The Day of Our Lord Jesus Christ -- By: Clarence E. Mason, Jr.

Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 125:500 (Oct 1968)
Article: The Day of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Author: Clarence E. Mason, Jr.


The Day of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Clarence E. Mason, Jr.

[Clarence E. Mason, Jr., Vice President, Dean, Philadelphia College of Bible, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.]

The writer is a great believer in free discussion among those of the premillennial, dispensational viewpoint and is of the conviction that much of our thrust has been blunted by arbitrary and stylized distinctions which are not a valid part of the view. In addition, there seems to be a hesitancy to debate such matters lest one be thought to be suspect in the house of his friends, if the result of his study should lead to the sacrifice of a sacred cow.

The writer places himself in the camp of the pro-Scofield teachers. Yet at the same time he finds himself—in some matters—appearing to be a member of the loyal opposition. An example will be found in an article discussing the terms and occasion of the institution of the Abrahamic Covenant.1 Strong exception was taken to the thesis of many premillennialists that Abraham’s leaving of Ur was a condition to the establishment of that covenant.

A similar situation is found in the subject of the present article. The student of the Scriptures becomes increasingly

aware as he goes through the Bible, and particularly as he gets into the epistles, that such phrases as Day of the Lord, Day of Jesus Christ, Day of the Lord Jesus, and Day of Christ are prominently present.

Premillennialists especially have sought to ascertain from their usage the proper interpretation of the phrases. Considerable literature has been forthcoming and certain of the phrases have led to debate, often characterized by more heat than light.

The purpose of this article is to examine the evidence and suggest some conclusions as to usage. This would appear to be highly desirable in the light of the multiple forms in which the phrases occur. The following is a list of twenty different combinations in the New Testament of the word day with qualifying words which make a title or something similar to a title:

My day—i.e., Christ speaking, “Abraham…saw my day”—(John 8:56; cf. Gal 3:8); mans day (lit., 1 Cor 4:3); day of redemption (Eph 4:30); day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:8; cf. vs. 7) day of the Lord Jesus (<...

You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
Click here to subscribe
visitor : : uid: ()