The day of the Lord, a pivotal concept in the Bible, signifies a time of divine judgment or visitation from the Lord. It is a period when God confronts wicked men directly and decisively, often with fearful judgment. This divine intervention can be directed toward foreign entities (nations or Gentiles), God’s chosen people (the Jews), or both, underscoring its universal significance.
The day of the Lord, as depicted in the Bible, is an event of divine intervention in history, whether in the past or the future. The prophets who deliver these prophecies of doom often refer to either imminent events or those that will unfold in the last days. This divine intervention is also called the day of (His) wrath, the day of calamity, Jacob’s trouble, or on that day. Each name offers a unique perspective on the nature of this intervention, enriching our understanding of its implications.
As depicted in eschatological prophecies, the day of the Lord is not a mere 24-hour period. It extends beyond the 24 hours of Jesus Christ’s second advent to the earth, encompassing Daniel’s 70th week (Daniel 9:27), known as the seven-year Tribulation. Many scholars believe this day (time) of the LORD also consists of the Rapture and the millennial kingdom. This extended and complex time frame adds layers of depth to the concept, inviting the reader to delve deeper and aiding in their comprehension of its intricate nature.
Some Bible teachers, in their insightful interpretations, believe the day of the LORD doesn’t begin until the sixth seal judgment of Revelation 6. This is determined from verses in Acts 2:20 (Peter was quoting from Joel 2:31) and Revelation 6:12,17. “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come” (Acts 2:20). “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood…. For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:12, 17).
Most Bible scholars, in their scholarly wisdom, believe the mid-point of the Tribulation begins when the seventh trumpet (judgment) sounds, which initiates the seven vial judgments.
THE OLD TESTAMENT
The term ‘day of (the) LORD’ or the “day of Yahweh’ (Yahweh or Ye hôvâh- Strong’s H3068) is found 19 times in the Old Testament (KJV). The term ‘day of the Lord GOD’ of host) is found once in Jeremiah 46:10. The word Lord (small caps) is ‘ăḏōnāy in Hebrew and means lord or master. The word GOD in this verse is translated from the Greek transliteration Yahweh (Strong’s H3069). The Greek word יְהֹוָה is translated as YHWH (Yahweh) or LORD for Strong’s H3068 and GOD for Strong’s H3069.
Nine Old Testament prophets prophesied about the day of the LORD (or a day of Yahweh). This is very apropos as 9 is the number for judgment in the Bible. See The Number Nine in Scripture and History :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready for more information. From the earliest to the latest dates, the prophets who wrote about the day of the LORD are Joel, Amos, Isaiah, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Obadiah, and Malachi. Joel wrote about a day of the LORD in approximately 835-796 BC, while Malachi wrote in 430 BC. Malachi was the last prophet sent by God to Judea before John the Baptist came approximately four and a half centuries later.
JOEL
Joel was the first Old Testament prophet to prophesy about the end-time day of the LORD scenario. He first mentions a locust plague in Joel 1:4-12. Joel 1:15 says, “Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.” Joel 2:1, 2:11, 2:31, and 3:14 also refer to the day of the LORD. Joel mentions an invading army (perhaps demonic) coming against the land in Joel 2:2. “A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there has not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.”
Joel describes these ‘locusts’ in Joel 1:6 and 2:4, “a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the cheek teeth of a great lion. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.”
This sounds remarkably similar to Revelation 9:3, 7-8 and is the result of the fifth trumpet judgment, which also brings about darkness and gloominess (Rev. 9:2). “And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power…. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.”
In Acts 2:16-21, Peter, on the day of Pentecost after Jesus’ death (on Passover), quoted Joel 2:28-32. After the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and were enabled to speak in different languages, Peter said, “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel, And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
“And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples was a harbinger of what will come when Jesus returns and initiates His kingdom on Earth, beginning with the righteous remnant of Israel. Regarding the future day of the LORD, Joel said, “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). This will certainly be fulfilled at the time of the 6th seal judgment during the Tribulation. “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood” (Revelation 6:12).
In actuality, these heavenly events prophesied by Joel occurred at the first coming of Jesus during his crucifixion. Mark 15:33 says that while Jesus was on the cross (on Passover – Nisan 14), there was darkness over the land for three hours. Although not in the Bible, NASA records indicate a partial lunar eclipse (blood red moon) visible from Jerusalem on April 3, 33 AD, which would have been Nisan 15. This was one day after Jesus was crucified (IMO).
Joel also said, “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 has said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call” (Joel 2:32). This is certainly a prophecy that will be fulfilled at the second advent. However, it is also true in the sense that after Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind, His shed blood became the basis for the new covenant between man and God. Anyone who believes in His redeeming sacrifice and calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved.
Joel 3:9-16 describes the end battle between the forces of the Antichrist and the Messiah Jesus. The battle begins in Bozrah (modern-day Jordan). It progresses back to the eastern walls of Jerusalem, which overlooks a section of the Kidron Valley, also known as the Valley of Jehoshaphat. “Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 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” (Joel 3:13-16).
The destruction or harvesting of the wicked on the day of the Lord, as described by Joel 3:13, is also described in Revelation 14:17-20. “And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God” (Revelation 14:18-19).
This same valley that Joel speaks of in Joel 3:14 will be where Jesus judges the nations (Gentiles) at the sheep and goat judgments of Matthew 25:31-46. This is why it is called the Valley of Decision, for Jesus Christ will decide their eternal destiny. Comparing Joel 3:15 with Matt. 24:29 confirms that the timing will be after the end of the Great Tribulation. Hosea 11:10, Amos 1:2, and Revelation 19:11-21 are other descriptions of Joel 3:16, where the Lion of the tribe of Judah will return to Earth and destroy His enemies.
Joel 3:17-21 describes the LORD’s kingdom on Earth (the millennial kingdom), where He will reign from Zion (another name for Jerusalem). “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim” (Joel 3:18). This same fountain or waters issuing from the house (or temple) of the LORD is also prophesied about in Ezekiel 47:1, Zechariah 14:4, and Revelation 22:1 (IMO – see The End of the Age According to Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and John – Part II (rev310.net)).
The words ‘that day’ in Joel 3:18 refer back to the ‘day of the LORD.’ Joel’s prophecy sets a precedent for the other prophecies concerning the day of the LORD, where the ‘day’ consists of the time of the judgments against those who rebel against God and His word, the second coming of Jesus Christ, and the millennial kingdom of Christ.
AMOS
Amos prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II. He was a shepherd before God called him to be a prophet. He wrote his book in approximately 754 BC. Amos condemned Israel and predicted a series of catastrophes that would befall the kingdom. Twice in chapter 5, Amos speaks about the day of the LORD. “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it? (Amos 5:18-21).
The day of the LORD is always characterized by darkness. Interestingly, Amos 8:9 says, “And it shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.” As I mentioned earlier, Mark 15:33 says there was darkness over the land for three hours (from noon to 3:00 pm) on the day Jesus was crucified.
Amos 5:18 might refer to the earlier prophecy given by Joel about the restoration of the children of Israel during the kingdom of the LORD in that day. However, before that day comes, judgment and punishment will precede it. Many Bible scholars believe the prophets who prophesied in Israel and Judah regarding the day of the LORD were speaking about a near and far fulfillment. The near fulfillment for the northern kingdom of Israel was its defeat and dispersion by the Assyrians. The near fulfillment for the southern kingdom of Judah was its defeat and dispersion by the Babylonians. The far fulfillment for both houses of Israel (and the nations) will be the last day judgments of Jacob’s trouble or the Great Tribulation.
Because of Israel’s apostasy and idol worship, Amos relayed the devastating message from God to Israel, “But you have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which you made to yourselves. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is The God of hosts” (Amos 5:26-27).
However, like Joel’s prophecy, Israel’s Kingdom Age follows God’s judgment and promises a complete and permanent restoration for the people and the land of Israel. “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old….
“Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that sows seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, says the Lord your God” (Amos 9:11, 13-15).
ISAIAH
The book of Isaiah is the first of the writings of the Prophets in the Bible; and Isaiah, the author, is considered by many to be the greatest prophet. The book is dated (700-681) in the reign of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Late tradition asserts that the prophet was martyred in the reign of Manasseh. Isaiah had an active ministry for 60 years. Isaiah’s name means Yahweh is salvation. He speaks more about the Messiah than does any other Old Testament prophet.
In Chapter 1, Isaiah begins by bringing a message of divine judgment for both Israel and Judah. This is due to the children of Israel’s sinfulness, rebelliousness, and corruption. Chapter 1 is a summary of God’s dealings with His people. As usual, first comes judgment, then redemption. “And I will turn my hand upon you, and purely purge away your dross, and take away all your tin: And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counsellors as at the beginning: afterward you shall be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness” (Isaiah 1:25-27).
The summary of the day of the LORD continues in Chapters 2:1-5, which speaks of the millennial kingdom. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come you, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
“And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come you and let us walk in the light of the Lord.”
I find it interesting that Isaiah’s phrase “beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks” was similar to Joel’s phrase in 3:10, only Joel said just the opposite. Joel said, “Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears.” Joel was referring to Israel’s end-time adversaries making war during the end of the Tribulation, while Isaiah was talking about the peaceful time of the Messiah’s kingdom.
The words day of the LORD are first mentioned in Isaiah 2:12. “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.” This ‘day’ refers to the judgments of the Tribulation. “And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake the earth terribly” (Isaiah 2:19-21).
This is the same prophecy John gave in Revelation 6:14-17, which describes the 6th seal judgment. “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 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 sits 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?”
Chapter 13 of Isaiah gives a detailed description of the judgment and punishment phase of the end-time day of the LORD. “Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
“And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger”(Isaiah 13:9-13).
After God’s wrath is poured out on the world, He will have mercy on ‘Jacob.’ His restoration for the Jewish people and the land of Israel is mentioned in Isaiah 12:1-2. “For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob. Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the Lord; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors.”
The impending judgment on the earth, known as the day of the LORD, is described in great detail in Chapter 24 of Isaiah. “Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty, and makes it waste, and turns it upside down, and scatters abroad the inhabitants thereof…. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word…. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth” (Isaiah 24:1, 3, 19-21).
‘That day’ refers to the seven-year Tribulation, especially the last 3.5 years, which is known as the Great Tribulation.
The restoration of the remnant of Israel after the judgments from God is described in Chapter 25 of Isaiah. “And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the LORD GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:6-9).
‘That day’ refers to the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. It is also the day of the LORD.
In Chapter 26, Isaiah introduces a song of salvation that will be sung in the land of Judah ‘in that day.’ The song ends with verse 19, which describes the resurrection of the righteous Jews at the start of the millennial kingdom. “Your dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, you that dwell in dust: for your dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” Daniel 12:2-3 also prophesies about the resurrection of the Old Testament saints at the beginning of the millennial kingdom.
In Isaiah 26:20 the events of the day of the LORD back up to the ‘indignation’ (the Tribulation). This verse is the best case for an Old Testament mention of the pre-Tribulation Rapture. “Come, my people, enter you into your chambers, and shut your doors about you: hide yourself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.” Verse 21 describes the second advent of the LORD Jesus Christ to the Earth. “ For, behold, the Lord comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.”
Isaiah 27:1 continues after Isaiah 26:20-21 and describes the LORD defeating Satan (Leviathan) and the Antichrist (the dragon) that is in the sea (nations). “In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.” Notice the term ‘in that day.’ That day refers to the day of the LORD, which includes the Rapture, the second advent, and the millennial reign of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 27:12-13).
Isaiah speaks of a covenant with death in Isaiah 28:15. “Because you have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.” This is the same covenant that Daniel spoke of in Daniel 9:27. “Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”
Of course, we know this covenant will be made between Israel and the Antichrist, which will start Daniel’s 70th week (the seven-year Tribulation). We also know the Antichrist will break this covenant at the mid-point of the seven-year covenant. That is when all hell breaks loose for the nation of Israel (and the whole world). “And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then you shall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goes forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report” (Isaiah 28:18-19).
The Antichrist will stop the sacrifices and offerings in the newly built third temple of Jerusalem at the mid-point of the Tribulation according to Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15-22, and 2 Thess. 2:3-4. During the last 3.5 years, known as the Great Tribulation, the earth will be consumed with devastation, as the seven vial judgments of Revelation 16 will be poured out on it. In Isaiah 28:21, Isaiah says the LORD will rise up at this time as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.”
Isaiah 28:22 explains this strange work: the LORD GOD of hosts executes a supernatural consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.”
The LORD fought for Israel during Joshua’s time when they fought against the five kings of the Amorites. “And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon. And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
“Then spoke Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand you still upon Gibeon; and you, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day” (Joshua 10:10-13).
This was one of the greatest supernatural acts of God recorded in the Bible.
The seven vial judgments of Revelation 16 that will be enacted against the inhabitants of the earth during the last 3.5 years of the Tribulation will also be supernatural in scope. The greatest earthquake ever recorded on Earth will occur during the 7th vial judgment. “And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great” (Revelation 16:19-21).
Just like when the LORD rained down hail on Israel’s enemies in the valley of Gibeon, He will do so during the end days of the Great Tribulation. The enemies of God will drink from the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. “For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many” (Isaiah 66:15-16).
However, in ‘that day,’ “it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory…. For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, says the Lord” (Isaiah 66:18, 22-23).
In the next installment, we will examine the day of the LORD as prophesied about by the Old Testament prophets Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Obadiah, and Malachi.
Randy Nettles