DEFINING THE DAY OF THE LORD I, LIKE YOU, WAS RAISED BELIEVING THAT THE DAY OF THE LORD IS AN EARTH BURNING, TIME ENDING EVENT, WHEN JESUS COMES OUT OF THE SKY, RIDING ON A CLOUD, ATTENDED BY ANGELS BLOWING A TRUMPET! THE BIOLOGICALLY DEAD BODIES OF ALL THE DEAD WOULD BE RECONSTITUTED, RESTORED, AND RAISED, ETERNITY WOULD BEGIN. HOWEVER, IS THIS THE CORRECT VIEW? MY ANSWER IS: NO!

The Day of the Lord My view is that the Bible defines its own terms, and we must allow those definitions to guide us. It is not dictionaries, traditions, or history. The O. T. defines the Day of the Lord for us, and in doing so, shows that the Day of the Lord never refers to a literal, visible, bodily, coming of the Lord. It can be shown that the Lord had come many times, in the Day of the Lord, but had never come literally, visibly, bodily, and Christ was to come “in the glory of the Father.”

The Day of the Lord- Ps. 18 David looks back on his deliverance from his enemies, specifically Saul, seeking his life. David prayed for deliverance, and YHVH answered. THE EARTH SHOOK AND TREMBLED (7) JEHOVAH CAME OUT OF HEAVEN (9), SMOKE FROM HIS NOSTRILS, FLAMING FIRE, AND A SHOUT (V. 7F; 13-15) CREATION WAS DESTROYED! (13-15) THIS WAS A PAST EVENT!!

The Day of the Lord- Edom Isaiah 34-The Day of the Lord’s anger-- not near- This was against Edom and the nations (v 8f) Jeremiah 25; Ezekiel 25/ 35– the nations Obadiah– Jeremiah 46-49—It was now near on Edom and all the nations! Malachi 1:2 –Malachi looks back on the destruction as past fulfillment!!

The Day of the Lord- Is Jehovah would ride/come on the clouds! Against Egypt Date: 712 B. C. Fulfilled at a time when idolatry practiced (v. 3). Fulfilled when Egypt ruled by a Pharaoh (v. 11) Egypt destroyed by Assyrians under Sargon in approx 711!! Sargon was YHVH’s instrument of wrath and judgment. YHVH came through him!

The Day of the Lord- Assyria Isaiah 30-31—Assyria stood before the walls of Jerusalem YHVH would come out of heaven, with a shout, fire, hail, destruction (30:30f; 31:4f). New Creation!– Sun would become seven times more powerful!! (30:26f) Very little while (29:17f) Fulfilled- Isaiah ,000 destroyed!

ZEPHANIAH-AGAINST JERUSALEM THIS DAY OF THE LORD WAS VERY NEAR (1:7, 14F); DAY OF DARKNESS, CLOUDS AND FIRE (V. 15F). IT WAS AGAINST JERUSALEM (1:12F) DESTRUCTION OF MAN AND BEAST, EVEN THE BIRDS OF THE AIR AND FISH OF THE SEA (V CF JER. 4:25F)! THE EARTH DESTROYED (3:8F) THIS WAS THE FALL OF JERUSALEM IN B.C. 586!! UNIVERSAL LANGUAGETHIS IS UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE APPLIED TO A “LOCALIZED” JUDGMENT! AND, THAT DAY WAS FULFILLED IN B. C. 586!

SUMMARY TO THIS POINT WHAT THESE PASSAGES SHOW US IS THAT IN THE O.T. THE DAY OF THE LORD WAS A HISTORICAL EVENT, IN WHICH YHVH MANIFESTED HIS SOVEREIGNTY BY USING ONE NATION IN THE JUDGMENT OF OTHER NATIONS. THE O.T. FORETOLD THE END OF THE AGE DAY OF THE LORD, THE TIME OF THE RESURRECTION, AND THE NEW CREATION. IS THE LAST DAYS DAY OF THE LORD DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER DAYS WE HAVE SEEN?

ISAIAH 2-4 ISAIAH FORETOLD THE LAST DAYS, AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE KINGDOM. HE ALSO FORETOLD THE DAY OF THE LORD (2:10F, 19-21). THE EARTH WOULD BE VIOLENTLY SHAKEN (v )! THE LORD WOULD BE EXALTED IN THAT DAY (2:17—CF. ZECH. 14:8) IS THIS DAY OF THE LORD DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN? LET’S LOOK CLOSER.

THE DAY IN ISAIAH 2-4 ISAIAH 2 FORETOLD THE LAST DAYS DAY OF THE LORD. WE ARE TOLD THAT THE LAST DAYS ARE THE CHRISTIAN AGE. THIS SHOULD MEAN THAT THE DAY OF THE LORD FORETOLD BY ISAIAH IS THE “FINAL” DAY OF THE LORD, THE SECOND COMING, AT THE END OF THE CHRISTIAN AGE, IF THIS IS TRUE. IS THIS TRUE, HOWEVER?IS THIS TRUE, HOWEVER?

DEFINING THE DAY IN ISAIAH 2-4 THE LAST DAYS DAY OF THE LORD IN ISAIAH 2-4 CANNOT BE AN END OF TIME, EARTH DESTROYING EVENT, BECAUSE: 1.) MEN COULD FLEE FROM IT! (2:10F) 2.) IT WOULD BE A TIME OF FAMINE (3:1F). 3.) IT WOULD BE A TIME OF JUDGMENT AGAINST JUDAH AND JERUSALEM (3:8,13-18F) “YOUR MEN SHALL FALL BY THE EDGE OF THE SWORD.” THESE FACTS ALONE PROVE THAT ISAIAH 2-4 WAS TO BE A DAY LIKE THE OTHER DAYS, AN IN TIME, HISTORICAL EVENT! BUT THERE IS MORE!

DEFINING THE DAY IN ISAIAH 2-4 IN THE LAST DAYS, ISRAEL WOULD BE JUDGED FOR SHEDDING INNOCENT BLOOD! (4:4) MATTHEW 23:29F– JESUS, WHO APPEARED IN THE LAST DAYS- SAID ISRAEL WOULD BE JUDGED FOR SHEDDING INNOCENT BLOOD, IN HIS GENERATION. IN LUKE 23:28-31, HE ALLUDES DIRECTLY TO ISAIAH 2:19F AND APPLIES IT TO A.D. 70!

ISAIAH 2-4 SUMMARY ISAIAH 2-4 FORETOLD THE LAST DAYS, DAY OF THE LORD--THIS SHOULD BE, THEREFORE, THE CONSUMMATIVE DAY. HOWEVER, MEN COULD FLEE FROM IT. IT WOULD BE AGAINST JUDAHA AND JERUSALEM. IT WOULD BE WHE THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS WOULD BE VINDICATED, AND JESUS IDENTIFIES THAT AS A.D. 70 JESUS APPLIED THE PROPHECY SPECIFICALLY TO JERUSALEM (LK. 23) THE LAST DAYS DAY OF THE LORD WAS A.D. 70!

ISAIAH 64-65: THE DAY AND THE NEW CREATION VIRTUALLY EVERYONE AGREES THAT ISAIAH SERVES AS THE SOURCE OF PETER AND JOHN’S PREDICTION OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH. THE DEFINITION OF THE COMING OF THE LORD FORETOLD THEREHOWEVER, EXTREMELY FEW COMMENTATORS TAKE NOTE OF THE ACTUAL CONTEXT OF ISAIAH, OR THE DEFINITION OF THE COMING OF THE LORD FORETOLD THERE. HOW CAN WE IGNORE THIS CONTEXT, AND THINK WE HAVE PROPERLY INTERPRETED EITHER 2 PETER OR REVELATION?

THE DAY AND THE NEW CREATION “Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence 2 As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil–To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence! ISAIAH (ISRAEL) IS PRAYING FOR YHVH TO COME, RESCUE THEM, AND BRING IN THE NEW CREATION! WHAT KIND OF “COMING OF THE LORD” WERE THEY PRAYING FOR? END OF TIME? THE END OF THE CHRISTIAN AGE?

THE DAY AND THE NEW CREATION WHAT KIND OF “COMING OF THE LORD” WAS ISAIAH PRAYING FOR? END OF TIME, OR THE CHRISTIAN AGE? A LITERAL, BODILY, VISIBLE DESCENT OF JESUS OUT OF HEAVEN? NO!NO! You came down“When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, The mountains shook at Your presence.”

THE DAY AND THE NEW CREATION Isaiah 64– Jehovah had come before and the creation had been destroyed before! to bring the New CreationThe Lord was coming again, to bring the New Creation The coming of the Lord was to be in the same manner He had come before!The coming of the Lord was to be in the same manner He had come before! Therefore, the Day of the Lord to bring the New Creation—Rev. 21– was to be of the same manner as He had come before! Non-literal, non-visible, non-bodily!!

CONTEXT AND FRAMEWORK OF THE NEW CREATION PAROUSIA ISAIAH AGREES WITH ISAIAH 2-4 IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE DAY OF THE LORD. ISAIAH 2-4– THE TIME OF THE JUDGMENT ON ISRAEL FOR SHEDDING INNOCENT BLOOD. ANDISAIAH 65:6F– WHEN ISRAEL FILLED THE MEASURE OF HER SIN, SHE WOULD BE DESTROYED, V. 13 F, AND, YHVH WOULD CREATE THE NEW HEAVENS AND EARTH!

OUR ARGUMENT THE DAY OF THE LORD PREDICTED BY PETER (2 PT 3), AND JOHN (RV ), WAS THE DAY OF THE LORD FORETOLD BY ISAIAH BUT, THE DAY OF THE LORD FORETOLD BY ISAIAH WAS A DAY LIKE PREVIOUS DAYS. NEVERALL PREVIOUS DAYS OF THE LORD WERE “IN TIME” MANIFESTATIONS OF YHVH’S SOVEREIGNTY– NEVER LITERAL, VISIBLE, BODILY COMINGS! THEREFORE, THE DAY OF THE LORD OF 2 PT. 3 AND REVELATION WOULD NOT BE A LITERAL, VISIBLE BODILY COMING OF THE LORD!

DANIEL 12 AND THE DAY DANIEL 12 FORETOLD THE TIME OF THE END (V. 4), AND THE RESURRECTION. THIS IS CLEARLY THE DAY OF THE LORD! YET, HE ALSO FORETOLD THE TIME OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION (V. 1) IN THE SAME TIME FRAME AND CONTEXT, AND JESUS POSITED THIS FOR HIS GENERATION IN THE JUDGMENT ON JERUSALEM (MT. 24:15-21). SO, JESUS PLACES DANIEL 12 WITHIN HIS GENERATION AND THE JUDGMENT ON JERUSALEM. DOES DANIEL AGREE WITH THIS?

DANIEL 12 AND THE DAY ONE ANGEL ASKS ANOTHER ABOUT WHEN ALL OF THESE THINGS– GREAT TRIB., TIME OF THE END, RESURRECTION, WOULD OCCUR: HEAVEN’S ANSWER-V. 7: WHEN THE POWER OF THE HOLY PEOPLE HAS BEEN COMPLETELY SHATTERED, ALL OF THESE THINGS SHALL BE FULFILLED.” SO, DANIEL, LIKE ISAIAH 2 AND POSITS THE DAY OF THE LORD, AND THE KEY ESCHATOLOGICAL TENETS AT THE TIME OF THE JUDGMENT OF O.C. ISRAEL!

Summarizing the Day of the Lord We have shown that the O.T. defines the Day of the Lord as an in history demonstration of the Sovereignty of YHVH. We have seen that the O.T. predicted the Last Days Day of the Lord. We have examined three key O.T. prophecies of the Day of the Lord, that foretold, the Last Days Day, the New Creation, and the Resurrection. We have shown that these prophecies defined the Day in the same way as the previous Days.

Summarizing the Day of the Lord critical DayIt is critical to understand that Jesus and N.T. writers were anticipating the Last Days Day foretold by the O.T. prophets! Jesus-- Romans 15:8 Peter –Acts 3; 1 Peter 1; 2 Peter 3 Paul– Nothing but the hope of Israel! John– the fulfillment of the prophets (Rev. 10:7) There are no new eschatological hopes or promises in the N. T.! This being true, and given what we have seen, where do the N.T. writers redefine the Day? Where is the justification for radically altering that documented definition?