09 Man's Day—Present

Man’s Day—Present

Confusing the body of the Church, that the dead in Christ shall rise and the alive shall be changed, with the resurrection of the Church of the bride of Christ, has caused untold difficulties. The teaching that the Church of the body goes through the tribulation is built on confusing the usage of the word "resurrection," with the "gathering together." The Church as the body has been gathered together unto Christ before the "great and notable day of the Lord comes to pass," which is the "day of wrath" also called "the Lord’s day," which has in it "the first resurrection."

Today in this age of grace, the great mystery administration, it is man who does the judging and therefore it is called "man’s day," as distinct from "the Lord’s day." But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment. I Corinthians 4:3. The word "judgment" is the word "day.’’ Man does the judging now because this is man’s day. But, there is a day coming, the "day of Christ" which includes the Lord’s day, when He will do the judging. The Lord’s day is the book of Revelation period when He comes as King of kings and Lord of lords, while today is "man’s day," therefore to us the body of Christ, the believers, is given The Word and the ministry of reconciliation.

"Except there come a falling away first" is a flamboyant error in the King James Version in II Thessalonians 2:3.

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, (Verse 1) 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. (Verse 2)

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. (Verse 3)

If the "day of Christ" of verse 2, which is the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and "our gathering together unto him" of verse 1, does not occur until after there has been a "falling away and that man of sin be revealed," then the tribulation spoken of in Revelation will be upon us.

If the period of "wrath" of the book of Revelation is to be endured by the born-again believers, then Christ lived, died and arose in vain and Pentecost is meaningless and Christianity is senseless. Then too, the Word of God given for our comfort (I Thessalonians 4:18) becomes our worried concern. The Geneva Bible and the Cranmer Bible, first published in 1537, and the Tyndale Bible published in 1539 preceding the King James translation, all translate "a falling away first," "a departure first."

Before the "day of the Lord," there must be a departure of the born-again believers from this world to be with Christ. After that will come to pass that the "man of sin be revealed" which will then be followed by "the day of wrath." In II Thessalonians 2:3, the Greek words are hē apostasia. The word hē is the article "the." The prefix apo means "away from." Having a circle, apo would be illustrated as a line in motion from the exterior of the circle to some distant point. Stasia means "to separate," or "draw out." Hē apostasia is a separation away from, or a drawing out from among, it is the departure.

How spiritually satisfying to know that II Thessalonians 2:3 really says that the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the born-again believers’ "gathering together unto him" will have become a reality before the "day of Christ" is at hand upon the earth. For the "day of Christ" cannot come upon the earth "except there come the departure."