In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, Paul
writes to fellow believers who had erroneously heard he was teaching that the Harvest had already occurred and God’s
judgment had started.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 NIV
Concerning
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him (at the Harvest), we ask
you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily
unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us …asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t
let anyone deceive you in any
way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness (Antichrist) is revealed, the man
doomed to destruction. (P+)
In order to fully
understand this part of Paul’s letter, one must resolve what Paul means by the
phrase “day of the Lord.” The only way
to know this is to compare and contrast 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 with other
end-time passages in the Bible. Therefore, we must reflect upon all of the Scriptures
presented in this book. Since they all agree in saying that Jesus will return
for the Church Harvest immediately
after the Tribulation, we should start with this presumption.
However, Paul uses the
phrase in other verses as well. They say that the phrase “day of the Lord” includes the time when Jesus comes to the Harvest and when He judges believers.
1 Corinthians 5:4-5 NIV
So when you are assembled
and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand
this man over
to Satan for
the destruction of the flesh, so that his
spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 1:14 NIV
…as you have understood us in part, you will
come to understand fully that you can
boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.
The
Acts Scripture shown next quotes the Old Testament prophet
Joel. It describes Jesus’ return for the Church
as the “great and glorious day
of the Lord.” This end-time passage actually refers to Jesus’ glorious
appearing (at the Harvest) as the “day
of the Lord.” In essence, Acts says that once the celestial signs
appear (at the end of the Tribulation), the “day of the Lord” is near and those who call upon the
name of the Lord beforehand will be
saved.
Acts 2:16-21 NIV
No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, … 19 I will show wonders in
the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The
sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
And remember, Chapter 4
of this book thoroughly discussed the celestial signs mentioned in Acts 2:19 that
will be seen at the end of the Tribulation just before Jesus returns to the Harvest. So in essence, Paul uses the
phrase “day of the Lord” to
speak of a series of events that will occur before Jesus sets up His new
earthly kingdom. We could say that the “day of the Lord” is the combined events of both the Harvest and His judgments. Some commentators actually describe the
use of the phrase “day of the Lord” as “anytime God intervenes on earth in a
significant way.”
By comparing passages,
we can see that Daniel, Jesus, Paul and the Revelation verses conjoin to paint
a complete picture of Jesus’ return to the Harvest.
Together they say that once the Antichrist is revealed, then there will be “great tribulation.” Immediately
thereafter, Jesus will return with the souls (or spirits) of the dead and will raise
all dead believers from the grave in the “first
resurrection.” Then they, together with the living believers, will meet Him
in the clouds to receive their eternal bodies.
Read much more of what is in the book by clicking here:
Why Matthew 24:31 is about the Believers' Harvest
Jesus Comes For Believers On A Cloud
Everyone Will See Jesus At The Harvest
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