Precious friends, for your Prayerful And Careful Consideration:
LORD JESUS, Please Grant us Thy Divine Help to understand Thy Word Of Truth,
Rightly Divided. Amen.
Introduction:
The Day Of CHRIST:
“
Mystery” CHURCH: Designated as the “Heavenly” Day of CHRIST, Which Will
Be The Day Of the consummation of our salvation (into glorification!), And,
Presenting of our “rewards!”
(Philippians 1:6, 10, 2:16; 1 Corinthians 1:8, 3:8-15; 2 Corinthians 1:14).
Rightly Divided (2 Timothy 2:15) From “Things That DIFFER!”:
Day Of The LORD:
Israel’s KINGDOM: Designated as the “Earthly” Day Of The LORD, which will be, first
of all, a day of Judgment to be followed by the establishment of the Kingdom!
(Isaiah 13:9-16, 24:21-23, 26:20-21, 34:1 to 35:10; Ezekiel 30:3; Joel 1:15, 2:1-11, 2:1-11;
Amos 5:16-20; Obadiah 1:15-21; Zephaniah 1:14-18; Zephaniah 14:1-21; Malachi 4:1-6;
Matthew 25:31-46; Acts 2:19-21)
===================================================
Part I {Article by C.R. Stam}:
The Day Of The LORD!
The Scriptures have much to Say about “the Day of The LORD,” but precisely what is
The Day of The LORD?
Generally speaking, of course, it refers to the time when the day of man, or “the times
of the Gentiles,” will be brought to an end, and
“The LORD Alone Shall Be Exalted”
(Isaiah 2:11,17). But will it include more than the actual
Return and Reign of CHRIST?
Will it include the prophesied tribulation period,
during which God will bring Gentile
rule to an end? We believe it will.
One pastor who teaches that the Body of CHRIST will go through the tribulation
and that its Rapture to be with CHRIST will
follow the tribulation, writes:
“The Day of The LORD follows the tribulation and it is the day of the LORD’s
wrath upon those who ‘know not God and obey not The Gospel of our
LORD JESUS CHRIST’” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). It comes as ‘a thief in the
night,’ which is not so with the tribulation.”
But this interpretation does not take into account
ALL That Is Said In Scripture
about “The Day of The LORD” — and contradicts some of it.
When our LORD Returns to earth In Person, “in flaming fire taking vengeance” and
“punishing” with “everlasting destruction,” HE will evidently dispatch His enemies
forthwith. There is no evidence that this will cover a protracted period of time.
Paul, describing the arrival of
Day Of The LORD in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 says
nothing about The Personal Return of CHRIST, but he
does describe a protracted
period of suffering and trouble. Read this statement carefully:
“The Day of The LORD so cometh as a thief in the night, for when they shall say,
Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon
a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
First, note that the phrase “thief in the night” is not used to describe suddenness,
but
unexpectedness. The thief plans his visit for the time when he will be least
expected.
This phrase is so used of our LORD’s Return to earth in Matthew 24:43,44.
But 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 states that the “destruction” of “
The Day of The LORD”
will also come as “a thief in the night.”
The Antichrist will have made a seven-year covenant with Israel and the world will
enjoy three and a half years of “peace and safety.” Then, unexpectedly, he will break
the covenant and defile the temple, plunging the nations into the most terrible
time of trouble they have ever experienced (See Daniel 9:27; 12:1; Matthew 24:21).
Actually
God will take over as the “great tribulation” breaks, letting
the nations of the world bring their uncalled-for rebellion to a head.
Next, note the phrase, “as travail upon a woman with child.” When Antichrist
breaks his covenant with Israel “in the midst of the week” (Daniel 9:27),
“destruction” will break out suddenly. This does not mean, however, that it
will run its course in a moment. Rather, it will
“come upon them” suddenly, and
run its course “
as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
The travail of a woman with child
takes time. The birth pangs
increase both in frequency and in intensity until the child is born.
This, we suggest, illustrates the “great tribulation” far more accurately than it does
the actual Return of CHRIST, for during the great tribulation the world’s troubles
will indeed increase both in frequency and intensity
“and they shall not escape.”
This “destruction,” to take place during “
The Day of The LORD,” will overtake
the world of the ungodly unexpectedly, just when they are congratulating
themselves as having attained “Peace and safety!” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
Now please think carefully. Will
anyone be saying, “Peace and safety” at the
close of the “great tribulation”? Will
anyone rejoice in “Peace and safety”
as the battle of Armageddon rages? How, then, can this passage about
“
The Day of The LORD” refer only to the Return of CHRIST,
after the tribulation?
But when we see that “
The Day of The LORD” begins
with,
rather than
after the tribulation, all is in order.
As we know, the seven years of the tribulation will begin with the rider on the
“white horse” (Revelation 6:1,2 — evidently Antichrist cp.
Revelation 19:11 —
The True CHRIST!), who goes forth “conquering and to conquer.” Like Antiochus
Epiphanes, he will “come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries”
(Daniel 11:21). All will go well for him and he will bring to the world a kind of peace
that will win him universal allegiance. “Peace and safety!” the world will exclaim.
But of the rider on the
next horse we read: “and power was given to him that sat
thereon
to take peace from the earth” (Revelation 6:4). Then follow war, famine
and death (Verses 3-8).
This “destruction” will come suddenly when, after three and a half years
(“in the midst of the week”), Antichrist will betray Israel and break his seven-year
covenant with them (Daniel 9:27), and will, like Antiochus Epiphanes, desecrate
the temple (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4).
There we have it! Our “post-tribulation” brethren say that “
The Day of The LORD follows
the tribulation.” Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, makes it clear that
The Day of The LORD
includes the tribulation. They have men in the closing, most terrible hours of the
tribulation saying,
“Peace and safety!” They have The LORD’s Speedy Judgment of
the ungodly described by
“travail upon a woman with child”!
No,
the Rapture of the Body of CHRIST to be With HIM will not follow the tribulation;
it will
precede it. Thus the Apostle Paul, after writing about the Rapture of the Body
in 1 Thessalonians 4, continues in Chapter 5 with The Word “But,” to show the
disrelation of God’s prophesied “times and seasons” and “The Day of The LORD,” From
That Blessed Day {Of CHRIST}, for which every believer should be
“looking, waiting, And
watching!”
“Wherefore comfort one another with These Words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18), and
“be not
soon troubled” (2 Thessalonians 2:2), for like the Thessalonian believers we are to
“serve the living and true God, and to wait for HIS SON from heaven…Who Hath
Delivered us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:9,10).
to be continued...
1
not sure why some feel the need to cap with bold. For me whats missing here is "this is what I believe and why". Not wise for me to say "just simple read the word take it for what it says" then I explain to you what it really means haha..sorry.
