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

Raise your hand if you know that context is everything when it comes to correct Bible interpretation?

All right. You can put your hand down.

Raise your hand if you know that the Old Testament matters when it comes to correctly interpreting New Testament texts?

Great. You can put your hand down again.

Now raise your hand if you know the precise referent of the masculine singular pronouns in the following passage of Scripture (in other words, who is John specifically referring to with his use of the pronouns Him, He, and His?):

And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we might have boldness and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. (1 Jn. 2:28, Berean Literal Bible)

Did you answer "Jesus"? If so, put your hand down.

Is your hand still up? Really? (You're on the honor system here). Did you know that John is referring to "the Father"? (note: "God" as a response doesn't count...at least on this particular assessment). Ok, if you answered correctly that the Father is the primary referent of John's pronouns, you can take your raised hand and pat yourself on the back.

Everyone else. You've got homework...

The Father's First Appearing

If you fell short of 100% after that pop quiz, don't let it get you down. You are definitely not alone! It's completely understandable why so many Christians gravitate toward reading "Jesus" into the pronouns He, Him, His in 1 John 2:28 (as well as many other pronoun-filled passages in the letter). After all, other New Testament verses explicitly state that believers abide in God's Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, and reveal that the resurrected Jesus is coming back to make a sudden, glorious appearance.

However, as card-carrying Trinitarians (i.e., holding to the belief that Scripture reveals the One True God as Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), we need to reevaluate our knee-jerk interpretation and response to the commonly misunderstood text of 1 John 2:28.

For the sake of comparison, take a look at another commonly misinterpreted and misapplied verse:

If we should say that we have fellowship with Him, and yet should walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (1 Jn. 1:6, Berean Literal Bible)

Without any context or background, it appears that John is calling into question those who say that they know Jesus but otherwise live like hell. On the surface of it, this verse in isolation is every legalistic Christian's dream, because they can use this convicting passage to call out the lazy, nominal, and "suspect" Jesus-confessors in their midst. However, there's just one big problem with this approach...

The pronoun "Him" in 1 John 1:6 refers to God the Father, not Jesus! 

In fact, the following verse confirms and clarifies this crucial point of distinction:

But if we should walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 Jn. 1:7, Berean Literal Bible)

Did you catch that? Look at it again, and note the masculine singular pronoun "He" in 1:7 (the same referent as the "Him" in 1:6) has to be God the Father, because John goes on to say that "His Son" (Jesus) is the reason and basis for fellowship with the Father. Seeing "Jesus" as the "Him" in 1:6 and the "He" in 1:7 violates both the rules of grammar and common sense.

Now go thump that legalist over the head with 1 John 1:7.

Just kidding.

Maybe...

After the super-clarifying combo of 1 John 1:6–7, let's return to the text of 1 John 2:28, note again that the Father is the referent of all the masculine singular pronouns. And when 2:28 is seen in light of 2:29 and 3:1, the fog begins to dissipate:

If you know that He is righteous, you know also that everyone practicing righteousness has been begotten of Him. Behold what love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God—and we are! Because of this, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. (Berean Literal Bible)

The Father is the One who begets ("begotten of Him") and gives love by sending His Son into the world ("the Father has given to us"). And in 2:28, He is also the One who is "coming" and will "appear" in order to gather His children and take them home.

I realize that it might seem strange at first to think of the Father as coming and appearing, when other texts refer to Jesus as the One who physically comes and appears to His people to resurrect and glorify them. However, if we are going to correctly believe and rightly teach the Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16–17), then we must align our thoughts with the apostle John here, think in a Trinitarian manner, and teach a Trinitarian theology.

Now that we've got some immediate context under our belts, what about the all-important Old Testament background? Let's figure out what John has in mind as he associates the Father's appearance with the concepts of fear and shame: "...when He appears we might have boldness and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming."

Know of any places in the Old Testament where the LORD God suddenly appears to His children, a momentous event that is also accompanied by His children shrinking away in shame?

Ah, yes. The beginning, you say? Ok, let's go waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back.

Here is the Father's first appearing; which is the conceptual backdrop of 1 Jn. 2:28. And for the sake of our present study, let's first look at the well-known KJV version:

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. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat (Gen. 3:8-13).

And there you have it. This is the primary source and inspiration for John's New Testament message in 1 John 2:28. Note the following thematic connections: 

• the Father appearing to His children ("the presence of the LORD God")
• the concept of shrinking away/fear ("I was afraid")
• the concept of shame ("I was naked")
• the concept of not abiding but hiding ("I hid myself")

John's argument in his First Epistle is a reversal of this disastrous scene in the Garden. The apostle declares that those born of God through belief in His Son (Jesus) will not shrink back, go into hiding, and seek to cover their sin with self-righteous works (represented by the fig-leaf covering; Gen. 3:7). How can the children of God be so confident on Judgement Day this time around? Because the blood of Jesus cleanses the children of God from "all sin" (1 Jn. 1:7) and "all unrighteousness" (1 Jn. 1:9); the Seed of the Woman (Gen. 3:15) abides in all those who are born of God (1 Jn. 3:9); therefore, because of the Righteous Seed, the children of God will abide in the Father forever and will never be banished from His presence again (1 Jn. 2:28; 4:13–16).

Toward the end of his letter, John affirms that fear, shame, and punishment are not meant for the children of God. In other words, the Father is coming back in order to give them their reward for believing in his Son: eternal life. He is coming to hug them, not harm them!

In this, love has been perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment that, just as He is, also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment; and the one fearing has not been perfected in love. We love because He first loved us. (1 Jn. 4:17–19, Berean Literal Bible)

Are you looking for confidence on the Day of Judgment? Are you seeking complete and total assurance of your salvation the next time the Father comes around? You can rest easy if you have already placed your faith in the Son of God. Jesus is the only WAY to the Father (Jn. 14:6); Jesus is the only Refuge and Escape from God's wrath (Jn. 3:36; 1 Jn. 5:12; Ps. 2:12).

If you don't know Jesus, you don't know the Father! Therefore, if you don't know the Father, get to know Him today, ASAP, by believing the GOOD NEWS about His Son: Jesus paid your sin-debt completely by His death on the cross. His once-for-all sacrifice was perfect, final, and never to be repeated. And since Jesus has risen victoriously from the dead, you can ask Him to save you today. Any time, any place. He will respond, if you call to Him in faith. The Day of the LORD is coming (again), so don't delay!

Stay tuned for Part II...

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A NOTE FROM GARY AND JEFF: The Unsealed crew has been quite busy behind the scenes. We are very pleased to announce the imminent publication of a commentary on Hebrews, James, and 1 John: The Hard Books. Stay tuned! Details from this article and Part II are explored in depth in the book. We can't wait to tell you more.

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