Paul had to correct the ‘lies’ of the false teachers by his epistles to the Thessalonians.

Paul said he was ‘reminding’ the Thessalonians (2Thes. 2:5) of the sequence of specific events to be expected, so they could recognize that those events had not yet occurred, evidencing that they had not missed the resurrection (Rapture) of the church to glory.

Two false doctrines were taught by Sadducee Jews in the 1^st century, and were common troubles of the early churches. 1) 1Cor. 15 is Paul’s defense of the resurrection; and 2) 1Thes. 4:13-18 is Paul’s defense of the Rapture of “the body of Christ” gathering unto Him to dwell and “reign with Him” in heaven… “forever” (2Tim. 2:12, 2Cor 5:1b), before His 2^nd coming.

Yet, there are those today falsely teaching we’re living in the kingdom NOW (e.g., Preterist), and there are those who say we as believers will go through all or part of the prophesied Tribulation.

Both of these deny the pre-tribulation resurrection of “His body” to “meet the Lord in the air” in the Rapture. They don’t see the timeline of right division between Israel’s coming “day of the LORD” and “the day of Christ,” Rapturing “the body of Christ” to heaven first.

This is why the Thessalonians were troubled, ‘shaken in mind.’

If today’s present distress was all there was to expect, and the time of rewards and blessing had already come, then, as Paul wrote, why wouldn’t they just stop serving the Lord and start eating, drinking, and being merry? “… what advantageth it me, if the dead RISE not? let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.” (1 Cor 15:32)

The “dispensation of grace” leads us to “the Day of Christ” and the time of ‘reigning with Him’ in Heaven, but the Thessalonians were being persecuted not ‘reigning’ only because the “day of Christ” had not yet come. Paul say be faithful in your human suffering today, for God will deal with the liars who troubled the Thessalonians with lies (v 6 below).

“So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: ⁵ Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, (so) that ye may be ‘counted worthy’ of (trained up for) the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: ⁶ Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;” (2 Thessalonians 1:4-6)

So, Paul comforts the Thessalonians with the truth, saying the persecution they were facing was NOT descriptive of the kingdom on earth, nor was it “the Day of Christ” when they will co-reign with Christ in resurrected glory “in the heavenly places.” After the Rapture there will come a time that is worse than it then was in Thessalonica… followed by the Antichrist, wars, and the return of the Lord in “vengeance.”

Paul encourages them reminding them of the future events that he had already spoken of.

1. The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in judgment against their persecutors (2 Thes. 1:7-9; 2:1).
2. But first, he will gather together “the church, the body of Christ” in the Rapture resurrection.

“And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thes’ 1:10)

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,” (2 Thes. 2:1)
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ¹⁵… we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep. ¹⁶For 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: ¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be ‘caught up’ (Latin, rapturo) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1Thes. 4:13-18)

So, what the Thessalonians were experiencing was not the fullness of times, or reign of Christ, nor the kingdom come. They were experiencing “the mystery of iniquity” which was at work. “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he (The Holy Spirit) who now letteth will let, until ‘he’ be taken out of the way.” (2 Thes. 2:7)

As us, the Thessalonians were living in “this present evil world,” and they needed to be able to count on the coming greater glory that shall be revealed “in us” in the resurrection.

“For I reckon (count) that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed In Us.” (Rom. 8:18, Col. 1:27b)

In every chapter of this Thessalonian epistle, Paul mentions the ‘resurrection’ so that they would not be troubled about their present distress and think their life of trouble was the only thing they would ever have.

Today, Jesus’ 2^nd Coming and in wrath and judgment is delayed. This present time is not “the kingdom,” nor is it the prophesied “wrath of God.” The words "blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." (Romans 11:25)  indicate the delay continues "until."

So, our coming “Day of Christ” at the Rapture is not the “Day of the Lord’s wrath.” Our Rapture has not past, it is just delayed for an unspecified time… until “the body of Christ” is filled up with saved souls!

The main point of this article is the delay of the forthcoming blessing of the Rapture of “His body” to dwell “eternal in the heavens” (2Cor 5:1), which forestalls the end time Tribulation judgment of Israel and the world to occur with Christ’s 2^nd coming to set up His Millennial Kingdom on earth.

“For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: ²¹ Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21)

“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: ¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be ‘caught up’ (‘Raptured,’ Latin, ‘rapiemur’) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Wherefore COMFORT one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵ O death, where is thy sting? O grave (Grk., hades), where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:52-55)

God’s promise of our “gathering unto Christ” … “in the air,” for the members “the Church, the body of Christ” … at our Rapture to heaven to occur late in “the dispensation of the grace of God,” has been DELAYED for an unknown time period. It is delayed “until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” (Rom. 11:25, above), thus, completing “the body of Christ.”

Just imagine, some one person will be the very last genuine grace age believer to be added to the Gentile “body of Christ” just before the Rapture! Of course, all believers will go home to heaven sooner or later… this is our “comfort” … as we are ever mindful of this truth.

Now I must explain a common error in Bible interpretation due to the misuse and altering of the words of the Bible, as seen in the Modern Bibles such as the NIV, NASB, etc.

2 Thes. 2:1-4 has long been an apparent problem for pre-tribulational dispensationalists since many try to make Israel’s prophetic “Day of THE LORD” at His coming “in vengeance” … the same as Paul’s “Day of CHRIST,” which is the Rapture.

The Pauline text of 2Thes 2:1-2 and then 3-4 (below) actually, yet again, reveal two different events and times.

“¹Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him (our Rapture to heaven), ²That ye Be Not Soon Shaken In Mind, or be Troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as (alleged to be) from us, as (if) that ‘THE DAY of CHRIST (the Rapture) is at hand  (Gk. enistemi, currently present) (2 Thess. 2:1-2) 

These Thessalonian grace age believers were being lied to as if the Rapture resurrection of “the body of Christ” had come and had past and what they are experiencing was His kingdom on earth that will follow the Rapture. This was this ‘lying fake news’ of their day that shook and “troubled” the Thessalonians. So, Paul was writing to calm their fears. Note how Paul then continues in verses 3-4 to make the truth clear, repeating the timeline and explaining the timeline of events that would obviate the fact that what they were told was NOT true. The Day of Christ and Rapture had not past. He does this in order to comfort and calm the Thessalonians who were shaken and troubled… to convince them they were not experiencing the kingdom on earth… in which they were experiencing persecution.

Paul goes on … saying first of all…

“³Let no man deceive you by any means: for ‘THAT DAY’ (the Day of THE LORD coming in judgment to set up His kingdom) shall NOT come, except (until) there come a falling away first, and that ‘man of sin’ be revealed, the son of perdition (the Antichrist); Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that He As God Sitteth In The Temple of God, Shewing Himself That He Is God.” (2 Thes. 2:3-4, cf. Dan. 9:26-27)

Since these grace age believers had not seen the Antichrist abominations in the temple as will occur in the mid-Tribulation … it could not yet be the kingdom that would follow it. Certainly then, they had not missed the Rapture that will precede Antichrist and the subsequent Millennial kingdom on earth.

How exactly is “The Day of THE LORD” different from “The Day of CHRIST”?

- Israel’s prophet, Zephaniah, tells us “The Day of The Lord’s Wrath” fulfills Prophecy for Israel:

“That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,¹⁸Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’S Wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.” (Zeph. 1:15, 18)

- Peter writes to Israel:

• will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein (man’s creations) shall be burned up. ¹¹Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved …” (2Pet. 3:10-11)

The term “the Day of the Lord” appears twenty-six time in the Old Testament as being promised to Israel. These scriptures describe “the Day of the Lord” to include the Tribulation Judgments and Jesus’ 2^nd coming (Isa. 2:12-21; Amos 5:18-20; Joel 1:15; 2:1-2, 10-11, 30-31).

No person wants to go through “the Day of the Lord,” a terrible time for those who refused the atoning sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus.

• The “Day of the Lord,” is terrible, not the “Day of Christ,” that wonderful day of our ‘Rapture’ to heaven.
• The “Day of the Lord” is the day in which the Lord pours out judgment and justice. This comes at the end of Daniel’s 70th week, the Tribulation period and the judgments at His 2^nd Coming.

So, we may compare “The Day of THE LORD” and “The Day of CHRIST” as follows.

The awful “Day of the LORD” …

• Is a time of Terror, Darkness, and Wrath. It is a “day of visitation” (Isa. 10.3), a “day of the wrath of the Lord” (Eze. 7.19), called the “great day of the Lord” (Zeph. 1.14).
• The “Day of the LORD”; 1) condemns the rejectors of Christ and, 2) it is a day of judgment, and vengeance, and 3) of earthly despair, and 4) to be feared and dreaded.

While the wonderful “Day of CHRIST (the Rapture)” …

• Is a uniquely Pauline phrase as seen in Phili. 1:6, 10, 16; 2 Tim 1:18; 2; 4:8; 1 Cor 1:8. It is seen as the “day of Rejoicing,” day of Rewards, and day of our reigning with Christ in “the heavenly places” (cf. 2Tim. 2:12, Eph. 1:3-4).

• “The Day of CHRIST” is 1) for “the Church… the Body of Christ,” 2) a day of Blessing, 3) a heavenly hope (expectation), to be eagerly anticipated.
• The “blessed hope” of “The Day of CHRIST” is a comfort to us as we await His coming to the clouds to bring us home.

True grace believing Christians are not destined to go through the awful “Day of the LORD.” Paul wrote:

“… being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (Rom. 5:9b) “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰ Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should (will) live (zao) together with him.” (1 Thes. 5:9-10).

The believers of this age of grace will be ‘Raptured before the “Day of Wrath.’ Those who are not raptured, if alive at that time, will ultimately face the terrible “Day of the LORD.”

So, the wonderful “Day of Christ” seen in 2 Thes. 2:2 is not the same event as the awful “Day of the Lord”! This needs to be clearly understood so that we may hold in in view as we endure life’s trial on earth.

Sadly, most modern Bibles (NIV, NASB, ESV, etc.,) use the term “Day of the Lord,” altering the 2Thes 2:2 passage. The Greek and KJV use the Scriptural term “the Day of the Christ.”

Furthermore, the context also supports that this passage can’t be “Day of the Lord,” since the preceding verse 1 is talking about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, & our gathering together to Him, which is referring to the ‘Rapture,’ not to the “Day of the Lord’s” vengeance! But immediately after we are Raptured, “the day of the Lord” will begin.

Per 2 Thes. 2:3-4, we see that in the “the Day of Lord,” who is currently exile to heaven, He will come again to earth… but only after the 3-1/2 years Great Tribulation, when Antichrist will have been openly revealed at the mid-tribulation (cf. Dan. 9:26-27). This is when Antichrist sets up his blasphemies in the Temple, as prophesied of Daniel’s 70th week.

So, clearly, the “day of the Lord” and “day of Christ” refer to two different events and times. Our gathering unto Him “in the air” is “the day of Christ,” the Rapture of “His body,” to be followed by “The Day of the Lord” which is the end-time judgments and the establishment of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom on earth.

• “The Day of Christ,” the gathering of the church unto the Lord in heaven at the Rapture is ‘imminent’; it could happen at any time.
• The “Day of the Lord” is not imminent, as the Rapture must come first.

Co-mingling “the Day of the Lord” (2^nd coming) with the Rapture only leads to interpretive mistakes. Thus, mixing “the Church, His body” of “the Mystery” with “Prophecy” relating Israel is the great problem.

Rightly Dividing Israel’s “Prophecy” Program from Paul’s “Mystery” Program:

Those who do not rightly divide Israel’s ‘prophecy program’ … from Paul’s “mystery” program (God’s secret plan) for “the body of Christ,” usually thereby misplace “the body of Christ” into the timeline of the midst of Daniel’s 70th week of the 7-year Tribulation (cf. Dan. 9:26-27). We are actually exempt from God’s “wrath” since Jesus Christ took the wrath due us upon Himself… for us… at the Cross.

Some say, “Well Paul is just preparing “the church” to enter the last 3-1/2 years of the Tribulation called “the Great tribulation.” Not True! This is exactly opposite to what Paul teaches about the nature and purpose of “the mystery” church. Their misuse of Scripture contradicts Paul’s purpose, to ‘comfort and calm the fears’ of the troubled Thessalonians, which was due to the ‘lying false doctrine’ being spread among them.

Note that Paul wrote “(So) That ye Be Not Soon Shaken in Mind, or be Troubled…” (2 Thes. 2:2). Since “the Day of Christ” is the Rapture… before the Tribulation, why would the Thessalonians be “troubled”? Paul addresses the ‘lies’ (seen in of 2 Thes. 2:2-3) that had “troubled” the Thessalonians with a fearful looking to the horrible judgements of “the Day of the Lord” … thinking they had missed the Rapture to heaven?

But there is a proper eschatological (future events) interpretation that maintains the integrity of God’s words, as seen in Paul’s clear teaching of the God-made distinct separation between … the destiny or Paul’s “mystery” ‘church’ and … the coming wrath that will apply to apostate ‘Israel’ at His return.

The “Day of Christ” is not only our gathering together unto him, but it also speaks of:

• Our day ‘in heaven’ AFTER our gathering at the Rapture, when the church, “His body,” co-reigns with Him “in heaven” (cf. 2Tim. 2:12).
• A believing Israel, at His 2^nd coming, will only then co-reign with Christ on the earth in the Kingdom (cf. Rev. 5:10, 20:6).

Clearly, this “present evil world” is not Paul’s “the Day of Christ.” Today is neither “the kingdom” on earth as was promised to Israel, nor is it the prophesied Tribulation that precedes His coming kingdom on earth.

Our Rapture (resurrection) is the next, imminent, event to occur!

Paul’s purpose in writing was to calm the Thessalonian and Corinthian believers who were being lied to with fake news. Just read these words Paul wrote to Timothy.

“And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; ¹⁸Who concerning the truth have erred, Saying That the Resurrection Is Past Already; and Overthrow the Faith of Some.” (2Tim. 2:18)

In the 1^st century there were false teachers (as there are today) saying that the resurrection (Rapture) had already come and ‘the kingdom’ was then present, and that the Thessalonians were somehow then living during the reign of Christ on the earth. Some even said there was “no resurrection (Rapture)” (read 1Cor 15:12-13, 19).

If this were true then those such as the Thessalonians who were facing persecution for faith in Christ and the grace gospel in that day would be “most miserable” (1 Cor 15:19). Why would they then sacrifice and endure hardship… if the persecution they were experiencing on earth was their supposed time of “reward” in heaven (1 Cor 15:32, 1Co 3:8, 14)?

The Thessalonians were being troubled and confused by the lies of false teachers… who said they had missed the Rapture (resurrection) and that the Millennial kingdom had already begun on earth.

So, Paul had to correct the ‘lies’ of the false teachers by his epistles.

Paul said he was ‘reminding’ the Thessalonians (2Thes. 2:5) of the sequence of specific events to be expected, so they could recognize that those events had not yet occurred, evidencing that they had not missed the resurrection (Rapture) of the church to glory.