The Timing of the Snatching Away in Relation to the 70th Week (Part One)

Among the many prophecies concerning Israel and her expectation, the prophecy of the “70 weeks” (Daniel 9:24-27) is, arguably, one of the most important prophecies found in the Hebrew Scriptures. Starting with verse 20, we read the following in the New English Translation:

20 While I was still speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my request before the Lord my God concerning his holy mountain— 21 yes, while I was still praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previously in a vision, was approaching me in my state of extreme weariness, around the time of the evening offering. 22 He spoke with me, instructing me as follows: “Daniel, I have now come to impart understanding to you. 23 At the beginning of your requests a message went out, and I have come to convey it to you, for you are of great value in God’s sight. Therefore consider the message and understand the vision:

24 “Seventy weeks have been determined
concerning your people and your holy city
to put an end to rebellion,
to bring sin to completion,
to atone for iniquity,
to bring in perpetual righteousness,
to seal up the prophetic vision,
and to anoint a most holy place.

25 So know and understand:
From the issuing of the command to restore and rebuild
Jerusalem until an anointed one, a prince arrives,
there will be a period of seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.
It will again be built, with plaza and moat,
but in distressful times.

26 Now after the sixty-two weeks,
an anointed one will be cut off and have nothing.
As for the city and the sanctuary,
the people of the coming prince will destroy them.
But his end will come speedily like a flood.
Until the end of the war that has been decreed
there will be destruction.

27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one week.
But in the middle of that week
he will bring sacrifices and offerings to a halt.
On the wing of abominations will come one who destroys,
until the decreed end is poured out on the one who destroys.”

Since an in-depth examination of this prophecy (as well as a defense of the interpretation of the prophecy to which I hold) would be outside the scope of this article, I will be presupposing the correctness of the interpretation of the prophecy to which I hold, and will be assuming that those reading already accept (or are at least sympathetic toward) this particular interpretation (for those interested in a defense of this view, here is a link to an article I wrote on the subject: http://thathappyexpectation.blogspot.com/2020/09/a-defense-of-doctrine-of-future-70th.html).[1] According to this view, the “weeks” referred to in the prophecy are seven-year periods (or “weeks of years”), and there is an unspecified interval of time between the first 69 weeks (or 483 years) and the final 70^th week (or last 7 years). The first 69 weeks (i.e., “seven weeks and sixty-two weeks”) ended either at the time of Christ’s baptism or at the time of his “triumphal entry.” The final, 70^th week, on the other hand, is yet to begin. The commencement of the final prophetic week will coincide with the time when the “coming prince” (which I believe to be the future world dictator referred to by Paul in 2 Thess. 2:3 as “the man of lawlessness”) makes “a firm covenant with many for one week,” or – as the Concordant Version has it – becomes “master of a covenant with many for one seven.”

Now, among those who accept this interpretation of the 70 weeks prophecy, some believe that the final 70^th week will begin (or at least could begin) before the occurrence of the event referred to by Paul in 1 Thess. 4:15-17 (i.e., the snatching away or “rapture” of the body of Christ). Some, for example, believe that the snatching away will occur at – or just before – the midpoint of the 70^th week. Others (who subscribe to the so-called “pre-wrath” position) believe that it will occur near the middle of the second half of the week. Still others believe that it will not occur until the very end of the 70^th week, when Christ returns to earth. What I will be arguing in this study is that the so-called “pre-tribulation” (or, as I prefer, “pre-70^th week”) view of when the snatching away will occur is correct. In fact, if the conclusion at which I arrived in my previous study (“Before the Pangs Begin”) is correct, then one could say that a case for a pre-70^th week snatching away has already begun to be made. How so?

The consistently ordered sequence of events described in each account of Christ’s “Olivet discourse” reveals a future period of time that will have a beginning, middle and end, and which can thus be divided into two halves. The first half of this future period of time will be characterized by those events referred to as “the beginning of pangs” (Matt. 24:8). However, echoing prophecies found in passages such as Jer. 30:5-7 and Daniel 12:1, Christ spoke of the second half of this time period as being characterized by unparalleled distress and affliction (Matt. 24:21-22) and “indignation” being upon the Jewish people (Luke 21:23). When we compare Christ words from his Olivet Discourse with the above verses from Jeremiah and Daniel, a reasonable conclusion to draw would be that they are all referring to the same future time period.

The key to determining when the time of “great affliction” described in Matt. 24:21 and Mark 13:19 will take place is that it will commence around the time of the occurrence of what Christ called the “abomination of desolation” (Matt. 24:15-22; Mark 13:14). As can be inferred from other related verses, this crisis event will involve a certain wicked world ruler putting an end to temple sacrifices, sitting in the temple of God, and setting up an image in the temple to be worshiped (Dan. 9:27; 11:36-37; Rev. 13:4-8, 11-17; 2 Th. 2:3-4). And from Daniel 9:24-27 (cf. Dan. 12:11), we know that this temple-desecrating act of the “man of lawlessness” (as Paul calls him) will occur near the midpoint of Daniel’s 70^th week. That is, this pivotal event will mark the 3 ½ year division of this future seven-year period.

Here, then, is what I take to be the most accurate chronology of events, based on a harmonization of the synoptic gospel accounts:

1. Jewish believers in Christ will begin to be afflicted, and this affliction will involve their being killed, hated by “all the nations,” given up into the synagogues and jails, being led off to kings and governors on account of Christ’s name, being given up (and even put to death) by parents, brothers, relatives and friends.

2. Many false christs will arise and be deceiving many, and the saints “shall be about to be hearing battles, and tidings of battles.”

3. “Nation will be roused against nation and kingdom against kingdom, there shall be famines, quakes and pestilences in places, along with fearful sights besides great signs also from heaven.”

4. Jerusalem will be “surrounded by encampments” and “the abomination of desolation” will be “standing in the holy place” (which will be the sign that Jerusalem’s “desolation is near,” and that those Israelites living in Judea must flee into the mountains in order to escape what’s about to happen).

5. The time of “great affliction” will begin, and Jerusalem shall begin to “be trodden by the nations, until the eras of the nations may be fulfilled” (which, we discover from Rev. 11:2, will last forty-two months – i.e., the second half of the 70^th week).

We can therefore conclude that the unparalleled time of “great affliction” refers to the second half of the 70^th week, and is thus 3 ½ years in duration. But if that’s the case, then it seems plausible to believe that the “beginning of pangs” that will be leading up to the midpoint of the 70^th week will coincide with the first half of the 70^th week. And since – as argued in my previous study – the snatching away is going to occur before the start of those events that constitute the “beginning of pangs,” a pre-70^th week snatching away logically follows. So, for those who consider this compelling evidence for a pre-70^th week snatching away, then the rest of this article can simply be considered further evidence for this position.

Now, what I think proponents of each of the positions referred to above would probably agree on is that the “seventy weeks” (or 490 years) referred to in Daniel 9:24-27 directly concern Daniel’s people (Israel) and their “holy city” (Jerusalem). This fact is, after all, explicitly stated at the beginning of the prophecy. But does it follow from this fact that the body of Christ will not be on the earth at any time during the 70^th week? For some, the fact that the 70^th week has been determined for Israel and Jerusalem – in conjunction with the fact that the body of Christ didn’t come into existence until sometime after the 69^th week ended – is enough reason to believe that the snatching away of the body of Christ will take place before the 70^th week begins. While I do believe that this consideration points us in the right direction, I don’t think it suffices as an independent argument for a “pre-70^th week” snatching away. However, I also believe that there is more that can be said in defense of this position.

Daniel’s 70^th Week in 2 Thess. 2:1-8

In 2 Thess. 2:1-8, Paul wrote:

“Now we are asking you, brethren, for the sake of the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to Him, that you be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be alarmed, either through spirit, or through word, or through an epistle as through us, as that the day of the Lord is present. No one should be deluding you by any method, for should not the apostasy be coming first and the man of lawlessness be unveiled, the son of destruction, who is opposing and lifting himself up over everyone termed a god or an object of veneration, so that he is seated in the temple of God, demonstrating that he himself is God? Do you not remember that, still being with you, I told you these things?

And now you are aware what is detaining, for him to be unveiled in his own era. For the secret of lawlessness is already operating. Only when the present detainer may be coming to be out of the midst, then will be unveiled the lawless one (whom the Lord Jesus will dispatch with the spirit of His mouth and will discard by the advent of His presence)…”

From this passage we find that Paul did not want the Thessalonians to think that the day of the Lord was “present” (i.e., that it had arrived), and believed it necessary to warn them against falling for this deception. Although the KJV has “the day of Christ” in v. 2, the oldest and most reliable manuscripts all have “the day of the Lord,” and most English translations have made this correction. Evidently, the belief that the day of the Lord was present – and that the saints to whom Paul wrote were going through it – was contrary to what he’d previously taught them. That being on the earth during the day of the Lord was contrary to what Paul had previously taught them is further indicated by the fact that, as a result of believing that the day of the Lord was present, the Thessalonians would have   become “quickly shaken from their mind” and “alarmed” (which are both negative reactions, and contrary to the peace of mind/consolation that they would enjoy by keeping in mind what Paul had revealed to them concerning their expectation; see 1 Thess. 4:18 and 5:11).

Moreover, the “presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to Him” seems to be a rather obvious reference to the event that Paul had described in greater detail in his previous letter to these believers – i.e., Christ’s descent from heaven to the atmosphere above the earth, and our being snatched away to meet him there (1 Thess. 4:15-17). Since it was “for the sake of” (or “concerning”) this future event that Paul didn’t want the saints to whom he wrote to be deceived into thinking that “the day of the Lord” was present, we can reasonably conclude that what Paul had taught them concerning the snatching away was contrary to the false report that the day of the Lord was present. If that’s the case, then it would follow that the truth concerning the snatching away is a truth which, if kept in mind by the Thessalonian believers, would’ve helped keep them from being deluded into thinking that the day of the Lord was present. But the only way this could be the case is if the snatching away is to occur before the day of the Lord arrives. And – as argued in my previous study – there is compelling evidence that Paul had previously taught the Thessalonian believers that the snatching away will, in fact, precede the arrival of the day of the Lord.

It’s also worth noting that the only way the Thessalonians could have believed (or could’ve been in danger of believing) that the day of the Lord was already present was if they had been taught (1) that the day of the Lord would be an extended period of time rather than a literal 24-hour day involving the eon-concluding coming of Christ to the earth with all his holy messengers, and (2) that the day of the Lord would be characterized – either in part or in its entirety – by the persecution of believers in Christ during this time (since we know that the believers to whom Paul wrote were, at the time, undergoing persecution; see 2 Thess. 1:4-6; cf. 1 Thess. 1:6; 2:14). If the understanding of the Thessalonians regarding the day of the Lord was that it was the actual day of Christ’s return to the earth to destroy the enemies of Israel, then it is highly unlikely that these believers could’ve been deceived into thinking that this day was already present. It just doesn’t seem reasonable to believe that these saints could seriously be in danger of believing that the eon-concluding events associated with Christ’s return to the earth (as described in, for example, Matthew 24:29-31 and Zech. 14:3-4) had taken place, and that the kingdom of God had been (or was soon to be) established on the earth. 

Due to the implausibility of such a scenario, it follows that the day of the Lord which Paul did not want them thinking was “present” was not the climactic day of Christ’s return to earth, when this present wicked eon will finally be brought to an end. It was, instead, the day of the Lord in its broader and more complete sense that they had in mind, and concerning which Paul wrote. The day of the Lord which the Thessalonians believed – or were in danger of believing – was present was, evidently, a relatively longer period of time which (as they likely learned from Paul while he was with them) would be characterized by the large-scale persecution of believers in Christ who will be alive on the earth at the time. Significantly, the persecution of believers in Christ is also said to be characteristic of the time period of which Christ spoke in his Olivet Discourse (see Matt. 24:9-10 and Luke 21:12-19).

Now, in this passage we find Paul referring to two events which, upon taking place, would indicate that the day of the Lord was present: the coming of “the apostasy” and the unveiling of the “man of lawlessness.” It was the non-occurrence of these two events which Paul understood as evidence that the day of the Lord was not yet present, and he thus referred to these events as a way of assuring the Thessalonian believers that they were not going through this period of judgment. It is only after these events have occurred that those on the earth will have reason to believe that the day of the Lord is, in fact, present.

Some understand Paul to have been saying that the apostasy and unveiling of the man of lawlessness will take place before the day of the Lord arrives. However, had Paul believed this, then he could’ve used the Greek term pro (“before”) in verse 3 to more clearly communicate this idea.[2] Instead, Paul used the term prōton (“first”). In light of the meaning of this term, it’s more likely that Paul understood the apostasy to be the event with which the day of the Lord will begin.[3] That is, when Paul said that the apostasy should be coming “first,” the idea being expressed is that this event will initiate the day of the Lord, and will thus be the first event to occur during the day of the Lord (rather than being a precursor to it). This is in accord with the fact that the erroneous view that Paul was trying to correct was that the day of the Lord was “present.” It is with the occurrence of “the apostasy” that the day of the Lord will begin to be “present,” and its non-occurrence is evidence that the day of the Lord isn’t yet present.

That the unveiling of the man of lawlessness is what will initiate the day of the Lord is something that I believe can also be inferred from what we’re told in Revelation 6:1-2. As argued in part two of my last study, the event associated with the opening of the first seal and the unleashing of the first horseman will likely be God’s “raising up” the man of lawlessness to a powerful political position on the world stage by giving him some great diplomatic victory that will enable him to engage in further “conquering” (I’ll have more to say about what I think this “great diplomatic victory” will involve shortly).

But what is “the apostasy” (hē apostasia) with which the day of the Lord will begin, and how will the man of lawlessness be “unveiled?” Although I think that these two events are actually inseparably related (with “the apostasy” actually being the event through which the man of lawlessness is “unveiled”), I’m going to consider them separately, beginning with the apostasy. According to my understanding of the apostasy, it’s going to be a single future event involving rebellion against, and disloyalty to, God. In A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, (p. 97), Arndt and Gingrich define apostasia as meaning “rebellion, abandonment.” Liddell and Scott provide four categories of usage, the first of which is “rebellion” or “apostasy” (we’re also told that the term is especially so used in a religious sense as “rebellion against God”). Apparently the dominant idea behind the term was that of rebellion (whether political, religious or both). In the only other verse in which the term is used in the New Testament scriptures, it refers to a forsaking or abandonment of the teachings of Moses by the Jews (Acts 21:21).

We also know that in the Septuagint or "LXX" (i.e., the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) the word was used to denote rebellion against and disloyalty to God (Josh. 22:22; 2 Chron. 10:19; 29:19 [cf. 28:19, where the verb form is used]; 33:10; Jer. 2:19). This is how the term was consistently used in extra-biblical Jewish works as well (e.g., 1 Macc. 2:15; 2 Esdras 5:1-12). Significantly, in the LXX translation of Isaiah 30:1, we find a cognate of the term apostasia used (i.e., the adjective apostatai). Keeping in mind that this term was used in the LXX to translate the Hebrew term translated “rebellious” in v. 1, here is how Isaiah 30:1-5 reads in the HCSB:

Woe to the rebellious children!
This is the Lord’s declaration.
They carry out a plan, but not Mine;
they make an alliance,
but against My will,
piling sin on top of sin.
They set out to go down to Egypt
without asking My advice,
in order to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection
and take refuge in Egypt’s shadow.
But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame,
and refuge in Egypt’s shadow your disgrace.
For though his princes are at Zoan
and his messengers reach as far as Hanes,
everyone will be ashamed
because of a people who can’t help.
They are of no benefit, they are no help;
they are good for nothing but shame and reproach.

The use of the adjective apostatai indicates that, by making an alliance with Egypt, Israel was guilty of forsaking and rebelling against God (which, again, is what the use of the noun apostasia was often used to express). The context of this chapter revolves around Israel’s failure to seek Yahweh, and the resulting rebellion of making an alliance with Egypt for her protection. From this passage we see that Israel’s apostasy can be just as much political in nature as religious (and considering the “theocratic” nature of Israel, there will always been a great deal of overlap between the political realm and the religious realm).

Another key passage from the Old Testament that can help us better understand what “the apostasy” of 2 Thess. 2:3 most likely refers to is Jeremiah 2:19. The context in which this verse is found is similar to that of Isaiah 30, and concerns the fact that Israel was apostatizing from God by entering into alliances with foreign powers rather than relying on God alone. Concerning Israel, we read that God declared as follows: “…my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). From verse 19, it’s clear that this figurative imagery refers to Israel’s relying on foreign, Gentile powers rather than on God (v. 18). Therefore, God tells Israel in v. 19, “Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God; the fear of me is not in you, declares the Lord God of hosts.” In the LXX, the term translated “apostasy” in v. 19 is the same term translated “apostasy” in 2 Thess. 2:3 (apostasia). By seeking to build political alliances with Gentile rulers (instead of trusting in Yahweh), Israel was engaged in an act of rebellion that, to God, constituted “apostasy.”

Given the term’s background usage in the Old Testament/LXX and extra-biblical Jewish works (with which Paul would’ve likely been familiar), it’s likely that “the apostasy” to which Paul referred in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 will be an event involving the nation of Israel. Specifically, I believe it will be an event in which Israel rebels against God by entering into a political alliance with one or more Gentile nations, and puts their trust in a certain political leader (rather than in God) to provide them with “peace and security.” The exact nature of this political/religious apostasy of which Israel will be guilty will become clearer when we consider how, exactly, the man of lawlessness is going to be unveiled.

In an earlier article (which I posted on my blog back in 2016), I suggested that the man of lawlessness would be unveiled near the midpoint of the 70^th week (when, in accord with Paul’s words in v. 4, he sits down in the temple of God as if he were God). However, I’ve since come to believe that this view is mistaken, and that the blasphemous conduct of the lawless one that we find referred to by Paul in this passage need not be understood as indicating when he will be “unveiled.” Rather, the information provided by Paul was simply Paul’s way of further identifying who, exactly, the lawless one is. That is, Paul’s reference to the blasphemous activity of the man of lawlessness in the temple can be understood as serving to make the particular person he had in view more easily identifiable to his readers (both in a prophetic sense, and by more clearly highlighting his lawless nature).

Moreover, had Paul wanted to teach that the man of lawlessness’ blasphemous action in the temple was when he was unveiled, he would’ve likely used some sort of timing indicator, such as “thereupon” (1 Cor. 15:7, 1 Thess. 4:17), “then” (1 Thess. 5:3; 2 Thess. 2:8), “at” (Acts 2:1), “as soon as” (1 Cor. 11:34) or “whenever” (Rom. 11:27). In fact, Paul used just such a timing indicator in 2 Thess. 2:7-8 (“when” in v. 7 and “then” in v. 8). Thus, the timing of the lawless one’s unveiling should be understood in connection with the removal of the “present detainer” rather than in connection with the lawless one’s actions in the temple (I’ll have more to say concerning the identity of the “present detainer” – and what it means for it to be taken “out of the midst” – toward the end of this article).

But if the man of lawlessness is not going to be unveiled in the middle of the 70^th week, then at what time should we understand his unveiling as taking place? Well, let’s consider the following question: By virtue of what could the lawless one’s blasphemous actions in the temple be understood as constituting his “unveiling?” Answer: the only way this event could be understood as constituting his unveiling is if it fulfilled a prophecy concerning him. But what’s true of this event would be equally true of any event in which the man of lawlessness will be involved. That is, the only way in which a particular event involving the man of lawlessness could possibly qualify as the event through which he is “unveiled” is that it fulfills a prophecy concerning him (for the only things that can be known about the man of lawlessness and his future actions beforehand are those things found in prophecy).

Thus, in order for his identity to be made known (i.e., in order for him to be “unveiled”), he would have to do something that fulfills a certain prophecy that’s written concerning him. And this simple fact is why his blasphemous actions in the temple in the middle of the 70^th week can’t be the event by which the lawless one will be unveiled. For his actions at this time won’t be the first prophetically significant actions in which the man of lawlessness will be involved, or the fulfillment of the first prophecy concerning him. The first prophetic event that will be fulfilled by the man of lawlessness is recorded in Daniel 9:27: “He will confirm a covenant with many for one week.”

Although the man of lawlessness will undoubtedly be a political figure before the prophesied part of his political career begins, it is with this covenant-confirming event that he will begin fulfilling all of the prophecies concerning him. Thus, it is through the fulfillment of this prophetic event that the man of lawlessness will be “unveiled.” Does this mean that the world will recognize him for who he is when this event takes place? No. Although I have little doubt that some will recognize the identity of the man of lawlessness when the covenant is confirmed at the beginning of the 70^th week, all that is required for this event to qualify as the “unveiling” of the man of lawlessness is that he be made identifiable according to his prophetic identification.

But how does “the apostasy” relate to the unveiling of the man of lawlessness? As will likely have become evident to the reader by this point, I believe that the apostasy will be the very event through which the man of lawlessness will be unveiled, and that it will take place when (in accord with the words of Dan. 9:27) “many“– i.e., many in Israel – enter into a covenant with this political figure at the beginning of that 70^th week. When this covenant goes into effect, it will be believed that “peace and security” for Israel and the surrounding nations (and thus a solution to the Middle East dilemma) has finally been achieved. However, we know that the peace thought to have been secured will not last long, and that nation will soon begin rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (Matt. 24:7).

The removal of peace from the earth will, of course, be followed by other “pangs” as well. And as the first 3 ½ years of the 70^th week draw to a close, the man of lawlessness will, apparently, begin to demand worship from the people with whom he entered into a covenant (as well as from the rest the world). However, when it becomes clear that he’s not going to get the worship that he demands from Israel, he will seek to exterminate God’s covenant people. And thus it will come to be that, through the instrumentality of the very man with whom Israel rebelliously entered into a covenant for the sake of peace and security, God will punish the nation of Israel for her apostasy, and the prophesied time of “great affliction” and “season of distress for Jacob” will begin (Jeremiah 30:5-7; Daniel 12:1; Matt. 24:15-22).

When we understand the apostasy and unveiling of the man of lawlessness as a reference to the event with which the 70^th week will begin, the eschatological truths on which Paul puts an emphasis in 2 Thess. 2:3-8 take on a new significance, and indicate that, when Paul wrote what he did in these verses, he had Daniel 9:27 on the forefront of his mind. Consider the following comparison of Daniel 9:27 and excerpts from 2 Thess. 2:3-8:

Beginning of the 70^th Week

“He will confirm a covenant with many for one week.”

“…the apostasy be coming first and the man of lawlessness be unveiled…”

Middle of the 70^th Week

“But in the middle of that week he will bring sacrifices and offerings to a halt.
On the wing of abominations will come one who destroys…”

“…who is opposing and lifting himself up over everyone termed a god or an object of veneration, so that he is seated in the temple of God, demonstrating that he himself is God?”

End of the 70^th Week

“…until the decreed end is poured out on the one who destroys.”

“…whom the Lord Jesus will dispatch with the spirit of His mouth and will discard by the advent of His presence…”

Moreover, since the unveiling of the man of lawlessness is a key event which will indicate that “the day of the Lord is present” (2 Thess. 2:2-3) – and since those in the body of Christ will not be present on the earth when the day of the Lord arrives – it follows that those in the body of Christ are not going to be present on the earth when the 70^th week begins. Consider the following argument:

1. The body of Christ is going to be snatched away before the day of the Lord begins.

2. The day of the Lord will commence when the man of lawlessness is unveiled.

3. The unveiling of the man of lawlessness is what begins the 70^th week.

4. The body of Christ is going to be snatched away before the 70^th week begins.

Thus, it follows that the man of lawlessness cannot be unveiled until after the body of Christ has been snatched away from the earth. That is, as long the body of Christ is present on the earth, the unveiling of the man of lawlessness (and thus the start of the 70^th week) will remain a future event.

In accord with this conclusion, what I now want to argue is that the most likely candidate for the “present detainer” referred to by Paul in 2 Thess. 2:6-8 (and which Paul believed was preventing the man of lawlessness from being unveiled) is, in fact, the body of Christ.

The identity of “the present detainer”

In 2 Thess. 2:1-8 we read:

“Now we are asking you, brethren, for the sake of the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to Him, that you be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be alarmed, either through spirit, or through word, or through an epistle as through us, as that the day of the Lord is present.  No one should be deluding you by any method, for should not the apostasy be coming first and the man of lawlessness be unveiled, the son of destruction, who is opposing and lifting himself up over everyone termed a god or an object of veneration, so that he is seated in the temple of God, demonstrating that he himself is God? Do you not remember that, still being with you, I told you these things?

“And now you are aware what is detaining, for him to be unveiled in his own era. For the secret of lawlessness is already operating. Only when the present detainer may be coming to be out of the midst, then will be unveiled the lawless one…”

Among those who subscribe to the view I’ve been defending concerning the timing of the snatching away, the most popular view concerning the identity of “the present detainer” of the above passage seems to be that it’s the holy spirit of God. One reason many find this view appealing is that the present detainer must be such that it (or “he”) has been “detaining” the unveiling of the man of lawlessness for nearly 2,000 years. However, I believe this view to be untenable in light of the fact that God’s spirit is going to be just as present and active on the earth after the man of lawlessness has been unveiled as it is before this event occurs. We know, for example, that the holy spirit is going to be active in and among believing Jews during the first 3 ½ years of the 70^th week (see, for example, Mark 13:11; cf. Matt. 24:9). And the very fact that there will be people being saved at all during the first 3 ½ years presupposes the presence and activity of God’s spirit on the earth during this time.

Some have tried to argue that the “present detainer” is actually a reference to Satan (who’s referred to by Paul in 2 Thess. 2:9). According to this position – which, as far as I know, was first defended by eminent biblical scholar, E.W. Bullinger – that which is being “detained” (or “held fast”) is Satan’s position in heaven (with Satan being referred to as the “present detainer” because he is “detaining,” or “holding fast to,” his heavenly position). This view further maintains that Satan’s future ejection from heaven by the archangel Michael (as prophesied in Rev. 12:7-9) will be the fulfillment of the detainer’s “coming to be out of the midst.” It is therefore the casting out of Satan from heaven which is thought to be the event that will result in the man of lawlessness being “unveiled.”

I believe this position is problematic for a few reasons. First, the view is inconsistent (and, I believe, needlessly complicated) in its affirmation of what, exactly, is being detained, and how it’s being detained. According to this view, there are actually two distinct things being detained or “held fast,” and two distinct ways in which they’re both being detained or “held fast.” The first “what” being detained is thought to be the beast/Antichrist, and that which is detaining it (or “holding it fast”) is the “pit of the abyss” (or “well of the submerged chaos”) that we find referred to in Rev. 9:1, 11:7 and 17:8. The second “what” being detained is thought to be Satan’s position in heaven, and that which is detaining it (or “holding it fast”) is thought to be Satan himself. Reading all of these details in between the lines of what Paul wrote simply over-complicates the passage, and relies too heavily on information that is far removed from the immediate context of 2 Thess. 2:1-7.

In addition to these considerations, another problem with this view is chronological in nature. After Satan is cast out of heaven (Rev. 12:7-12), the events in which he is going to be involved are events that will be taking place near the midpoint of the 70^th week (vv. 13-17; cf. v. 6). However, as we’ve seen, the man of lawlessness is going to be unveiled at the beginning of the 70^th week, through the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Daniel 9:27. And even if we assume that the events described in Revelation 9 will immediately follow Satan’s ejection from heaven, it’s unlikely that these events (which are associated with the calamity resulting from the fifth angel sounding his trumpet) will be occurring at the start of the 70^th week.

In contrast with the above interpretation, I believe that there is only one thing (or rather, one event) that Paul had in mind as being “detained” – i.e., the unveiling of the man of lawlessness. Since that which is preventing the man of lawlessness from being “unveiled in his own era” is that which, in v. 6, is said to be “detaining,” it would make far more sense (and be far simpler) to understand what’s being detained as the unveiling of the man of lawlessness. And if that’s the case, then consistency would demand that what’s being detained by the “present detainer” of v. 7 is also the unveiling of the man of lawlessness. This view has the advantage of being both simple and contextually-informed. There is simply no need to inject into these verses two different detainers and two different things being detained. One “detainer” and one thing/event being detained by the detainer is enough to make sense of everything Paul wrote here.

When seeking to determine the identity of the “present detainer,” one’s view must take into account the fact that Paul used two different gender cases and pronouns for the Greek term katecho (which is neuter in v. 6 and masculine in v. 7). However, rather than understanding Paul to have been referring to two separate “detainers” (as Bullinger apparently did), I believe that the “detainer” that Paul had in view in these verses is such that it could be described as both “what is detaining” (neuter) and as “the present detainer” (masculine). And if that’s the case, then it actually reveals a great deal about what Paul likely had in mind here. Although Paul wasn’t referring to a single individual person, he was referring to something that could be personified. But what? What is it that, by “coming to be out of the midst,” will allow for the man of lawlessness to be unveiled? 

Some seem to think that, by failing to explicitly identify the “present detainer” in verses 6-8, Paul was being enigmatic when he made reference to it. But a more plausible view is that Paul believed the identity of the present detainer was obvious from what he’d already said in verses 1-6, and that he expected the recipients of his letter to know what he was referring to based on the context and flow of his argument up to that point. So is there something mentioned in the immediate context that can be referred to as “coming to be out of the midst” at some future time? Absolutely. Paul’s introductory words in v. 1, above, are part of the immediate context of verses 6-7, and should inform our understanding of everything that follows. With these words Paul was, of course, referring to the snatching away of the body of Christ. And as I’ve tried to make clear by the use of multiple colors above, I believe that the company of saints to which Paul was referring by his use of the word “our” in v. 1 (i.e., the body of Christ) is, in fact, the “present detainer,” and that the words “coming to be out of the midst” refer to the snatching away of the body of Christ to meet Christ in the air (our “assembling to Him”). This becomes even more evident when we understand “the midst” to be the general location where the man of lawlessness is going to be unveiled (i.e., the earth), for it is from this very place that the body of Christ is going to be removed when we are snatched away to meet Christ.

Significantly, the Greek word for “body” (soma) is neuter in gender. And insofar as the gender of the verb katecho in v. 6 matches the gender of the term “body,” the body of Christ can be understood as a plausible candidate for the “what” that is detaining the unveiling of the man of lawlessness. But what about the masculine gender case in v. 7? This, too, corresponds well with the body of Christ. Christ is, of course a man (1 Tim. 2:5), and the collective “body” of which he is the head could appropriately be referred to in masculine terms. In fact, Paul does just this in Ephesians 4:12-13, where we read the following: “…toward the adjusting of the saints for the work of dispensing, for the upbuilding of the body of Christ, unto the end that we should all attain to the unity of the faith and of the realization of the son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature of the complement of the Christ…”

Thus we see that Paul’s use of the neuter and masculine gender in 2 Thess. 2:6-7 is perfectly consistent with the identity of the detainer being the company of saints that Paul referred to as the body of Christ. And if the body of Christ is the “present detainer,” then the implication of Paul’s words in 2 Thess. 2:6-7 is that our very presence on the earth is proof that the day of the Lord cannot be present. When the body of Christ is taken “out of the midst” via the snatching away, God can resume Israel’s prophetic program by unveiling the man of lawlessness and initiating the 70^th week.

I’ll close this section with the following argument:

1. The reason Paul didn’t explicitly identify the “present detainer” in 2 Thess. 2:6-7 is because he believed its identity was obvious from what he’d already said in verses 1-6 (and not because he was simply being enigmatic).

2. If the identity of the “present detainer” can be determined from what Paul wrote in verses 1-6, then the present detainer should be understood as a reference to the body of Christ (with its “coming to be out of the midst” referring to snatching away).

3. The present detainer is the body of Christ, and its “coming to be out of the midst” will occur at the time of the snatching away (i.e., when “our assembling to [Christ]” occurs, as referred to in 2 Thess. 2:1).

For part two of this study, click here: https://thathappyexpectation.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-timing-of-snatching-away-in_18.html

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[1] For an introduction to this important prophecy (and a defense of the interpretation presupposed in this article), there are a number of online articles that may prove helpful to the reader. See, for example, http://www.khouse.org/articles/2004/552/ and

https://gracethrufaith.com/end-times-prophecy/the-70-weeks-of-daniel/. For a more in-depth treatment of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy, I highly recommend Sir Robert Anderson’s groundbreaking book on the subject, The Coming Prince. Another resource I’ve found helpful is the following online study by End-Time Pilgrim, which is based on Anderson’s work (scroll down just a little ways for the table of contents; it appears on the left side of the page and provides links to all 11 pages of the study).

[2] For some examples of Paul’s use of this term, see Romans 16:7; 1 Corinthians 2:7; 4:5; Galatians 1:17; 2:12; 3:23; Eph. 1:4; 2 Timothy 4:21; Titus 1:2.

[3] For a good defense of this view, I highly recommend the following article by Steve McAvoy: “THE DAY OF THE LORD AND CERTAIN SO-CALLED ‘PRECURSORS’” (https://www.pre-trib.org/pretribfiles/pdfs/McAvoy-TheDayOfTheLordAndCertainSo-CalledPrecursors.pdf).

Before the Pangs Begin: A Defense of the Imminence of the Snatching Away (Part Two)

For part one of this study, click here: https://thathappyexpectation.blogspot.com/2019/05/before-pangs-begin-defense-of-imminence.html

The beginning of the day of the Lord

In Acts 17:30-31, Paul declared to the idol-worshiping Athenians that God – although formerly “condoning the times of ignorance” – was “now charging mankind that all everywhere are to repent.” In the context, the repentance Paul had in mind here clearly involved repenting of idol-worship and turning to the true God (cf. 1 Thess. 1:9, where Paul commended the Thessalonian believers for having turned back to God “from idols, to be slaving for the living and true God”). Paul then provided his audience with the reason for this divine charge to repent: a “day” had been assigned by God, in which God is “about to be judging the inhabited earth in righteousness by the Man Whom he specifies...”

The fact that God’s judgment of the inhabited earth at the time Paul had in view will, in some way, be accomplished through the agency of Jesus Christ, is consistent with Christ’s own words in John 5:22-27, when he declared the following: “For neither is the Father judging anyone, but has given all judging to the Son, that all may be honoring the Son, according as they are honoring the Father. He who is not honoring the Son is not honoring the Father Who sends Him…And He gives Him authority to do judging, seeing that He is a son of mankind.”

Moreover, the implication of what Paul declared to the Athenians is that the day of judgment he had in view will involve those who will be alive on the earth at a certain time (hence Paul’s words, “the inhabited earth,” in v. 31).[1] For, had Paul believed that this day of judgment would involve those who had lived and died before God began “charging mankind that all everywhere are to repent” (i.e., when God was “condoning the times of ignorance”), then there would be no good reason why this message of repentance to the nations should “now” be proclaimed (rather than being proclaimed to the nations from the beginning of human history). It is, therefore, reasonable to conclude that the day of judgment that Paul had in view in Acts 17:30-31 is a reference to that judgment-filled period of time that Paul elsewhere referred to as “the day of the Lord” (1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:2).

Although the “day of the Lord” referred to by Paul is clearly a future period of time, it should be noted that the expression “the day of the Lord” (or “the day of Yahweh”) can refer to different periods of time, both past and future. Examples of past periods of time referred to as the “day of the Lord” involve God’s bringing judgment upon unrighteous nations through the instrumentality of other nations (see, for example, Amos 5:18, 20; Lam. 1:12; 2:1, 21-22; Ezek. 7:19; 13:5; 30:3; Zeph. 2:2-3; Jer. 46:10). Although involving localized national judgments, these past “days of the Lord” can be understood as foreshadowing and anticipating a yet-future era when God will decisively intervene in the affairs of this world to bring a final end to the misrule of mankind (as well as that of the unseen, wicked celestial beings by which mankind is unwittingly influenced), and establish his kingdom on the earth.

How long will the future day of the Lord be? In Zechariah 13-14, we find a certain “day” referred to as “a day coming for the Lord” that will include not only the time of Israel’s “great affliction” (Zech. 13:8-9; 14:1-2), but also the day of Christ’s return to earth (14:3-7) and his subsequent reign over the earth (14:8-21). Similarly, in 2 Peter 3:10, it’s implied that the day of the Lord will include not only the end of this eon, but the end of the next eon as well: “Now the day of the Lord will be arriving as a thief, in which the heavens shall be passing by with a booming noise, yet the elements shall be dissolved by combustion, and the earth and the works in it shall be found.” Commenting on this verse, A.E. Knoch wrote the following: “The day of the Lord, though it lasts for more than a thousand years, is treated as though its arrival is to be immediately followed by its end, in harmony with the preceding paragraph. It will come as a thief (1 Thess. 5:2). It will close with the great cataclysm (Un. 20:11; 21:1) which ushers in the day of God, the new creation.”

Like a literal day, this future period of time will be twofold in nature, consisting of both a time of “darkness” (“night”) and a time of “light” (“day”). Both the time of “darkness” and the time of “light” constitute the complete future “day of the Lord,” in its broadest sense. And just as a literal Hebrew day begins at sunset/nightfall (following the model of the days of creation; see Gen. 1:4-6), the beginning of the day of the Lord is described as a time of “darkness” (Joel 2:1-2; Amos 5:18-20; Zeph. 1:14-15), and will be characterized by distress, affliction and increasingly more devastating judgments (which will make known to the inhabitants of the earth God’s power and sovereignty, as well as his disapproval of, and opposition to, sin and unbelief). However, the “dark” part of the day of the Lord is to be followed by a much longer period of “light,” and will be characterized by peace, prosperity and the dispelling of ignorance and deception with God’s truth (in Isaiah 11:9 we’re told that, during this time, the earth will be “filled with the knowledge of Yahweh as the waters cover the sea”).

The turning point in the day of the Lord – when the calamity-filled period of “darkness” transitions to the blessing-filled period of “light” – is referred to in Zechariah 14:6-7 as follows: ”On that day there shall be no light, cold or frost. And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light” (verse 7 in the CVOT reads as follows: ”It shall be one day which is known to the Lord—neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen that it will be light.”). The “unique day” (or “one day”) being referred to here should not be understood as an extended period of time comprised of days, months and years. Rather, this unique day in which “there will be no light” until evening time (and which is paradoxically described as being “neither day nor night”) seems to be a literal, 24-hour day that will be taking place within the broader period of time that is referred to as “the day of the Lord.” And based on the preceding verses, it would seem that the day in view here is the actual day of Christ’s return, when “his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives” and cause it to be “split in two from east to west” (v. 4).

In Joel 2:31 and Malachi 4:5, this unique day within the broad day of the Lord is referred to as “the day of the Lord, the great and advent day” (cf. Matthew 24:29-30). This day is referred to again in Joel 3:9-16 as simply the “day of the Lord,” but it’s clearly the same day that we find referred to in Joel 2:31 as “the great and advent day,” and should be understood as referring to a particularly momentous day within the broader day of the Lord time period – i.e., the day of Christ’s return to earth (when the “dark” phase of the day of the Lord turns into “light”). Significantly, what we’re told in Joel 3:14-15 concerning the sun, moon and stars being darkened agrees with what we read in Zech. 14:6-7 concerning the absence of light during this day (at least, until evening, when “it shall happen that it will be light”).

Concerning the “day of the Lord” referred to in Joel 2:31 and Mal. 4:5, E.W. Bullinger noted that, “It is called ‘the great and terrible day of the Lord,’ as though it were the climax of the whole period known as ‘the day of the Lord’” (The Apocalypse or “The Day of the Lord,” p. 248). In Revelation 16:12-16, this “great and advent day” is referred to as “the great day of God Almighty,” and – as in Joel 3:9-16 – will be “near” only after an international coalition of armies have “gathered to do battle with [Christ] and with His army” (Rev. 19:19). Upon his return to earth, Christ and his army of messengers will utterly destroy these hostile military forces, thereby saving faithful Israel from her enemies. In Joel, the location for this military campaign is referred to as “the valley of decision” (where we’re told that “multitudes, multitudes,” will be gathered).

But if the “the great and advent” day of the Lord referred to in the above verses refers to the literal day of Christ’s return to earth, when will the longer period of time to which this day belongs (and which is also referred to as the “day of the Lord”) begin? That is, when will the period of time that will, initially, be characterized by divine indignation begin? These questions bring us to the subject of the seven-sealed scroll referred to in Revelation, for it is through the opening of this scroll that all of the various calamities that are prophesied as coming upon the inhabitants of the earth during the time preceding Christ’s return will be occurring. In Rev. 5:1-12, we read the following:

And I perceived on the right hand of Him Who is sitting on the throne a scroll, written in front and on the back, and sealed up with seven seals. And I perceived a strong messenger heralding with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to open the scroll, and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven, nor yet on earth, nor yet underneath the earth, was able to open the scroll, neither to look at it. And I lamented much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll, neither to look at it. And one of the elders is saying to me, “Do not lament! Lo! He conquers! The Lion out of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, is to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals!”

The fact that Christ is the only one found worthy to take the scroll from God and open its seals suggests that it is by virtue of his God-given authority (which, in Matt. 28:18, we’re told is “all authority in heaven and on the earth”) that Christ is able to open the seals of the scroll. It also suggests that, as the only one worthy to open the seals, Christ is actually instrumental in bringing about the events associated with the opening of the seals (as opposed to merely revealing what will be occurring in the future). Opening the seals of the scroll should, therefore, be understood as a way in which Christ exercises his authority over creation. And in light of what results from the opening of the seals (which we’ll be considering shortly), the authority being exercised by Christ at this time can be understood as judicial in nature (in accord with Christ’s words in John 5:22-23, 27).

We also find that the opening of the seals of the scroll by Christ is associated with a certain company of saints being made “a kingdom and a priesthood for our God,” and to their “reigning on the earth” (Rev. 5:10). The saints who will be “reigning on the earth” are the believing Israelites who constitute the “Israel of God,” and their being made  “a kingdom and a priesthood” for God is a clear reference to the kingdom being restored to Israel (cf. Daniel 7:13-14 and v. 27). These considerations suggest that, by exercising his authority to open the seals of the scroll, Jesus Christ will be putting into motion those eon-terminating events that have, as their ultimate goal, the restoration of the kingdom to Israel.

Immediately after this chapter, we read that Christ begins opening the seven seals of the scroll given to him by God. When reading the verses that follow, the reader should keep the following point in mind: the mere fact that the word “indignation” is not explicitly used in reference to a particular seal is in no way an argument against the position that the breaking of the seal is, in some way, related to the expression of God’s indignation (the same point applies to the trumpet and bowl-related calamities as well). However, it’s significant that the word indignation does, in fact, occur in Rev. 6:16-17, as part of the response of those who will be going through the frightening events brought about by the breaking of the sixth seal. Here’s how the events resulting from the opening of the sixth seal are described:

And I perceived, when It opens the sixth seal, and a great cataclysm occurred, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fall on the earth as a fig tree is casting its shriveled figs, quaking under a great wind. And heaven recoils as a scroll rolling up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, and the magnates, and the captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every slave and freeman, hide themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains. And they are saying to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him Who is sitting on the throne, and from the indignation of the Lambkin, for the great day of Their indignation came, and who is able to stand?"

It should be noted that the same word translated “came” in v. 17 is consistently used by John to refer to either a time that has already arrived (Rev. 11:18; 14:7; 14:15; 19:7) or a time which arrived at some point in the past (Rev. 18:10). So it can be reasonably concluded that the coming of God’s indignation is not something that is going to occur after the event associated with the sixth seal has already occurred. But how much earlier will the start of God’s indignation be? In order to answer this question, we need to consider the events associated with the earlier seals. 

The opening of the first four seals unleashes four distinct “horsemen” (five if you count the one following “Death” after the opening of the fourth seal). Each “horseman” can be understood as representing a future event or state of affairs which, through God’s providential control, will be occurring on the earth as a result of the opening of the first four seals. The general view among scholars is that the “four horsemen” represent, at the very least, the following states of affairs: (1) Conquest, (2) War, (3) Famine and (4) Death. Moreover, these states of affairs also seem to be sequentially linked, with each event being the occasion for (and thus explaining, to an extent, the occurrence of) the events that follow.

Keeping in mind the prophetic imminence of the events foretold in the Book of Revelation, the opening of the first seal which unleashes the first of the “four horsemen” is described in Rev. 6:1-2 as follows:

And I perceived when the Lambkin opens one of the seven seals; and I hear one of the four animals saying, as with a voice of thunder, "Come!" And I perceived, and lo! a white horse, and he who is sitting on it has a bow, and to him was given a wreath. And he came forth conquering and that he should be conquering.

This rider is said to have a bow and victor’s crown or “wreath” (stephanos). Significantly, this wreath is specifically said to have been “given” to him (evidently, given by God), and is distinct from the “many diadems” that Christ is later described as wearing in Rev. 19:12 (and who, in Rev. 19:11, is also depicted as coming on a white horse). And with this bow and wreath, we’re told that he comes forth “conquering and that he should be conquering.” That this horseman is associated with conquest (or “conquering”) of some sort is obvious. But which individual (or individuals) are we to understand as being directly involved in the conquest that will result from the opening of the first seal? Many students of scripture have understood (rightly, I believe) the state of affairs associated with the opening of the first seal to be inseparably related to the coming world ruler whom Paul identified as the “man of lawlessness.”[2]

It’s significant that John twice referred to this future world ruler as engaged in “conquering.” In Rev. 11:7 we read that the “wild beast” will be “doing battle with [the two witnesses] and will be conquering them and killing them.” And in Rev. 13:4-7 we read that the wild beast will be “given authority to do what it wills forty-two months,” and that it will be “given to do battle with the saints and to conquer them.” And based on what we read in Daniel 8 and 11, the future political career of this world ruler will begin with successful conquests, which will enable him to engage in further “conquering.”

It’s reasonable to understand the opening of the first seal as bringing about a state of affairs involving a great political victory of some sort by a certain world leader. And given the mention of a “bow” but no arrows, it’s also reasonable to believe that the initial “conquest” of this world leader will be diplomatic in nature, rather than involving the use of military force (although it’s likely that the additional “conquering” referred to will involve the use of military force). But can the rise to power of the man of lawlessness through non-violent, diplomatic means be understood as an expression of God’s indignation? Yes.

Regardless of the exact nature of the “conquering” that’s in view here, it will undoubtedly involve the political ruler becoming more powerful and influential than he was previously. And we know that the rise to power of the man of lawlessness will eventually lead to his being directly involved in bringing about the great affliction that Israel will go through during the final 3 ½ years of this eon. Since this affliction will be God’s punishment upon the nation, the rise to power of the political ruler who will be directly responsible for it can easily be understood as an expression of God’s indignation. God will, essentially, be giving apostate Israel – as well as the rest of the unbelieving world – the wicked ruler that they deserve. And – like the pagan king of Assyria (Isaiah 10:5-12) – this powerful world leader whom God will raise up will be used as the “rod” of his indignation.

In accord with this idea of God’s judging the wicked through the instrumentality of powerful human rulers, we read in Zechariah 11:15-17 that God will raise up a “foolish” and “useless shepherd” over Israel for the very purpose of severely afflicting the nation. Given the prophetic context in which this “shepherd” is referred to, there can be little doubt that he represents the man of lawlessness – i.e., the political leader or “prince” who, in Daniel 9:26-27, is said to be “coming,” and with whom “the many” (likely a reference to Israel) will make a seven-year covenant. In fact, reading Rev. 6:1-2 in light of Daniel 9:26-27 would explain why the white-horse rider is represented as victoriously “conquering, that he may be conquering.” As the one who “confirms” (or “becomes master of”) a “covenant with many” (and which, in the words of 1 Thess. 5:3, will appear to secure “peace and security”), the first act of “conquering” by this political leader will involve a peaceful, diplomatic victory which, by giving him greater political power and prominence, will enable him to engage in further “conquering” down the road.

That the initial “conquering” or political victory associated with the opening of the first seal will, in fact, be diplomatic (and thus peaceful) in nature is confirmed from the fact that the opening of the very next seal is said to result in peace being “taken from out of the earth” (Rev. 6:3-4):

And when It opens the second seal, I hear the second animal saying, "Come!" And forth came another horse, fiery-red, and to him who is sitting on it was given to take peace out of the earth, and that they should be slaying one another. And a huge sword was given to him.

Thus we find that the “peace” that will appear to have been secured by the conquest-driven political leader represented by the white-horse rider will not last long. But can the state of affairs resulting from the opening of this seal also be understood as an expression of God’s indignation? Absolutely. There can be no question that God’s indignation has, at certain times in Israel’s history, been expressed through the instrumentality of human warfare, and that God has used warfare as a means of punishing nations (see 2 Chron. 36:16-17; Ezra 5:12; Isaiah 9:11-12; 10:5-6; 13:1-5, 9, 17-19; Jer. 32:28-32; 50:9, 13, 25). Consider, especially, what we read in 2 Chronicles 15:5-6: “In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress.”

Concerning the imagery of the “huge sword” that we’re told is “given” to the rider on the fiery-red horse, Renald E. Showers notes as follows: “Numerous other passages (including Isa. 51:17-20; 65:12; and Jer. 16:4-10; 24:10) indicate that God uses the sword as an instrument of His anger and judgment. Indeed, in line with the rider of the second seal being given “a great sword,” Isaiah 26:20-27:1 signifies that, in the day of the Lord’s indignation, when He will “punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity,” He will use “his sore and great and strong sword” as an instrument of punishment.” Showers goes on to add that the “huge sword” being “given” to the rider on the red horse “means that the rider was not the source of these things; their source was a higher authority…Thus, the warfare of the second seal has a divine source.”[3]

The opening of the third seal (and its devastating results) is described in Rev. 6:5-6 as follows:

And when It opens the third seal, I hear the third animal saying, "Come!" And I perceived and lo! a black horse, and he who is sitting on it has a pair of balances in his hand. And I hear as it were a voice in the midst of the four animals saying, "A choenix of wheat a denarius, and three choenix of barley a denarius, and the oil and the wine you should not be injuring!"

Just as we’re told that the victor’s wreath is “given” to the rider on the white horse and the “huge sword” is “given” to the rider on the fiery-red horse, so the severity of the famine and inflation associated with the unleashing of the rider on the black horse is represented as being determined by a higher authority (note that the “voice” which determines the severity of the famine/inflation comes from “the midst of the four animals,” and can be understood as belonging to either God or Christ). Moreover, just as the events associated with the opening of the first two seals can be understood as expressions of God’s indignation, so Scripture is equally clear that God’s indignation has found expression through the occurrence of famine (Jer. 21:5-7, 9; 44:8, 11-13; Ezek. 5:11-17; 7:3, 8, 14-15).

If there has been any doubt in the reader’s mind that the events associated with the opening of the first four seals should be understood as expressions of God’s indignation, the description of the events resulting from the opening of the fourth seal should remove all such doubt. In Rev. 6:7-8 we read as follows: 

“And when It opens the fourth seal, I hear the voice of the fourth animal saying, ‘Come!’ And I perceived, and lo! a greenish horse, and the name of him who is sitting upon it is Death, and the Unseen followed him. And jurisdiction was given them over the fourth of the earth, to kill with the blade and with famine and with death and by the wild beasts of the earth.”

When we read that “jurisdiction” was given Death and the Unseen (or “Hades”), the following question naturally arises:  “From whom does this jurisdiction come?” The answer to this question is clear: ultimately, it comes from God himself. But what needs to be emphasized here is that the instrumental means through which “a fourth of the earth” is to be killed as a result of Christ’s opening the fourth seal are the exact same means that God used in the past when bringing judgment against unfaithful Israel and “pouring out his fury” on them. In Ezekiel 5:12-13, 15-17 we read the following words (spoken by God to the people of Jerusalem):

“A third part of you shall die of pestilence and be consumed with famine in your midst; a third part shall fall by the sword all around you; and a third part I will scatter to all the winds and will unsheathe the sword after them. Thus shall my anger spend itself, and I will vent my fury upon them and satisfy myself. And they shall know that I am Yahweh—that I have spoken in my jealousy—when I spend my fury upon them…

“…You shall be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations all around you, when I execute judgments on you in anger and fury, and with furious rebukes—I am Yahweh; I have spoken—when I send against you the deadly arrows of famine, arrows for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, and when I bring more and more famine upon you and break your supply of bread. I will send famine and wild beasts against you, and they will rob you of your children. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword upon you. I am Yahweh; I have spoken.”

Similarly, in Ezekiel 14:21 we read: “For thus says the Lord God: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous judgments, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!”[4] These same four figures are prophesied as expressions of God’s wrath in several other passages as well (cf. Lev. 26:21-28; Numb 11:33; 16:46; 25:8-11; Deut. 11:17; 28:20-26; 32:22-25; Jer. 15:1-9; 16:4-11; 19:7-9; Ezek. 6:11-12; 7:3-15). The fact that it is by means of these exact “disastrous judgments” from God that a fourth of the earth will be killed after the fourth seal is broken by Christ indicates that the result of the breaking of the fourth seal will be an expression of God’s indignation.  

Based on the above considerations, I believe it’s reasonable to understand the events associated with the opening of the first four seals to involve, in some way or another, the indignation of God that will be expressed during the day of the Lord. But is there any other evidence that the events associated with the opening of the first four seals will be taking place during the future day of the Lord? I think so.

In 1 Thess. 5:1-3 we read the following:

“Now concerning the times and the eras, brethren, you have no need to be written to, for you yourselves are accurately aware that the day of the Lord is as a thief in the night -- thus is it coming! Now whenever they may be saying ‘Peace and security,’ then extermination is standing by them unawares, even as a pang over the pregnant, and they may by no means escape.”

In contrast with the time in which people will be living when the day of the Lord begins will be the time period just prior to Christ’s return: according to Revelation 15-19, Christ’s return to earth will be shortly after the bowls of the “last seven calamities” of the “fury of God” have begun to be poured out (Rev. 15:1, 16:1-21). By the time these “seven bowls” begin to be poured out, “peace and security” will be the last thing on anyone’s mind. This will be the most fearful and tumultuous time in history that the world has ever known. Just before Christ finally comes with all his holy messengers to destroy the enemies of Israel, the inhabitants of the earth will still be reeling from the dreadful calamities that will have taken place during the preceding days and years. Thus we can conclude that the time at which people on the earth will be saying “peace and security” will be prior to these terrible judgments.

As noted earlier, the rider on the fiery-red horse (who will be unleashed through the opening of the second seal) is going to be given a “huge sword” and the authority to “take peace out of the earth” so that “they should be slaying one another.” This implies that the “conquering” activity associated with the rider on the white horse will – at least initially – be peaceful in nature. But it is this very state of (relative) “peace and security” that Paul said would be present when the day of the Lord arrives as a thief. For, after the opening of the second seal, peace is going to be removed from the earth, and life on earth is going to become increasingly more disrupted and chaotic until everything finally comes to a climax with the return of Christ to the earth. This being the case, it follows that the time of “peace and security” that will be present when the day of the Lord arrives must be before the breaking of the second seal (and all subsequent seals) referred to in Revelation 6.

In addition to believing that the day of the Lord will be arriving at a time when people will be saying “peace and security,” Paul also seemed to believe that, when this day comes to be present, “extermination” will be “standing by them unawares” (with the “them” being among the first of those dwelling on the earth whose “peace and security” will be unexpectantly disrupted after the day of the Lord has arrived, and who will be among the first to be “exterminated”). In other words, it is at the start of the day of the Lord that peace and security will appear to be characterizing the world. Although the “peace and security” that they will see as characterizing the world at this time will soon be removed, the fact that it will be present at the start of the day of the Lord accounts for why the arrival of this time of judgment will be so unexpected. “Extermination” will not instantly be coming upon people when the day of the Lord arrives, for those living on the earth at the time when it begins will not, at that time, be aware of the “extermination” that will be “standing by them.” And since the first “extermination-causing event” during the day of the Lord will occur after the opening of the second seal, the day of the Lord must already be present before this seal is opened (which, again, suggests that the opening of the first seal is what initiates the day of the Lord). And this, again, would mean that the snatching away of the body of Christ must take place before the occurrence of the event associated with the opening of the first seal.

Before the beginning of pangs

Significantly, Paul likened the “extermination” that will be standing by people “unawares” at the start of the day of the Lord to “a pang over the pregnant” (1 Thess. 5:2-3). Similar “birth pang” imagery is found in Isa. 13:6-9 and Jer. 30:6-7 (which refer to conditions during the day of the Lord), and was, of course, also used by Christ in his Olivet Discourse when describing some of the earliest events that will be taking place during the final years of this eon (Matt. 24:6-8). Although most translations have “labor pains” (plural) in 1 Thess. 5:3, Paul actually used the singular “pang.” Paul was not referring to labor pains in general (or collectively), but rather to the first labor pang experienced by a pregnant woman. It is this labor pang which – by virtue of being the first – comes most unexpectantly. It also, of course, foretells even more pangs to come (which will become increasingly more intense until the baby is finally born). It is, therefore, reasonable to infer that Paul had in mind the same general period of time as Christ did when he referred to the “beginning of pangs.” In Matthew 24:4-8, we read:

Now at His sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what is the sign of Thy presence and of the conclusion of the eon?"And, answering, Jesus said to them, "Beware that no one should be deceiving you. For many shall be coming in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ!' and shall be deceiving many. Yet you shall be about to be hearing battles, and tidings of battles. See that you are not alarmed, for it must be occurring; but not as yet is the consummation. For roused shall be a nation against a nation, and a kingdom against a kingdom, and there shall be famines and quakes in places. Yet all these are the beginning of pangs (significantly, Luke’s account adds “pestilences” to the events referred to by Christ that will constitute the “beginning of pangs”).

This is further confirmation that the day of the Lord will include the events associated with the opening of the first four seals, since the first of the “pangs” referred to by Christ will be warfare between nations and kingdoms (which corresponds, of course, to the events associated with the opening of the second seal). This would place the beginning of the day of the Lord – when the “pangs” of which Christ spoke will begin – no later than the earliest part of the time period described by Christ in his Olivet Discourse. Consider the following argument:

1. The warfare between nations and kingdoms referred to by Christ in Matthew 24:8 (which will be part of the “beginning of pangs”) corresponds to the peace-removing judgment associated with the opening of the second seal.

2. The day of the Lord will begin at a time when peace has not yet been taken out of the earth (and when “extermination” is still “standing by” people “unawares”).

3. The day of the Lord will begin before the warfare between nations and kingdoms referred to by Christ in Matthew 24:8 (which will be part of the “beginning of pangs”) begins.

From this argument we can conclude that the snatching away of the body of Christ must take place before the “beginning of pangs” referred to by Christ in Matt. 24:8 begin to occur.

Click the following link for part one of my next study: The Timing of the Snatching Away in Relation to the 70^th Week

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[1] This means that the day of judgment that Paul had in view is a time period that, from a relative standpoint, could have begun during the lifetimes of those to whom he was speaking. That is, as far as Paul knew, the generation living at the time he spoke could have been the generation that saw the commencement of this time of judgment. Of course, since it’s been nearly 2,000 years since Paul spoke these words to the Athenians, we now know that this day of judgment wasn’t going to begin during the lifetimes of those to whom he spoke. But since Paul didn’t know this (only God knew), he spoke as if it could have.

[2] Even if we understand the white horse rider as representative of the “many” false Christs of whom Christ himself warned (Matt. 24:4-5), it’s reasonable to see the rise of these false Messiahs as being the result of (and even a direct response to) the rise to power of the man of lawlessness himself. For this future political leader will no doubt have a polarizing effect on the people of Israel, with some supporting him as a “political savior” and others zealously opposing him as a false Messiah. Among those Jews who oppose him, some may see themselves as the “true” Messiah, and will manage to gain followers (which is the very thing of which Christ was warning his disciples). In any case, seeing the white horse rider as representative of false Christs in general does not undermine the fact that the man of lawlessness will be among these false Christs, and will prove to be the most powerful, influential and deceptive of them.

[3] The Pre-wrath Rapture View: An Examination and Critique (2001). See page 66.

[4] With regard to the use of “death” instead of “pestilence” in Rev. 6:8, it’s likely that this is simply an example of the figure of speech “metonymy.” A.E. Knoch also notes in his commentary that, whenever “famine” and “pestilence” are joined together in the Hebrew Scriptures (see 1 Kings 8:37, 2 Chr. 20:9, Jer. 21:7, 9; 24:10; 44:13; Ez. 6:11; 7:15) the LXX translation replaces “pestilence” with “death.” It’s thus not surprising that John would do the same in Rev. 6:8.