Welcome to Part 2 of a 5 Part Series

In Part 1 of this series (Intro) we looked at the various views of the Rapture, and introduced The Day of the Lord as our focal point to determine the pertinence of the church in the last days. Today, we will take a somewhat in-depth look at what the Bible has to say about the Day of the Lord.

What is the Day of the Lord?

In researching for this post, I attempted to calculate how many times the Day of the Lord is mentioned in the Bible, either in word or concept. I had no idea what I would find, but I quickly realized the impossibility of the task. Instead I began reading through the many verses I had already found. To say that I was startled by the vast number of references I came across is mild. I was thoroughly overwhelmed at how prevalent this subject is throughout most (if not all) the books of the Bible. 

The amount of information about the Day of the Lord, and the way God weaves its thread throughout His Word, is both exciting and revealing. In fact, in my estimation the concept surrounding this time period is as much an integral part of the Bible (and the story of mankind) as the fall of man, the gift of salvation, the great judgment, eternal life, and heaven & hell. 

So in answer to the question, What is the Day of the Lord, let’s take a look at what some of these verses have to say.

1.  It will come Suddenly and Unexpectedly for the unsuspecting

  • 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 – Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.
  • 2 Peter 3:10 – But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

2.  It will commence with Natural and Cosmic Disturbances

  • Isaiah 13:10 – For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light.
  • Isaiah 13:13 – Therefore I will make the heavens tremble and the earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the Lord of hosts in the day of His burning anger.
  • Joel 2:30-31 – I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
  • Joel 3:15 – The sun and moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness.

3.  It will be a day of Distress and Destruction

  • Ezekiel 30:3 – For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near; it will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.
  • Joel 1:15 – Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
  • Joel 2:1-2a – Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; surely it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness.
  • Zephaniah 1:14-16 – Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly; listen, the day of the Lord! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and the high corner towers.

4.  It will be a day of Judgment and Wrath

  • Joel 3:13-14 – Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
  • Obadiah 1:15 – For the day of the Lord draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head.
  • Zephaniah 1:17-18 – I will bring distress on men so that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord; and their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord’s wrath; and all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealously, for He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.

These scriptures are by no means an exhaustive list; but it is clear by these alone that The Day of the Lord will be like no other. It will come on suddenly, not gradually; there will be distinct and unmatched natural and cosmic events to herald it’s impending arrival; terror will be the new norm for those who do not know their Savior; and fierce judgment and wrath will be poured out in increasing intensity.

What The Day of the Lord is Not

The Day of the Lord is not the Great Tribulation; which is the time period of the Antichrist’s so-called reign upon the earth. During this time Satan’s wrath will be poured out in persecution against Israel and those who follow Christ. We will discuss this in more depth as we move through this series.

In contrast, the Day of the Lord is the day–or more accurately, the period of time–that God pours out His vengeance and justice. It will be a time of wrath, destruction, and retribution for those who do not know Christ. And a time when the swift end of our world system as we know it, will commence.

Advance to Part 3 of this series:  The Olivet Discourse and the Abomination of Desolation

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

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