Apocalypse Revealed # 164
164. "'I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you.'" This symbolically means that the things of which their worship consists will be taken from them, without their knowing when or how.
This says that the Lord will come like a thief because a person engaged in a lifeless worship has the outward good of worship taken from him. For lifeless worship has some good in it, inasmuch as the worshipers think about God and eternal life. Still, good without its truths is nevertheless not good, unless it is merit-seeking or hypocritical, and evils and falsities take that away, like a thief. This occurs progressively in the world, and totally after death, and moreover without the person's knowing when or how.
It is said in attribution to the Lord that He will come like a thief, but in the spiritual sense the meaning is that hell will take something away and rob people of it. The case here is the same as when the Word says that God does evil to a person, lays him waste, takes revenge, becomes wrathful, and leads into trial or temptation, when in fact it is hell that does these things; for it is so stated in accordance with the appearance to mankind.
In Matthew 25:26-30 and Luke 19:24-26 it may be seen that a talent or mina with which a person is to do business is taken from him if does not make a profit by it. To do business and make a profit means, symbolically, to acquire for oneself truths and goods.
[2] Since the taking away of goodness and truth from people engaged in a lifeless worship comes about as though by a thief in the dark, therefore in the Word it is sometimes likened to a thief, as in the following places:
Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked... (Revelation 16:15)
Watch therefore, for you do not know at what hour your Lord will come. Know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. (Matthew 24:42-43)
If thieves have come to you, if robbers by night - oh, how you will be cut off! - will they not steal till they have enough? (Obadiah v. 5)
They run to and fro in the city, they run on the wall; they climb into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief. (Joel 2:9)
They have concocted a lie, and a thief comes, and a mob spreads outside. (Hosea 7:1)
Do not lay up... treasures on earth..., but... in heaven..., where thieves do not come and will not steal. (Matthew 6:19-20)
A person should watch and not know the hour at which the Lord comes in order that he may think and act as though of himself, thus in freedom in accordance with his reason, and not have fear interject anything. For everyone would be fearful if he were to know. Moreover, whatever a person does of himself in freedom remains to eternity, while what he does out of fear does not remain.
撒迦利亚书 14
2
因为我必聚集万国与耶路撒冷争战,城必被攻取,房屋被抢夺,妇女被玷污,城中的民一半被掳去;剩下的民仍在城中,不致剪除。
4
那日,他的脚必站在耶路撒冷前面朝东的橄榄山上。这山必从中间分裂,自东至西成为极大的谷。山的一半向北挪移,一半向南挪移。
5
你们要从我山的谷中逃跑,因为山谷必延到亚萨。你们逃跑,必如犹大王乌西雅年间的人逃避大地震一样。耶和华─我的神必降临,有一切圣者同来。
7
那日,必是耶和华所知道的,不是白昼,也不是黑夜,到了晚上才有光明。
8
那日,必有活水从耶路撒冷出来,一半往东海流,一半往西海流;冬夏都是如此。
9
耶和华必作全地的王。那日耶和华必为独一无二的,他的名也是独一无二的。
10
全地,从迦巴直到耶路撒冷南方的临门,要变为亚拉巴。耶路撒冷必仍居高位,
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耶和华用灾殃攻击那与耶路撒冷争战的列国人,必是这样:他们两脚站立的时候,肉必消没,眼在眶中乾瘪,吞在口中溃烂。
13
那日,耶和华必使他们大大扰乱。他们各人彼此揪住,举手攻击。
14
犹大也必在耶路撒冷争战。那时四围各国的财物,就是许多金银衣服,必被收聚。
15
那临到马匹、骡子、骆驼、驴,和营中一切牲畜的灾殃是与那灾殃一般。
16
所有来攻击耶路撒冷列国中剩下的人,必年年上来敬拜大君王─万军之耶和华,并守住棚节。
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地上万族中,凡不上耶路撒冷敬拜大君王─万军之耶和华的,必无雨降在他们的地上。
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埃及族若不上来,雨也不降在他们的地上;凡不上来守住棚节的列国人,耶和华也必用这灾攻击他们。
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当那日,马的铃铛上必有归耶和华为圣的这句话。耶和华殿内的锅必如祭坛前的碗一样。
21
凡耶路撒冷和犹大的锅都必归万军之耶和华为圣。凡献祭的都必来取这锅,煮肉在其中。当那日,在万军之耶和华的殿中必不再有迦南人。