Day of the Lord

Biblical Texts

The expression appears chiefly in the prophetic books. Representative passages include the following:

• Amos 5:18-20 pronounces woe upon those who "desire the day of the LORD," declaring that it is "darkness, and not light."
• Isaiah 13:6, 9 describes the judgment of Babylon as the day of the LORD.
• Joel 1:15, 2:1-11, and 2:31 use the locust plague and signs in the heavens as images of that day.
• Zephaniah 1:14-18 declares, "The great day of the LORD is near," and portrays it as a day of wrath and distress.
• Obadiah 1:15, Ezekiel 30:3, and Zechariah 14:1 also use the expression.
• Malachi 4:5 promises that God will send the prophet Elijah "before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD."

Background and Terminology

The Hebrew word yom means "day." Here, however, it refers not to a twenty-four-hour period but to a decisive time of divine action. Judging from Amos's words, the people of Israel in his day apparently expected this day to bring the downfall of their enemies and their own exaltation. The prophets overturned this expectation, warning that God's own people would also be judged for their sin. At the same time, they proclaimed that for the repentant remnant it would be a day of restoration (Joel 2:32). Some of these prophecies are bound up with historical events such as the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel and the Babylonian exile.

Continuation in the New Testament

At Pentecost, Peter quoted Joel's prophecy (Acts 2:16-21), thereby linking the outpouring of the Holy Spirit with the beginning of that day. Paul wrote that "the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). He also uses the expressions "the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:8) and "the day of Christ" (Philippians 1:10). Second Peter 3:10 states that on that day the heavens and the earth will be dissolved. In the words of Jesus, Malachi's promise concerning Elijah is applied to John the Baptist (Matthew 11:14). In these ways the New Testament connects the Day of the Lord with Christ's Second Coming and the Last Judgment.

Interpretation and Debate

• Many scholars and denominations explain the concept in terms of "already" and "not yet": the day began with the coming of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and it will be consummated at the Second Coming.
• Adherents of dispensationalism often regard the Day of the Lord as an extended period that includes the Great Tribulation and the millennial kingdom.
• The amillennial position of the Reformed tradition generally views it as a single consummating event: the Second Coming and the Last Judgment.
• "The Lord's day" in Revelation 1:10 uses a different expression in the original language. This verse has traditionally been read as referring to the Lord's Day (Sunday) and is distinguished from the Day of the Lord.
• Scripture states that the time of that day cannot be known (Mark 13:32). Claims that specify a date add something the text does not say.

In the Korean Church

Passages on the Day of the Lord are frequently preached in sermons on eschatology and in Advent sermons as texts exhorting believers to remain watchful while awaiting the Second Coming. In 1992, the Dami Mission and other groups set a specific date for the Rapture in a notable episode of date-setting eschatology. Since that incident, many denominations have cautioned against teachings that fix a date for the Second Coming.