Let the reader note this carefully. It is not the question of Christians suffering tribulation. They are actually called to it in this world, so long as wickedness has the upper hand. Christ suffered, and so must they. But the point we want to fasten upon the mind and heart of the Christian is, that when Christ comes to set up His kingdom, it is utterly impossible that His people can be in trouble. Thus the entire teaching of the enemy, by which he sought to upset the Thessalonian believers, was proved to be utterly fallacious. The apostle sweeps away the very foundation of the whole fabric by the simple statement of the precious truth of God. This is the divine way of delivering people from false notions and vain fears. Give them the truth, and error must flee before it. Let in the sunshine of God's eternal word, and all the mists and clouds of false doctrine must be rolled away.
But let us, for a moment, examine the further teaching of our apostle, in this remarkable writing. In so doing, we shall see how thoroughly he establishes the distinction between "the coming" and "the day"--a distinction which the reader will do well to ponder.
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by [or on the ground of] the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him, 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 the Lord is present."[26]
[26] We have no pretensions whatever to scholarship; we are merely gleaners in the deeply interesting field of criticism in which others have reaped a golden harvest. We do not mean to occupy our readers with arguments in defence of readings given in the text; but we feel that there is no use in giving them what we consider to be erroneous. We believe there is no doubt whatever that the true reading of 2 Thessalonians ii. is as we have given it above, "as that the day of the Lord is present." The word ενεστηκεν can only be thus rendered. It occurs in Romans viii. 38, where it is translated "things _present_." So also in 1 Corinthians iii. 22, "things _present_;" chapter vii. 25, "_present_ distress;" Galatians i. 4, "_present_ evil world;" Hebrews ix. 9, "time then _present_."
Now, apart altogether from the question of various readings, a moment's reflection will suffice to show the simple minded Christian that the apostle could not possibly mean to teach the Thessalonians that the day of the Lord was not, even then, at hand. Scripture can never contradict itself. No one sentence of divine revelation can possibly collide with another. But if the reading given in our excellent Authorized Version were correct, it would stand in direct opposition to Romans xiii. 12, where we are plainly and expressly told that "the day is at hand." What "day?" The day of the Lord, most surely, which is always the term used in connection with our individual responsibility in walk and service.
This, we may remark in passing, is a point of much interest and practical value. If the reader will take the trouble to examine the various passages in which "the day" is spoken of, he will find that they have reference, more or less, to the question of work, service or responsibility. For instance, "That ye may be blameless [not at the _coming_, but] in the _day_ of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. i. 8). Again, "Every man's work shall be made manifest, for the _day_ shall declare it" (1 Cor. iii. 13). "Without offence till the day of Christ" (Phil. i. 10). "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at _that day_" (2 Timothy iv. 8).
From all these passages, and many more which might be adduced, we learn that "the day of the Lord" will be the grand time for reckoning with the workers; for the divine appraisal of service; for the settling of all questions of personal responsibility; for the distribution of rewards--the "ten cities" and the "five cities."