That Day Shall Not Come Except

That Day Shall Not Come Except

Wayne Gaylord

After graduating from Wheaton College, I entered the financial world in Dallas. During my drive back and forth to work, I was intrigued by a radio program called “Christ in Prophecy” hosted by Dr. David Reagan of Lamb & Lion Ministries. I called Dr. Reagan afterwards and he invited me to have breakfast with him at IHOP. It was a life-changing experience for me as eventually he invited me to join the Board of Trustees of Lamb & Lion Ministry where I served for more than 25 years.

I wondered why so many pastors did not preach about prophecy since so much of the Bible is prophetic in nature. One pastor told me he doesn’t preach on prophecy because there are so many theories and viewpoints that it is best to just ignore it. Bad advice! Especially since that it is the only book in the Bible that promises a blessing to those who read and absorb it.

With Dr. Reagan as my mentor, I immersed myself in the study of prophecy. In 2017, I wrote the commentary entitled “Finally Home” covering every verse in the book of Revelation with the express purpose of making it clearly understandable for the average lay person. By using Dr. Reagan’s literal approach and oft quoted guideline, “When the plain sense makes sense, don’t look for any other sense or you will wind up with nonsense,” it clears up most of the conflicts and confusion in the book of Revelation.

When I began my study of prophecy, one of the first controversies that I encountered was the question, “Does the Rapture precede the Tribulation or do Christians have to go through this terrible seven-year period in which the Antichrist holds sway over the world?” This controversy seems to never go away and is hotly debated in all theological circles today.

There are many scholarly books which clearly prove that the Church (composed of true believers) will be raptured prior to the Tribulation period. One of the best of such books is “The Rapture” written by Dr. Tim LaHaye. The timing of the Rapture was on the minds of the early believers in Thessalonica. No doubt, they dwelt on this because of the terrorism, abuses, and executions they were enduring by the Romans.

Some of their believing brethren were proclaiming that the Tribulation was already upon them, and they had been left behind at the Rapture.

Paul wanted to assure them that the awful Tribulation had not occurred since the Rapture had not yet happened. Consequently, he wrote the letter, 2 Thessalonians, to set their minds at ease.

In chapter 2 of 2 Thessalonians, beginning with verse 1, Paul says, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus, and by our gathering together unto Him [a clear picture of the Rapture], 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 [a reference to the Tribulation period] is at hand.”

Scripture continues, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, EXCEPT [capitalization provided by author] there is a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition [i.e., the Antichrist] who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he [the Antichrist] as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

So, the Tribulation period cannot begin before two major events occur. Some might say this is a sign for these believers. The Bible indicates that some signs are good such as was given to the shepherds in Luke 2:12 “And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” That is a good sign. But here is a sign that is not so good. Matthew 12:39: “He answered, ‘a wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign.’ “

Here is the difference. When God tells us to look for a sign, we can trust what He says, but when someone doubts what He says, and asks for a sign to verify His assertions, that is when we are on thin ice. Here in 2 Thessalonians, I prefer to call them two events that must take place rather than a sign. The second event is quite clear. We will know who the Antichrist is when he stands in the temple and declares that he, himself, is God.

So, I want to ask you about this first event. Can this be a definite event for which we should look for? I think not. There has been a falling away or apostasy in every generation. But here, God is trying to give them a definite event that will come about so that they can clearly be assured that the Tribulation has not come and that they have not been left behind at the Rapture.

So, this first event requires more digging. It uses the Greek word “apostasia” in which the original scriptures were written, and most translators translate this term as “a falling away” meaning a falling away from the Christian faith.

In English and in almost every other language, there is a first and a secondary meaning of a particular word. For instance, in English, the primary word for “hide” is that you might hide from someone. The secondary meaning for the word “hide” could be referring to the skin or hide of an animal.

Also, consider the word “pen.” It might be referring to a writing instrument, or it could be referring to an enclosure in which to keep an animal. It all depends on the context.

The secondary meaning of “apostasia” is “departure.” Now consider this. In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he explained fully to them about the Rapture of the believers. He even detailed the fact the dead in Christ would be resurrected first and then the believers living at that time would be resurrected after that.

So, when Paul mentioned the departure, in their minds they knew exactly what he was talking about—the departure would mean leaving this earth to meet the Lord in the air. In other words, The Rapture that he had previously written to them about!

Clearly, Paul is telling them that they are not in the seven-year Tribulation period because two things must happen first: the departure of Christians at the Rapture and the Antichrist must be identified.

So, Paul makes it very clear that the Rapture must precede the Tribulation period. And as Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 4:18: “Comfort one another with these words.”