“The Day of THE LORD’S Wrath” is different from “The Day of CHRIST,” very different.

“⁵ That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; ⁶ Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: ⁷ So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: ⁸ Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in The Day of Our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:5-8 (KJV)

In Christ 2^nd coming, He comes in “wrath” to “purge out from among you [Israel]… the rebels” (Eze. 20:38) when 2/3’s of the earth’s population, including 2/3’s of Israel, will die before He establishes His Millennial Kingdom on earth.

So, by contrast, Israel’s prophet, Zephaniah, tells us the “day of wrath, [is] a day of trouble” for Israel and its enemies.

“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 [of Israel] shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them [Israel’s enemies] that dwell in the land [of Israel].” (Zeph. 1:15, 18)

Peter writes to Israel Describing the Culmination of the 7-year Tribulation Period:

• will come as a thief 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 then 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,” as it will be a terrible time for those who refused to accept Christ’s atoning sacrifice of Himself for their salvation from perdition.

• The “Day of the Lord,” is the terrible time of the Tribulation, but not the “Day of Christ,” it is the wonderful day of our ‘Rapture’ to heaven.
• The “Day of the Lord” is that day in which the Lord pours out His just judgment upon Israel’s rebels and a rebellious world. This of 2Pet. 3:10-11comes at the end of Daniel’s 70th week, the Tribulation period with the judgments at His 2^nd Coming.

Now we may compare “The Day of THE LORD” with “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, 4) to be feared and dreaded.

While the WONDERFUL “Day of CHRIST [by the Rapture]”;

• The “Day of CHRIST [appearing at 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 eternal reigning with Christ in “the heavenly places” (cf. 2Tim. 2:12, Eph. 1:3-4. 2Cor. 5:1b).

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Philippians 1:6 (KJV)
“That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;” (Philippians 1:10 (KJV)

“For our conversation [Old English for ‘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.” (Philip. 3:20-21 (KJV)

• “The Day of CHRIST” is 1) for “the Church… the Body of Christ,” 2) a day of Blessing, 3) our heavenly hope [expectation], and to be eagerly anticipated.
• Our “blessed hope” is an expression of our confident expectation of “The Day of CHRIST” and it is to be a “COMFORT” to all of us as we await His coming to the clouds “in the air [atmosphere]” to bring us home to heaven. Thus, Paul wrote;

“Wherefore COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS [of the Pre-Tib Rapture}. (1 Thes. 4:18, cf. 4:13-18)

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

“… Being Now Justified By His [Christ’s] 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, [that] we should live (Gk. zao) together with him.” (1 Thes. 5:9-10).

Paul says the Rapture will occur suddenly, in a “moment,” as “in the twinkling of the eye.”

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump [blast]: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we [the living] shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:52 (KJV)

The word “moment” in is the Greek ‘atomos,’ meaning ‘as small as an atom’ Thus, this “moment” is likened to the tiny amount of time for the Rapture to suddenly occur. Strong’s Exhaustive says this “moment” is “an atom of time.”

The imminency of the Rapture means it could occur and any given moment. We have no prophecy needing to be fulfilled first. By contrast we do have events that are prophesied to occur soon after the Rapture, such as the revealing of the Antichrist and his signing to “confirm the Covenant” of Daniel 9:27 to protect Israel for 7 years. Again, there are no predicted events that will necessarily precede the coming of Christ at the Rapture.

God has wanted the Rapture to be ‘imminent’ because we should then live our daily lives in the expectation of His soon coming and live accordingly, expecting that which we read below.

“⁵¹Behold, I shew you a mystery [Grk. musterion, a God-planned secret]; We shall not all sleep [be dead in the grave], but we [the living] shall ALL be CHANGED, ⁵² 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 [THE LIVING] 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, where is thy victory?” (1Corinthians 15:51-55 (KJV)

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.”

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; “blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (Romans 11:25)  

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” (2Co.r 5:1), which currently 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 [the living] 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 together unto Christ” … “in the air” (1Thes. 4:17) … at our Rapture to heaven will occur to end in “the dispensation of the grace of God,” but it’s still DELAYED for an unknown time period. The Rapture is delayed “until the fullness [the full number] of the Gentiles be come in” (Rom. 11:25b), thereby 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, we should know that ALL grace believers will likewise go home to heaven… this is our “COMFORT” … and we are to be ever mindful of this truth.