The great and dreadful day of the Lord
"the great and dreadful day of the Lord", now that’s a phrase that grabs your attention if ever there was! And one that’s found in several books of the Bible. It’s largely associated with eschatological (end times) themes and one that strikes fear into the souls of believers and unbelievers alike. The phrase first appears in the Old Testament, particularly the Book of Joel and the Book of Malachi, but it’s also referenced in the New Testament. It’s a twofold phrase that embodies a promise of deliverance for the faithful and a warning of judgment for the wicked! So come with me as we dig a little deeper!
Firstly we have the Prophet Joel
Quick overview: The book of Joel tells of a devastating locust plague that prompts Joel to call on the people to repent for their sins. In God’s mercy, He responds to their repentance with an outpouring of His Spirit and a day of judgment on the nations.
We don’t know exactly when Joel existed, but it’s reckoned at around 590 -500 BC
In Joel 2:31: The prophet Joel speaks of the "great and dreadful day of the Lord," describing it in the context of cosmic disturbances!
"The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord”.
Here, the phrase is tied to apocalyptic imagery (Total Destruction!) and heralds the nearness of God’s final judgment and the end of the world as we know it.
Secondly we have the Prophet Malachi:
Overview of Malachi (my messenger). He wrote his oracle sometime around 460 BC, just before the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah (which are only one book! but we’ll leave that for another day!). Malachi writes about six disputes between Yahweh and the people of Israel. The people complain that Yahweh doesn’t love them, and in turn, Yahweh replies that they have shown contempt for Him. Read the whole book to get the full picture.
In Malachi 4:5 we first read of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Here the prophet declares,
“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes”.
The day is associated with the coming of Elijah, who is to prepare the people for the arrival of the Messiah and is portrayed as a time of reckoning when the righteous will be vindicated and the wicked punished.
We see in John 1 that this prophecy was fulfilled by John the Baptist, a wild man of the wilderness who lived and behaved very much like Elijah did. The Apostle John records in John 1/;23 that the Baptist quotes the Prophet Isaiah when asked who he was saying “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord. (Isaiah 40:3)
Moving to the New Testament
In the New Testament, the day of the Lord is associated with the second coming of Christ. The time when He will return to judge the living and the dead. On that day the faithful will be rewarded but those who have rejected Him will be condemned to Hell!
Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 “for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night”.
Here the suddenness of the Great and Dreadful day of the Lord is made clear. Paul describes the event as a thief breaking into your home, which none of us can predict. The analogy "like a thief in the night," emphasises its unknowable suddenness and our need for constant vigilance!
Judgment:
The "dreadful" aspect of the day stresses that God’s judgment will be meted out against evil. This is the ultimate moment of God’s divine wrath, where those who have turned away from God or lived regardless in wickedness will face punishment. God’s judgment is often accompanied by catastrophic events, such as natural disasters and cosmic signs, symbolising the severity of the Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord and its inevitability! Regarding cosmic signs, we're told in Gen 1:14 that the stars are to "serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years", so any would be Patrick Moore's out there, keep an eye on the skies!
The Hope of Deliverance
For the faithful, this day is also "great" because it brings deliverance and the fulfillment of God’s promises. The righteous will be vindicated, and God’s kingdom will be ushered in and established in its fullness. But while the day is terrifying for the wicked, it is a day of hope and salvation for all who remain true to God.
Repentance and Preparation:
In Joel and Malachi, the prophets warn the people about the forthcoming great and dreadful day of the Lord, using it as a call to repentance. The impending judgment was an opportunity for the people to turn back to God, to seek righteousness, and to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. For us Christians, the theme of repentance remains central, with the "great and dreadful day of the Lord" which as we know is the Second Coming of Christ, a future event that brings about God’s final judgment and mercy will be fully revealed.
‘The great and dreadful day of the Lord" is a day that envelopes both the terror of divine judgment and the glory of God’s ultimate victory over evil. It serves to remind all of us of the seriousness of our sins, the importance of repentance, and the blessed assurance that is found in the redemption of Christ for all who remain faithful to Him.
Remember, Jesus said in Rev 16:15
“Look I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
Make sure you’re ready!
Have a great week and as always, God bless.
Trev.