail to put on those clothes that God has told us to will result in our walking naked. Nakedness is associated in the scriptures with sin and brings forth shame to the Lord's people. If we fail to cloth ourselves as we are taught in God's word then we bring forth shame to the name of Christ by which we are called.

Rev. 16:16  "And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."

The word, "Armageddon," has reference to the place known as Megiddo. The valley of Megiddo was near the Euphrates River and was part of the possession that God had given to the children of Israel. During the days of Josiah, King of Judah, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt and the King of Assyria were having battle at Megiddo and King Josiah went up to defend the border of Israel and was killed by an arrow from the Egyptian army.

Zechariah prophesied of the mourning for a coming deliverer: Zech. 12:10 "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. 11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. 12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; 14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness."

The mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon was the mourning of the children of Israel for the death of King Josiah. The scriptures speak of King Josiah, "And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him." (2 Kings 23:25) King Josiah was a great keeper of the law and he died in Megiddo defending the boundary of the children of Israel against the enemies of Israel (the Kings of Egypt and Assyria and their host). Thus Zechariah prophesied of a coming saviour who would deliver his people from their enemies through his death. It was Jesus whose body was pierced with a spear and out of his side flowed blood and water. That was the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness.

The great gathering in Revelation Chapter 16 was composed of the enemies of the Lord's people (the dragon, the beast, the false prophet, and the kings of the east). Just as King Josiah fought at Armageddon (valley of Megiddo) to defend the boundary of the children of Israel against her enemies, so King Jesus fought to delivery his people from their enemies (Satan, sin, death, hell, and the grave). King Jesus destroyed the combined forces against his people through his death and out of his side, there was a fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness.