| |
DAY OF THE
LORD: summary
The day of the Lord is a period of divine
judgment that will be poured out on the world ALMOST immediately after Jesus
arrives in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory at His second
coming.
There is a chain of events associated with that DAY that will begin
immediately after the great tribulation is cut short (amputated,
interrupted) from its EXPECTED duration of 3 1/2 years. Mat. 24:22, 29a;
Mark 13:20, 24a.
At some unknown day and hour BEFORE the day of the Lord arrives, God "will
display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire, columns of smoke.
The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood BEFORE the
great and awesome day of the Lord comes." Joel. 2:30-31.
This will occur like a thief in the night (1Thes. 5:1) and as Jesus said, at
an unknown day or hour (Mat. 24:36).
FIRST there will come those heavenly signs and the attendant geological
effects (quakes and turmoil in the oceans). Mat. 24:29b; Mark 13:24b; Luke
21:25a; Joel 2:30-31; Rev. 6:12-14. (cosmic and earthly).
But when these things BEGIN to occur, the believers will "look up" in
anticipation of the gathering in the sky to meet Him. Luke 21:28
Of course, prior to that, from the time that the beast takes his stand in
the temple in Jerusalem at the midpoint of the 70th week, oriented believers
will know that the return of the Lord VIA the cosmic and earthly signs is
IMMINENT.
Immediately after the cosmic and earthly signs, or perhaps in conjunction
with those signs, there will come the specific sign of the Son of Man
flashing across the sky. Mat. 24:30a
When the cosmic and earthly signs and THE SIGN of the Son of Man appear, all
the unbelievers will begin to fear, panic and mourn at the EXPECTATION of
what is going to come upon them; aware that something dreadful is about to
occur. Mat. 24:30b; Mark 13:; Luke 21:25b-26; Rev. 6:15-17; 1:7c
After these THREE signs, they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds
of the sky with power and great glory. Mat. 24:30c; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27
And every eye will see Him. Rev. 1:7.
In the vision shown to John, this will occur between Rev. 6:14 and 15.
After Jesus arrives in the clouds of the sky, the panic and fear will
escalate into an attempt to hide from His presence. This is shown in the
vision at verses 15-17.
The chronology is consistent with all of these passages.
There is no wrath of God mentioned at this time in the gospels because the
wrath will not come until AFTER (1) the rapture, and (2) the 144k are
sealed.
The chronology in the gospels ENDS with the arrival of Jesus, BUT as Jesus
continued in His teaching, He indicated that wrath/judgment will come
AFTERWARD.
The coming of Jesus will be just like flood (Mat. 24:37-39)
and Sodom's judgment (Luke 17:28-29).
Flood = arrival of Jesus, then comes judgment.
Fire on Sodom = arrival of Jesus, then comes judgment.
THEN after Jesus arrives in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory
and the angels of God with Him, He will send THE ANGELS to gather the elect
from the four winds, from the farthest end of earth UNTO the farthest end of
heaven. Mark 13:27; Mat. 24:31. It is the angels who then take the elect to
heaven. Jesus remains in the sky to pour out His wrath. 1Thes. 4:14-17; 5:1;
2Thes. 2:1-3.
Based on the chain of events shown in all these passages, it is clear that
this arrival of Jesus and the gathering of the believers will occur between
Rev. 6:14 and 15, right after John is SHOWN the SIGNS in the sun, moon and
stars.
The Gospels show the sorrow and panic of the unbelievers on the earth after
the signs, and John's vision shows the escalated panic and fear AFTER the
arrival of His presence.
After the arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the sky and after the gathering
of the Christians from the earth, John is shown results that happen on the
earth and the result that happens in heaven.
Two results ON THE EARTH.
1. The escalated fear that makes people try to hide from His PRESENCE. Also
after seeing the arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the sky and the rapture
of Christians, the unbelievers in John's vision declare that the GREAT DAY
of God's wrath has now arrived. The signs that were prophesied to come
BEFORE the day of the Lord occur in the vision. It is now time for God's
day-of-the-Lord judgments to be poured out on the earth. Rev. 6:15-17.
It is probable that this exclamation is JUST in the context of John's vision
and the people on the earth will not REALLY understand that "the great day
of their wrath has arrived."
2. The conversion of the 144k Jewish servants. Rev. 7:1-8
One result IN HEAVEN:
What is seen as HAVING OCCURRED in heaven is the arrival of a multitude of
Christians in resurrection bodies. Rev. 7:9-17. And this is perfectly
consistent with the gathering of the elect "from the farthest end of earth
unto the farthest end of heaven." And what Jesus said would happen when He
comes back, "I will take you to Myself so that where I am there you may be
also" in the prepared "dwelling places in My Father's house." John 14:1-3
with 1 Thes. 4:14-17.
And then in the very next vision, John is shown the first 6 trumpets of
God's judgment on the earth that are the actual start of God's
day-of-the-Lord wrath. Rev.8-9.
Now, whether this START of judgment can be said to occur EXACTLY on the same
day as the arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the sky, to me is not an issue.
I see no problem seeing the SAME DAY factor as simply indicating that it is
at THAT TIME of His arrival, that it is now too late for anyone to be
gathered to the Lord through rapture. Now all who remain on the earth will
experience God's judgment except anyone who AT THAT TIME will trust in
Christ - like the 144k Jews. For just as Joel says at that time, that is,
AFTER the arrival of the day of the Lord, "whoever will call upon the name
of the Lord will be saved."
The DOL will bring judgment on Israel's enemies, the salvation of the
nation, and the establishment of David's earthly kingdom.
The period of time that is the DOL will include and conclude with the great
white throne judgment and the renovation of the universe as seen at 2Peter
3:10-13 with Rev. 20:11-21:1.
|
|
