The Jewish Narrative - The Full Gospel Message - The Day of the LORD: An Introduction

The Full Gospel message begins in the garden of Eden. God’s perfect creation is challenged with the failure of mankind. This first act of transgression sets the stage for the themes of salvation and eschatology, as the tension between God's holiness and human sinfulness becomes central to the biblical narrative. The Scriptures unfold God's plan to heal the separation between Himself and humanity, offering the promise of restoring what sin has broken and corrupted. The Bible presents a continuous progression of divine revelation, increasingly focused on the apocalyptic—God's ultimate revelation concerning the end of history.

The concept of "the day of the Lord" is a central theme in apocalyptic thought, prominently featured throughout the Bible. In this lesson, we will do an overview of “The Day of the LORD.” For a more detailed study, I would refer you to John Harrigan’s book The Gospel of Christ Crucified: A Theology of Suffering Beyond Glory. I have a detailed review of this book, specifically Chapter Three: The Day of the LORD, found by clicking here.

This term, first introduced in early prophetic literature, refers to a future time when God will reveal Himself in judgment, bringing justice to the world and setting right what humanity has corrupted through sin. Here are some examples:

Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! (Isaiah 13:6, ESV Bible)

Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes. (Joel 1:15, ESV Bible)

Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near, (Joel 2:1, ESV Bible)

For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head. (Obadiah 15, ESV Bible)

The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. (Zephaniah 1:14, ESV Bible)

The "day of the Lord" is mentioned frequently in the prophets, where it is associated with divine judgment and the ultimate humbling of human pride. This apocalyptic expectation underscores the ultimate resolution of the conflict between divine holiness and human sinfulness, where God's justice will prevail, and His glory will be fully revealed.

On this day, the Lord will be recognized as the one true King over all the earth, and His name will be exalted as the only name (Zechariah 14:5-9). This depiction of history points toward a climactic and unparalleled conclusion.

This day ultimately serves to reverse the corruption and ungodliness introduced by Adam and Eve. God's judgment will extend both to the powers in the heavens and the rulers on earth.

In that day the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below. They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days. The moon will be abashed, the sun ashamed; for the LORD Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders with great glory. (Isa. 24:21-23, NIV)

This passage encapsulates the duality of the "day of the Lord" as both a time of judgment and the dawn of a restored, righteous order under God's sovereign reign. The eschatological event, often referred to as the "day of the Lord," signifies the final cleansing of creation and the establishment of "the new heavens and the new earth." The act of "making everything new" is the ultimate goal of the day of the Lord—the restoration of creation to its original glory, free from sin and death. Creation will be restored to its original glory—on earth as it is in heaven.

The Day of Wrath

The concept of the "Day of the Lord" is deeply connected to God's royal nature, as He is portrayed throughout the Bible as the sovereign King over all creation. This day highlights the glory and honor due to God's name, emphasizing His rightful claim as ruler of all. As the supreme authority, God demands absolute loyalty and reverence from every nation. This is reflected in the expectation that "every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance."

When humanity disregards God's authority, it provokes divine anger and wrath. The "Day of the Lord" is seen as the culmination of this divine wrath—a time when God's righteous anger will be fully expressed. Scripture depicts this day as a moment when God's justice is unleashed, particularly against those who have rejected His sovereignty.

For believers, however, the "Day of the Lord" holds a promise of salvation. Through Christ's sacrifice, they are justified by His blood and saved from the wrath of God (Romans 5:9). This entire framework is set within an eschatological and apocalyptic context, where final judgment brings both the fulfillment of God's righteous anger against sin and the ultimate realization of salvation through Christ.

The Day of Judgement

The Day of the Lord in the Scriptures is inherently judicial, emphasizing God's role as the ultimate judge. God is not only depicted as a sovereign king but also as a "righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day" (Psalm 7:11).

The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Selah (Psalm 50:6, ESV Bible)

but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. (Psalm 75:7, ESV Bible)

This portrays God as a real, personal judge who actively oversees and executes justice in the world. This reveals that God's judgment is not only a future event but also an ongoing reality, where He continuously expresses His righteous anger against sin and ensures that justice is ultimately served.

Judgment, at its essence, is the establishment of a standard of righteousness by which all are measured. Looking forward to the eschatological fulfillment, Isaiah prophesies that "The LORD will execute judgment on all people with his fiery sword" (Isaiah 66:16, CSB), underscoring the comprehensive and righteous nature of God's judgment that will ultimately establish His justice across all creation.

Judgment is fundamentally tied to the violation of a law, as laws provide the standard by which judgment is carried out. God, therefore, is not only a judge but also a lawgiver, as declared in Isaiah 33:22: "For the LORD is our judge; the LORD is our lawgiver; the LORD is our king." This underscores that God has established real laws, complete with rules, precepts, and statutes, by which He governs and judges the heavens and the earth. The Mosaic Law, given to Israel, was an expression of this divine law, accommodating human depravity within a specific historical context (as noted in Romans 5:13, Galatians 3:19, and 1 Timothy 1:9). However, this divine law is not confined to the past; it will serve as the standard of eschatological judgment in the new earth, where it will go forth from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3; 42:4; 51:4; Micah 4:2):

…and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD , to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3, ESV Bible)

He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. (Isaiah 42:4, ESV Bible)

“Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples. (Isaiah 51:4, ESV Bible)

In this framework, redemptive history possesses a penal aspect, where the Day of the Lord is described as the ultimate "day of punishment" (Isaiah 10:3). Thus, the Day of the Lord is portrayed as a great apocalyptic courtroom where God, the divine judge, will charge and punish the sins of humanity, ultimately restoring righteousness and establishing justice on the earth. This day is referred to as "the judgment of the great day" (Jude 6), where God "has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed" (Acts 17:31, CSB), signifying the final and comprehensive judgment.

Moreover, this judgment is understood to involve a literal judgment seat, or "bema," where God or Christ, as the agent of divine judgment, will preside. As Paul writes, "For we will all stand before the judgment seat [Gk. bema] of God" (Romans 14:10), and similarly, "We must all appear before the judgment seat [Gk. bema] of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil" (2 Corinthians 5:10).

The Day of Recompense

The Day of the Lord is not only royal and judicial but also fundamentally economic in nature. This concept underscores that humanity has caused real harm to the world, affecting things of real value, and thus owes a debt to the Creator. This reveals the economic aspect of divine justice, where every deed is accounted for, and retribution is dispensed in exact measure. This divine process reflects the principles of justice, where respect for God and His creation demands that wrongdoing is addressed and rectified.

The Day of the Lord is predominantly revealed in Scripture as a response to human depravity, and because of this, it carries a highly negative tone. This negativity is likely a reason for its relative neglect in theological discussions. The focus on judgment and the consequences of sin makes it a sobering topic. However, for the righteous—those whose sins have been atoned for through faith in Christ—this day represents a positive hope.

This dual nature of the day, both as judgment and deliverance, underscores Paul's exhortation in Philippians 2:12-16: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling... holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain." Paul's words remind believers to take their salvation seriously, understanding the weight of what the Day of the Lord entails, while also holding on to the hope it offers to the faithful.

The Day of the LORD is Foundational to the New Testament

The foundational role of apocalyptic thought in shaping the Christian understanding of God's ultimate plan for history. Thus, the "day of the Lord" is a central theme in New Testament apocalyptic thought:

The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. (Acts 2:20, ESV Bible)

You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 5:5, ESV Bible)

For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:2, ESV Bible)

Not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. (2 Thessalonians 2:2, ESV Bible)

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. (2 Peter 3:10, ESV Bible)

This day is depicted as the culmination of history, when God's plans for redemption and judgment will be fully realized. The New Testament emphasizes that this day is closely associated with Jesus Christ, who, as God's appointed agent, will bring this day to fruition:

So that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, (Philippians 1:10, ESV Bible)

Holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (Philippians 2:16, ESV Bible)

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6, ESV Bible)

Throughout the Epistles, this day is portrayed as a time of revelation and judgment, when each person's work will be tested by fire (1 Corinthians 3:13) and when God's judgment will be executed through Jesus Christ (Romans 2:16):

Each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. (1 Cor.3:13)

This will take place on the day when God judges people's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. (Rom. 2:16, NIV)

The New Testament thus presents the "day of the Lord" as the climax of God's redemptive plan, urging believers to remain watchful and faithful as they await its fulfillment.

In Acts 3:19-21, Peter calls for repentance, emphasizing that Jesus, the appointed Messiah, will remain in heaven until the time for this restoration, which has been foretold by God's prophets from the beginning:

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. (Acts 3:19-21, ESV Bible)

Unity in the Scripture

The centrality of the Day of the Lord in Scripture is evident not only through the numerous references to it but also through its significance as a core theological concept. It represents the culmination of all biblical thought, the ultimate event toward which everything in history is moving and building. The Day of the Lord is not just another event in the biblical narrative; it is the definitive conclusion of God's redemptive plan. This profound connection underscores the Day of the Lord as the ultimate goal of all Scripture, the moment when God's plan for creation reaches its fulfillment.

The Day of the Lord, as the ultimate subject of biblical prophecy and the defining event in redemptive history, serves as the theological linchpin for interpreting all other biblical events and their redemptive significance. Every theological system has a central focus, whether explicitly stated or not. When the Day of the Lord is removed or pushed aside from its central role, the result is often theological confusion and disorder. This day is not just another event in the biblical narrative; it is the key event that ties together all of Scripture and gives meaning to the entire story of redemption. Without it, our understanding of God’s plan and purpose becomes fragmented and incomplete, leading to serious doctrinal errors.

The Day of the Lord serves as the primary unifying reality of the Scriptures, connecting the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the New Testament through a shared vision of the future. Both parts of the Bible convey the same message because they culminate in the same pivotal event—the Day of the Lord.

Before the Day of Wrath, Jesus was presented as a propitiation for sin (cf. Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2), providing justification in anticipation of the Day of Judgment (cf. Romans 5:9; Titus 3:7), and offering redemption in light of the Day of Recompense (cf. Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14).

In sum, the "day of the Lord" is depicted as the ultimate convergence of God's royal sovereignty, judicial authority, and economic justice, where every wrong is addressed, and every sin is recompensed. This day is not merely a moment of divine wrath but the consummation of history, where God's righteous judgment is fully unveiled. For believers, the hope lies in the salvation secured through Christ, who delivers us from the wrath to come. As we approach this climactic event in God's redemptive plan, it serves as a powerful reminder of the seriousness of sin, the necessity of justice, and the profound hope found in the restoration of all things.