Final answer:
King Herod and a thief in the night represent characters associated with death and destruction in the Masque of the Red Death.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the Masque of the Red Death, King Herod and a thief in the night mentioned in I Thessalonians 5:2 and II Peter 3:10 represent examples of characters associated with death and destruction. These references from the Bible are used metaphorically to emphasize the themes of mortality and judgment in the story.