The Day of the Lord

Jesus will arrive to gather his saints on the Day of the Lord, and in the New Testament, this event becomes the Day of Christ. In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul refutes claims that “the Day of the Lord” is imminent or has even begun, as some voices apparently claimed. That Day will not arrive until “the Apostasy” occurs and “the Man of Lawlessness” is revealed. Jesus will destroy this deceiver when he appears in glory.

The Day of the Lord is a term from the Hebrew Bible that refers to the time of visitation, the day when God will intervene to rescue His people and judge His enemies. This day will be characterized by celestial and terrestrial upheaval and chaos - (Isaiah 2:12, Joel 1:15, 2:1, 2:31, 3:14, Malachi 4:5).

[Photo by Tobias Rademacher (Auckland) on Unsplash]

In 2 Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul connects the Day of the Lord to the “arrival” or ‘Parousia’ of Jesus Christ, the “gathering” of his elect, and the destruction of the Man of Lawlessness.

• Now, we urge you, brethren, concerning the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, that you are not quickly shaken from your mind, neither alarmed, whether from spirit, whether from word or from letter, as by us, specifically, that the day of the Lord is imminent. Let no one seduce you in any respect, because except the apostasy comes first and the man without-law, the son of destruction, is revealed; he who opposes and unduly elevates [himself] above all things that are called god or sacred, so that he sits in the sanctuary of God, presenting himself that he is god” – (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. The citation is from Daniel 11:36).

In the first chapter of this same Letter, Paul describes the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven when he will take vengeance on all those who disobey the Gospel. Christ will also be glorified in the saints on that day. Both the righteous and the wicked will receive their rewards when Jesus appears - (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

Paul also discusses the Day of the Lord in his first letter to the Thessalonians. This day will result in “sudden destruction” for the unprepared. However, “the sons of light” will not be overwhelmed by it. Instead, they will “acquire salvation” when Jesus returns - (“For you know accurately that the day of the Lord is coming as a thief in the night” - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8).

Elsewhere, Paul identifies the Day of the Lord as “the Day of Jesus Christ,” the moment when he will vindicate faithful believers, but also judge the wicked. Thus, the Day of the Lord described in the Hebrew Bible becomes intimately connected with Jesus and his arrival from heaven - (1 Corinthians 1:8, 5:5, 2 Corinthians 1:14, Philippians 1:6-10, 2:16).

• “So that you come behind in no gift, waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you unto the end, unaccusable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom ye were called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” – (1 Corinthians 1:7-9).

The link 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 when describing the future coming of “the Son of Man,” at which time he will vindicate his saints and usher in the Kingdom of God that will endure forever:

• “But after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give her light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in the heavens. 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 his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” – (Matthew 24:29-31).

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

• “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” - (Joel 3:15).

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

• “And it will 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” - (Isaiah 11:12).

• “I saw in the night-visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of heaven, one like unto a son of man. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and tongues should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom that which will not be destroyed” - (Daniel 7:13-14).

PETER AND THE APOCALYPSE

The Apostle Peter also links the Day of the Lord to the ‘Parousia’ at the end of the present age. Despite “scoffers” who ask, “Where is the promise of his coming?” That Day will come, and when it does, “the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat.”

Until the arrival of that day, believers must live righteously and “earnestly desire the coming of the Day of God.” By doing so, they may “hasten” the arrival of that glorious Day - (2 Peter 3:1-12).

The Book of Revelation also uses language from the Old Testament that originally described the Day of Yahweh, the time of judgment and wrath for God's enemies. Only now, that day is linked to “the slain Lamb,” Jesus Christ:

• “Behold, he comes with the clouds; and every eye will see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him” - (Revelation 1:7).

• “And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; and the stars of the heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains. And they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath is come! And who is able to stand? ” - (Revelation 6:12-17).

Thus, the New Testament identifies the Day of the Lord of Old Testament expectations with the arrival of Jesus from heaven to gather his saints and judge his enemies. It will be a day characterized by celestial upheaval and tremendous events on the earth, a time of vindication for the elect of God but also of condemnation and punishment for his enemies.

However, as the Apostle Paul makes clear, that day will not begin before the final apostasy and the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction. That deceiver will take his seat in “the Sanctuary of God” and use “all power and signs and lying wonders” to deceive all those who refuse “the love of the truth” and choose instead to believe the lie.

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SEE ALSO:

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

• Disinformation - (Rumors about the Day of the Lord caused alarm and confusion among the believers of Thessalonica – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)

• Two Missing Events - (Two events must occur before the Day of the Lord begins: The Apostasy and the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness in God’s House)

• Le Jour du Seigneur - (Jésus arrivera pour rassembler ses saints le Jour du Seigneur, et dans le Nouveau Testament, cet événement devient le Jour du Christ)

[Note: Text printed in small capital letters represents citations of, or allusions to, passages from the Old Testament]