The Bible gives 31 verses regarding the Day of the Lord. There are more prophetic verses regarding Christ's return than His first coming. Just as God gave more verses on Hell than He did on Heaven, the Bible gives more verses on His return than His reign on Earth. Malachi 4:5 describes Jesus' return as "great and dreadful". As we will see in the coming verses, His return to Earth will be filled with wrath, destruction, and much bloodshed.
Before we dive into the Day of the Lord, we have to dissociate it from the Day of Christ. The Day of Christ is another description of the Rapture. The Rapture/Day of Christ was a mystery specifically revealed to the Apostle Paul and is only found in his writings (please read the Rapture and Dispensations lessons for more clarification).
When studying the Day of Christ, it is always connected with the Rapture. The Day of Christ is found in 1 Corinthians 1:8, Philippians 1:10 and 2:16, and in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2.
For brevity, here is a table that gives the differences between the Day of Christ and the Day of the Lord:
| Day of Christ | Day of the Lord |
|---|---|
| For the body of Christ (the Church) | For those that reject Christ |
| A day of reward | A day of judgment | A blessed hope | Despair |
| Eagerly anticipated | Feared and dreaded |
Now that we can see how the two Days are different, let's take a look at why the Day of the Lord is so dreadful.
"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. 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, A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 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 1:14-18
The prophet Zephaniah was describing the battle of Armageddon found in the book of Revelation. Revelation chapters 14,16, and 19 describe the battle of Armageddon and state that the amount of blood shed will be 4 feet high over a 186 mile radius! Is it any wonder why The Day of the Lord is associated with death?
"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. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible." - Isaiah 13:9-11
The prophet Isaiah claims that Jesus is extremely angry upon His return. Why is He angry? Look at Revelation 6:11 and 20:4. In these verses, the Apostle John describes the persecution that Christ-followers will endure during the Tribulation period. Those that refuse to worship the Antichrist and take his mark will be beheaded.
"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." - Jeremiah 46:10
This verse found in the book of Jeremiah shows that the Day of the Lord is about destroying His adversaries. Paul states "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). There will be a devastating 7-year period in which the Antichrist and the False Prophet rule over the entire world. They will blaspheme His holy name and mock Him. They will lead millions to do the same and forever deny the blessed name of Jesus. The Day of the Lord is a day of retribution.
"For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen. And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down." - Ezekiel 30:3-4
Ezekiel the prophet shows that God will take away all of the wealth from the nations when He returns. This prophecy ties into Revelation 6:6. During the Tribulation period, there will be leaders that are made wealthy off of the enslavement of their people. While people are starving from famine due to mass inflation and limited resources, there will be government leaders that will profit from the misery of their people. Jesus ensures that their wealth will not last long.
"Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." - Joel 3:12-14
Joel describes where the judgment will take place after Armageddon. Remember that the battle of Armageddon is a military battle and not every citizen will fight in that battle. There will be judgment upon on every person that denied Christ that is still alive. They will not enter into His Earthly Kingdom (see Dispensations). Revelation 6:15-17 describes people trying hide themselves in order to escape His wrath. They will fail and face His judgment for the atrocities committed.
Luke 21:26 and Revelation 16:18 say that men's hearts will fail them from fear (heart attacks) as the stars fall, the sky turns black, and the planet shakes from an earthquake so violent that the mountains collapse. What horror! No place will be safe!
For those that have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, the Day of Christ is something that we long for. The Rapture of the Church is not just to escape the time of Jacob's Trouble (Jer. 30:7), but to give rewards to His saints (1 Cor. 3:13). There is a crown given to those that want to be with Him more than they want to accomplish goals on Earth.
"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." - 2 Timothy 4:8
While there are rewards and crowns given at the Day of Christ, there is only death and sorrow on the Day of the Lord. It is a day of judgment before Jesus sets up His 1,000-year reign as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in Jerusalem (Zech. 8:3, Rev. 20:4).