Category: Day of the Lord

Our Gathering Together Unto Him

On By TimIn 2 Thessalonians 02, Day of the Lord, Last Days, RaptureLeave a comment

Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and concerning our gathering together unto Him, we ask you not to let your mind be quickly shaken or be troubled, neither in spirit nor by word, nor by letter coming as though from us, as if the day of Christ is already here.

2 Thessalonians 2:1–2

This may be a familiar text to every Christian, but there are many who misunderstand it and then misuse it. Paying attention, Paul is writing to dispel a nasty rumor from a forged letter. A letter that obviously appeared to be from Paul and his friends. The contents of which obviously trouble the Thessalonians. What is it that could be so troubling?

Well, from the context and Paul’s reference to the Day of Christ (or the Day of the Lord,) it had already come. The gathering together would be what would happen after the rapture, when the dead in Christ are made alive and caught up together with the saints to be with Jesus. In other words, these saints were tricked into thinking they had missed out altogether.

So how does Paul put away their trouble?

Do not let anyone deceive you in any way. For that Day will not come unless a falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself as God.

2 Thessalonians 2:3–4

He uses a watershed event as a witness to the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is not the day of the rapture. The rapture precedes that day, as the morning star precedes the dawn of any day. Yet, that day Paul is writing of would include the unveiling of the desolator, the man of sin who reveals himself as if he is God. Paul had already taught them about the Day of the Lord and the timeline of events. This is attested to in his first epistle.

Concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that I write to you. For you know perfectly that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.

1 Thessalonians 5:1–3

The Day of the Lord is not a happy time. It is prophesied by Joel, and will be terrifying.

Blow the ram’s horn in Zion,
sound the alarm on My holy mountain!
All the inhabitants of the earth will tremble,
because the day of the Lord has come,
because it is near—
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness.
Like blackness spreading over the mountain,
a great and mighty army comes,
such as was never before,
and will never be again,
even through the years of all generations.

Joel 2:1–2

The text clearly describes a period of time like no other. For anyone to say this has already happened is completely wrong. History is replete with dark events, not this. To ascribe this to something historic is to believe something worse than that event cannot happen. Even as we witness devolution to chaos and inhumanity. In fact, I would say that this unprecedented black day needs to be the culminating event of evil perpetrated on creation, the last day. A day in which the Lord comes to rescue His.

So it becomes clear that Paul would use the watershed event in that Day as the marker of that Day.

Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? Now you know what restrains him that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already working. Only He who is now restraining him will do so until He is taken out of the way. Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth, and destroy with the brightness of His presence, even him, whose coming is in accordance with the working of Satan with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all deception of unrighteousness among those who perish, because they did not receive the love for the truth that they might be saved. Therefore God will send them a strong delusion, that they should believe the lie: that they all might be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

2 Thessalonians 2:5–12

Along with the watershed event would be the mass delusion of people. The fact that the Thessalonians are troubled reveals that there is no spirit of delusion at work. And certainly the man of sin has not yet been revealed.

It follows then as Paul writes, that the Day of the Lord has not yet come.

Some will try to dissuade people from the truth, claiming that Paul is using this observation as a litmus test of there being no rapture. Because the man of sin has to be revealed before anything like that can happen. But that simply is not true. The Thessalonians did not miss the rapture, and the proof is as Paul says: the Day of the Lord had not yet come.

Think about that. If Paul had used what they thought they had missed, it would not have alleviated any trouble. No, he had to use the very watershed event of that dark day as proof. That day has not yet come; therefore, the dawning of that day had not yet come either.

Here is the testimony of Jesus of Himself.

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

Revelation 22:16

He says he is the Bright and Morning Star. The way it has been translated puts the conjunction and between the two adjectives. In effect, Jesus says He is the Bright Star, meaning He outshines all of the others. The heavenly beings, angels, are called stars. Jesus is the Brightest of them all.

He also calls Himself the Morning Star. The idea behind this title would immediately be known. It may not be so much for us. But the morning star announced the dawn of the day. This title Jesus applies to Himself is no mistake. What day do you think the Morning Star announces?

The only logical conclusion is the Day of the Lord. The Morning Star appears in the heavens to announce the dawn of the day. That sounds familiar. Who gets the Morning Star?

“To him who overcomes and keeps My works to the end, I will give authority over the nations—
He ‘shall rule them with a rod of iron;
like the vessels of a potter they shall be broken in pieces’—
even as I myself have received authority from My Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 2:26–29

The overcomer does. These are church-age saints who will rule the world with Him—Jesus. The saints of the church get that Morning Star as a precursor to the Day of the Lord. It is the Morning Star that comes before the light of the Day. He appears in heaven. Just as Jesus does at the rapture and calls home His body.

For we have not followed cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to Him from the majestic glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we ourselves heard this voice, which came from heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
And we have a more reliable word of prophecy, which you would do well to follow, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.

2 Peter 1:16–19

The prophecies that are for that day. Which means these will happen before. As the word until conveys continuance to that point. It is before that day, the Day of the Lord.

But before it happens, the prophecies we have are more reliable. So if this day is going to happen, saints are not appointed for it. It necessitates an escape before it.

Surely the day is coming, burning like an oven; all the proud, yes, all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming will burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. You will go out and grow up like calves from the stall. 3 And you will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I do this, says the Lord of Hosts.

Malachi 4:1–3

Are you looking for Jesus, or someone else?

The Morning Star and the Sun of Righteousness

On By TimIn 2 Samuel 23, Day of the Lord1 Comment

The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: He who rules over man justly, who rules in the fear of God, is like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning with no clouds, gleaming after the rain like grass from the land.

2 Samuel 23:3–4

This is a description of the ideal King. Moving on, let us focus on the simile that this King is like the light of the morning. The reference to the Person here also brings to mind a specific day. It foreshadows Jesus in the Millennial Kingdom as He rules the Earth from Jerusalem. This day is known as the Day of the Lord. Most focus on specific judgments, but there is far more to be understood. Just like any day, the elements establish a pattern. The Scriptures assume a similar pattern for the Day of the Lord.

Dusk to Dark Night

Consider that in Israel, a day begins at dusk, keep that in mind. Seizing the simile that the Coming King is like the sun, when He left Earth to go to heaven would seem an appropriate allusion to dusk and night. Peter helps to demonstrate that this would be one of those harbingers that announce the arrival of the last days.

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all you who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
‘In the last days it shall be,’ says God, ‘that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even on My menservants and maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in heaven above and signs on the earth below: blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious day of the Lord comes. And whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Acts 2:14–21

Peter cites Joel 2: 28-32. The greater context of Joel introduces us to a time called the day. It is the Day of Jehovah.

Alas, for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and like devastation from the Almighty it comes.

Joel 1:15

The Israelis present understood the Scriptures. They understood what Peter was saying clearly. Devastation was upon the nation. The last days were here, specifically announcing the Last Day.

We know the nation of Israel ceased to be around 70 AD when the temple was destroyed and Jerusalem besieged by Rome. It was not until the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 AD that resulted in a genocidal assault on Jewish populations around Jerusalem. Emperor Hadrian eventually erased the name Judaea from the map and replaced it with Syria Palaestina. Israel was gone, just as Joel foretold.

Given what is written in Joel, it is clear the Day of the Lord had already begun. Keeping consistent with the pattern of the day, dusk turns to darkness of night. Malachi also educes the same idea. The day coming will bring devastation. Yet it would not leave believers without hope.

Surely the day is coming, burning like an oven; all the proud, yes, all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming will burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. You will go out and grow up like calves from the stall. And you will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I do this, says the Lord of Hosts.

Malachi 4:1–3

Malachi tells us that the day is coming when all the unbelievers will be vanquished. The One saying this is the Lord of Hosts. The Lord of Hosts is Jesus and it specifically calls to the mind His return as He leads the armies of heaven.

The Son Rises

For believers on Earth, His coming will be like the rising sun. I think the reference is very important. The sunrise is reckoned here as the second coming of Jesus. There’s more to this…

Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them has He set a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; it rejoices as a strong man to run a race. Its going forth is from one end of the heavens, and its circuit extends to the other end, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Psalm 19:4–6

The sunrise is likened to the coming of the Bridegroom. This is but another reference that points to the second coming of Jesus.

“May all Your enemies perish like this, O Lord!
But may those who love Him rise like the sun when it rises in full strength.”

Judges 5:31a

Again, the time when all God’s enemies perish is at the time the sun rises in full strength. It is at the second coming of Jesus as King. There is more to this correlation.

Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord binds up the breach of His people and heals the wound from His blow.

Isaiah 30:26

So what to make of this?

Considering the reference to the day, there are many parts of it. There’s the sunset. There’s the dark of night. There’s the dawn. There’s the sunrise. There’s the bright sun of the day.

We have focused on the sunrise. There is a difference between dawn and sunrise. Dawn announces the sunrise. This is important to understand as the Scriptures use these terms. Clearly, sunrise and the Second Coming of Jesus are correlated.

Why is this important?

Morning Star

Well, Peter helps us to understand.

And we have a more reliable word of prophecy, which you would do well to follow, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.

2 Peter 1:19

The dawning of the day happens before the sunrise. The Morning Star arises in the dawn to announce the coming sunrise.

When Peter writes of the dawn of day, that is a reference to that Day, the Day of the Jehovah. We know that sunset brings dusk turning to darkness. Dawning announces the sunrise of the day. The event Peter is alluding to will announce the sunrise of the Day.

Likewise, scholars believe the reference to the Morning Star as pointing to the second coming of Jesus. We know that the sunrise is the Second Coming of Jesus. But the Morning Star is given in the dawn to church-age believers.

I Give the Morning Star

Moving forward to Revelation, and specifically to Jesus’ epistle to the church of Thyatira. He rebukes the church with some strong words.

“But I have a few things against you: You permit that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, but she did not repent. Look! I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.

Revelation 2:20–22

Along with the rebuke, there is a specific promise given to those who do not change, they will be cast with the seductress into great tribulation. It is a precise phrase that many think points to the seven years known as Jacob’s Trouble.

Yet Jesus promises something to those who still believe…

And I will give him the morning star.

Revelation 2:28

A bit later, John reveals to us exactly Who Jesus says this Morning Star is.

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

Revelation 22:16

The Scriptures reference the Second Coming of Jesus as the sunrise (of the Day of the Lord.) For the unbelievers, it will be devastating. But for those living, they will rejoice and enter His kingdom. The previous citation above from Judges 5 also seems to hint at the resurrection at the end of the age. This is when the Israeli saints are given their inheritance. (To understand resurrection, see this post: The Surprising Way That Resurrection Proves Futurism and the Rapture Before the Hour of Testing)

The Morning Star comes in the dawn. It announces the coming sunrise. It is the harbinger of the sunrise of the day, that Day.