A Thief in the Night

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A Thief in the Night
Directed by	Donald W. Thompson
Produced by	Donald W. Thompson
Written by	Russell S. Doughten Jr. Jim Grant Donald W. Thompson
Starring	Patty Dunning Mike Niday Colleen Niday Maryann Rachford Thom Rachford Duane Coller Russell S. Doughten Jr. Clarence Balmer
Cinematography	John P. Leiendecker Jr.
Editing by	Wes Phillippi
Release date(s)	1973 (1973)
Running time	69 min
Country	USA
Language	English

A Thief in the Night is a 1972 Christian end times film produced by Russell S. Doughten. It is the first and best known film in Doughten's four-part series on the Rapture and Second Coming of Christ. The films together are often referred to collectively as the "Thief" or "Rapture" series.

The entire series includes:

A Thief in the Night (1972)
A Distant Thunder (1977)
Image of the Beast (1980)
The Prodigal Planet (1983)

[edit] Plot

The film deals with Patty, a young woman who knows and has heard the Christian gospel but dismisses it. She and her friends are too busy living life to care. Everything seems to go smoothly. She has friends and a happy marriage. What more could she want?

One morning she wakes up to discover that her husband, a Christian, and millions of others have disappeared. Gradually, Patty realizes that the Rapture, mentioned in the Bible, has happened and she is living in the last days of the Antichrist. A government system called UNITE (United Nations Imperium for Total Emergency) is set up and those who do not receive the mark identifying them with UNITE will be arrested. Patty desperately tries to avoid the law and the mark but is captured by UNITE. By a twist, Patty escapes but is only free for so long. She is cornered by the enemy and is pushed over a bridge to die in the swirling waters of the dam.

Then, Patty awakens for real. She sighs with relief that it was only a dream. Then she hears a report on the radio that millions of people have disappeared. Patty frantically searches for her husband only to find him missing too. Patty then realizes too late that the Rapture has indeed occurred and she's been left behind.

[edit] Music

This film includes Larry Norman's composition I Wish We'd All Been Ready, one of the earliest Christian rock hits and one of Norman's best-known releases.