The First "Day of the LORD" (Part II)

Recap of Part I:

1 John 2:28 is a commonly misunderstood passage of Scripture. For starters, many misinterpret the masculine singular pronouns as referring to "Jesus" and not the Father. As a result of this misunderstanding, John's thematic connection to Genesis 3 gets lost in translation (i.e., the Father's first "appearing" and the first "Day of the LORD"). Worse yet, because of this fundamental misstep, we've got paraphrased English versions saying things like: "stay with Christ" (The Message) and "remain in fellowship with Christ" (NLT). Legalistic Christians love a text like this, especially when self-effort and man-power are bolstered by a mistranslation. And if the mistranslation alone doesn't get you, the legalist will still try to convince you that John's command to "abide in Him" is somehow attained/maintained by good Christian behavior such as constant prayer, going to church, regular tithing, not sinning as much (whatever that means), and so on and on and on...

And while the legalist goes on "priding in his abiding," the sincere believer cries out to the Lord for clarity. And rightly so. There is no way that John endorses salvation through self-effort in 1 Jn. 2:28. According to the apostle's theology, "abiding" is believing. And to "abide in Him" is to believe in the One sent by the Father (1 Jn. 4:13-16; cf. Rom. 8:9). Conversely, to "not abide" is to not believe (Jn. 5:38). It's that simple.

To start Part II, we'll revisit the Old Testament background of 1 Jn. 2:28. Curiously enough, the idea of the Father "appearing" and "coming" to His children in a Day of Judgment is obscured (albeit ever so slightly) by yet another mistranslation.

A Not-So-Cool Day...

Many words and phrases from the King James Version are woven into the fabric of Western culture. For example, familiar expressions such as "my brother's keeper" (Gen. 4:9), "out of the mouth of babes" (Ps. 8:2), and "the apple of his eye" (Zech. 2:8) can be found in classic literature, movies, television, and the everyday conversations of English speakers worldwide. These KJV-inspired expressions have become so entrenched and hard-wired into our minds that it can be difficult to accept an alternative translation of a well-known passage of Scripture.

However, in order to clear up confusion and cut through the fog of culture and tradition, sometimes a sacred cow has to be slaughtered (how else are we going to "eat the meat and spit out the bones"?). 

Next up on the chopping block is the KJV-inspired phrase "in the cool of the day" from Gen. 3:8:

And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Of all the various sermons and life-applications derived from this text, one of the most creative (yet misguided) explanations I've heard is that God was on His way to meet Adam and Eve for their regularly scheduled afternoon stroll (naturally, God's walking buddies failed to call ahead and reschedule before going M.I.A.). Apparently, the phrase "cool of the day" has been commonly understood to be some sort of crisp, refreshing breeze that occurred at the end of a hot day in paradise. And not wanting to rock the boat, and also in fear of possibly upsetting the target audience and the bottom line, many contemporary English translations preserve and perpetuate the questionable translation of "the cool of the day" (e.g. NKJV, NASB, NIV, ESV, et al.). Some English versions go even further (in the wrong direction) by putting a fresh new spin on this old familiar phrase; for example, "when the evening breezes were blowing" (NLT), and "at the breezy time of the day" (NET).

And to reinforce just how deeply ingrained this understanding of "the cool of the day" is in contemporary thought, here is The Message's rendering of Gen. 3:8:

When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God.

So there you have it. According to the popular and prevailing consensus, the LORD God was ready for a routine sunset stroll through Eden with His children in the cool of the day. It sounds pleasant. But is the "late afternoon, leisurely stroll" idea really what the Holy Spirit intended to communicate in the original text?

Hardly. Especially when you take the Hebrew text of Gen. 3:8 at face value and compare its key terms with the rest of Scripture.

The LSV (Literal Standard Version) gets us closer to the original intent of the author (with one slight modification in bold):

And they hear the sound of YHWH God walking up and down in the garden at the wind of the day, and the man and his wife hide themselves from the face of YHWH God in the midst of the trees of the garden.

Note: based on a surface-level reading of the Hebrew text, the KJV's "cool of the day" is more literally rendered "the wind of the day." If you survey the KJV's various translations of the Hebrew term ruach (Strong's 7307, "breath, wind, spirit"), you will see that "cool" is found only one time out of 370+ occurrences in the Old Testament (for a quick reference, see Blue Letter Bible). In short, "cool" just doesn't cut it as a logically equivalent translation for the common Hebrew term that is more aptly translated as breath, spirit, or, in the context of Gen. 3:8, wind.

While "the wind of the day" may sound awkward and clunky to modern ears, I can assure you that it is still a better translation than the beloved but misleading "cool of the day" (to any KJV-only readers, please don't shoot the messenger; I'm pretty sure that I have not blasphemed, apostatized, or altered God's word while writing this plea for personal inquiry and investigation).

Contrary to popular conceptions of brisk afternoon walks in the park (i.e., "the cool of the day"), the more contextually appropriate "wind of the day" evokes powerful Day of the LORD-type imagery and connects to other like-minded texts such as the "theophanic" appearances of Exodus 19 (God thunderously appears to Moses and the Israelites at Sinai); 1 Kings 19 (God thunderously appears to Elijah...also at Sinai); and Job 38-42 (God thunderously appears to Job). Thus, based on the lexical and thematic connections to other passages in the Bible, one could say that Genesis 3:8 contains the essential terms and phrases which form the very first "Day of the LORD" template.

Three Hebrew terms from Gen. 3:8 in particular are embedded throughout other "Day of the LORD" passages in the Bible:

1. Qol - "Voice," "Sound," or even "Thunder" (see Ex. 19:19; 20:18; the word is also connected to the shofar/trumpet blast)
2. Ruach - "Breath," "Spirit," or "Wind" (see especially the relationship between the "east wind" and God's judgment in texts such as Gen. 41:6; Ex. 10:13; Jer. 18:17; Ps. 48:7; Hos. 13:15; Isa. 27:8)
3. Yom - "Day" or possibly "Storm" (on the intriguing possibility of a storm connection, see Niehaus, "God at Sinai," pages 156-157)

Qol, Ruach, Yom. Thunder, Wind, Day (not exactly a walk in the park).

These three terms signal the DAY of the LORD's appearance or manifestation to mankind which is accompanied by strong WIND and loud THUNDER.

In the New Testament, these three terms show up again all in one verse just like Gen. 3:8 (the Greek terms are the precise equivalents of the Hebrew words: qol, ruach, and yom). The last book of the Bible contains the greatest detail in regard to the final Day of the LORD:

I was in the Spirit [pneuma] on the LORD’s Day [hemera], and I heard a great voice [phone] behind me, as of a trumpet...(Rev. 1:10, LSV).

As you can see, these three terms variously translated as "Spirit/Wind" + "Day" + "Voice/Sound/Thunder" are indicative of the sudden presence and manifestation of the LORD. Moreover, when the Father appears to Adam and Eve in Gen. 3:8, He's not whistling "Take Me Home, Country Roads" while taking a leisurely stroll through the garden. He's storming through the foliage like an F5 tornado to confront His wayward and disobedient children!

Turns out, it's not such a "cool" day after all. It's a windy, stormy Day. Hence, Adam and Eve's reaction in the second half of 3:8:

When God arrives in theophany in 3:8, Adam and Eve are immediately afraid. They know God is not coming on a pleasant afternoon stroll when the day has cooled down. They react with fear and seek to hide among the trees because God is after them! This is a judgment visit, a legal inquisition, and they react accordingly. The divine arrival and subsequent grilling by the Judge is theophanic, not a friendly meeting between Creator and creatures at a comfortable time of day. (Douglas K. Stuart, "The Cool of the Day," Bibliotheca Sacra 171, July-September 2014, 264-65).

So, if you really want to understand where the apostle John is coming from in 1 Jn. 2:28, then you need to appreciate what is really going on in the early chapters of Genesis. The first Day of the LORD is Genesis 3:8-24. At the time of the Fall, the Father first appears in judgment to the first man and woman, but in His mercy, He delays final judgment until the Seed of the Woman can come into the world to accomplish victory over the serpent for all who believe (Gen. 3:15; cf. 1 Jn. 3:5-6; 5:4-5).

Therefore, Jesus alone is the reason and basis for John's confidence at the time of the final Day of the LORD. For believers, it will not be the same story of Genesis 3:8-24 repeated. On the the contrary, the Church (the Body of Christ) will be spared from final judgment and hidden away safely in the Father's house (Isa. 26:20-21; Jn. 14:1-2; Rev. 3:10; 12:5). For unbelievers, it will be the same story of Genesis 3:8-24 repeated and magnified! 

When the Father appears again and comes storming in to confront the world, fallen humanity will try to hide themselves once more:

And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich, and the chiefs of thousands, and the mighty, and every servant, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains, and they say 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 anger of the Lamb, because the great day of His anger has come, and who is able to stand? (Rev. 6:15-17, LSV).

**For anyone who would like to see two other witnesses proposing a translation change to the KJV's "cool of the day," please reference the articles below:

"The Thunder and Wind of Yahweh's Judgment: The True Meaning of Genesis 3:8" by John C. Rankin (2014)

"A Defense of Genesis 3:8 as a Storm Theophany" by Christopher Chandler (2016)

A Blameless Bride for the Last Adam

If you were scheduled to teach the Pre-Trib Rapture of the Church at your home Bible study, local church, or even the next prophecy conference, where is the first place you would go? If you were asked to trace the typology of Christ joining His Bride in perfect union prior to the Day of judgment, where does the biblical pattern begin?

When it comes to the first mention of the mystery of Christ and the Church in the Bible, you may want to confer with the apostle Paul before putting together those presentation notes:

So also husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. The one loving his wife loves himself. For no one at any time hated his flesh. But he nourishes and cherishes it just as Christ also does the church. For we are members of His body. 'Because of this, a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will be into one flesh.' This mystery is great; but I speak as to Christ and as to the church. (Eph. 5:28-32, Berean Literal Bible).

Don't overlook the significance of the particular Old Testament passage that Paul uses to justify and support the spiritual union between Christ and the Church. The apostle finds the spiritual root of his teaching at the very beginning of Scripture. Before the exile from Eden, before the Fall of Adam and Eve, and before the first Day of the LORD when the Father appears in judgment, a Bride is created from Adam's side and presented to Him holy and blameless.

At the present time, the Church continues to be in an already-but-not-yet state of becoming one with Christ. However, we know that this spiritual union will soon be completed and consummated when the Bride is perfected and presented to Him, holy and blameless at the time of the Resurrection/Rapture (Eph. 1:4; 5:27; cf. 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 4:1; 12:5).

According to the Genesis template, the typology of the Resurrection & Glorification of the Bride begins in chapter 2 (last time I checked, this comes before chapter 3). God puts Adam to sleep, creates a blameless Bride, and then walks the Bride down the aisle and presents her to the man. One flesh. Perfect union. No shame, no guilt, no judgment (Gen. 2:21-25).

And check this out: Jesus (the last Adam; 1 Cor. 15:45) also went to "sleep" (i.e. His sacrificial death), and out of that sleep, God was able to make a new creation (Isa. 43:19; Eph. 2:15). And just as Eve was presented to Adam, set apart (holy) and without sin (blameless), so also the Bride of Christ (the Church) will be presented to Jesus spotless and without the stain of sin! And all of this Genesis 2 typology is fulfilled before the first Day of the LORD in chapter 3. It's the big day before the BIG DAY (you dig?). This Pre-Trib pattern goes from new creation all the way to bridal presentation—all accomplished BEFORE the DAY of God's judgment!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One having blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world for us to be holy and blameless before Him...Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water by the word, so that He might present to Himself the church in glory, not having spot or wrinkle or any of the such things, but that it would be holy and blameless. (Eph. 1:3-4; 5:25-27, Berean Literal Bible).

So, if you really want to bring the house down (up?), how about kicking off your next Pre-Trib presentation with Genesis 2!

**Your outline of the Genesis 2/3 Pre-Trib Rapture template can be something like this: 

(1) The creation and presentation of the Bride - Gen. 2:21-25

(2) The Bride is presented perfect (holy and blameless) to Adam BEFORE the serpent's arrival and great deception - Gen. 3:1-7

(3) The Bride is presented perfect (holy and blameless) to Adam BEFORE the first Day of the LORD commences (remember: it's not such a "cool" day after all) - Gen. 3:8-24

Maranatha! The final Day of the LORD is approaching quickly. Keep loving and exhorting the Bride, cause I can almost hear those heavenly Church bells ringin'...

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Heb. 10:24-25, KJV).

 

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