Chapter 14: The "Thief in the Night" Occurs on Passover (Part 1)

Origination of Passover

"The jewish people celebrated their Passover Feast in remembrance of God's deliverance from death during the time of Moses.

Moses had been instructed to lead God's people out of Egypt and save them from the evil and ungodly Pharaoh. Because of Pharaoh's disbelief in the power of the One True God, Yahweh sent a series of ten plagues upon the Egyptians: the Nile turned to blood and at various times the land was filled with frogs, gnats, flies, hail, locusts, and darkness. In one awesome act of God's ultimate authority, He sent one final devastating plague: every firstborn of every household would be annihilated.

In His mercy towards His people, God would shield the Israelites from such unmerciful judgement if they would follow the instructions He gave to Moses and Aaron. The specific instructions are outlined in Exodus 12:1-11. In sum, each family was to take a lamb and all households were to slaughter their lambs at the same time at twilight after a certain number of days. Then they were commanded to paint the sides and top of their doorways with some of this blood. Once this was done and all the meat of the lamb was eaten in accordance with God's instructions, God would spare the Israelites from death. This is what the Lord said:

"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn -- both men and animals -- and I will bring judgement on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord -- a lasting ordinance" (Exodus 12:12-14)."

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"The Bible says, "The day of the LORD comes as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction comes." 1 Thess 5:2,3. Christ affirmed, "If the goodman ...had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up." Matthew 24:43. Christians are like the goodman today, not watching, because they don't know when to watch. Christ warns, "If you don't watch, I will come to you as a thief." Revelation 3:3. This article looks at when to watch.

"Watch" is translated from the Greek word, gregoreo, meaning be awake. We can't be awake every night, but there is only one night in the year that believers were commanded to watch. It was Passover, Exodus 12:10,42. Christ understood this and asked His disciples to watch (Matt 26:38-41) but we think it was only because He knew what was coming that night.

But Christ's use of "watch" in connection with His signs for "the end of the world" (Matthew 24:3) and Paul's use of watch and support for the following theme. Evangelical Christians who do not watch because watching is not taught in their church may be unprepared for what is coming. In short, Israel was protected at Passover by blood on the doorpost and by watching, Exodus 12:10,43. Christ died as the lamb so that we do not need to sacrifice animals, but the command to watch on the eve of Passover was maintained."

[link to ezinearticles.com]

"After partaking of the Passover emblems of bread and wine, the true believer should keep vigil - till midnight at the very least: for it was at midnight that the destroyer struck in ancient Egypt.

We have learned that to observe the Passover Night means to "keep vigil," to "watch and pray." Do believers living in this generation need to keep vigil? The answer is yes we do. In fact the need to obey this vigil command is more important now than it has ever been: because the midnight of the world is fast approaching. Remember that it was at midnight that the destroyer went through the land of Egypt and slaughtered all the first born (Exodus 12:23). Yes, we need to watch and pray at all times. But on the Passover Night we need to keep vigil as well. We need to stay awake and give ourselves to prayer - at least till midnight. This instruction is more important to our generation than those before. We have the perfect example of Jesus himself, who on that memorable Passover Night recorded in the gospels, obeyed the vigil requirement of Exodus 12:42 in every detail. His vigil in the garden of Gethsemane was the finest lesson of watchfulness and prayer the universe has ever witnessed. Repeatedly he warned his disciples to stay awake and watch with him - at least for that fateful hour just before midnight. But they all fell asleep and when that hour of temptation came, they were all unprepared and forsook him and fled. (Matt.26:56) Oh what a lesson for us is their experience. How much more do we need to keep vigil than those early disciples! How will you stand when the Hour of Temptation comes to you? Bear in mind that the Destroyer (Abaddon/Apollyon) is scheduled to strike again in the near future.

Matthew 26:40-44 "And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words"

Mark 13:33 "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is."

[link to atschool.eduweb.co.uk]


It's the Sun!



The Second Epistle General of
Peter
3
The Promise of the Lord's Coming
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

As a thief

Comp. Matthew 24:43; Luke 12:39; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 16:15, and see on Revelation 3:3.

In the night

The ancient church held that the advent was to be expected at night, on an Easter eve. This gave rise to the custom of vigils. Jerome, on Matthew 25:6, says: "It is a tradition of the jewish people that Messiah will come at midnight, after the likeness of that season in Egypt when the Passover was celebrated, and the Destroyer came, and the Lord passed over the dwellings.

[link to bible.cc]

Malachi
4
The Coming Day of the LORD
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
5 Behold, I will send you Eli'jah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: