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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
The phrase "day of the Lord" usually identifies events that take place at the end of history (Isaiah 7:18-25) and is often closely associated with the phrase "that day." One key to understanding th...
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Tim Maas
I would say that the Day of God to which Peter was referring is an event that will occur at the end of human history, or the close of the present age. At that time, God will intervene directly in earthly events to punish the unbelieving world; to eternally eradicate sin and evil; and (in the sense to which Peter was referring) to save those who have placed their faith in Christ for eternal life. For Christians, it will be a time of deliverance, eternal reward, and fulfillment of biblical promises, while, to the unsaved, it will be a time of punishment and unspeakable terror. Because God alone knows when it will take place, Christians are instructed (as Peter did in the passage cited in the question) to always be ready for its occurrence.
Craig Mcelheny
I consider this to be THE MOST CRITICAL QUESTION in modern eschatology. Why? Because, if you get it right, the arguments for a pre-tribulation rapture become irrelevant and the Scriptural contradictions dissipate. You are left with but one conclusion: The Rapture will occur after the Tribulation, simultaneously with the Resurrection. Most scholars don’t have a problem identifying WHAT the Day of the Lord is. The most comprehensive description is found in Zephaniah 1:14-15. It bears a strong resemblance (Zephaniah 1:17) to the kind of pain that is described in the book of Revelation 16:10-11. It is a day of judgment (Joel 3:1-2), although judgment occupies but a small fraction of the duration of the Day of the Lord. In fact, the Judgment comes at the end of the Day of the Lord: Note, in Joel 3:1-2, that the judgment occurs when the Lord restores the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem. This occurs at the beginning of the Millennium. The Day of the Lord is appropriately identified as “the day of the Lord’s wrath” (NASB) in Zephaniah 1:18, similar to the description in Rev. 16:14 as “the great day of God the Almighty”. However, Rev. 16:14 is contextually associated with Armageddon, which, again, if you understood the breadth of the Day of the Lord, you would know that Armageddon occupies roughly 1/6th of the Day of the Lord (5 out of 31 months). The Day of the Lord is, indeed, one and the same as “the Day of their Wrath” (Rev. 6:17), consisting solely of the Seventh Seal, beginning in Rev. 8:1 and continuing up through Revelation, Chapter 18. It consists of the seven bowls and seven trumpets, and Babylon is the primary recipient of God’s Wrath. Since it is commonly understood that most, if not all, of the book of Revelation takes place during the Tribulation, every scholar that I am aware of will link the Day of the Lord with the Tribulation. This is where the trouble begins. The Day of the Lord has nothing to do with the Tribulation. It is a separate and distinct period of time, lasting 2.8 years (2300 days – 1290 days), and begins just after the Tribulation. When does the Day of the Lord start? Joel 2:30-31 tells us that it begins AFTER the Sixth Seal (Rev. 6:12-13). This means the Day of the Lord has to occur AFTER the Tribulation, because the Sixth Seal occurs AFTER the Tribulation (Matthew 24:29). How long does the Day of the Lord last? This all ties into your understanding of Daniel’s prophecy in Chapter 8, of the 2300 days. It is related to “the transgression that makes desolate” (Daniel 8:13) and Jesus’ mention of the abomination of desolation in Matthew 24:15. Jesus was answering the disciple’s questions about the sign of His coming and the end of the age (the Church Age). The 2300 days in Daniel, Chapter 8, should begin at the mid-point of the Tribulation, when the Antichrist stands in the rebuilt Temple, claims he is God, and the False Prophet demands that people worship the Antichrist. Daniel also provides two additional times (Daniel 12:11-12) that define: 1. The time frame in which we should look for the Rapture (1335-1290 = 45 days), and 2. The end of the age, coincident with the Resurrection (Daniel 12:13 – “[Y]ou will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age” - NASB). The Rapture occurs simultaneous (in the twinkling of the eye) with the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). Thus, the Day of the Lord is (2300-1290=1010 days/365 = 2.8 years). It starts after the Tribulation, and just after the Rapture. This is why, in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Paul gives 2 events that precede the Rapture & the Day of the Lord. See Fig. 10, "Major Events of the Tribulation & the Day of the Lord" from my book, "the Rapture and the Last Seven Days": https://www.facebook.com/Craig-McElheny-430759656985167/
James Kraft
In First Corinthians there was a believer who was sleeping with His fathers wife. Paul said they should kick him out of the church and turn him over to Satan to kill his flesh, so that his Spirit would be saved in the day of the Lord. First Thessalonians 4:13-18 Tells that the dead in Christ, all believers, who have died, will be raised first, and then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. We are to comfort one another with these words. First Corinthians 15:51-53. The church age, the day of grace, Ephesians 2:8-9 ends before the tribulation. We will not go through the time of Jacobs trouble the tribulation. The church age is from Acts to the rapture, of the bride of Christ, the church. All those believers who have received the free gift of salvation and have received the free gift of the Holy Spirit who will never leave us or forsake us, Hebrews 13:5 Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit in whom ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. The rapture. John 3:36 All believers have eternal life and can no longer come under the wrath of God. The tribulation. The time of Jacobs trouble. Jesus has already taken the wrath of God at the cross for believers and we can no longer be condemned. John 3:18. It would be impossible for us to go through the tribulation because then it would be possible to take the mark of the beast and be lost forever. But since we have eternal life, we can not even be here when the mark of the beast is made mandatory for everyone. The only ones who will be saved during the tribulation are those who do not take the mark of the beast and die for their faith. But we are already saved as children of God and can not be here when that happens. There can be no possibility of us to take the mark of the beast. Then, we shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and come back with Him at the end of the tribulation when He comes to the earth. I am so thankful to God that I will not have to go through that time here when Satan through the antichrist takes control of the earth and all who are left behind. But our hope is in Jesus who has saved us by His grace. The free gift of salvation by grace. First John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may KNOW YE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
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