Day of the Lord

Jesus will arrive to gather his people on the Day of the Lord. In the New Testament, this event becomes the Day of Christ.

Paul refuted claims that the “Day of the Lord” was already underway in his second letter to the Thessalonians. That day would not come until the “Apostasy” occurred and the “Man of Lawlessness” was unveiled in the House of God. When Jesus “arrives” on that final day, he will gather his elect to himself and destroy the “Lawless One.”

The “Day of the Lord” is a term from the Hebrew Bible. It was used for the Day when God would rescue His People and judge His enemies. The Hebrew term more correctly translates as the “Day of Yahweh.” It will be characterized by celestial and terrestrial disruptions - (Isaiah 2:12, Joel 1:15, 2:1, 2:31, 3:14, Malachi 4:5).

[Photo by Jeremy Ricketts on Unsplash]

The Apostle Paul connects this event to the “arrival” or ‘Parousia’ of Jesus when he will “gather” his saints and destroy the “Man of Lawlessness.” In the same context, he describes the future “Revelation of the Lord Jesus from Heaven” when he will “take vengeance” on all men who disobey the Gospel. He will also be glorified in the “saints.” When he is revealed from heaven, the righteous and the wicked will receive what they deserve – vindication or condemnation - (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10, 2:1-12).

Paul also discussed the “Day of the Lord” in his previous letter. It would mean “sudden destruction” for the unprepared, but the “sons of light” would not be overwhelmed or destroyed. Instead, they “acquire salvation” - (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 5:1-8).

Paul identifies the “Day of the Lord” as the “Day of Jesus Christ” when he will vindicate his righteous ones but judge the wicked. Thus, he linked the “Day of the Lord” with Jesus and his “arrival” from Heaven. The terms “Day of the Lord” and the “Day of Jesus Christ” become synonymous in Paul’s letters - (1 Corinthians 1:8, 5:5, 2 Corinthians 1:14, Philippians 1:6-10, 2:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11).

The connection between the “Day of the Lord” and the return of Jesus did not originate with Paul. Jesus himself applied language from key Old Testament passages about the “Day of the Lord” when he described the future “coming” of the “Son of Man” – (Matthew 24:29-31).

COSMIC UPHEAVAL

On that day, the “sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven.” When the Lord appears from heaven, “The tribes of the earth will mourn,” and he will dispatch his angels with the “sound of a trumpet to gather” his elect. This description echoes several passages from the Hebrew Bible:

• (Isaiah 13:10) – “The day of Yahweh is coming… For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not cause its light to shine.”

• (Joel 3:15) – “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of Yahweh is near… The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. ”

• (Zechariah 12:10) – “They shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son… On that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem.”

• (Isaiah 11:12) – “And it shall come to pass on that day… He will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”

The Apostle Peter also linked the “Day of the Lord” to the ‘Parousia’ at the end of the age. Despite “scoffers” who ask, “Where is the promise of his arrival,” the “Day of the Lord” will come. When it does, the “heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat.” In the meantime, believers must live righteously and “earnestly desire the coming of the Day of God” - (2 Peter 3:7-12).

The Book of Revelation also uses the Old Testament language about the “Day of Yahweh.” However, that event is applied to Jesus portrayed as the slain “Lamb.” On that Day, the “sun became black as sackcloth, the moon became as blood, and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth.” Men hid in caves and under rocks to escape the “face of Him that sits on the throne and the wrath of the Lamb, for the great Day of their Wrath had come” - (Revelation 6:12-17).

Likewise, all the “Kings of the Earth” were gathered for the “war of the Great Day of God, the Almighty” at the place called “Armageddon” when Jesus arrived “as a thief in the night” - (Revelation 16:14).

The New Testament consistently identifies the “Day of the Lord” with the “arrival” of Jesus from Heaven. On that day he will gather his saints, but he will also render judgment on his enemies and their persecutors. That Day will be characterized by celestial upheaval and tremendous events on the Earth.

However, that Day will not arrive before the final “falling away” and the unveiling of the “Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction,” the one who will seat himself in the “Sanctuary of God” and employ “all power and signs and lying wonders” to deceive all those who refuse the “love of the truth.”

[Download PDF Copy]

RELATED POSTS:

• Disinformation - (Disinformation about the day of the Lord caused alarm in the congregation at Thessalonica – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)

• Just Judgment of God - (The arrival of Jesus will mean vindication and rest for the righteous, but everlasting loss for the wicked - 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)

• Sons of Light - (The Day of the Lord will mean salvation for the Sons of Light who remain ever vigilant and prepared for its sudden arrival – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)