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     Concerning phrases similar to the Day of the Lord, some of these point to a particular day.  For example, the "Day of Christ" can point to the very day of Christ's Second Advent, which will take place during the Day of the Lord, as shown above.  As to the common pre-trib view that there will be two phases to His return, questions concerning which phase is being meant in a given reference are relevant.  In accord with my own understanding of this, that Christ will make a "sign" appearance (at the rapture/Matt. 24:30-31) some seven years before His Second Advent, I can see the word day sometimes pointing to both of these events as a whole, especially from a first century perspective.  Consider the example of a binary star, which looks like a single star to the naked eye but is seen to be two stars when viewed through a telescope.

     A help in better understanding the distinctions that can be made between the coming Day of the Lord and the Day of Christ are the similar distinctions that can be made between the day of the automobile and the day of the Ford Mustang.  Whereas the day of the automobile has continued for over a century since it was first invented, the day of the Mustang came during the day of the automobile.  Also, the day of the Mustang can be understood as being the very day it was unveiled, or, as taking in all the years it has been manufactured.  (I know my son would smile right here if I mentioned that he used to have a Cobra Mustang.  I think I will!)

     Understanding precisely when the period of the last days' Day of the Lord judgment will begin (relative to other events) and what sense is being meant with the other similar or variant phrases is pivotal to a correct rapture view.  Along with some thoughts to clarify my own understandings, the following key references are given with the sense indicated that will align with the rapture view put forth in this study.  Importantly, realize and note that I interpret every case of the word day in the specific phrase, "Day of the Lord," as being used in the same sense.

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REFERENCE #1

Acts 2

 20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable Day (broad sense) of the Lord come.

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     Here, Peter is speaking to those gathered on the Day of Pentecost and quotes from a prophecy of Joel's (Acts 2:16-21/Joel 2:28-32).  One thing is very evident in this verse:  The phenomena being spoken of concerning the sun and the moon will precede the beginning of the Day of the Lord.  Note that these phenomena parallel exactly with what John sees after the 6th Seal is opened in Revelation chapter six.  In verse 12, he writes, "And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake;  and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood."  Then, in verse 17, the people exclaim, "For the great day of His wrath is come;  and who shall be able to stand?"  We can easily (and rightly) understand this as indicating when the time of God's last days' Day of the Lord judgment will come.  What John beheld at this time was the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, which gives us an important reference point, not only for when the 6th Seal will be opened, but also for when the period of God's last days' judgment upon this world will actually commence.  Be mindful of how this ties in with our next reference.

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REFERENCE #2

I Thessalonians 5

  1   But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

  2   For yourselves know perfectly that the Day (broad sense) of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

  3   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 (i.e., shall not be raptured with the Church).

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     Paul writes these words to the Thessalonians just after explaining to them about the rapture in the closing verses of chapter four (I Thess. 4:13-18).  Then, as chapter five opens, he makes a close connection between the rapture and the beginning of the Day of the Lord.  He likens the suddenness and unexpectedness of this time to that of the coming of "a thief in the night."  When Christ returns for the Church, He will likewise come suddenly and unexpectedly, or as a "thief," to take it away (e.g., Matt. 24:42-44 and Lk. 12:39-40), whereupon the period of the Day of the Lord will commence.  Because the event of the rapture and the beginning of the Day of the Lord so closely coincide, both will equally happen suddenly and unexpectedly.  This world will by no means be expecting the rapture event, nor be prepared for what all will take place that same day and afterwards.

     Did you notice how that REFERENCE #1 ties in with this second reference?  Whereas Joel's prophecy makes a close connection between the Day of the Lord and certain phenomena occurring, Paul makes a close connection between the Day of the Lord and the rapture.  This means, if the phenomena of which Joel prophesied is fulfilled with the opening of the 6th Seal (which is so), we have a connection of this seal with both the Day of the Lord and the rapture.  Indeed, what John saw with the opening of this seal and what Joel and Paul prophesied is like corroborative evidence.  It's like what we learned in math:  If A=B and B=C, then A=C.  Detectives love finding evidence like this!

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REFERENCE #3

II Peter 3

 10  But the Day (broad sense) of the Lord will come as a thief in the night;  in the which (i.e., in the period, era, or age of which)  the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

 11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

 12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the Day (broad sense) of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

 13  Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

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     As with the previous reference, when mankind is least expecting it, the Lord will return as a thief for the Church, and the period of God's Day of the Lord judgment will commence.  Note that what Peter speaks of concerning the earth being "burned up" (vs. 10) will not take place until after Christ's 1000 year reign (Rev. 20:1-10), just before the time of the Last Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15, esp. vs. 11), all of which is part of the period of the Day of the Lord.  So, in strict accord with Peter's words, this world will be burned up during the period of the Day of the Lord---just near the end of it.  This becomes more clear when his words are compared with Revelation 20:11 in conjunction with 21:1.

     Concerning the "Day of God" phrase that Peter used in verse 12, because of the like destruction there spoken of, I understand this as being merely a variant form of the Day of the Lord phrase he used in verse 10, like a synonym of it.

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REFERENCE #4

II Thessalonians 2

  1   Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (at the rapture), and by our gathering together unto Him (during the rapture),

  2   That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the Day (strict sense) of Christ (His Second Advent) is at hand.

  3   Let no man deceive you by any means:  for THAT DAY (strict sense) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

  4   Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped;  so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

  5   Remember ye not, that when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

  6   And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

  7   For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:  only He (Christ's Holy Spirit through the Church)  who now letteth will let, until He be taken out of the way (at the time of the rapture).

  8   And then shall that Wicked (the Antichrist)  be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming (His Second Advent):

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     All Paul was saying to the Thessalonians was that the particular day of Christ's Second Advent was not "at hand" as was being rumored.  The same thing would be true if such was being rumored today!  Before Christ returns to reign, the Antichrist will be revealed and the seven years of Daniel's 70th Week will transpire.  According to Paul's words, we who are a part of the Church will not see the Antichrist revealed.  While he may be alive even now, this is different than being revealed.  Before any of this occurs, the Church will be gathered to Christ during the rapture.  It is upon the basis of this that Paul beseeches his readers to not be troubled.  Read the account again with these things in mind.

     Be wary of statements, suggestions, and even other translations that would have "the Day of Christ is at hand" to read something like "the Day of the Lord is present, or already come."  The word "Christ" in the King James Version is not a mistranslation, but is correct according to the Textus Receptus manuscript from which it was translated (see FURTHER EXPLANATION below).  Also, according to the universally respected Greek Dictionary of Strong's Concordance, the meaning of the word from which "at hand" is translated could go either way.  Be careful about accepting it to be changed from the way that it is.

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     Other Bible references where the Day of the Lord and similar phrases are found should also be considered in light of whether the word day is being used in the broad or strict sense.  One thing is certain:  Whether the sense is broad or strict, what days these shall be!

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FURTHER EXPLANATION:  The translations that have Paul here referring to the "Day of the Lord" instead of the Day of Christ" present a concern that scholars are not really handling as I feel they should.  As can be seen in an original KJV Strong's Concordance, the Greek word from which "Christ" is translated in II Thessalonians 2:2 is plainly Christos (G5547).  However, concordances not keyed to the KJV show the Greek word here as kurios (G2962), from which the word "Lord" is translated.  This discrepancy is not the result of a mistake in the KJV Strong's Concordance, but stems from what is found in the Textus Receptus manuscript, as I mentioned above.  Simply put, what this means is that there is a difference here in what is found in the Textus Receptus versus other manuscripts.  This is a rarity, but something that is sometimes pointed out in Bible footnotes and commentaries.  Curiously, I have never seen this discrepancy addressed as I do (often not at all), nor another case where the word Christos in one manuscript is seen to be kurios in another.  So, what do we do here, and does it even matter?  I submit that it matters greatly and that, thankfully, we are not without recourse in discovering the truth of the matter.  Consider:

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1. It is easy to get the impression that most scholars want what Paul says in our verse of concern to be of the "Day of the Lord."  This perception has caused me to become increasingly suspect of some past manuscript corruption and of there being a bias towards one manuscript over another because of a personal word preference.  I cannot apologize for being suspect.  The Word of God is replete with warnings for us to be wary.  It should go without saying that we must seek for the true words of God, not for what our preferences might be.

2. Paul indeed spoke to the Thessalonians concerning the Day of the "Lord" (kurios) in his first letter to them (I Thess. 5:2) and there reiterated for them that this time of God's judgment will come "as a thief in the night."  Moreover, he said to them in the same verse, "For yourselves know perfectly" concerning this.  Question:  If Paul was talking to them about the same event in II Thessalonians 2:2, why would he now undermine the "thief in the night" element of that time of judgment by essentially divulging to the ungodly that "THAT DAY SHALL NOT COME except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" (II Thess. 2:3)?

3. As I mentioned earlier, according to Paul's words, we who are a part of the Church will not see the "the son of perdition" or Antichrist revealed.  While he may be alive even now, this is different than being revealed.  Before any of this occurs, the Church will be gathered to Christ during the rapture.  Again, it was upon the basis of this that Paul beseeched his readers to not be troubled!  The truth of this is also very clearly reinforced in I Thessalonians 4:16-18, just before he unequivocally speaks to them concerning the Day of the Lord (I Thess. 5:1-2).  The Church will be escaping this time of God's judgment, unlike the rest of the world (I Thess. 5:3).

4. By way of a sample narrative of what we find elsewhere in Scripture with what Paul wrote of in II Thessalonians 2:1-12, on the day of the "gathering together" of the Church, the bottom will drop out of things in this world.  With the absence of the influence of Christ's Holy Spirit through the Church (vs. 7), there will be a "falling away" (apostasy) from every semblance of Biblical truth by those (even religious people) who did not really have any "love of the truth" in the first place, but rather, "had pleasure in unrighteousness" (vss. 10-12).  Relating to this time, Paul said, "THEN shall that Wicked be revealed" (vs. 8).  The "Wicked" is that "man of sin" and "son of perdition" that he had spoke of in verse three, also known as the Antichrist.  The Lord will destroy him "with the brightness of His coming" (vs. 8) or Second Advent, which is the "Day of Christ" that he had spoke of in verse two.

5. To those of the common pre-trib persuasion who may yet wonder about the truth of this matter, realize that if the verse of our concern is speaking of the Day of the Lord, the teachings of the common view are in conflict with this.  How in?  It is not uncommon to hear it stated that the Day of the Lord will commence with the rapture, a statement with which I agree and also feel is irrefutable.  But, if Paul is indeed speaking of the Day of the Lord, he is clear that "THAT DAY shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed" (II Thess. 2:3).  This would mean that the man of sin will be revealed before the rapture as well, to the tenor of the saying, "It's as broad as it is long."  This is in conflict with the foundational pre-trib position concerning imminency.

 

     With all of these thoughts in mind, I would encourage the studying of REFERENCE #4 once again.  By what I have shown and how this is seen to harmonize with everything else I show throughout this site, I submit that the original word of our focus (what Paul actually wrote) was Christos indeed and not kurios.  The Day of Christ (Christos) and the Day of the Lord (kurios) are not synonymous phrases and should not be confused, especially in the passage of our concern.  The Day of the Lord (or the time of God's judgment) will begin on the same day that the Church is gathered in the rapture.  The Day of Christ (Jesus' Second Advent) will not come until over seven years afterward, well after "that man of sin" is revealed, all in perfect accord with Paul's words.​

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