![]() ![]() ![]() In 1 Thessalonians 5:2 Paul writes, For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. The use of this phrase in scripture is meant as a stern warning for those of us who are living in the last days. But we can only fully understand the meaning of this warning if we know the history behind it. Last year, Hymnary had 11.3 million users from 243 countries around the globe, people like you who love hymns To serve our many, many users well takes money. You see, the Jewish temple would be guarded at night by priests. To ensure that the guards were alert and stayed awake throughout the night, the temple guard (otherwise known as the "thief in the night") would sneak around, checking on those who were guarding the temple. The return of Jesus Christ is likened to the coming of a thief in the night. If he caught one sleeping, he would use his torch to singe the guard's clothing. Two passages use the wording a thief in the night: Matthew 24:43, Understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into, and 1 Thessalonians. In chapter 7 of his book, "The Temple", Alfred Edersheim wrote:ĭuring the night, the 'captain of the Temple' made his rounds. On his approach, the guards had to rise and salute him in a particular manner. Any guard found asleep when on duty was beaten, or his garments were set on fire–punishment, as we know, actually awarded. Hence the admonition to us who, as it were, are here on Temple guard. 'Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments. I always wondered what Jesus meant by " blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments" but now it makes perfect sense. I think Jesus was telling us to stay spiritually awake and to continually watch for the signs of His return, so we don't find ourselves left behind, facing the horrors of the tribulation. It's a warning to always be ready at any time for the King of Kings to return for His church. Those who are spiritually awake when the Lord returns will be blessed. Only those who are indifferent or spiritually asleep will be caught by surprise when the thief in the night appears. ![]()
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