day.  In harmony with this, St. Paul wrote:  “Of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.  For yourselves know perfectly 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.  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-4) Plainly the Apostle here tells the followers of Jesus that if they are watching the things which the Lord told them to watch, the day of the Lord will not come upon them unawares, but they will mark the fulfillment of prophecy, and in the light of its fulfillment they will discern the time of the presence of the great King.  Furthermore he says to them:  “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”—­1 Thes. 5:5,6.

[390]We shall find that Jesus gave much evidence which enables the watcher to determine the Lord’s presence.  Jesus spoke in prophetic language.  Prophecy means a foretelling of future events before they take place; and when they are taking place the watcher can ascertain that they are thus fulfilling the prophetic words previously spoken.

[391]Jesus gave us the positive evidence as to when to expect him.  He gave a parable of the wheat and the tares, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.  So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?  He said unto them, An enemy hath done this.  The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest:  and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”—­Matthew 13:24-30.

[392]Interpreting his own parable, Jesus said that he was the man who had gown the good seed; that the field is the world; and that the good seed are the children of the kingdom, and that the tares are the children of the wicked one; that the enemy who sowed them is the devil; and that the harvest is the end of the world.—­Matthew 13:37-39.