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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
The phrase "day of the Lord" usually identifies events that take place at the end of history (Isaiah 7:18-25) and is often closely associated with the phrase "that day." One key to understanding th...
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Tim Maas
Supporter
I would say that the Day of God to which Peter was referring is an event that will occur at the end of human history, or the close of the present age. At that time, God will intervene directly in earthly events to punish the unbelieving world; to eternally eradicate sin and evil; and (in the sense to which Peter was referring) to save those who have placed their faith in Christ for eternal life. For Christians, it will be a time of deliverance, eternal reward, and fulfillment of biblical promises, while, to the unsaved, it will be a time of punishment and unspeakable terror. Because God alone knows when it will take place, Christians are instructed (as Peter did in the passage cited in the question) to always be ready for its occurrence.
James Kraft
Supporter
In First Corinthians there was a believer who was sleeping with His fathers wife. Paul said they should kick him out of the church and turn him over to Satan to kill his flesh, so that his Spirit would be saved in the day of the Lord. First Thessalonians 4:13-18 Tells that the dead in Christ, all believers, who have died, will be raised first, and then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. We are to comfort one another with these words. First Corinthians 15:51-53. The church age, the day of grace, Ephesians 2:8-9 ends before the tribulation. We will not go through the time of Jacobs trouble the tribulation. The church age is from Acts to the rapture, of the bride of Christ, the church. All those believers who have received the free gift of salvation and have received the free gift of the Holy Spirit who will never leave us or forsake us, Hebrews 13:5 Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit in whom ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. The rapture. John 3:36 All believers have eternal life and can no longer come under the wrath of God. The tribulation. The time of Jacobs trouble. Jesus has already taken the wrath of God at the cross for believers and we can no longer be condemned. John 3:18. It would be impossible for us to go through the tribulation because then it would be possible to take the mark of the beast and be lost forever. But since we have eternal life, we can not even be here when the mark of the beast is made mandatory for everyone. The only ones who will be saved during the tribulation are those who do not take the mark of the beast and die for their faith. But we are already saved as children of God and can not be here when that happens. There can be no possibility of us to take the mark of the beast. Then, we shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and come back with Him at the end of the tribulation when He comes to the earth. I am so thankful to God that I will not have to go through that time here when Satan through the antichrist takes control of the earth and all who are left behind. But our hope is in Jesus who has saved us by His grace. The free gift of salvation by grace. First John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may KNOW YE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
Craig Mcelheny
Supporter
I consider this to be THE MOST CRITICAL QUESTION in modern eschatology. Why? Because, if you get it right, the arguments for a pre-tribulation rapture become irrelevant and the Scriptural contradictions dissipate. You are left with but one conclusion: The Rapture will occur after the Tribulation, simultaneously with the Resurrection. Most scholars don’t have a problem identifying WHAT the Day of the Lord is. The most comprehensive description is found in Zephaniah 1:14-15. It bears a strong resemblance (Zephaniah 1:17) to the kind of pain that is described in the book of Revelation 16:10-11. It is a day of judgment (Joel 3:1-2), although judgment occupies but a small fraction of the duration of the Day of the Lord. In fact, the Judgment comes at the end of the Day of the Lord: Note, in Joel 3:1-2, that the judgment occurs when the Lord restores the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem. This occurs at the beginning of the Millennium. The Day of the Lord is appropriately identified as “the day of the Lord’s wrath” (NASB) in Zephaniah 1:18, similar to the description in Rev. 16:14 as “the great day of God the Almighty”. However, Rev. 16:14 is contextually associated with Armageddon, which, again, if you understood the breadth of the Day of the Lord, you would know that Armageddon occupies roughly 1/6th of the Day of the Lord (5 out of 31 months). The Day of the Lord is, indeed, one and the same as “the Day of their Wrath” (Rev. 6:17), consisting solely of the Seventh Seal, beginning in Rev. 8:1 and continuing up through Revelation, Chapter 18. It consists of the seven bowls and seven trumpets, and Babylon is the primary recipient of God’s Wrath. Since it is commonly understood that most, if not all, of the book of Revelation takes place during the Tribulation, every scholar that I am aware of will link the Day of the Lord with the Tribulation. This is where the trouble begins. The Day of the Lord has nothing to do with the Tribulation. It is a separate and distinct period of time, lasting 2.8 years (2300 days – 1290 days), and begins just after the Tribulation. When does the Day of the Lord start? Joel 2:30-31 tells us that it begins AFTER the Sixth Seal (Rev. 6:12-13). This means the Day of the Lord has to occur AFTER the Tribulation, because the Sixth Seal occurs AFTER the Tribulation (Matthew 24:29). How long does the Day of the Lord last? This all ties into your understanding of Daniel’s prophecy in Chapter 8, of the 2300 days. It is related to “the transgression that makes desolate” (Daniel 8:13) and Jesus’ mention of the abomination of desolation in Matthew 24:15. Jesus was answering the disciple’s questions about the sign of His coming and the end of the age (the Church Age). The 2300 days in Daniel, Chapter 8, should begin at the mid-point of the Tribulation, when the Antichrist stands in the rebuilt Temple, claims he is God, and the False Prophet demands that people worship the Antichrist. Daniel also provides two additional times (Daniel 12:11-12) that define: 1. The time frame in which we should look for the Rapture (1335-1290 = 45 days), and 2. The end of the age, coincident with the Resurrection (Daniel 12:13 – “[Y]ou will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age” - NASB). The Rapture occurs simultaneous (in the twinkling of the eye) with the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). Thus, the Day of the Lord is (2300-1290=1010 days/365 = 2.8 years). It starts after the Tribulation, and just after the Rapture. This is why, in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Paul gives 2 events that precede the Rapture & the Day of the Lord. See Fig. 10, "Major Events of the Tribulation & the Day of the Lord" from my book, "the Rapture and the Last Seven Days": https://www.facebook.com/Craig-McElheny-430759656985167/
Jeffrey Johnson
Supporter
What is the day of the Lord? The "Day of the Lord" is a biblical phrase with two main interpretations: a future, final day of judgment and Christ's return, and a concept referring to any historical or future period of God's intervention and judgment, which can be both catastrophic and redemptive. The Bible book that tells us most about the Lord's day is Revelation. Almost all the prophecies of this book are fulfilled during the Lord's day. However, Revelation is only the climax of a series of prophetic books that reveal information about that day. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, among others, also tell us about it. Often, what they say helps us to understand better the prophecies in Revelation. Let us see how the book of Ezekiel, in particular, sheds light on the fulfilment of Revelation during the Lord's day. Conclusion: What, then, is "the Lord's day"? The context of Revelation 1:10 points to Jesus as the Lord whose day it is. God's Word identifies expressions such as "the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" with a time of judgment for humanity and the restoration of Paradise.—1 Corinthians 1:8; 15:24-26; Philippians 1:6, 10; 2:16. Hans Bruns, in his translation with commentary, Das Neue Testament (The New Testament), is correct when he says: "Some maintain that he [John] is speaking here of Sunday, but it is far more likely that he is referring to the illustrious Day of the Lord, which is after all what all of his subsequent description pertains to.” W. E. Vine says: "'The Day of the Lord'... is the Day of His manifested judgment on the world.” Fritz Rienecker's Lexikon zur Bibel (Lexicon of the Bible) says that "the Lord's day" clearly refers to "judgment day." A proper understanding of the expression "the Lord's day" helps us to comprehend the entire book of Revelation. Moreover, the evidence is that that day has already begun. JOHN begins to share with us further soul-stirring visions. By inspiration, he is still on the Lord's day. So, what he describes has deep meaning for us who are actually living on that day. Through these visions, God lifts the veil of invisibility from heavenly realities and reveals His own perspective on the judgments to be executed on earth. Moreover, whether we have a divine or an earthly hope, these revelations help us to see our place in God's purpose. All of us, therefore, should continue to be keenly interested in John's expression: "Happy is he who reads aloud and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and who observe the things written in it."—Revelation 1:3. Conclusion: The Lord's Day. A definite period of time during which the Lord Jesus Christ brings certain things in connection with God's purpose to a successful conclusion. "The Lord's day" must be that future time during which events that John was privileged to see in vision would occur. This included such events as the war in heaven and the ouster of Satan, the destruction of Babylon the Great and the kings of the earth and their armies, the binding and casting of Satan into the abyss, the resurrection of the dead, and Christ's thousand-year reign. However, these messages to the seven congregations have a much broader application. At Revelation 1:10, John says: "By inspiration I came to be in the Lord's day." This verse is an essential key to unlocking the understanding of Revelation.
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