[Biblemat] S) THE DAY OF THE LORD

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is a question from
my files.  Use to the glory of God.

THE DAY OF THE LORD

Question: -- What is meant by the phrase, "the day of the 
                    Lord"?

Answer: -- The phrase, "Day of the Lord," occurs 26 times in         
                  the Bible.  In every instance it refers to an occas-
ion when sin has reached a climax and God intervenes to pun-
ish sinners and deliver the righteous.  For example, God told
Abraham it would be 400 years before his descendants would
inherit the lan of Canaan, because "the iniquity of the Amor-
ite is not yet complete" (Gen. 15:16).  Their "iniquity" was 
apparently "complete" when God "judged" Egypt and deliver-
ed Abraham's descendants (Gen. 15:14; Acts 7:6).  Israel was
then charged to serve as God's instruments to "utterly destro-
y" the Canaanites (Deut. 7:2).

     The earliest use of the phrase in Scripture was by the pro-
phet Amos about 755 B.C., in the days of Uzziah of Judah and
Jereboam II of Israel.  Amos was sent from Tekoa in Judah to
Bethel in Israel to condemn the sins of the Northern Kingdom
(Amos 1-2).  Note particularly Amos 5:18,19: "Woe to you who
desire the day of the Lord!  For what good is the day of the
Lord for you?  It will be darkness, and not light.  It will be as
though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him.  Or as 
though he went into the house and leaned his hand upon the
wall, and a serpent bit him.  Is not the day of the Lord dark-
ness, and not light?  Is it not dark, with no brightness in it?"

     The language suggests the phrase was already well known
among the people.  It also suggests that they considered "the
day of the Lord" to be a day when God would judge their ene-
mies.  It further suggests that Israel never imagined that they
would be judged because of their own sins, including idolatry
at Bethel (5:4-9), oppression of and injustice to the poor (5:10
- 12), empty ritualism (5:21-27), along with arrogance, callous-
ness, greed, self-righteousness and self-indulgent material-
ism.

A Day Of Doom: -- For Israel, "the day of the Lord" was "the
day of doom" (6:3), and came about three decades later in the
form of an invasion by their enemies -- the Assyrians.

     Isaiah said, "The day of the Lord of Hosts shall come upon
everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up, and it
shall be brought low..." (2:12-17).  He pronounced judgment
on the "daughters of Zion," and graphically described their
haughty and wanton behavior (3:6-12).  Long before Babylon
became a dominant power, he prophesied that "the day of the
Lord...will come as destruction from the Almighty" (13:6,9,17).
It would also be "the year of recompense for the cause of Zion" (34:8).

     Jeremiah described "the day of the Lord" as "a day of ven-
geance, that He may avenge Himself on His adversaries" (46:
1,2).

     Zephaniah saw it as a day for which "the Lord has prepar-
ed a sacrifice" (1:7,8).  It would be "a day of wrath, trouble,
distress, devastation, desolation, darkness, gloominess, clouds with thick 
darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm..."
(1:14,15).

     Joel, using the imagery of a mighty locust plague, predict-
ed God's judgment on Judah (1:1-3).  It would "come from the
Almighty" (1:15), and was "at hand" (2:1).  He called upon the
people to "consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly, and gat-
her the people" in repentance and prayer for deliverance (2:
16-20).

A Day Of Deliverance: -- Joes also saw the day of the Lord as
a fast approaching day when "the Lord will be a shelter for His people, and 
the strength of the children of Israel" (3:14,
16).  Obadiah, pronouncing judgment on the nations (particul-
arly Edom) saw it as a day of "reprisal" (vss. 15,18,19), but
also a day of "deliverance on mount Zion" (vs. 17).

In The New Testament: -- Considering the above principles 
will help us better understand Matt. 24:1-35.  Jesus lamented
over Jerusalem (23:37-39), and declared tht the "blood of the
prophets shall be required of this generation" (Lk. 11:45-52).
He also spoke of a future judgment, at a time known only by
His Father (Matt. 24:36ff.'; Mk. 13:20).  This is a reference to
His second coming.  No signs will precede that event, for it 
will come "as a thief in the night" (Matt. 25:13; 1 Thes. 4:2; 2
Pet. 3:10).

     Are you ready (Matt. 24:44) for the ultimate climax in Histo-
ry when the earth and the works therein will be burned up (2
Pet. 3:7,10)?  The "Day of the Lord" will be a ime of judgment
of all men (Matt. 7:21; 25:31-46) -- when all will appear before
the judgment seat of Christ, and be judged according to their
deeds (2 Cor. 5:10).  It will be "the day of wrath and revelation
of the righteous judgment of God" (Rom. 2:5), but also "the
day of redemption" for faithful children of God (Eph. 4:30).
     ---------- Jim Cooper in Biblical Insights, Vol. 6, No. 12, Dec.
2006.     </HTML>
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