The Nature of the Day of the Lord
At this time, we will look at scriptures regarding the nature of the day of the Lord, comparing them with scriptures describing the Great Tribulation.
No Other Day Like It!
On the mount of Olives with His disciples, Christ said the following regarding the Great Tribulation:
Matthew 24:21 – “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
In Mark’s account of the Olivet Discourse, He states it this way:
Mark 13:19 – “For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.”
In both accounts, Christ states that the Great Tribulation will be a day like no other! He is speaking regarding the awful events that involve that terrible day. World War II was a terrible time in our world, especially for Europe. Men, women, and children were killed as war ripped through the nations involved. Millions were slaughtered in concentration camps. It was an awful day to be alive. But it is no comparison to the Great Tribulation that is coming. When Christ said that the Great Tribulation would be unlike any other time that had ever been, where did He get that information? He is actually quoting Old Testament scripture. Daniel describes this time of trouble:
Daniel 12:1 – “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”
Daniel described the time of trouble in the same manner as did Christ. But that is not all. Joel describes a day that is unlike any other. Joel does not call it “a time of trouble” or “great tribulation,” but he refers to it as THE DAY OF THE LORD:
Joel 2:1, 2 – “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the DAY OF THE LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 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 HATH NOT BEEN EVER THE LIKE, NEITHER SHALL BE ANY MORE AFTER IT, even to the years of many generations.”
Christ’s description of the Great Tribulation is almost identical to Joel’s description of the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord includes the Great Tribulation.
A Day of Wrath
Another attribute of the day of the Lord is that it will be a day of wrath. Notice:
Isaiah 13:6 – “Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.”
Isaiah 13:13 – “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.”
Jeremiah 46:10 – “For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.”
Joel 1:15 – “Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.”
Zephaniah 1:14, 15 – “The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.”
Zephaniah 2:2, 3 – “Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger.”
The point is clearly made. No one can say that the day of the Lord is not a day of wrath. Our Lord, when describing the Great Tribulation in Luke 21, describes that time as a day of wrath. Notice:
Luke 21:22, 23 – “For these be THE DAYS OF VENGAENCE, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and WRATH upon this people.”
The Great Tribulation is described in the exact same manner as the day of the Lord – as a day of wrath. Some who believe that the church will go through the Great Tribulation but not the wrath of God, have stated that the wrath in the Great Tribulation is the wrath of the Antichrist; or the wrath of Satan. NOT SO! While it is true that the devil will be angry because he knows that he has but a short time, the wrath that is poured out in the Great Tribulation is from God. In Revelation 5 and 6, it is the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, opening those seals.
Revelation 5:5 – “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”
As a result of the opening of the seals, watch the response of mankind:
Revelation 6:15-17 – “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 sitteth 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?”
The seals are the Lamb’s wrath – the wrath of God. In II Thessalonians 2, it is God who sends strong delusion after the revelation of the man of sin. In Isaiah 24:1, “THE LORD maketh the earth empty.” In Isaiah 26:21, “THE LORD cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth.” In Zephaniah 1:18, it is “the day of the LORD’s wrath.” In Revelation 6:16, 17; 11:18; 14:7; 14:10; 14:19; 15:7; 16:1; and 16:19, it is the WRATH OF GOD, or the WRATH OF THE LAMB. Clearly, what the prophets called the day of the Lord is a day of God’s wrath. What Jesus called Great Tribulation is a time of God’s wrath. And what John saw in the seals, trumpets, and vials is the wrath of God.
A Day of Fear and Great Distress
When describing the Great Tribulation, Jesus states that it will be a fearful time:
Luke 21:25, 26 – “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; MEN’S HEARTS FAILING THEM FOR FEAR, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”
Christ describes the fear of the Great Tribulation, placing emphasis on the HEART of man during that time. Isaiah describes a time when every man’s HEART shall melt. Isaiah does not call that time “the Great Tribulation,” but rather “the day of the Lord.” Notice:
Isaiah 13:6, 7 – “Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and EVERY MAN’S HEART SHALL MELT.”
Jesus also describes the horrors of the Great Tribulation as a time of “great distress.”
Luke 21:23 – “But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be GREAT DISTRESS in the land, and wrath upon this people.”
Zephaniah, when describing the day of the Lord, refers to it with the exact same description – a day of GREAT DISTRESS:
Zephaniah 1:14, 15 – “The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, A DAY OF TROUBLE AND DISTRESS, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.”
The nature of what the prophets called the day of the Lord is identical to the nature of what Christ called the Great Tribulation. Both the day of the Lord and the Great Tribulation are referred to as a day like no other, a day of God’s wrath, a day of men’s heart melting, and a day of distress. An honest Bible student must conclude that what the prophets called the day of the Lord includes the day that Christ called the Great Tribulation. It seems as though someone is saying to me, “Just because the nature of the day of the Lord is similar to the nature of the Great Tribulation, this does not prove that the day of the Lord includes the Great Tribulation.” If that’s your opinion, you certainly have a right to it. In the next post, I will show that some of the events that mark the day of the Lord are the EXACT events that mark the Great Tribulation.
MORE TO COME…
