An Examination of the 'Day of the Lord'

- by Mark A. Becker - 

 [Note: This author is a pre-Tribulation rapture believer, and this article reflects that view.] "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the 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" (1 Peter 3:10). 

Introduction

 This one verse of Peter's encompasses the entire "day of the Lord," and it does us well to study it in light of its prophetic implications for a better understanding of future prophecy. "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night;" This is the front bookend to the "day of the Lord, and it begins with the rapture of the church. The word "thief" is conveyed to us a few times in the Word of God concerning the Lord's coming, and it always refers to the rapture of the church. The significance can't be overstated. When something is repeated in Scripture, you can be certain it is of great significance. 

Let's take a look at these passages.

 "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that 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. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do" (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11).

 Note the "they/them" and the "we/us" in this passage of Scripture. "[T]he 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." But we will! (Emphasis mine). "... [L]et us watch and be sober," looking for the Lord's return for His church, "[f]or God hath not appointed us to wrath [as He has the Christ-rejecting world], but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." (Emphasis mine) 

What about the passages in Revelation before, during, and after the Tribulation?

 "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame" (Revelation 16:15). This seemingly out of place statement is right in the middle of the passage of Scripture describing the last battle as Christ is preparing to come back to destroy Antichrist, the False Prophet, and the armies of the world. 

Why is it there, and who is it for?

 As with everything concerning the Word of God, Scripture has to be interpreted with Scripture. One isn't allowed to make their own decisions on the "who, what, where, how, and why" without consulting the rest of the Bible. A well-known tool for studying Scripture is known as the "law of first mention." That is, we should always go back to the first mention of a particular word or phrase to get a better understanding of what those future word or phrase usages are trying to convey. In this particular case, the first time "thief" is used in regard to the Lord's coming is Matthew 24:42-44, right after Jesus taught the rapture of the "one taken, and the other left." (Please see my article: "Is the Rapture of the Church in the Olivet Discourse?" https://www.raptureready.com/2020/07/19/is-the-rapture-of-the-church-in-the-olivet-discourse-by-mark-becker/ or https://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=205125 for more on this teaching). 

Here is the passage:

 "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 24:42-44). (Emphasis mine) 

It is obvious that this verse, seemingly popping up out of nowhere, in addition to the "law of first mention," signals to us that the target audience must be the church. Remember, for two thousand years, Christians have been reading this book, seeking its promised blessings (Revelation 1:3), and the Lord wants to remind them that He is coming back for them soon. It's as if, right in the middle of John's writing about the sixth vial, Jesus shouts, "Stop the presses! I have a message for my church!"

 "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." "Lest he walk naked, and they see his shame," refers to those self-proclaimed false converts that are left behind after the rapture of the church and have to go through the Tribulation. They still have a chance to truly come to Christ during the most horrific time the world will ever see, but those chances are very slim indeed.

 "Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee" (Revelation 3:3). 

This verse pretty much sums up the rapture revelation in association with Jesus coming as a "thief." "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work" (Revelation 22:12). This verse as well is to the church, as believers that survive the Tribulation will have no other reward (as far as Scripture reveals) other than to enter the wonderful Millennial Kingdom of Christ, which in and of itself will be quite rewarding! 

A Helpful Note on the "Day of Christ"

 There is a distinction between the "day of the Lord" and the "day of Christ" or the "day of Jesus Christ." 

"Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ" (Philippians 1:4-10). 

Paul is praying for the Christians at Philippi, and note how he urges the faithful to "be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ," and that "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." What day is this "day of Christ" and the "day of Jesus Christ"? It can be none other than the rapture of the church. 

"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain" (Philippians 2:15-16). Paul eagerly looked forward to "rejoice in the day of Christ," when we would all meet together in the clouds to be forever with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

 "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 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 of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3).

 The church at Thessalonica had been deceived in believing that the "day of Christ" was "at hand" and that they had essentially missed it. This was not the case, obviously, as Paul goes on to say that "that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first." While there certainly is a "falling away" happening within the church in regard to pure doctrine and the infiltration of demonic teachings (1 Timothy 4:1), this, unfortunately, has always been a problem within the church. Paul's epistles often battled blatant false doctrines infecting the church on numerous occasions. But this is not the primary meaning behind the phrase, as rendered, in this verse. 

Dr. Andy Woods has written a powerful book called, The Falling Away: Spiritual Departure or Physical Rapture? explaining that the Greek word translated "falling away" is "apostasia" and means "departure" or "departing," translated as such in seven previous English translations, including the Wycliffe, the Coverdale, the Tyndale, and the Geneva Bibles. This is most definitely the proper translation, and I highly recommend Dr. Wood's book for further information regarding this subject. The 1599 Geneva Bible translates 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that man of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdition." This departing is the rapture of the church. "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Timothy 1:12).

 "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing" (1 Timothy 4:8).

 "That day" is clearly the day of Christ: a day we are all waiting for with great eagerness and joyful expectation. The longing to be with our Lord Who gave His life for us is beyond human language to communicate. The "day of Christ" - the rapture - that comes as "a thief in the night" is the event that initiates the "day of the Lord." "[I]n the 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." This is the back of the bookend; it completes "the day of the Lord" climaxing with the dissolving of the universal elements (2 Peter 3:11) for purification and cleansing from all the sin in our world, and the corruption of the cosmos for that sin (Romans 8:22), setting up the recreating of the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1). 

Conclusion

 "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the 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" (1 Peter 3:10). 

Now that we have seen how this wonderful verse is prophetic bookends of the entire "day of the Lord," you can now share this with your family and friends. When they ask what the "day of the Lord" is, share with them this verse and explain what it means. Explain to them that the "day of the Lord" begins with the rapture of the church followed by a gap of time, the seven-year Tribulation, Christ's Second Coming, His glorious Millennial Kingdom, the Great White Throne Judgment, and concluding with the passing away of the heavens and the earth. Then joyfully exclaim that what follows is our Lord's re-creation of the earth and heavens. This ushers in the never-ending Eternal Kingdom where we will abide in the New Jerusalem that will be filled with love, joy, peace, and everlasting fellowship with our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for all eternity! What a glorious "day" that will be! 

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!