Opening the Gates of Heaven Perry Stone

before the L ORD ” (Gen. 19:27). We read also that Isaac “went out to meditate in the field in the evening” (Gen. 24:63). However, Jacob was at times up during the night wrestling with God until the breaking of day (Gen. 32:24). The three temple prayers were first the Shacharit , from the root shachar , meaning, “morning light.” The second was Mincha , named for the flour offering used during the sacrifices at the temple, and the third was Arvit , from “nightfall.” These three prayers were prayed each day. When the Jewish temple existed, prayers were offered throughout the day during certain sacrifices. On the Sabbath at the synagogue, numerous formal prayers were offered for fifty-two weeks a year, as the synagogue was a place of study and prayer. When the first Christians had access to the temple in Jerusalem, they continued “daily with one accord in the temple” (Acts 2:46). They were also going from house to house preaching and teaching Jesus (Acts 5:42). In Acts 3:1 we read, “Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.” This “hour of prayer” was a set, appointed time when men would enter the temple for prayer. The ninth hour was about three o’clock in the afternoon. This would have been the afternoon prayer time, as the morning prayers were offered at 9:00 a.m. In Acts 10 we read that Cornelius was a man who gave alms (financial gifts to the poor) and prayed always. About the ninth hour of the day he experienced a unique vision of an angel.