WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT THE COMING DAY OF THE LORD
There are 26 verses where the phrase the day of the LORD is found in the BIBLE. This phrase, along with a second phrase, the last days (found in 7 places in the Bible) will very shortly become one of the hottest topics of discussion throughout the whole world, as people scramble to figure out what in the world is going on.
To bring people quickly up-to-date, I’ve written this tract listing all the places in the Bible where the phrase the day of the Lord is to be found, and a second tract listing the phrase the last days. The BIBLE is the only reliable source for information on future events, because God himself wrote the Bible (using specially picked men[1]) and made prophesies of the future, most of which have already been fulfilled. The only prophesies not yet fulfilled are those concerning the day of the LORD and the last days.
The Bible was meant to read just as we read any other book― literally unless specified otherwise, and paying careful attention to the context of every statement. Keep this in mind as you turn to any one of these verses. It is up to you to read as much of a chapter or a book of the Bible until you have accurately established the context of the passage you are scrutinizing.
This pamphlet is meant to be a summary of the topic, so I will give you the bottom line, and then it’ll be up to you to confirm whether what I have said is true and accurate.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The bottom line is there’s a bottom line to history. There’s a purpose to life on Earth and a purpose for human history. The whole point of life on Earth is that the Creator God is checking out the hearts of men, women, and children to determine their true heart’s attitude towards truth, justice, righteousness, their fellow human beings, and God himself. God will eventually judge each and every one of us according to our attitudes.
This evaluation is going on all the time. Did you know that God is watching you right this very moment? Did you know that one day you will have to give an account for your behavior while you were alive? You didn’t? You’ll have to account for every word! “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.“ [2]
That’s what life on earth is for, my friend! The Bible teaches that God will judge men according to how they lived. “[God] will render to every man according to his deeds.”[3] A faithful servant of God (Paul) wrote just before his own death, “ Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”[4]
Notice carefully that last phrase: “all those who love his appearing.” All throughout the Bible is the reminder that one day it will all be over and God will appear physically to the world. For the believer, this will be a day of rejoicing, but for the unbeliever it will be a day of reckoning.
The gist of most of the “day of the Lord “ verses is that the long delay of God’s appearing in history is due to God’s mercifully giving all men time to repent. (To repent means to express genuine remorse for your sins.) This idea is best summarized in 2Peter 3:4-10, in which Peter answers the mockers and scoffers who throughout history have said, “Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” Peter goes on to explain: “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished (in the Flood of Noah): but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness (“procrastination”) ; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in 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. “
The point of this continuing promised return is that God is trying to confront every human being with their need to be saved. Every human being will have to be prepared so that they will be ready to stand before God when He appears. How to be saved will be covered in another booklet. The point of this essay is to give you the raw material out of the Bible itself, so that you can affirm for yourself that time is running out! Ask the person who gave you this essay to tell you more, if you want to be ready for the coming Day of the Lord.
Isaiah_2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
Isaiah_13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
Isaiah_13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
Isaiah_34:8 For it is the day of the LORD’S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.
Jeremiah_46:10 For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
Lamentations_2:22 Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the LORD’S anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed.
Ezekiel13:5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.
Ezekiel_30:3 For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.
Joel_1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Joel_2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Joel_2:11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
Joel_3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Amos_5:18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.
Amos_5:20 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
Obadiah_1:15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.
Zephaniah_1:7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.
Zephaniah_1:8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.
Zephaniah_1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
Zephaniah1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
Zephaniah_2:2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you.
Zephaniah_2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger.
Zechariah_14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
1Corinthians_5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
2Corinthians_1:14 As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1Thessalonians_5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
2Peter3:10 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.
Do your own Bible study!
[1] 2Peter 1 :19=21
[2] Matthew 12:35-37)
[3] Romans 2:6
[4] 2Timothy 4:8
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