DAY 15 - Hand in Hand
Since you may require some more convincing, we will examine more of what the Bible says about this subject.
We must first recall that Paul started the 2nd chapter of 2 Thessalonians with this statement, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him” (2 Thessalonians 2:1). Then, in the very next verse, he continues with the following, “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand” (2 Thessalonians 2:2).
Why is it that Paul begins to speak pertaining to Jesus Christ returning at the rapture and then immediately mentions the “Day of Christ”?
Am I accurate in believing that the same day the church is raptured, the “Day of the Lord” will begin?
Let’s examine Paul’s previous teaching on the subject to these Thessalonian believers.
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:4)
When the man-made chapter break is removed, we can read this portion uninterrupted, just like the Thessalonian church did when they first received it.
We see, again, that the rapture and the “Day of the Lord” go hand in hand, just like in 2 Thessalonians 2.
In a similar manner to when Paul mentions these events in his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul teaches on the rapture in this first letter and then continues with “But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2).
Undoubtedly, these two events are clearly linked both in the mind of Paul and in the pages of Scripture.
To conclude otherwise is to either be irrational or to believe that the Bible is irrational.
It is not a coincidence that Paul mentions “the day of the Lord” just three verses after he speaks on being “caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air” in 1 Thessalonians or when he mentions “our gathering together unto him” and “the day of Christ” so closely in 2 Thessalonians.
Point #1: 1 Thessalonians teaches about the “Day of the Lord” three verses after teaching about the rapture.
Point #2: 2 Thessalonians mentions the “Day of Christ” in the verse following the mention of the rapture.
Point #3: If the “Day of the Lord” is the “Day of Christ”, and if the rapture occurs immediately prior, these occurrences shouldn’t surprise us.
2+2=4
Thanks, @narrowminded
In case you missed them,
Introduction
Back Cover
1 : The Foundation
2 : The Tribulation
BONUS : A Biblical, New Testament Understanding of Tribulation
3 : The Seventieth Week of Daniel
4 : Not Appointed to Wrath
5 : Wrath vs. Tribulation
6 : The Day of the Lord
7 : The Lord Alone
8 : The Exaltation of the Antichrist
9 : Promises
10 : The Presupposition
11 : 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
12 : The Revealing of the Antichrist
13 : Same Day - 1
14 : Same Day -2