The Day of the Lord
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psalm 1:5-6
Introduction
There is a reckoning day for all of God's creation. But "The day of the Lord" is the day when God shall judge and hold accountable the whole lot of mankind from "their time" on the earth. Do not think that only the most dreadful of people will be counted as the "wicked". Far from it. The day of the Lord will separate from the earth all the ungodly that do not honor the God of creation but took pleasure in their own way and the corresponding wickedness that ALWAYS accompanies the ungodly who lived according to their pride and selfish ambition.
As a notable commentator once spoke when he said, "man may have his hour, for now .. but God will have his day.
Why do we speak this way concerning the day of the Lord? And what exactly is it?
Interestingly, the day of the Lord also includes the great tribulation that will come upon the world before the second coming of Christ. Does this sound confusing? It is not. For we must understand from the scripture what is revealed about it. Then we will know what it will all consist of in its entirety. Lets begin where the day shall begin.
The Day of the Lord So Comes as a Thief in the Night
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you.For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
1 Thes. 5:1
The day of the Lord begins with the great tribulation. Why is this you may ask? Because a feature of the day of the Lord is the day of wrath that will come upon the world at the end of the age. Many scriptures testify of God's wrath being poured out upon the wicked at the day of the Lord. And, the tribulation is called "the the great day of his wrath."
The day of the Lord is included in that time scenario called the times and the seasons of prophecy.
Notice, it is not the Lord who comes as a thief but rather the day of the Lord that shall come as a thief. It does not come upon the church as a thief but upon those who are the recipients of destruction and who are "of the night", meaning the tribulation hour, which is what St. Paul is speaking of.
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And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Rev. 6:15-17
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
Rev. 16:1
And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Rev. 16:9
Hear the voice of the prophets:
For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one
that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up;and he shall be brought low.
Isa. 2:12
Alas for the day!For the day of the Lord is at hand,And as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Joel 1:15
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion,And sound an alarm in My holy mountain!Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,For the day of the Lord cometh;For it is nigh at hand;A day of darkness and of gloominess,A day of clouds and thick darkness.As the morning spread upon the mountains:A great people and a strong;
there hath not been ever the like,
neither shall be any more after it,
even to the years of many generations.
Joel 2:1-2
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Matt. 24:21
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken;
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matt. 24:29-30
The Day of the Lord Includes the Second Advent of Christ
Our Lord Jesus Christ and his second coming is also a feature of the day of the Lord. Jesus will come again to judge the quick and the dead. He will come in great power and glory and will continue the judgement upon the unbelieving world.
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
2 Thes. 2:7-9
The day of the Lord is also a single day, a particular day, when the sun will not give its light and the moon will be turned to blood. The sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven and lo ... there shall be the second advent of Christ, in power and glory ... in judgement and majesty.
And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.
Joel 2:30-31
Just before the Lord returns, a great eclipse will occur and the world will go pitch black. There will be no light. When suddenly, the glory of Jesus Christ will fill the sky from east to west with a light so bright it will literaly enlighten the whole world as a daystar arises for all to see and behold.
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The Day of the Lord is the Salvation of All Who Call Upon Him including Gentiles and the Salvation of The Jewish State of Israel:
The prophecy in Joel is very interesting. Not only does it speak of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords coming upon the world with great judgement ... it also declares that at that time ... the Lord will be the rescuer and salvation of all those who call upon him and that nation of Israel and its believing remnant. Israel will be saved as their Messiah will return on that day for them. Lets look at the whole passage now in Joel and receive the understanding of what the prophet declares:
And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
Joel 2:27
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
Joel 2:32
If the above passages are not enough, the prophet Joel drives the point further continuing into the third chapter:
The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
Joel 3:16-17
The early church was aware that the second advent of Christ would be for the salvation of the nation of Israel. For St. Tertullian while discussing the salvation of the Gentiles and their receiving of the gospel in the aftermath of Christ's first coming, in no way discounts the promise that God makes to the people of Israel which is to be fulfilled at Christ's second coming:
"To Christ, however, the order of Melchizedek will be very suitable; for Christ is the proper and legitimate High Priest of God. He is the Pontiff of the priesthood of the uncircumcision, constituted such, even then, for the Gentiles, by whom He was to be more fully received, although at His last coming He will favour with His acceptance and blessing the circumcision also, even the race of Abraham (the Jews), which by and by is to acknowledge Him."
St. Tertullian, "Against Marcion," Book 5, Ch.9
Not only the Jews and the nation of Israel but all who call upon the name of the Lord, that is, the wheat that grows out of the ground of humanity that is of the good seed which the sower of the good seed sowed, they also will find salvation in the Saviour ... if they call upon the name of the Lord for their salvation.
The Day of Lord Will Usher in and Include the Millennial Reign of Christ
The day of the Lord is also a span of time of one thousand years, a sabbath millennium, in which Christ will reign as King of kings on earth from Jerusalem over the earthly kingdoms of the world.
The nation of Israel and all the nations will enter into the millennial reign of the King of kings and Lord of lords. The Gentile nations of the world will be judged at this time since "the time of the Gentiles" will have been fulfilled at the end of the current age. We call this "the judgement of the nations" which Jesus referred to as the seperation of the sheep from the goats. It will determine the entrance and lot of each nation relative to the millennial kingdom which Christ will establish on the earth. And then their is the wheat out of all of mankind to be "stored into the barn". But the wicked, the tares will not enter into this millennial reign but will be cast into the fire.
The day of the Lord, the seventh day, is a sabbatical one thousand year dispensation of time in which Christ will subject all enemies under his feet. For we as of yet do not see all things brought under subjection to man. Yes, Christ has full authority. Yes, he is King of all creation. Yes, his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom that shall have no end as the prophet Daniel tells us. But his millennial one thousand year reign is not for his sake but for the sake of his redeemed. And St. Cyril tells us that any who teaches that Christ's kingdom will come to an end is a heretic. Any who teach that Christ's kingdom is only for a thousand years is a heretic.
So lets be clear and hold to the correct rule of faith while at the same time understand the purpose of his millennial earthly reign.
Likewise, Satan will be bound for a thousand years but the final judgement is not yet. For John tells us that when the thousand years are expired, then Satan will be loosed for a short season to deceive the nations one final time. Then will come the final judgement. Notice that the final judgement does not come on the onset of the millennium but when the millennium is expired. Then at the final judgement is Satan cast into the lake of fire to be banished forever (and not just a thousand years). Then shall come the new heaven and new earth when our Lord Jesus Christ and by the word of his command will call it forth and all things will be made new and the former things will be done away with.
Christ's kingdom will come to the earth in all its fullness at his millennial reign, which is called the seventh day of sabbath rest to the earth for one tousand years. For it is a millennial sabbath rest. And a day with the Lord is as a thousand years. The millennial reign will serve a particular purpose in the plan of God and his continued working (and time of rest) to the perfecting of that portion of his redeemed. His kingdon will continue beyond the millennial reign into the new heaven and new earth ... the eigth day, the eternal day of God, as St. Peter calls it - 2 Peter 3:12-13. And his kingdom shall have no end but shall be forever!
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