The Day of the LORD

The term “the day of the Lord” seems to have arisen from the popular concept, in the ancient Near East, that a really great warrior king could consummate an entire military campaign in one single day. Thus, as the Israelites used the term in relation to Yahweh, it reflected His greatness and pointed to His swift and effective dispatch of His enemies on a given occasion. Sometimes the term refers to such a judgment in the near past or future, and sometimes it refers to one in the distant future (eschaton).¹Notes on Joel 2023 Edition Dr. Thomas L. Constable by Dr. Thomas L. Constable . https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/ot/joel/joel.htm

The phrase day of the LORD often refers to a time when the LORD reveals His supreme power and authority over human power and human existence. The phrase day of the LORD can refer to any time of God’s intervention in human affairs… The specific time may be near or far (2 Peter 3:8). The reference in Joel 1 & 2, refers to a near time in which God would judge Judah’s wicked deeds through a military invasion of a foreign people. There will be a Day of the Lord when God will judge all the nations who have rebelled against Him. He will bring all things into their proper order and avenge all wickedness committed throughout history (Isaiah 2:12; Obadiah 15). This day of the LORD could be considered a foreshadowing of the Great Day of the LORD, at the end of the age…As Joel foreshadowed God’s judgment upon Judah, he lamented it because it was near and would come as destruction from the Almighty (Isaiah 13:6)… [In the book of Joel] God had given the people of Judah opportunity to repent, but they refused. Therefore the judgement was set, and would happen. This is why Joel speaks of a future event as though it is or has already occurred. Joel is indicating that the window of time for repentance has closed, and now judgement is certain. This is a biblical pattern: God allows windows of repentance, but the window eventually closes.²See Joel 1:15–20 meaning by TheBibleSays.com https://thebiblesays.com/commentary/joel/joel-1/joel-115-20/

The “day of the LORD” is a common phrase in the Old Testament and in the book of Joel (Joel 1:15, 2:1; 2:11, 2:31; 3:14). It always refers to some extraordinary happening, whether a present event (like a locust plague), an event in the near future (like the destruction of Jerusalem or the defeat of enemy nations), or the final period of history when God will defeat all the forces of evil. Even when the day of the Lord refers to a present event, it also foreshadows the final day of the Lord. This final event of history has two aspects to it: (1) the last judgment on all evil and sin and (2) the final reward for faithful believers. Righteousness and truth will prevail, but not before much suffering (Zec. 14:1-3). If you trust the Lord, looking toward this final day should give you hope, because then all who are faithful will be united forever with God.³Direct quote from Life Application Study Bible (LASB). Joel 1:15. (Electronic Version)

Old Testament descriptions of the day of the LORD include: “Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! . . . the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light” (Amos 5:18). “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come” (Joel 2:31). “The great day of the LORD . . . is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness” (Zephaniah 1:14-15). “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger” (Isaiah 13:9). “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (Malachi 4:5). This is the next-to-last verse of the Old Testament and so marks the final mention in the Old Testament of the fearsome theme of the Day of the Lord.⁴The Dreadful Day of the Lord. By Henry M. Morris PH.D. https://www.icr.org/article/4400

The phrase “day of the Lord” refers to a specific time yet future. Those who hold to the pretribulational view of end times events believe that  this “day” will begin when Antichrist makes a covenant with Israel, and it will conclude with the burning up of the present heavens and earth. They believe, as Dr. Thomas Constable points out, that “This day will come as a thief in that its beginning will take those unbelievers living on the earth then (after the Rapture) by surprise (Matt. 24:37-39; 24:43-44; Luke 12:39-40; 1Thess. 5:2; Rev. 3:3; 16:15). “⁵Notes on 2 Peter 2023 Edition Dr. Thomas L. Constable. 2 Peter 3:10. https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/nt/2peter/2peter.htm In other words, they believe that the day of the Lord, is spread out over the entire seven years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week and is, in fact, synonymous with that event. Midtribulationalists content that the day of the Lord will begin at the midpoint of the seventieth week. Postribulationalists hold that the day of the Lord is a literal 24 hours period that takes place at the end of the seventieth week. The pre-wrath view is that the day of the Lord will take place at some unknown point after the abomination of desolation (Matt. 24:15; Dan. 9:27; 11:31) which takes place at the mid-point of the seventieth week. All of these views believe that the rapture will take place prior to the day of the Lord. So the issue is the timing of the day of the Lord. When does the day of the Lord take place? All believe that this cannot be predicted. It will “come as a thief in the night” (Mat. 24:36; Luk. 12:35-40; 1Th. 5:2; 1Th. 5:4 2Pe. 3:10; Rev. 3:3, 16:15). Does it begin with the “man of lawlessness” (2Thess. 2:3) makes a covenant with Israel (Dan 9:27) and is “revealed in his time” (2Th 2:6, ESV) initiating the events of Daniel’s Seventieth Week – the pretribulational view. Or does the day of the Lord take place immediately following  the abomination of desolation, midway through the seventieth week – the midtribulationalists view.   Or does the day of the Lord take place at the end of the seventieth week  – the postribulationalists view.  Or does the day of the Lord take place at some unknown point following the midpoint of the seventh week. This seems to be the view that the Lord describes in Matthew 24. He says “when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place…”(v15), he says, “then there will be great tribulation⁶The Greek word thlipsis means “pressure” and is translated elsewhere in the KJV as “anguish,” “burdened,” “persecution,” “tribulation, “”trouble.” It was used to describe the practice of placing heavy weights on the chests of torture victims eventually crushing them to death (see Word Pictures in the New Testament by A. T. Robertson. Matthew 13:21. Tribulation. [Electronic Version])., such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (v21). The Antichrist will bring such terrible “pressure” on the people of God, that, “except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (v22). Then He says that, His coming will not be a secret. It will not be hidden, but will be as visible as lightening coming from the east and shinning as far as the west (v27).⁷Dr. Bob Utley says that “The true Messiah’s coming will not be secret or hidden. It will not be to a select group but visible to all (Mat_24:27). Biblically there is no “secret rapture.” (You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Dr. Bob Utley. Matthew 24:15-28. [Electronic Version]). And then,  “Immediately after the tribulation of those days,”⁸Remember, the “great tribulation” has been cut short. How many days, months or years we do not know. Only the Father knows (Mat 24:36). says the Lord, “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 they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (vv29-31).  The cosmic disturbances (e.g. sun and moon darkened) of v29, “was OT apocalyptic language of the end time (cf. Isa. 13:10; 34:4; Ezek. 32:7-8; Joel 2:10; 2:31; 3:15; Amos 8:9). There will be upheavals in nature at the coming of the Day of the Lord (cf. 2Pet. 3:7; 3:10-12; Rev. 6:12-14)”⁹ibid. Amazingly, Dr. Thomas Constable, who holds the pretribulational view,  says, “At the very end of the Tribulation there will be signs in the sky. The sun and moon will darken and the stars will fall from the sky.”¹⁰The Expository Notes of Dr. Constable by Dr. Thomas Constable. Matthew 24:29. (Electronic Version). But Joel 2:31 says very clearly that, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.” By way of comparisons, if we turn to Revelation 6:12, we find that Jesus has just opened the sixth of seven seals. And when he does, great cosmic disturbances take place. As in Joel and Matthew, the sun becomes black and the moon becomes as blood (Rev. 6:12). Then ” 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…For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Rev. 6:15; 17). So we must look for these cosmic disturbances to take place BEFORE the day of the Lord. As a pretribulationists,  Dr. Thomas also holds that the day of the Lord begins when the seventieth week begins. So one must ask which is it? Does the day of the Lord, come at the beginning or the end of the seventieth week?

Moving on. Jesus tells us that it is at this point (the coming of the Day of the Lord) that He will return (Matt. 24:30) “he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (24:31).  Paul, in 1Thess. 4:16-17 uses very similar language when teaching on the rapture. Paul says that Christ will, “descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God¹¹see also 1Cor. 15:52…Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”¹²See Parallels between Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians for a complete list of parallels between Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians.

So to summarize: Jesus says that when ‘The Awful Horror’ of which the prophet Daniel spoke of standing in the holy place (“the abomination of desolation”) humanity will begin to suffer terribly; it will be a time of “great tribulation”. Far more terribly than ever before. But, for the sake of believers, God will bring the suffering to an end: Jesus returns in the clouds and at the same time, God initiates great judgement on the Antichrist and all the enemies of God.

Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 all record the Olivet Discourse.