PREPARE – THE DAY OF THE LORD IS NEAR

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The phrase “The day of the Lord” identifies events that take place at the end of history.

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.” Luke 21:34

“For it (The day of the Lord) will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:35

“See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” Matthew 24:4

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,” Matthew 24:6-7a

“There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” Matthew 24:7b

Note the escalation, as with birth pangs, of tribulation to great tribulation in the following Scripture.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.” Matthew 24:9-10

“And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” Matthew 24:11-12

But note what follows these two verses:

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew24:13-14

So let us make sure we keep on with what God has called us to do to make Jesus and His coming Kingdom known. Jesus Millennial Kingdom is what’s next for planet Earth. To prepare, check out http://www.millennialkingdom.net for more information

WHY WILL THE WORLD LARGELY REJECT THE MESSAGE OF GOD’S TWO SUPERNATURAL WITNESSES?

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Before God pours out His wrath upon the Earth He always warns the people in advance: Noah, “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2: 5), was a witness before the judgment of the flood; Lot was as a witness to Sodom and Gomorrah (2 Peter 2: 6-7); and again, Jonah witnessed to Nineveh (John 1: 2). So too, it will be when Mystery Babylon’s “sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18: 5). Therefore, when God decides it is time, God will send His Two Witnesses/Prophets to the world to witness with signs and wonders of what is coming.

When Moses and Aaron gave witness of God’s intentions to Pharaoh’s court, their powerful message was not heeded because Satan had previously installed his counterfeits; He is the great deceiver. Today, the idea of directed panspermia, the thousands of UFO sightings, alien abductions, etc. are the modern equivalent to Pharaoh’s court, installed beforehand so the world will not heed the message of the Two Witnesses. Children have been bombarded with movies and video games that feature aliens.

Mankind will hate the Two because even now the world bows down to the harlot’s (Mystery Babylon) cosmopolitan charm, full of pride, gossip, slander, lust of power, rebellion, hatred and denial of the Creator, vengeance against God, military might, social influence, atheism and humanism. The world loves her seductive consumerism, gluttony, covetousness, and greed of the bull-god of Wall Street. The world lauds her for her progressive ideals of harlotry, pornography, fornication, women with women, men with men, transvestitism, transgenderism, and baby-killing.

The Two Witnesses will be commissioned “before the decree is issued… Before the day of the LORD’s anger comes” (Zephaniah 2: 2), and will exhort the world: “Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’s anger” (Zephaniah 2: 3). Just as Moses came with power to authenticate God’s message, so will the Two.

While I am persuaded the Two Witnesses will actually be Moses and Elijah, it is impossible to prove conclusively. Nevertheless, what matters is that these two individuals will, at the very least, operate in the spirit of Moses and Elijah, even if they are not those two in person.

When will the two witnesses begin their ministry? We know their ministry lasts 3 and 1/2 years. For me the most appropriate times is when Jesus opens the first seal. If this is the case they would be killed at the midpoint of the seven years before Jesus returns first time to rapture the Saints. It is the time when Jesus warns the Jews that they need to get out of Jerusalem so this maybe the appropriate time for the two witnesses ministry to end. It is also the time when the Antichrist declares He is God (Abomination of Desolation). Being able to kill the two witnesses would confirm his claim. The fact they are resurrected would put a dampener on it but at least they are gone. The other option is they start their ministry during the year of the third seal being opened (the rider of the black horse) and finish their ministry at the end of the sixth seal when they are raptured with the Saints. God then begins to pour out His wrath with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements.

PREPARING FOR THE COMING TRIBULATION

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This is a critical presentation by Nelson Walters for Christians on preparing for the coming tribulation before Jesus’ second coming. Nelson takes us to the Scripture where Peter first gets Jesus’ commendation for hearing from his Heavenly Father in answering Jesus’ question, “Who do you say I am?”, correctly, but then, shortly after, Jesus rebukes Peter with “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Mark 8:33

How could Peter go so quickly from hearing from God to hearing and acting on Satan’s word? This Scripture teaches an important lesson that we need to take to heart.

WILL YOU ESCAPE THE COMING WRATH OF GOD?

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Biblical prophesied end times Scriptures that relate to escaping God’s coming wrath.

Luke warns us to watch for that day.

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:36

Paul likewise warns that destruction comes suddenly, and many will not escape.

“While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.” 1 Thessalonians 5:3-4

Joel tells us that there will be awesome celestial signs before the great, awesome day of the Lord comes.

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.” Joel 2:30-32

In terms of the timing of the great and awesome day of the Lord, John tells us that it is at the opening of the sixth seal that the great day of God’s wrath has come.

“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth…. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” Revelation 6:12,15-17

Matthew tells us that it is after the tribulation of those days that we will see the celestial signs that Joel and John say signal the coming of the awesome day of the Lord, when He sends out His angels to gather His elect from the four corners of the earth.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:31

After the trumpet blast of the seventh seal, John sees the Saints gathered before God’s throne in heaven.

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.” Revelation 7:9

UNDERSTANDING THE DAY OF THE LORD

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The phrase “Day of the Lord” usually identifies events that take place at the end of history (Isaiah 7:18-25) and is often closely associated with the phrase “that day.” One key to understanding these phrases is to note that they always identify a period during which God personally intervenes in history, directly or indirectly, to accomplish some specific aspect of His plan particularly Jesus second coming and a time when God will pour out His wrath upon the unrepentant as He did with Noah’s flood.

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.“ Luke 21:34-35

“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.“ Matthew 24:38-39

“But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:43-44

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!” 2 Peter 3:10-12

“For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief!” Revelation 16:14-15

The Old Testament passages dealing with the day of the Lord often convey a sense of imminence, nearness, and expectation: “Wail, for the day of the Lord is near!” (Isaiah 13:6); “For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near” (Ezekiel 30:3); “Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand” (Joel 2:1); “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision” (Joel 3:14); “Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near” (Zephaniah 1:7). This is because the Old Testament passages referring to the day of the Lord often speak of both a near and a far fulfillment, as does much of Old Testament prophecy. Some Old Testament passages that refer to the day of the Lord describe historical judgments that have already been fulfilled in some sense (Isaiah 13:6-22; Ezekiel 30:2-19; Joel 1:15, 3:14; Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:14-18), while others refer to divine judgments that will take place toward the end of the age (Joel 2:30-32; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:1, 5).

The New Testament passages call it a day of “wrath,” a day of “visitation,” and the “great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:14) and refers to a still future fulfillment when God’s wrath is poured out on unbelieving Israel (Isaiah 22; Jeremiah 30:1-17; Joel 1-2; Amos 5; Zephaniah 1) and on the unbelieving world (Ezekiel 38–39; Zechariah 14). The Scriptures indicate that “the Day of the Lord” will come quickly, like a thief in the night (Zephaniah 1:14-15; 1 Thessalonians 5:2), and therefore Christians must be watchful and ready for the coming of Christ at any moment.

Besides being a time of judgment, it will also be a time of salvation as God will deliver the remnant of Israel, fulfilling His promise that “all of Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26), forgiving their sins and restoring His chosen people to the land He promised to Abraham (Isaiah 10:27; Jeremiah 30:19-31, 40; Micah 4; Zechariah 13). The final outcome of the day of the Lord will be that “the arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:17). The ultimate or final fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the day of the Lord will come at the end of history when God, with wondrous power, will punish evil and fulfill all His promises.

Much of the above comes from the website: http://www.gotquestions.org. It is a great place to go for answers to Biblical questions.

THE TRUE HISTORY OF THIS WORLD

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Read what the Apostle Peter reveals to us about God and His World, about angels, about SIN, about God’s judgement, about the worldwide flood of Noah’s day with eight survivors, God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as an example of what He does to the ungodly, and there is a day coming of judgement for all the ungodly – The Day of the Lord.

This is the true history of this world and its 6,000 years of existence. How did we get billions of years? It is absolutely essential if you believe in evolution to go from GOO to YOU. The worldwide flood of Noah’s day (God’s judgement) produced the fossils (billions of dead things all over the world) and the buried vegetation that produced all of our fossil fuels. It happened in one year not billions of years.

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!” 2 Peter 4-14

The Apostle Peter also told us that in the last days scoffers would come denying the true history of the world and the worldwide flood of Noah’s day.

“You should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these, the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” 2 Peter 3:2-7

Do you know there are 86 verses in the Bible about The Day of the Lord: this is just one from Isaiah.

“Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation
and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.” Isaiah 13:9-13

Check out the rest, I am sure God wants you to know that The Day of the Lord is coming: Isaiah 24:21-22, Zephaniah 1:14-18, Jeremiah 46:10, Job 20:28-29, Isaiah 13:4-6. Isaiah 19:16-17, Ezekeil 30:3-4, Isaiah 27:1, Joel 3:12-14, Zephaniah 3:8, Romans 2:16, Revelation 6:15-17, Amos 5:18-20, Isaiah 2:12, Joel 1:15, Joel 2:1-2, Matthew 7:22-23, John 12:48, Romans 2:5, Jeremiah 30:7-8, Joel 2:23-28, Isaiah 11:11, Isaiah 27:12-13, Micah 4:6-7, Matthew 24:30-31, Mark 13:26-27, Zephaniah 3:14-20, Isaiah 4:5-6, Joel 2:32, Joel 3:16-18, Zechariah 9:16-17, Isaiah 4:3-4, Zephaniah 3:11-13, Zechariah 14:20-21, Malachi 4:1-2, Micah 4:8, Micah 5:8-9, Revelation 22:5, Philippians 1:6, Daniel 12:1-2, John 6:40, John 11:24, 1 Corinthians 1:8, 2 Timothy 1:12, Ezekiel 38: 14-16, Zechariah 14:2, Luke 21:20, Revelation 20:8-9, Isaiah 4:2, Isaiah 11:10, Jeremiah 30:9, Hosea 3:5, Amos 9:11, Zechariah 9:9, Zechariah 12:10, 1 Thessalonian 5:2-3, Matthew 23:43-44, Luke 12:39-40, Mark 13:32, 2 Peter 3:10, 1 Thessalonian 5: 4-8, Ezekiel 13:5, Zephaniah 2:1-3, Malachi 4:5, 2 Peter 3:11-12, Matthew 24:33, Marfk 13:29, Luke 21: 31, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Acts 2:19-20, Joel 2:30-31, Isaiah 13:9-10, Joel 2:10, Luke 21:11, Isaiah 5:29-30, Ezekiel 30:10, Joel 2:2-4, Amos 5:27, Matthew 24:21, Mark 13:19, Isaiah 11:12-14, Haggai 2:23, Zecharia 3:8.

REPENT BEFORE “THE DAY OF THE LORD”

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Christians know God loves us all and does not want any to perish. The following Scripture, 2 Peter 3:9, is given in relation to the coming “Day of the Lord“. The Day of the Lord is when God pours out His wrath on an unbelieving world just as He did in Noah’s day. Both Isaiah and Joel are given this message for us, so we need to take it to heart.

The Day of the Lord

“For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low… And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day... And the idols shall utterly pass away. And people shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty, when He rises to terrify the earth.” Isaiah 2:12,17-18

“Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord, is coming; it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations... The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes His word is powerful. For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome; who can endure it? Joel 2:1-2,10-11

As mentioned, the following Scripture is given in relation to this coming judgement on “The Day of the Lord”.

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.“ 2 Peter 3:9

Pro-abortion protestors outside the White House 9th July 2022

However, we are also told that few are prepared to humble themselves and repent of their rebellion against their Creator God. Just look at the faces of these young women. Do you think that they will come to repentance? They have no understanding of God and His Word.

David understood who controlled His life even before his birth.

“For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are He who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.” Psalms 71:5-6

Jesus told us what the world will be like before His return to put things right and we are seeing the prophesied events playing out in our world NOW.

“And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:12-14

THE DAY OF THE LORD

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The Day of the Lord extends from Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) of the Sixth Year of the 70th Week until Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) at the end of Year Seven. That period is one year and ten days. It is the same amount of time God’s wrath was poured out on the earth at the first judgement – Noah spent 1 year and 10 days on the ark.

This is just one aspect of Jesus saying that the time of His return would be like the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39). It encompasses the Trumpet and Bowl judgements when God pours out His wrath upon the earth.

The Rapture of the Saints and then the wrath of God is poured out immediately after Jesus meets the Saints in the clouds and takes them to heaven.

The time God pours out His wrath upon the earth is supported by the witness of Isaiah:

“For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion” Isaiah 34:8.

“For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come.” Isaiah 63:4

There are many Scriptures on the coming Day of the Lord and sadly the church does not tell the world of the coming judgement. If it did perhaps we would see more souls saved.

“For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low; against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up; and against all the oaks of Bashan; against all the lofty mountains, and against all the uplifted hills; against every high tower, and against every fortified wall; against all the ships of Tarshish, snd against all the beautiful craft. And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. And the idols shall utterly pass away. And people shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.” Isaiah 2:12-21

“Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness, there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. Fire devours before them and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them, a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses, they run. As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle. Before them peoples are in anguish; all faces grow pale. Like warriors they charge; like soldiers, they scale the wall. They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths. They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path; they burst through the weapons and are not halted. They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls, they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief. The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome; who can endure it?” Joel 2:1-11

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” Malachi 4:1-2

“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head. For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been.” Obadiah 1:15-16

“The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. I will bring distress on mankind so that they shall walk like the blind because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end, he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.” Zephaniah 1:14-18

And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” Acts 2:19-21

“For you, yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3

THE DAY OF THE LORD

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“Wail, for The day of the Lord is near; as destruction from the Almighty, it will come! Therefore, all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt. They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labour. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.” Isaiah 13:6-8

“Behold, The day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.” Isaiah 13:9-10

JESUS SPEAKING TO HIS DISCIPLES ABOUT THE END TIMES

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Matthew 24:29

When Jesus referenced this prophecy from Isaiah 13 in Matthew 24:29 and said that all of these things will not take place until “after the tribulation,” this was His way of saying that The Day of the Lord is what takes place after the portion of the Great Tribulation that believers will endure.

Paul echoes the same message:

“you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10

The Day of the Lord is what initiates and immediately follows the resurrection of the dead Saints and the rapture of the Saints alive on earth. It’s also the time when God will call the world to account and pour out His wrath upon an unrepentant world.

God does not rescue believers from all suffering during the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:3-28; Rev. 13:5-10). Rather, He rescues us from the “wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:9-10) which is poured out with the Trumpet (Rev. 6:8-13) and Bowl (Rev. 16:1-20) judgements.

Finally, Paul makes it clear that before The day of the Lord, the Antichrist takes his seat in the temple and declares he is God. As this does not take place until halfway through the final seven years it is obvious believers will experience the time of great tribulation.

“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us to the effect that The day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken [paralambano], and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken [paralambano] and one will be left. Therefore, be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.” Matthew 24:40-42

A COVENANTAL COMMUNITY AWAITING THE DAY OF THE LORD

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The church of Jesus Christ is a community of redeemed sinners bound to their Lord and to one another in the bond of love known as the covenant of grace. God gives Himself to them with the Holy Spirit to be their God and takes them as His people.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26

The covenant promise to the Jews was spelled out in Leviticus. “And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” Leviticus 26:12

Likewise, Christians belong to their covenant Lord: “None of us lives to himself and none of us dies to himself…whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:7–8). This also means that Christians are bound to one another and must think of themselves as part of a community. 

Paul expresses this truth using the language of the body in Ephesians 4:25: “We are members of one another.” We are therefore to take our covenant brothers and sisters into account in all aspects of our Christian living. The covenant community is no place for rugged individualists. We must constantly be asking, “How will this affect other believers?”

If we love our covenant brothers and sisters, we will seek what is best for them, especially their growth in grace. This can be done in a positive way by exhortation and mutual encouragement. The writer to the Hebrews, after speaking of the blessings of the new covenant that are provided by the blood of Jesus, has this stirring call for God’s people:

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25)

What Day is drawing near? The Day of the Lord

“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.” Obadiah 1:15

Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?” Amos 5:19-20

“Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.” Joel 1:15

“The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.” Joel 2:31

“The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.” Zephaniah 1:14

Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord.” Zephaniah 1:18

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” Malachi 4:1

“And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2: 19-21

“Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” 1 Thessalonian 5:1-3

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” 2 Peter 3:10

All of the above Scriptures reveal that the awesome Day of the Lord is a time of intense judgement for unbelievers. However, Paul also tells us the good news about the awesome Day of the Lord: “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8

We do not like to think about God’s judgement but Scripture is clear the time is coming when God pours out His wrath upon an unrepentant world