• Russia is deadlocked with the
West over Ukraine, while its fighter planes cross into British airspace;
• The Islamic State continues
its macabre display on social media of images of decapitated and caged
prisoners;
• Eastern Libya, NE Nigeria,
Yemen, Syria, and Iraq are battling terrorist groups who are occupying their
territory;
• China marches to military and
economic superpower-hood;
• The Eurozone and the United
States continue to experience ballooning debt.
These developments sound
frightening, perhaps even apocalyptic.
Is our post-World War II
world more unstable than ever?
Is the international order
fraying at the seams?
Could we be entering the
period the Bible calls ‘the last days?’
To understand the end-times,
we need a key. And that key is a ‘key-term?’ What is it?
‘The Day of the Lord’
This phrase is used in both
Old and New Testament. It is used 23 times in Scripture.[1]
Note that these references
occur in books that are primarily prophetic, or have a strong prophetic
content.
Piecing together the content
of these Bible passages, it appears that ‘The
Day of the Lord’ is not a mere 24 calendar day. Instead, it marks the
transition from the ‘day of human
government’ to the ‘day of divine
government,’ when the ‘kingdoms of
this world become the kingdom of our Lord & Christ’ (Revelation 11:15).
After man has had ‘his day’ on earth, God will begin to have His.
The
Day of Lord in Sections
Evening:
Using the
Hebraic formula of ‘evening and the
morning were the first day’ (Genesis 1:5), the ‘Day of the Lord’ begins
with the evening and dark night of the great tribulation period. Zephaniah 1:15 describes it as ‘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.’ Jesus calls it the worse period of trouble imaginable and
never again to be repeated (Matthew 24:21).
Dawn: After the dark night comes the dawning of a new day - God’s day.
What breaks the darkness? The second coming of Jesus Christ. Again, in Matthew
24:29-31 Jesus describes the period just before His return: ‘The sun will be darkened, the moon will not
give its light, stars shall fall from heaven and the power of the heavens shall
be shaken.’ When things get to their absolute darkest, the sun/Son shines
brightest: at this point, Jesus Christ, light of the world (John 8:12) comes to
earth and a new day dawns.
Daytime:
Once Christ
returns, He commences His 1,000 year reign on earth, known as ‘The Millennium.’
While the phrase ‘1,000 years’ is only mentioned in Revelation 20, God’s
earthly kingdom is spoken of frequently in both testaments.
SUMMARY
OF THE DAY OF THE LORD - EVENING/MORNING :
Evening
& Night: The
Great Tribulation;
The
Dawn & Morning: The
Second Coming of Jesus Christ;
Daytime:
The
Millennial Reign of Christ on earth.
The Key Prophetic
Book
No book in the Bible uses the
phrase ‘The Day of the Lord’ more
than the Old Testament Book of Joel. Five times in 3 chapters (Joel 1:15; 2:1,
11, 31; 3:14), Joel explicitly uses the phrase ‘Day of the Lord.’ Indeed, this is the theme of the book. If you
want greater detail about this important transitional period in human history,
you can’t go past Joel. Things you will learn include:
1. Chapter
One: A
locust plague and drought strike the Kingdom of Judah in the 9th Century BC; it
is a precursor to the ultimate end-time judgment on the entire world;
2.
Chapter Two: This chapter goes from the
valley bottom to the mountain top. First, is the horrifying end-time invasion
of a rebellious, impenitent world as mirrored in Revelation 9 (one of the most
disturbing chapters in the Bible - the description is enough to give you a
sleepless night!). Then, God calls His people to ‘sanctify a fast,’ ‘call a solemn assembly,’
and gather the people. A most amazing thing happens: the people go from
reproach to redemption, from fear to fearlessness, from loss to restoration. If
that is not all, God offers a universal outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Joel 2 gives us an end-time blueprint how
to turn impending disaster into revival.
3. Chapter
Three: God
gathers the nations to the Valley of Jehoshaphat to judge them. Like Matthew
24, there will be the darkening of sun moon, stars (Joel 3:15) before God comes
to and roars from Zion. From there He will dwell as king over all the earth.
Don’t be afraid of Bible
prophecy: it is a light that shines in a dark place (II Peter 1:19), wakes up
the sleepers and sobers up the drunkards (I Thessalonians 5:6-9); gives comfort
to the afflicted (II Corinthians 1:3-4), provides an incentive for evangelism,
helps set priorities, and instills confidence that the coming of the Lord draws
nigh (Luke 21:28).
You have been given a key to
the end-times. Take it, use it, and run with it.
The
Road Ahead is
a blog from the ministry of Teach All Nations that offers insights on the
Bible, world trends, current events, and victorious living from a Biblical
worldview. If you want to receive regular updates on these topics, register
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[1] References to
the ‘Day of the Lord’ include: Isaiah 2:12; 13:6, 9; Jeremiah 46:10; Ezekiel
13:5; 30:3; Amos 5:18, 20; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:7, 14; Zechariah 14:1;
Malachi 4:5; Acts 2:20; I Corinthians 5:5; II Corinthians 1:14; I Thessalonians
5:2; II Peter 3:10. There are 5 more references, all found in one book and
referred to elsewhere in this blog.
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