3:10 What is the "day of the Lord" referred to here?
3:10 What is the "day of the Lord" referred to here?
Scriptures fix the day of the Lord as commencing with the great tribulation and culminating at the great white throne judgement, at which time the present heavens and earth will be destroyed by fire before being made new again (CP V7, 12-13 with Rev 21:1).
The day of the Lord encompasses the great tribulation, the second coming of Christ, the battle of Armageddon and the defeat of Antichrist and his armies, Christ's one thousand years reign on earth and the Great White Throne judgement (CP Psa 50:3; Isa 2:10-17; 13:6-16 (with Mt 24:29-31; Rev 6:12-17, 8:12-13); 34:1-8; Jer 46:10; Eze 30:1-3; Joel 1:15-20; 2:1-11; 3:1-2, 13-16; Amos5:18-20; Obad 15; Zeph 1:7-13, 18; 2:1-3; Zech 14:1-9; Mal 4:1-6; Mt 24:3-42; Mk 13:4-26; Lu 21:5-31; 1Th 5:2-3; Rev 6:15-17; 19:11-15; 20:11-15).
Those scriptures all teach that in the day of the Lord God's wrath is poured out on sinners, not saints. This clearly confirms the view that the church will not go through the tribulation but will be "raptured" before hand (CP Ro 5:9; Eph 5:6; 1Th 1:10; 5:1-9; 2Th 2:1-9 with Jn 14:1-3; 1Cor 15:51-58; 1Th 4:13-18).
The he of 2Th 2:7 is the church. The majority of Christians cannot reconcile the church as the he of 2Th 2:7 because they have always thought of the church as a woman - the Bride of Christ. Yet nowhere in scripture is the church ever called a woman, or referred to by a feminine pronoun.
Furthermore, the Bride of Christ is clearly identified in scripture as the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, "the mother of us all" (CP Ga 4:26 with Rev 19:7-9; 21:2, 9-10).
The beginning of the day of the Lord is unknown but Christians need have no fear - they will have been caught up to be with Jesus before then. (For a more detailed study on the "Rapture" see comments on Mt 24:1-3, Lu 21:36, Jn 5:28-29, 14:1-3, 1Cor 15:51-58, Php 3:20-21, 1Th 4:13-18, 5:1-11, 2Th 1:7-10, 2:1-3, 2:6-8.
For a more detailed study on the "Bride of Christ" see comments on Ro 7:4, 2Cor 11:2, Eph 2:15-16(B), 4:13, 5:25-32, Rev 19:7-9, 21:2, 9-10)