RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2020-12-30	Before The Day of the Lord
		The “Day of the Lord” is a future period of time when the wrath of God will be poured out on the earth. The Bible refers to this theme in both the Old and New Testaments (Is.2:12; 13:6,9; Ek.13:5; Jl.1:15; 2:1-2; Am.5:18-20; Ml.4:5; Ac.2:20; 1Th.5:2, etc.). There are several things that must take place BEFORE the start of the Day of the Lord's wrath. 1. Elijah the prophet must come before the start of the Day of the Lord (Ml.4:5). Mal 4:5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. Whether this is literally Elijah himself or someone in the spirit and power of Elijah is another discussion. It will be a person who will apparently be noticed by the world as he proclaims a message of coming judgment. 2. There will be a “falling away”, the man of sin will be “revealed”, and he will claim to be “God” in the temple (2Th.2:1-4). 2Th 2:1  Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2Th 2:2  not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 2Th 2:3  Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. 2Th 2:4  who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. As a result of the man of sin (Antichrist) being revealed there will come a “falling away” (apostasy). “Falling away” means a departure from truth. For example in Acts 21:21 the Jews said Paul “forsook” Moses and the law. This is the same word as “falling away”. Paul encourages them to stand fast and to hold to what they were taught (2Th.2:15). It appears some will believe the lie of the Antichrist (2Th.2:9-10) that he is God and to be worshiped, thus departing (apostatizing) from the truth. Paul is making it clear that these things (revealing, apostasy, and claim to be God) must take place before Christ comes for us at the rapture (2Th.2:1). This is the “abomination” event that takes place at the mid-point of Daniel's 70th Week (Da.9:27; Mt.24:15). Again these are before the start of the Day of the Lord's wrath. 3. When the DOTL comes, it will come as a thief in the night to the unbelievers living at that time (1Th.5:2-3). 1Th 5:2  For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 1Th 5:3  For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. The “peace and safety” will be the attitude of the unbelievers who accept the Antichrist as God and the promises he makes to them. Because they will take the mark of the beast, which will enable them to buy and sell, they will have a sense of peace and safety (Re.13:16-18). But they will be taken by surprise when Christ comes and brings the wrath of God upon them like a thief (Mt.24:43-44; 2Th.5:2-4; Re.16:15). 4. The event that triggers the start of the Day of the Lord will be the cosmic signs in the sky (Jl.2:30-31). Joe 2:30  "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. Joe 2:31  The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. The sun, moon and stars will be affected and not give their light (Mt.24:29-31; Re.6:12-17). While everything is dark in the sky “the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven” (Mt.24:30) and we are gathered to be with Christ (Mt.24:31). Immediately following this cosmic event in the sky, the Day of the Lord will begin (Is.13:9-10; Jl.2:10-11; Ac.2:20). So when the Great Tribulation ends (Mt.24:22), the Day of the Lord begins (Rv.6:12-17). Believers will be with Christ (Lk.21:28), and unbelievers will have to endure the wrath of God on the earth (Lk.21:26, “fear” expecting coming wrath). There are other events that must take place before the start of the Day of the Lord. These should allow us to build a reasonable chronology in our minds. Thus, Tribulation (Mt.24:15-28) will be followed by cosmic events in the sky (Mt.24:29-30; Lk.21:25), which will be followed by the Day of the Lord (Lk.21:26). Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

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