To understand the Day of the Lord we need to start by defining what it is. To do so, we need to look at Isaiah and Jeremiah, who give us an understanding that it is much more than just a day of Christ’s return.
Jeremiah tells us that it is a day of vengeance.
Jeremiah 46:10
10 For that day is a day of the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour and be satiate, and shall drink its fill of their blood; for the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
Isaiah plays off Jeremiah and tells us that this day of vengeance is actually an entire year of retribution and redemption.
Isaiah 34:8 8 For the Lord has a day of vengeance, A year of retribution for the cause of Zion.
Isaiah 63:4
4 For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come.
So the question that stands is when the Day of the Lord takes place. To do so, the Father has given us many clues including the sun and moon as signs for when the Day of the Lord will happen.
Genesis 1:14-16
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and they shall serve as signs and for seasons, and for days and years; 15 and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 God made the two great lights, the greater light (The sun) to govern the day, and the lesser light (The moon) to govern the night; He made the stars also.
Paul and Joel proceed to tell us that the sun and the moon will send us a signal right before the Day of the Lord begins.
Acts 2:20
20 The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood, Before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
Joel 2:30-31
30 I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire, and columns of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
Jesus tells us that the sun and moon will darken immediately after the end of days tribulation has occurred at the breaking of the 6th seal.
Matthew 24:29-31
29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Revelation 6:12-13
12 And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.
Thus far we have determined that the tribulation will finish at the 6th seal, the sun and moon will darken, and the Day of the Lord will commence as the angels get the 7 trumpets ready during the 7th seal. This means there is an entire 8th year after the 7 years of tribulation. Jesus continues in Revelation 6 to tell us that this 8th year is when the wrath of God will be poured out. This same idea was presented by Zephania years prior.
Revelation 6:14-17
14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the eminent people, and the commanders and the wealthy and the strong, and every slave and free person hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they *said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the sight of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day (year) of Their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
Zephania 1:14-15
14 The great day of Jehovah is near, it is near and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of Jehovah; the mighty man crieth there bitterly. 15 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,
This is the year of wrath in which punishment will fall only on the unrighteous through the trumpets and bowls. Our Father does not intend to pour out any wrath on His righteous ones. In other words, the tribulation is not a part of the wrath of our Father. It is for purifying the church prior to His year of wrath - a topic we will discuss more at a later date.
1 Thessalonians 5:9
9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Revelation 14:18-20
18 Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, (These are those who are still worldly in nature - enemies of our Father [Philippians 3]. They are not of those who are of the vine of Christ [John 15].) because her grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. 20 And the wine press was trampled outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
Isaiah 63:1-4
1 Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, the One who speaks in righteousness, mighty to save.” 2 Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the wine press? 3 “I have trodden the wine trough alone, And from the peoples there was no one with Me. I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath; And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My clothes. 4 For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come.
Revelation 19:11-15
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
If the Day of the Lord is an entire year our Father pours wrath out on His enemies, the question then becomes when within that year does the rapture/resurrection happen? For that answer we need to look at 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
15 For we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
51 Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
From these two pieces of scripture, we see that all the dead in Christ will be resurrected first followed by the rapture of those who are still alive at the last trumpet. There is only one succession of trumpets and those come after the 7 seals during the Day of the Lord. To prove the elect are still on the Earth during the 7 trumpets, we even get a snap shot at trumpet 5 that some of the elect are still here. Although here, our Father will protect them from the wrath of the trumpet judgments.
Revelation 9:3-4
1 Then the fifth angel sounded (the trumpet), and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key to the shaft of the abyss was given to him. 2 He opened the shaft of the abyss, and smoke ascended out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened from the smoke of the shaft. 3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. (By contrast, we can conclude there will be Father’s elect with His seal on their foreheads at this time. See the post, “Sealed in Christ” for how it is that a believer receives that seal.)
Many will argue that the rapture/resurrection will happen prior to the tribulation. From 1 Corinthians 5 and 1 Thessalonians 4, we have already concluded (besides that it will come at the last of the 7 trumpets) that the resurrection of the dead will occur first then the rapture following close behind. However, Revelation 20 will tell us that the first resurrection will occur after Father’s elect are tested with the image and mark of the beast. They will not succumb to the beast system and therefore will be beheaded. Therefore, the rapture/resurrection cannot happen prior to the tribulation because the mark of the beast will be fully implemented 3.5 years into the tribulation to bring about the great tribulation.
Revelation 20:4-6
4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their foreheads and on their hands; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
Revelation 7:9-14
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they *cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.” 13 Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
John gives us other hints that the first resurrection/rapture will happen on the “last day” for all who have believed in the name of the Lord.
John 6:39-40, 44, 54
39 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of everything that He has given Me I will lose nothing, but will raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”... 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day…. 54 The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 11:24
24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”
If the Day of the Lord happens the year prior to the tribulation, then there would be no one on earth to go through the tribulation. Peter tells us that all will be burned away through that year.
2 Peter 3:10
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2 Peter 3 gives us a good segway into another central point of this topic, which is our awareness of when the Day of the Lord will occur. So far we have seen many scriptures proving the timing of the start of that whole year called the Day of the Lord. However, we get scriptures that seem contradictory. They tell us that no one will know this timing and that day will come like a thief in the night. This is true, but only for those who live in darkness. The children of light will be sober and fully aware.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-8
1 Now as to the periods and times, brothers and sisters, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction will come upon them like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, so that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then, let’s not sleep as others do, but let’s be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let’s be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
Our job is to be watchful so we would not be overtaken by the day like a thief in the night as those who dwell in darkness.
Revelation 3:1-3
1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, and yet you are dead. 2 Be constantly alert, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3 So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Then if you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you
Revelation 16:15
15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and people will not see his shame.”)
Mark 13:28-37
28 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32 But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 33 “Watch out, stay alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is. 34 It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert. 35 Therefore, stay alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 so that he does not come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 What I say to you I say to all: ‘Stay alert!’”
Jesus told the Mark 13 parables prior to his ascension to the right hand of the Father. In those parables it states that no one will know when the Day of the Lord and his return will be except the Father. It was only when he ascended did Jesus then receive the book of Revelation to then give to John.
Revelation 1:1
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,
After receiving the book of Revelation from our Father, Jesus was then able to give us more clues as to the timing of the Day of the Lord and his return. Without Revelation, there was no way of tying all other scriptures together to pinpoint when the Day of the Lord would start. Even with this information, without knowing when the tribulation starts, there is no way to know when this day will occur.
As far as Christ actually coming in the clouds for the rapture/resurrection within that year, all we now have is a rough estimate - sometime soon after the last trumpet sounds, which we will discuss more below. Again, without knowing when the tribulation starts, all we have to go by are the periods and the times, or in other words, the signs to look for.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-2
1 Now as to the periods and times, brothers and sisters, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night.
Being a son or daughter of the light to know when the start of the day of the Lord is isn’t the only blessing to be received. Jesus also tells us it’s a blessing for those who make it 1335 days past the start of the Great Tribulation. Let me first back up at the beginning so this would make more sense.
The first half of the tribulation in which the church is meant to go into their spiritual wilderness (as a type of Moses bringing the Jews into their physical wilderness after escaping Egypt during their time of tribulation) is 1260 days or 3.5 years.
Revelation 12:5-6
5 And she gave birth to a Son, a male, who is going to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she *had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for 1,260 days.
After the first half of the tribulation, the Abomination of Desolation will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering. From that moment onward, the world will be in the great tribulation for the remaining 3.5 years.
Daniel 9:26-27
26 Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off (crucified) and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary (This prince is satan who led the people of Rome to destroy Jerusalem and the Jewish OT temple. This prince can be concluded as satan because this is the same “he” in verse 27 below who will confirm a covenant with many centuries later to kickstart the 7 year tribulation. No physical man can be centuries old, clearly. Ephesians 2:1-2 ~ And you were dead in your offenses and sins, 2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience; Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.). And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he (the prince, or satan) will confirm a covenant with the many for one week (the word “week” here is actually the word “shabua” which translates into a 7 year period ~ https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7620.htm), but in the middle of the week (or 3.5 years into the tribulation) he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering (this is a spiritual picture through the full implementation of the mark of the beast); and on the wing of abominations will come the one (satan) who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate.”
Matthew 24:15-21
15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (See the post, “The City, the Temple, and the Mountain” for how this is a spiritual holy place within a believer)—let the reader understand— 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his house. 18 And whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 Moreover, pray that when you flee, it will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again.
Daniel 12:11
11 And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days (the second 3.5 years of tribulation called the great tribulation).
From the end of the great tribulation, there are another 45 days (to equal 1,335 days in total) to mark the totality of a believer's time here on Earth. It is within these 45 days that the trumpets will sound. Then, come the 7th trumpet at the end of these 45 days, the rapture/resurrection will take place.
Daniel 12:12-13
12 Blessed is the one who is patient and attains to the 1,335 days! 13 But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will rest and rise for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”
From here, the wrath of God will continue to be poured out upon the ungodly with the bowl judgments. All saints will be at the bema seat judgment and the marriage supper at this point.
Isaiah gives us words of hope that can only be understood when we study the spirit of a few different concepts throughout the Word, which I will post links to. Those who are in their wilderness experience will find nourishment there. It will be the body of Christ, those who endure until their end, who are the victors through this tribulation experience through Christ.
Isaiah 35:1-10
1 The wilderness and the desert will rejoice, And the desert will shout for joy and blossom; Like the crocus 2 It will blossom profusely And rejoice with joy and jubilation (The proper place for a believer is in their wilderness. See the post, “The Father and His Sheep” to understand this idea. This is why the “woman”, or church, in Rev. 12 will have to flee into their wilderness. Revelation 12:5-6 ~ 5 And she gave birth to a Son, a male, who is going to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for 1,260 days.). The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the Lord, The majesty of our God. 3 Strengthen the exhausted, and make the feeble strong. 4 Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The retribution of God will come, But He will save you.” (Because we are not meant for the year of wrath!)5 Then the eyes of those who are blind will be opened, And the ears of those who are deaf will be unstopped. 6 Then those who limp will leap like a deer, And the tongue of those who cannot speak will shout for joy. For waters will burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. 7 The scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water; (See the post “The Parable of the Sower” to see how the Word will be what nourishes those in their wilderness and proliferate this rocky and shallow soil) In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes. 8 A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness (Because this is where the church will be sanctified. See the post, “He Came By Blood and Water”). The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for the one who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it. 9 No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious animal go up on it; They will not be found there (See the post, “The City, the Temple, and the Mountain” for why no person who lives in their carnality will be able to partake in Mount Zion, where our Father’s spiritual temple and city will be built upon). But the redeemed will walk there, 10 And the redeemed of the Lord will return And come to Zion with joyful shouting, And everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away (1 Corinthians 15:56-57 ~ 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ [the Word made flesh]).
There is infinitely more detail to incorporate to this post, which will be added over time. I believe it is important to understand the rest of the timing that goes along with the end of days events. For now, I wanted to tackle what is usually disputed, which is what the day of the Lord is and when the rapture/resurrection would occur. Stay tuned for more, but in the mean time, happy studying!
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