Question
The expression “the day of Christ,” in view of Paul’s use of it in Philippians : and :.
Response
Re: your follow-up question to what I said about the expression “the day of Christ,” especially in view of Paul’s use of the expression in places like Philippians : and :.
It is my understanding that the expression “the day of Christ” is just another way of referring to ‘the Lord Jesus Christ’s day,’ or “the day of the Lord,” which is that prophesied time to come following the conclusion of this present dispensation of God’s longsuffering and grace, when the Lord Jesus Christ will have ‘His day’ during which He will judge His enemies and reward His own people.
Now before God unexpectedly suspended His program with Israel and brought in this present dispensation of His grace in accordance with “the mystery of Christ,” the only knowledge God revealed about ‘Christ’s day’ was naturally confined to those things pertaining to Him having ‘His day’ with His enemies on this earth and rewarding His people of Israel on this earth in connection with the establishment of His kingdom on it. However with “the revelation of the mystery of Christ” and with the forming of the “new creature,” the church the body of Christ, God has now made it known that in “the day of Christ” the Lord Jesus Christ is going to have ‘His day’ with more enemies than just those that are on the earth, and He is going to reward some other people that are now also His people. In other words with the revelation of “the mystery of Christ” it has now been revealed that in ‘His day’ the Lord Jesus Christ is also going to vanquish His enemies in the heavenly places, (i.e. Satan and his co-horts), and He is also going to reward His people that are the members of His body —God’s “new creature” — which God is now forming for the purpose of reconciling the heavenly places unto Himself.
Wherefore it has now been revealed that there will be more going on in “the day of Christ” than had previously been made known. And those things that God has only now revealed about “the day of Christ” are the things that pertain to us, the church the body of Christ, His “new creature.” e “day of Christ” itself will still take place at the same time that it is scheduled to take place; i.e. following the conclusion of this present dispensation of God’s longsuffering and grace. But now we know that when it takes place there will occur the formerly unprophesied and unknown aspect of it that will take place in the heavenly places, which will involve us and the occupants of the heavenly places; and then there will occur the prophesied and always known aspect of it that will take place on the earth, which will involve God’s people of Israel and the occupants of the earth.
Wherefore when in places like I Corinthians :; :; II Corinthians :; Philippians :; : and others like them Paul refers to us and “the day of Christ”/”the day of the Lord,” he is referring to the heavenly aspect of ‘the Lord’s day’ in which we will be participants and of which we will be partakers. And indeed we will be participants in, and partakers of, the heavenly aspect of “the day of Christ.” For example it will be during that time that “the judgment seat of Christ” will take place, at which we will give account of ourselves and will be rewarded, or not rewarded, as the case may be. It is especially in connection with our appearance before the judgment seat of Christ in “the day of Christ” that Paul speaks of desiring that we be ‘blameless’ in that day, or of being ‘sincere and without offence’ till that day, or of him ‘rejoicing’ in that day, etc.
So then in connection with God’s revelation of “the mystery of Christ” there is a now-made-known heavenly aspect to “the day of Christ,” which will take place in the heavenly places following the conclusion of this present dispensation; and in which we will participate and partake, especially at the judgment seat of Christ.
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries
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