The Day of the Lord
Turning to the New Testament, we find the "day of the Lord" echoed in several passages, though it is often referred to without the descriptors "great and dreadful."
But what these verses emphasise is the suddenness, the inescapable inevitability, and the dual nature of the day as one that is both a ‘time of salvation’ and a ‘time of judhment’.
Here are some key verses that speak of ‘the day of the Lord’
1. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3
for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Here, Paul warns the Thessalonians that the day of the Lord will come without warning, and with it the sudden destruction of the unsaved! Paul stresses the need for believers to be ready and vigilant. In the meantime, we should seize every opportunity to share the gospel at every opportunity.
2. 2 Peter 3:10-12
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
In these verses, Peter also describes the day of the Lord coming like a thief in the night. And just as we read in Joel 2:31, he describes it as a cosmic cataclysmic event with the heavens disappearing and the elements being destroyed by fire. Peter urges all of us believers to live righteously as they await the arrival of this day.
3. Acts 2:20
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
On the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended and rested like tongues of fire upon the Apostles, Peter in his sermon quotes the prophet Joel (Joel 2:31). In this he links the outpouring of the Holy Spirit with the eschatological (end time) signs that precede the day of the Lord. Here, he describes the day of the Lord as "great and glorious," indicating its terrifying and redemptive aspects.
4. 1 Corinthians 1:8
He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In this verse Paul assures the Corinthians that God will sustain them until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul tells us that Christ is the one who keeps us blameless through the time of final judgment where we the faithful will ultimately be deemed blameless.
5. Philippians 1:6, 1:10, 2:16
Verses:
1:6: "…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”.
1:10: "…so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ”,
2:16: "... as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labour in vain”.
Paul references the "day of Christ" (the same as the day of the Lord) as the culmination of our Christian lives and efforts, where we will be judged and rewarded based on our faithfulness and perseverance. In these verses, Paul makes it clear, that we must run our race with purpose labouring to share the gospel with others!
6. 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3
…not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
Here Paul corrects a misunderstanding among the Thessalonians, clarifying that the day of the Lord has not yet occurred and will be preceded by significant prophetic events, including the rise of the "man of lawlessness" who is interpreted as the Antichrist.
7. Revelation 6:17
“For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”
The apocalyptic book of Revelation is written using pictorial language, but here the "day of wrath" is the same as or is synonymous with the day of the Lord. This verse is part of the vision given to John of the end times, where the opening of the sixth seal brings about cosmic disturbances and the terror of divine judgment!
But why drop the descriptors 'great and dreadful'? My thinking is that perhaps it's becasue 'the great and dreadful day' was the day that Jesus entered our world becoming an atonemnet sacrifice for the sins of the world on the cross. Rising three days later He deafeated death and destruction for ever. After this, His followers have nothing to fear in the great and dreadful day of judgment that's to come when He returns; 'the day of the Lord' which is his second coming. But for those who have rejected him, that future event remains a 'dreadful' certainty!
There’s lots to be thinking about in these verses as the "day of the Lord" is consistently depicted as a future event marked by suddenness, judgment, and the ultimate establishment of God’s kingdom here on a new earth.
It’s a day that brings both destruction for the unfaithful and deliverance for the faithful. It’s a great and dreadful day that underscores the importance of living our lives in readiness and righteousness. Can you withstand it, are you ready?
One final thought, prophecy is revealed only after it has been fulfilled and not before! So be wary of anyone who says they know when the great and dreadful day of the Lord will take place. Remember Matthew recorded Jesus' words in Matt 24.36 of his gospel,
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father”.
The day of the lord could be today, tomorrow, or a thousand years from now, only the Father knows, but the one thing that we can be certain of is that we need to be ready for it, as it will come!
Have a great week and God bless,
Trev.