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The Day of the Lord

The Day of the Lord: Judgment, Revelation, and the Law of Cosmic Justice

Introduction: The Law of Ultimate Distinction

The phrase “The Day of the Lord” (or sometimes “that day” or “the great and dreadful day of the LORD”) is used extensively throughout the prophets. It does not refer to a single 24-hour period but describes a sweeping, extended epoch of divine intervention when God violently and definitively breaks into human history to execute judgment on the wicked and deliver His righteous remnant. It is God’s final, public action to settle all accounts.

This concept is a crucial Prophetic Hotspot, encompassing the entire final period of Tribulation and judgment, making it essential to understanding the circumstances surrounding The Lord’s Return.

The Foundational Definition: The Law of Imminent Wrath

The Old Testament consistently presents the Day of the Lord as a time of darkness, terror, and irreversible judgment, contrasting it sharply with the general light of human history.

The KJV Prophetic Terror

The prophet Joel describes the Day of the Lord as a time of universal upheaval and destruction, demonstrating its scope:

“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, KJV)

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.” (Joel 2:31, KJV)

  • The Dual Purpose: The Day of the Lord has two primary objectives: Judgment (on the nations for their rebellion against God and Israel) and Vindication (of God’s covenant promises and the ultimate establishment of righteousness).
  • The Scope: Prophetic usage shows this Day includes several events: the rise of the final Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, the Battle of Armageddon, and the physical appearance of Christ to judge the living nations. It is the final period of cosmic justice before the peace of the Millennial Kingdom.

Prophetic Hotspot: The Controversial Question of the Rapture

The greatest controversy surrounding The Day of the Lord lies in its timing relative to the Church and the event known as the Rapture (the catching away of believers).

  • The Law of Exclusion: Scripture teaches that God’s people are not appointed to wrath (“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ”—1 Thessalonians 5:9, KJV). Many theologians argue that since the Day of the Lord is synonymous with God’s wrath, the Church must be removed before this period begins.
  • The Rapture as Deliverance: The removal of the Church (the Rapture) is seen as the deliverance of the righteous from the imminent wrath of the Day of the Lord, allowing God to then execute judgment upon the unrighteous world and to restart His focused prophetic dealing with the nation of Israel (the final 70th Week of Daniel). This pre-wrath view places the Rapture immediately before the opening seals of Revelation, which begin the Day of the Lord’s judgments.
  • The Timing of Christ’s Return: The Lord’s Return is sometimes used broadly to refer to the Rapture (coming for His saints) and sometimes narrowly to refer to the Second Advent (coming with His saints) at the end of the Tribulation. The Day of the Lord encompasses the entire period between these two events.

The Return Question: Where Is Your Expectation?

The prophets warned that the people often misunderstood the Day of the Lord, expecting only peace and vindication, when it would first bring destruction.

If The Day of the Lord is the certain, imminent, and dreadful period of God’s final judgment that defines the end of this age, are we, the observers of prophecy, actively seeking the holiness and watchfulness required for the King’s appearance, ensuring that the Day of the Lord does not “overtake you as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:4, KJV), but rather meets us prepared for the final vindication of righteousness at The Lord’s Return?