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A Study in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5

The Day of The Lord

We continue our study in Chapter five of First Thessalonians as we look through scripture verses referring to the day of the Lord.

Peter, at his first sermon at Pentecost referred to the day of the Lord,  he quoted  Joel the Prophet:

 

Peter

Joel
"No, this is what is spoken through the prophet Joel:
"'In the last days," God says.

I will pour out my spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days and they will prophesy.

I will show wonders in the heaven above.

and signs on the earth below,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The Sun will be turned into darkness and moon to blood

before the coming of the glorious and great day of the Lord.

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

 

Acts 2:16--21 NIV

And afterward,

I will pour out my spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your old men will dream dreams,

your young men will see visions.

Even on my servants, both man and women,

I will pour out my spirit in those days.

I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said,

among the survivors whom the Lord calls.

 

Joel 2:28--32 NIV

 

In the above passages of scripture, The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the day of the Lord. As pre-tribbers, they believe at an "any moment" "secret" rapture. However, in the above scripture references, there are signs that happen before the day of the Lord.

 

In the book of Matthew Jesus said the sun will be darkened after the tribulation:

But immediately after the tribulation of those days (great tribulation, v. 21),THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE UP ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken, and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will morn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power of great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER  His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Matthew 24:29-31 NASB                         

In reference to the sun being darkened, this will happen before the day of the Lord and after the Great Tribulation. In Second Thessalonians chapter two, Paul says in relation to the day of the Lord:

 

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together by him, we ask you not to be easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

 

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 NIV

In this verse there are signs that must happen before the day of the Lord, and our gathering to him occurs. The day of the Lord will not come until rebellion (apostasy) comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed.  For further review, please see "He Who Restrains." 
 

Paul in his first letter to the Corinthian Church said: 

 
"Therefore you should not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly await for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of the Lord. "

                                                                                    

1 Corinthians 1:7-8 NIV

In the above verse we should eagerly await for our Lord Jesus to be revealed (an indication this is after the tribulation--Read 2 Thessalonians 1:1-10!) Jesus will keep us strong to the end so that we will be blameless on the day of the Lord. In this verse, the day of the Lord is the day when Jesus returns after the tribulation and not at an alleged "pre-trib" rapture .
 

In Revelation, there are two witnesses described by John: 

 
"And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."

                                                                                                             Revelation 11:3 NASB

According to pre-tribbers, one of these two witnesses is Elijah. In Revelation, these witnesses will prophesy for 1,260 days, during the Great Tribulation. Pre-tribbers claim the day of the Lord covers the entire tribulation. Since Elijah is one of the witnesses, as pre-tribbers claim, let's look at the book of Malachi:
 
"See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes."

                                                                                          

Malachi 4:5 NIV

In Revelation, The two witnesses prophesy during the Great Tribulation. In Malachi, Elijah will be sent before the great and terrible day of the Lord. Given the fact  pre-tribbers believe Elijah is one of the two witnesses during the great tribulation, and, in Malachi that Elijah will be sent before the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is after the tribulation and not before or during.

 

Before we conclude the section in the day of the Lord,  Peter wrote in his second epistle:
 

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of the God and speed its coming. 

                                                                                                                   

2 Peter 3:10-14 NIV

Peter described the day of the Lord and it will come like a thief. At this day the heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire and everything in it, and the earth will be laid bare. Does the day of the Lord  look like a secret when the earth will be laid bare? This is clear that the day of the Lord comes after the tribulation and not during it. And Peter tells us to look forward to the day of God!

 

There is another reference to God's wrath and the day of the Lord in another article in this series, Wrath (of God).