If he found a guard asleep, or if the fire tender was asleep, he would awaken them in a rather severe manner, described below.Ĭlarke’s Bible Commentary – The Gospel of Luke In the same Talmudic tract it is said, “The ruler of the mountain of the temple (i.e. The captain of the guard (or sometimes the High Priest himself) would inspect at random intervals, usually during the two latest “watches” of the night, to make sure that the guards were awake and on duty, and that the priest charged with tending the brazen altar had kept the fire burning properly. During the night watches, members of the priesthood were appointed to guard the Temple (so no unclean person or Gentile would enter, defiling it), and to insure that the fire in the brazen altar was kept lit (it was supposed to burn 24 hours a day). It refers to a completely different practice that occurred in the Temple. This “coming” is NOT a time of joy and “wedded bliss”. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.?” Reference 2: This reference reads, “?Behold, I am coming as a thief. However, the second reference, found in Revelation 16:15, is quite different. This sudden reunion will be a time of joy, and is to be looked for with expectation. This is the usual explanation given by scholars, who relate it to the unexpectedness of the Rapture, and the fact that Our Groom (Jesus) will come suddenly to retrieve His Bride (the Church). This is a reference to one of the traditions of the Jewish marriage practices as celebrated in the 1st century, where the Groom comes to “retrieve” his Bride at an unexpected moment (usually in the night) to take her to their new home. Reference 1: 1st Thessalonians 5:2 and 2nd Peter 3:10 both refer to the coming of the Lord (the 2nd Coming) as “a thief in the night”.
The two references are actually very different, and we need to see the differences to understand what Jesus was communicating in each case. Unfortunately, most scholars, unfamiliar with Jewish culture and traditions, lump these two references into one, declaring that they both carry the same meaning. There are two references in the New Testament to the Lord coming as a “thief”.
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