"For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" (Joel 2:11).

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10).

What is "The Day of the Lord"?
The Day of the Lord refers, not to a 24 hour day, but to that period of time when the Lord Jesus will be visibly reigning over the earth as King. We also sometimes use "day" to refer to a period of time. For example we might say "In Grandpa's day they did not have telephones!" The Lord Jesus Christ will have His special day of glory when He takes His rightful place of Lord and King.

As we see from the verses above, the Day of the Lord will catch the world by surprise and it will be a terrible time for those who have not bowed the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. They will experience the awful judgment of the Lord. It will also be a time of blessing for the world because "The LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and His Name one" (Zechariah 14:9).

Man's Day
The present period of time has sometimes been called Man's Day. During this period of time, the Lord Jesus Christ has been rejected, despised and crucified. His own people said, "We will not have this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14). His rightful claims have been set aside by the world.

Since the crucifixion of Christ, God has pretty much allowed man to have his way in this world, and man has generally chosen a way without God. But the Day of the Lord will bring an end to Man's Day. The world will be judged by God for its sin and rejection of Christ. That day has been set in God's calendar. "Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31). Why has God delayed His judgments upon this world? Because "God is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

The Day of Salvation
This present time is also the Day of Salvation. God in His wonderful love has provided the gift of everlasting life for those who will repent and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Saviour. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). For almost 2,000 years the good news of salvation has been announced. One verse of Scripture has been rightly called, "The gospel in a nutshell." Here it is: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). This day is also called the Day of Grace: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).

When will the Day of the Lord begin?
The Day of the Lord cannot begin until the man of sin has been revealed. This is the man who will sit in the rebuilt Jewish temple and claim that he is God. This is the Antichrist. See 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. It is after this Wicked One has been revealed that the Lord Jesus Christ will appear to judge the world and set up His millennial kingdom. It is then that the Day of the Lord will begin!

A careful study of the Scriptures will reveal that the rapture of the Church will have taken place and the tribulation period will have begun. See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:10,11;4:1. Those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as their personal Saviour in the Day of Salvation will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Then God's awful judgments will begin to fall upon this world in ever increasing severity. They are represented for us in Revelation chapters 6 through 16 under the symbols of sevenfold seals, trumpets and vials. (These judgments can also be looked at as a part of the Day of the Lord, but they seem more to prepare the world for the actual and visible appearing of the Lord with all His saints.)

What will the Day of the Lord mean for the world?
1. Judgment. The Day of the Lord will be a terrible time of judgment for the world. In order for the Lord Jesus to set up His kingdom of peace and righteousness, He must bring the world into submission to His rule. This means judgment and the putting away of all outward rebellion. In the Old Testament there are 20 direct references to this day. This day is variously described as cruel, great, very terrible, a day of darkness, dreadful, a day of wrath, fierce anger, vengeance and destruction. (Ed. Note: See end of this article for references.)

In the New Testament there are four direct references to the Day of the Lord. See Acts 2:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2 (JND,NASV); 2 Peter 3:10. There are also many references that describe the judgments that will take place at His appearing. See Matthew 24; 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 19:11-20:6. From 1 Thessalonians 5:2,3 we find that this appearing will take the world completely by surprise. It will be as unexpected as a thief in the night.

2. Righteousness and Peace. After the world has been righteously judged there will be 1,000 years of peace for this world. This is also included in the Day of the Lord. "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever" (Isaiah 32:17). In Isaiah 11 we read some of the results of that wonderful time, such as "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (v. 9).

Read also Isaiah 2:4: "And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."

What is included in the Day of the Lord?
It is important to remember that the Day of the Lord does not involve the present church period. As we have noticed, it begins after the Church has been caught up in the rapture. Here is a summary of some of the main events that the Day of the Lord includes:

1. The appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 1:7-2:12).

2. The Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:13,14; 19:11-21).

3. The judgment of the two beasts of Revelation 13 (Rev. 19:20).

4. The binding of Satan for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:1,2).

5. The judgment of the living nations (Matt. 25:31-46).

6. The 1,000-year reign of righteousness by Christ (Rev. 20:4-6).

7. Satan released from the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:3).

8. The final act of rebellion (Rev. 20:7-9).

9. Satan cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).

10. The heavens and the earth destroyed (2 Peter 3:10).

11. The judgment of the dead at the Great White Throne (Rev. 20:15).

After these events the Day of the Lord comes to a close. "Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power" (1 Corinthians 15: 24-28). A new heaven and new earth will be created. Then will begin that eternal state called the Day of God wherein will dwell righteousness described in Revelation 21:1-8.

How close are we to the Day of the Lord?
Many things could be listed to show that the stage is being set in the world today for the events described in Revelation 6-19. But I will mention only one of them found in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3. "For yourselves know perfectly that the Day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."

Peace is the great effort of the nations today. Although many efforts have been made in the past to bring about a lasting peace, they have all failed. Today these negotiations continue among the nations, but the Bible tells us that there cannot be real peace in this world until the Day of the Lord comes. Then the Prince of Peace will come and set up His kingdom of righteousness and peace over all the earth.

The very fact that there is such a great desire for peace today means that the Day of the Lord must be very near. If this is true, then the coming of the Lord for His Church is nearer yet! "Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" (Romans 13:11).

What effect should the Day of the Lord have on me?
For the unbeliever. "God…now commandeth all men every where to repent: because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness" (Acts 17:30,31).

For the believer. "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep:…The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light" (Romans 13:11,12). "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen" (2 Peter 3:17,18).

—John D. McNeil

Some Old Testament Scriptures showing the fearful character of the Day of the Lord are:
Joel 1:15; 2:1-11, 30, 31; 3:9-16; Isaiah 2:10-21; 13:6-13; Jeremiah 4:23-26; 25:30-33; 30:23,24; Daniel 12:1; Micah 5:10-15; Zephaniah 1:7,14-18; 3:8; Haggai 2:6,7; Zechariah 14.