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The Rapture of the Church - Part Five of Eight
Introduction
In Part Five we'll examine what the Bible says about "the Day of the Lord," and we'll see how this only fits with the pre-trib view. The word "day" is used many times throughout the Bible in expressions such as "day of the Lord" and "day of judgment." If we only look at a few occurrences of these expressions, it's easy to get the wrong impression about what these expressions mean. In this article we'll look at the full picture, but the summary is that sometimes "the day of the Lord" refers to the seven-year Tribulation period, and sometimes it refers to the seven-year Tribulation plus the Millennium, and sometimes it refers to the seven-year Tribulation plus the Millennium plus Judgment Day plus the destruction of heaven and earth (because different Old Testament prophets were only shown certain aspects of the Day of the Lord). In addition, "the day of judgment" sometimes refers to Judgment Day (for all unrighteous people throughout all time), and sometimes it refers to the judgment seat of Christ (for all Christians after the Rapture as we'll see in Part Seven). Different authors of Scripture wrote different things about the Day of the Lord and the day of judgment, so it's important to be thorough in order to see the full picture. If everything at my website (VividChristianity.com), including this article, says what God wants it to say then He will confirm that for you by doing a miracle. See my home page for the details. What Is the Day of the Lord?
Here are some things that Scripture says about the Day of the Lord: "Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will go limp, every man's heart will melt. Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame. See, the day of the LORD is coming - a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger - to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. I will make man scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the day of his burning anger." (Isaiah 13:6-13)The above passages tell us that the Day of the Lord will be a time of darkness and wrath. Joel 2:1-2 (above) says that the Day of the Lord will be "such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come," which indicates that it will be a unique time of wrath. It has not yet happened, and later we'll determine when it will take place. Consider that God is light (1 John 1:5), so it would seem odd for "His Day" to be characterized only by darkness, with no light at all. As it turns out, the Bible says that the Day of the Lord will initially consist of darkness and wrath, but afterwards it will be characterized by light and blessings and the Lord's reign over all the earth: "The LORD Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled)...The arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day and the idols will totally disappear." (Isaiah 2:12, 17-18)In the above passages, the Day of the Lord is described in terms of darkness, judgment, and wrath, followed by light and blessings and the Lord's reign over all the earth. Some of the Old Testament prophets were only shown the "darkness" portion of the Day of the Lord (quoted above), but we can see that other prophets were shown both the "darkness" portion and the "light" portion of the Day of the Lord. In the Creation account in Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, and 31, each day of Creation is described as being a period of darkness followed by a period of light ("and there was evening [darkness], and there was morning [light] - the first day," etc.). According to the above passages, the Day of the Lord will follow that same pattern. Does "the Day of the Lord" Refer to One Specific Day?
Notice that some of the above passages give the impression that the Day of the Lord will last far longer than a single day. In fact, it's not unusual in Scripture for the word "day" to be used for different lengths of time, depending on the context. For example, the Creation account uses the word "day" in different ways: "And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights - the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the fourth day." (Genesis 1:14-19)In the above passage, the sun and moon are described as signs that mark the seasons and days and years. Since the "seasons" and "years" are treated as normal seasons and years here, the "days" are therefore normal 24-hour days (in "seasons and days and years"). However, this passage also distinguishes between "day" (the daylight period) and "night" (the darkness period), which means that the word "day" in this case is not referring to a 24-hour period of time. In addition, the above passage tells us that these things occurred on the fourth "day" of Creation. Notice that if each "day" of Creation lasted for 24 hours (as some people believe), or if each "day" of Creation lasted for a longer period of time such as billions of years (as other people believe), this "day" is a different length of time than the daylight period that's called "day" in the same passage. The same Hebrew word is used for all five occurrences of the word "day" in the above passage, yet those "days" are not all referring to the same period of time. A few verses earlier we see the same thing: "And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning - the first day." (Genesis 1:3-5)In the above passage, the same Hebrew word is used for both occurrences of "day" (which is the same Hebrew word for "day" in Genesis 1:14-19, above). Yet the first occurrence of "day" is only the daylight period, and the second occurrence of "day" refers to a longer period of time as we saw above, so those "days" are not referring to the same period of time. Here's another example to show that it's not unusual in Scripture for the word "day" to be used for different lengths of time. Notice that Jesus had said that He would be buried for three days and three nights: "Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you." He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."" (Matthew 12:38-40)Based on the above passage, some people say that Jesus was buried for 72 hours (24 x 3). However, my article called How to Study the Bible shows that people in biblical times tended to speak or write using flowery or poetic language, indirect or imprecise language, symbolism or figurative language, hyperbole (exaggeration), metaphors, and so on. People back then did not always speak in literal or precise ways. For example, notice that the following passages say that Jesus was resurrected "on the third day" and "after three days" and "three days later" and "in three days": "From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." (Matthew 16:21)Scripture doesn't contradict itself, so when the above passages say that Jesus was buried for "three days and three nights" and that He was resurrected "on the third day" and "after three days" and "three days later" and "in three days," we must interpret all of these expressions as being true. Therefore, "three days and three nights" is not meant to be taken literally as 72 hours. All of those expressions can be reconciled with each other as meaning that Jesus was resurrected on the third day (which is what the majority of the above passages say). As a number of Bible commentaries 
point out (search for "part of" at that link), a part of a day is sometimes counted as a full day in the Bible.
Here's another example to show that it's not unusual in Scripture for the word "day" to be used for different lengths of time: "For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2)The above verse says that "now is the day of salvation." If that specific day (the day when Paul wrote the above verse) was the day of salvation (i.e., the 24 hours of salvation), then no one would be able to receive salvation after that day. Fortunately for us, we're still in "the day of salvation," which means that the word "day" in this passage is not a 24-hour day. The "day of salvation" has lasted for almost 2,000 years. What all of the above passages demonstrate is that the word "day" in the Bible does not always refer to a 24-hour day, which means that we can't assume that the Day of the Lord refers to a 24-hour day. As always, the context is important. When Will the Day of the Lord Begin?
In the first century, the Day of the Lord was still in the future: "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:3)In the above passage, Paul said that he didn't want the Thessalonian Christians to be ignorant about what will happen to Christians who die, so he explained to them about the Rapture. In contrast, however, Paul said that they knew very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. This means that Paul had earlier taught the Thessalonian Christians very well (or "accurately") about the Day of the Lord, but not about the Rapture, which tells us that the Rapture was not a part of Paul's teaching about the Day of the Lord (because the Thessalonian Christians were still "ignorant" about aspects of the Rapture in the above passage). They were ignorant about the Rapture, but they knew very well about the Day of the Lord. When Paul wrote, "Now, brothers, about times and dates," in the above passage, he began this sentence with the Greek words peri de (literally, "But concerning"). When Paul used this specific combination of Greek words at the beginning of a sentence, his normal usage of these Greek words was to signal a change in thought (see 1 Corinthians 7:1, 25, 8:1, 12:1, 16:1, 12, and 1 Thessalonians 4:9). So in the above passage Paul taught the Thessalonian Christians some information concerning the Rapture (which they were ignorant about), and then he changed thoughts and began talking about the Day of the Lord (which they knew "very well" or "accurately"). These factors indicate that the Rapture is separate from the Day of Lord, and in the above passage Paul told us when the Day of the Lord will start. Paul said that the Day of the Lord will begin suddenly and unexpectedly when people are talking about "peace and safety" (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, above). We've seen that the Day of the Lord will begin with darkness and wrath, followed by light and divine blessings. Also, recall that in Part Three we saw that when the book of Revelation describes the future judgments of God's wrath on the earth, it begins by listing seven Seal Judgments. Notice what will happen at the sixth Seal Judgment: "I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"" (Revelation 6:12-17)The above passage says that when the sixth Seal Judgment takes place during the Tribulation, people will try to hide from God because they will believe that the day of God's wrath has come. Sometimes Christians argue that the above passage tells us when God's wrath will begin to be poured out onto the earth (this is one of the mid-trib views), but in the above passage the apostle John was simply recording what he saw and heard. John did not say that the day of God's wrath had now come, but instead he was simply recording what the people in his vision were saying. Those people include the kings of the earth, and in Revelation 17:1-2 we see the kings of the earth committing "spiritual adultery" with a false religious system during the first half of the seven-year Tribulation. The people in the above passage are not Christians, and therefore they don't have a revelation of God's Truth. In the above passage, notice that they're trying to hide from God and escape His wrath. Since they don't have salvation and the indwelling Holy Spirit, it would be a mistake to assume that they know what they're talking about when they say that the day of God's wrath has come. So if we claim that the sixth Seal Judgment (in the above passage) is the point when God's wrath will start to be poured out onto the earth (which is one of the mid-trib views of the Rapture), then we would be basing our assumption on the words of unsaved people who don't have a revelation of God's truth. We've seen that God's wrath will start to be poured out onto the earth with the first Seal Judgment at the very beginning of the seven-year Tribulation (see Part Three), and therefore this mid-trib view of the Rapture is in error. Notice in the above passage that since those people believe that they're experiencing God's wrath, this means that God's wrath can't come upon them unexpectedly. Yet Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (above) that the Day of the Lord, the time of judgment and wrath, will come suddenly and unexpectedly when people think that "peace and safety" has come. Therefore, the Day of the Lord will not begin after the sixth Seal Judgment (above) because there will be no more "peace and safety" for the remainder of the seven-year Tribulation as we saw in Part Three. In addition, the Day of the Lord will not begin after the second Seal Judgment: "When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword." (Revelation 6:3-4)Notice that when Jesus opens the second seal (above), the rider of the red horse will be given power to take peace away from the earth. Since the Day of the Lord will begin when people are experiencing (or about to experience) peace (1 Thessalonians 5:3, above), this means that the Day of the Lord must begin before the second Seal Judgment in Revelation 6:3-4 (above) because there will be no more peace after that point. What is the "peace and safety" that Paul was talking about in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (above)? Notice in the Old Testament that God had promised the Jews that someday in the future they will live in peace and safety forever: "I will surely gather them [the Jews] from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place [Israel] and let them live in safety." (Jeremiah 32:37)In the above passages there are several consistent themes:
For the following reasons, at the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation it will appear that the above promises have been fulfilled:
So at the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation there will appear to be reasons for Israel to believe that the promised time of "peace and safety" has finally arrived. Israel will be ready to sign a seven-year treaty or contract agreement (with the Antichrist), and the Jews will be talking about peace and safety. According to Paul, this is exactly when the "darkness and wrath" period of the Day of the Lord will suddenly come upon them: "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:3)The above passage deals with end-times prophecy. The Rapture in the above passage has not yet happened, and the Day of the Lord in the above passage has not yet happened, and the time of "peace and safety" in the above passage has not yet happened. So when Israel is preparing to sign a seven-year treaty or contract agreement with the Antichrist, devout Jews will have reasons (above) for thinking that they're bringing in the time of "peace and safety" that God had promised in the above Old Testament prophecies. However, by signing this treaty or contract agreement with the Antichrist they'll actually be ushering in the seven-year Tribulation period, which is why Paul said that the destruction of the Day of the Lord will come on them (1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:3, above). This means that the beginning of the Tribulation period is also the beginning of the Day of the Lord. The seven-year Tribulation period is the same as the "darkness and wrath" portion of the Day of the Lord. Remember, the Day of the Lord will begin with a period of darkness and wrath (the seven-year Tribulation), and then it will become a time of light and blessings and the Lord's reign over all the earth (Jesus' thousand-year government on the earth - see my article called End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes). Ezekiel 34:23-29 (above) says that in the time of peace and safety that God had promised, there will be no more war, no more famine, and no dangerous wild beasts. Notice that at the beginning of the Day of the Lord, God will use those specific things as judgments in order to demonstrate that the Antichrist's covenant of peace is not God's covenant of peace: "I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider [the Antichrist, or "false Christ," as we saw in Part Three] held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword. When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages [famine], and do not damage the oil and the wine!" When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." (Revelation 6:1-8)The above passage describes "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," which are the first judgments of God's wrath at the beginning of the Day of the Lord as we saw in Part Three. God will specifically use the very things as judgments (war, famine, and wild beasts) that He had promised will one day be eliminated. This will demonstrate Israel's devastating error in making a covenant with the Antichrist instead of with the true Christ. Where Will Jesus Be When It's Time to Open the Sealed Scroll?
In Revelation 5:1-4 (below) we see God the Father holding a sealed scroll, and a mighty angel asks "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" Then we're told that no one "in heaven" or "on earth" or "under the earth" was worthy to open the scroll: "Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside." (Revelation 5:1-4)We saw in Part Three that Jesus is the only One who is able to open the scroll, but if Jesus is in heaven at the right hand of God (Hebrews 1:3, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2, Revelation 3:21) then why does Revelation 5:1-4 (above) say that no one in heaven was found who was worthy to open the scroll? If Jesus is not in heaven or on earth or under the earth, as described in the above passage, then where is He when the above passage takes place? At the Second Coming, Jesus will leave heaven and descend down to the earth. For a period of time, He will be in the clouds above the earth (Matthew 24:30, 26:64, Mark 13:24-26, 14:62, Revelation 1:7). Since the Bible never describes Jesus as being anywhere else in the physical universe other than earth, this means that the area of the clouds above the earth is the only place where Jesus could be if He's not in heaven or on earth or under the earth. So the Second Coming could explain why Jesus is not in heaven to open the sealed scroll. But when God the Father holds out the sealed scroll in the above passage, at that point it's not yet time for the Second Coming. The Second Coming will take place at the end of the seven-year Tribulation, and we saw in Part Three that Jesus will open the sealed scroll at the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation. Therefore, the Second Coming is not the reason why Jesus is not in heaven to open the sealed scroll. According to Scripture, is there any other time when Jesus will be in the clouds above the earth? Yes, at the Rapture: "According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)Notice the sequence of events. Jesus has been in heaven for almost 2,000 years, and at the appointed time He will leave heaven and come down to the clouds above the earth, then He will rapture all Christians (living or dead) to meet Him in the clouds. While the Rapture is taking place, God will hold out the sealed scroll in heaven for Jesus to open, but Jesus is not in heaven or on the earth or under the earth. Jesus takes the Christians who had been raptured up into heaven where He breaks the first seal on the scroll, causing the Tribulation to begin as we saw in Part Three. While the Tribulation (the Day of the Lord) is raging on earth, the Christians who had been raptured will stand before the judgment seat of Christ (which we'll examine in Part Seven) to receive rewards or suffer loss, based on our obedient works on earth. The pre-trib view is the only view of the Rapture that fits all of the scriptural facts. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:5
Notice what Paul wrote concerning the Day of the Lord in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica: "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness...Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:5, 5:11)In the above passage, Paul wanted to encourage the Christians in Thessalonica who were grieving over deceased loved ones. In verse 4:13, he began explaining to them about the Rapture because he didn't want them to be ignorant about what will happen to those who have died in Christ. Paul comforted them by explaining about the Rapture (verses 4:14-17), and then he told them to encourage each other with that information (verses 4:18 and 5:11). In other words, Paul did not comfort the Thessalonian Christians by saying that someday they will see their deceased loved ones again in heaven. Similarly, Paul did not comfort the Thessalonian Christians by saying that their deceased loved ones had been spared the horrors of the Tribulation period. Instead, Paul specifically comforted them by saying that at the Rapture, we who are still alive will meet our deceased Christian loved ones in the clouds with Jesus. Think about that for a moment. Paul clearly expected the Rapture to happen in their lifetime, and he said that this was encouraging because they would soon be with their deceased loved ones again at the Rapture. In Part Six we'll see almost two dozen passages which demonstrate that most of the New Testament authors expected the Rapture to happen at any moment. There's only one view of the Rapture that's consistent with Paul's statements here, and that's the pre-trib view. In verse 4:18 (above), Paul told them to encourage each other with this knowledge about the Rapture, and then he turned his attention to a different topic in chapter 5 (above). In 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5 (above), Paul specifically said that the Church does not belong to the darkness. The Church only belongs to the light. My article called What Will Happen after the Second Coming? shows that the Church will be on the earth during the Millennium (in our immortal bodies), which is consistent with Paul's statement in verse 5:4 that the Church only belongs to the light. As we've seen, the Millennium (when Jesus reigns on earth for 1,000 years after the Second Coming) is described as being the "light" portion of the Day of the Lord. The seven-year Tribulation period is described as being the "darkness" portion of the Day of the Lord, and Paul said in verses 5:4-5 that the Church is not in darkness and does not belong to the darkness. There's only one view of the Rapture that allows for the Church to be in the "light" portion of the Day of the Lord (the Millennial kingdom) but not in the "darkness" portion of the Day of the Lord (the seven-year Tribulation period), and that's the pre-trib view. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3
As we saw in the previous section, Paul taught the Thessalonian Christians about the Rapture and the Day of the Lord. But then someone went to Thessalonica and pretended that Paul said that the Day of the Lord had already come. This caused great alarm to the Christians in Thessalonica, so they sent a message to Paul for clarification. Here is Paul's response: "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)People who believe the post-trib view (that the Rapture will happen at the Second Coming at the end of the seven-year Tribulation) sometimes use the above passage as evidence for a post-trib Rapture. People who believe the pre-trib view (that the Rapture will happen before the seven-year Tribulation begins) sometimes use the above passage as evidence for a pre-trib Rapture. Obviously these two groups cannot both be right, which means that one group is making some wrong assumptions in the above passage. Some people in the post-trib camp make the assumption that "the day of the Lord" in the above passage refers to the day of the Second Coming. If we replace the highlighted sections of the above passage based on this assumption then we get this: "Concerning the Second Coming and the post-trib Rapture, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the Second Coming has already happened. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for the Second Coming will not happen until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 paraphrased)According to this post-trib assumption, the Day of the Lord is the day of the Second Coming and the Rapture. If this assumption is true, notice that in order for the Thessalonian Christians to believe the report that the Day of the Lord had already come, they would need to assume that they didn't notice it when the Second Coming and the Rapture took place. Such a situation would be impossible because at the Second Coming everyone in the world will see Jesus returning to the earth (Matthew 24:27-30), and at the Rapture all Christians will suddenly disappear from the earth (including the Thessalonian Christians). In addition, notice that if the Second Coming had already taken place then the Thessalonian Christians would soon be entering into Jesus' thousand-year reign of righteousness, peace, and prosperity on the earth (the Millennium). This would be a cause for joy, not alarm. Yet when the Thessalonian Christians were told that the Day of the Lord had already come, they became alarmed. If the Day of the Lord is the day of the Second Coming (as this post-trib assumption says), notice that there was no evidence that the Rapture or the Second Coming had taken place. After all, no Christians had vanished in the Rapture, and Jesus had not descended to the earth in full view of the world. Therefore, the Thessalonian Christians had no reason to believe the false reports that these things had already taken place. As we can see, this interpretation by some people in the post-trib camp results in an impossible situation because of their assumption that the Day of the Lord is specifically the day of the Second Coming. Now let's look at the pre-trib interpretation of the above passage: "Concerning the Lord's coming for the Church at the pre-trib Rapture, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the seven-year Tribulation has already begun. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for the seven-year Tribulation will not begin until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 paraphrased)Consider that if Paul had taught the Thessalonian Christians about a pre-trib Rapture, then it would be natural for them to become alarmed when someone told them that the Tribulation had already begun because they expected to be removed from the earth before the Tribulation perod begins. When the Thessalonian Christians were given a false report that the Day of the Lord (the seven-year Tribulation period) had begun, there was evidence that convinced them that this report might be true. In Part One we saw that there will be a great persecution of the saints in the early stages of the Tribulation, and notice that the Thessalonian Christians were experiencing persecutions (the word "saint" in the Bible essentially refers to a holy or righteous person, including all Christians as in 1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV and Philippians 1:1 NKJV - Easton's Bible Dictionary ):
"Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring...With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come." (2 Thessalonians 1:4-2:2)Notice that before Paul began to comfort the Thessalonian Christians concerning the Day of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:4-2:2, above), he specifically mentioned the persecutions that they were experiencing. Since a persecution of saints will take place during the beginning stages of the Tribulation as we've seen, and since the Thessalonian Christians were being persecuted, this means that they had evidence that appeared to support the false claim that the Tribulation had begun. This is why they became so alarmed. According to the various mid-trib views, the Rapture will take place at some point during the seven-year Tribulation. So if Paul had taught the Thessalonian Christians about a mid-trib Rapture then they would have no cause for alarm when they were told that the Tribulation (the Day of the Lord) had begun. It would be a frightening situation knowing that the Day of the Lord had begun but they would have been expecting it (if Paul had taught them about a mid-trib Rapture), and they would now have reason to be excited knowing that the Rapture would soon take place. If any of the mid-trib views are correct then their reaction to learning that the Day of the Lord had begun would be the exact opposite of what we see in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 (above). For all of these reasons, the pre-trib view is the only view of the Rapture that fits 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 (above). How Long Will the Day of the Lord Last?
Notice what the apostle Peter wrote: "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness." (2 Peter 3:9-13)In the above passage, Peter said that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief, which is exactly what Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 (above). Throughout this article we've seen that the expression, "the Day of the Lord," encompasses the seven-year Tribulation and Jesus' thousand-year reign (which we call the Millennium) when He will physically dwell on earth. Since Peter used that exact expression ("the day of the Lord"), and since Peter said exactly what Paul said about it ("the day of the Lord will come like a thief"), then a consistent method of interpretation tells us that Peter was referring to the same Day of the Lord that we've seen throughout this article. Also, we can see that "the day of the Lord" and "the day of God" are the same thing in the above passage because Peter described them using almost identical language. My article called What Will Happen after the Second Coming? shows that after Judgment Day (which will take place after the Millennium), God will destroy the heavens and the earth, and then He will create a new heaven and a new earth. This is what Peter was referring to in the above passage. Since Peter said that the Day of the Lord will bring about the destruction of the heavens and the earth and all of the elements, it would appear that the Day of the Lord encompasses the seven-year Tribulation period, and the Second Coming, and the Millennium, and Judgment Day, and the destruction of the heavens and the earth. Possibly it also includes the creation of the new heaven and earth (2 Peter 3:13, above), but we're not specifically told that. Conclusion
In this article we saw that the Day of the Lord will begin when the seven-year Tribulation period begins, and it will continue through Jesus' thousand-year reign on earth, plus Judgment Day, plus the destruction of heaven and earth. The Bible doesn't specifically tell us if the Day of the Lord will include the creation of the new heaven and the new earth. We saw that the pre-trib view is the only explanation of why Jesus will not be in heaven to open the sealed scroll in Revelation 5:1-4. When we examined 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:5, we saw that the pre-trib view is the only view of the Rapture that's consistent with Paul's encouragements concerning the deceased Christians in Thessalonica. We also saw that the pre-trib view is the only view of the Rapture that allows for the Church to take part in the Millennium but not the seven-year Tribulation (as Paul described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:5). When we examined 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, we saw that the interpretation by some people in the post-trib camp results in an impossible situation, and we saw that the mid-trib views are wrong. The pre-trib view is the only view of the Rapture that fits 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3. Back to Part Four. Continue on to Part Six. For the glory of the Lord Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, who came in the flesh, was delivered over to death for our sins, and was raised to life for our justification. Dave Root home page and email: https://www.vividchristianity.com "Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:3) "Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist - denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." (1 John 2:22-23) "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God." (1 John 4:15) "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." (1 John 4:1-3) "And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist." (2 John 1:6-7) "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." (Romans 4:25) |
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| All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (R). NIV (R). Copyright (C) 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. (Emphasis added.) |