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El Shaddai Ministries
Thief in the Night
Each night, the supervisor of all the watches patrols the Temple
Mount, inspecting  each  and  every  watch.  Burning  torches  
are borne before him (in order for the guards to recognize that
it is he), and if perchance he encounters a watchman who does
not rise up before him, the supervisor cries out to him,  “Peace  
be unto you!” But  if  the supervisor receives no reply, it is
obvious that the guard has been caught asleep.  He would then
rap the sleeping Levite with his stick; the supervisor was then
empowered  to  set  his covering on fire (as a punishment for
not carrying out his duty properly).

Everyone within earshot who heard the cries of the  unfortunate  
sleeperwould say,  “What is that noise in the court?  Oh, it is the
sound of a Levite who has been rapped, and his covering set
alight, for he has fallen asleep on his watch.”
Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov, a contemporary of that era (and
the author of Tractate Midot), related that “Once, my mother’s
brother was found sleeping and his covering was singed.”
"Thief : The figurative use of thief 'as one coming without warning' (Mt 24:43, etc.)
needs no explanation. - Burton Scott Easton" from the International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia
The above explanation on 'the overseer of the house, the captain of the guards or the Man of
the Mountain of a House' is from The Temple Institute website from Jerusalem, Israel. The
Institute's work touches upon the history of the Holy Temple's past, an understanding of the
present day, and the Divine promise of Israel's future. The
Institute's activities include education, research, and
development.

Another similar resource is "Antiquities of the Jews" by
William Brown DD, 1823.

And for further explanation on the Night Watches in the Temple, by Alfred Edersheim
(1825-1889), see:  http://philologos.org/__eb-ttms/temple07.htm#watches
"A Description of the Nightly Routine for the Levitical Watches"
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.  But know this, that if the
goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched,
and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such
an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Matthew 24:42-45

But 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. 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 Thessalonians 5:1-6

Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk
naked, and they see his shame. Revelation 16:15

And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and
Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And
there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of
nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for
looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when
these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption
draweth nigh. Lu 21:24-28
Shalom!  Just so everyone knows, I never set dates and never will. The Word clearly establishes that just as the
Lord fulfilled the Spring Feasts to the day of His first coming He will fulfill the Fall Feasts to the day of His second
coming. So, the exact day will be His Feast days but no one knows what year.

Misunderstanding has come from the definition of some terms, for example:  “Return of the Lord”

When I say that, I do not mean “rapture”.  I mean when His feet land on the Mt of Olives at the end of the Tribula-
tion and it’s all over:

Zec 14:3,4 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount
of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great
valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

The term “Day of the Lord” does not mean “rapture” it means the tribulation period:

Zep 1:7,8 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD
hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice,
that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

Zep 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD:
the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

Zep 2:2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come
upon you, before the day of the LORD'S anger come
upon you.

Zep 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek
meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.

So when it says:

1Th 5:1-5 But 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.

He is saying the “coming tribulation” will not overtake you as a thief because you are aware of the times and seasons
which are a direct reference to the Lord’s Feast Days as well as the signs He said will take place!

Remember:

Lu 21:20  And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

So He also gave us signs to warn us!

Take a look at the following verses, then read the historical depiction of temple service during the time of Yeshua
(Jesus).  I invite you to come back to these verses again, but this time do you see a strong warning to do your job,
to be ready and anticipating his return according to the signs and wonders that he said would herald his return?  Or,
are you convinced you should be overcome by surprise and caught unaware?
El Shaddai Ministries is a Hebrew Roots Resource and Teaching
Ministry. Our congregation is faithful to salvation by grace
through faith as stated in the Torah