6/3/2023 0 Comments Thief in the night bibleTwice in one paragraph Yeshua commands us to be on the alert and ready, to know when the time is near, for he – our High Priest – may come upon us unexpectedly, exactly has did the High Priest in earlier times. must be ready”: houtos hetoimos which means: to be especially prepared, ready. This is repeated in the phrase “Therefore. It expects active and concentrated behavior, to be continuously seeking. The word translated keep awake, gregoreo is an active verb meaning: to be awake, to watch, to be alert, to keep watch, to keep watching, to be keeping alert, to stay on the alert, and to stay awake. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ![]() In Matthew 24:42-44, Yeshau says: “ Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. Quite a lesson not to fall asleep on the job or to be un-alert! It was this practice of surprise visits that according to Jewish tradition got the High Priest (or the Captain) nicknamed the “Thief In The Night”!Īs individuals and as a church body, today’s people are not to fall asleep: The guilty priest would have no choice but to leave his burning clothes and run burnt, naked, and ashamed back home. The priest’s linen clothing would soon be ignited in flames – clothing in those days did not have flame retardant chemicals imbedded into the cloth as do modern clothes. He would then gently place the pan and hot coals under the sleeping priest’s clothing. If a priest was found sleeping during a surprise visit, the High Priest (or Captain) would take hot coals from the altar fire, place some of the hot coals in a fire pan and take them over to the sleeping priest. In order to insure that the priest(s) stayed awake, the High Priest (or the Captain Of The Guards) would walk around the Temple looking for the priest(s). The priests assigned to constantly watch over the altar fire and over the Menorah were never to fall asleep during their night of service. ![]() The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously it must not go out.” The priest shall then put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body. The phrase, thief in the night, is yet another Hebrew idiom! This idiom refers to a practice mentioned in Leviticus 6:8-13 which states that the priest in charge must wear linen clothing and must keep the fires of the altar burning: “ The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. ![]() ”ġ Thessalonians 5:1 – “ For you know very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” 2 Peter 3:10 – “ But the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.
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