Day Of The Lord

FEBRUARY 9, 2022 STUDY NOTES SUBJECT: DAY OF THE LORD BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES Our subject tonight is not a popular topic in the modern-day church, neither is the subject of Hell Saved and lost need to hear of God's love, mercy, grace, longsuffering, patience, and forgiveness All of which cannot be preached too often, but we cannot neglect the truth of God's judgment We must study, learn, and teach that we are now in the Day of God's Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9) Today is the day to witness to the lost, the day that the lost can call upon Jesus as Savior, Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. We must teach the future day of God's judgment upon Satan, his followers, and the sinful world That future day is the day of God's wrath and is known as the Day of the Lord Our study tonight is basically an introduction to the subject of the Day of the Lord An in-depth study of the subject would require a series of messages (check the many references) The term "Day" does not refer to a literal day of 24 hours, but to a period-of time It is an extended period-of time involving many different events and will be worldwide in nature Sometimes the prophets used "Day of the Lord" to refer to an event occurring in their day A day of the Lord's judgment carried out in their own times And sometimes those same events are also a pattern or foreshadow of a future event Referring to a future day belonging to the Lord, the day He will display His wrath upon all evil The day that God will judge all-of His enemies, and demonstrate that Christ is Lord of Lords Which will not take place until the time of the return of Christ, the events will occur through Him People today want to know when Christ is coming back and what He is going to do when He does People want to know "when" the return of Jesus is going to happen People want to know "what" is going to happen when Jesus returns They want to know what it will be like on earth when Jesus returns Regardless of our answers to those questions, we must be faithful to Christ until He returns We should be living according-to His Word every day of our life until He returns Regardless of the order of events at the time of His return, today is the day to live for Christ To believe that Jesus will come again someday should encourage us to live for Him today The Thessalonians were concerned about the events related to the return of Christ Paul had a message for them, 1Th 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. The word ''times'' designates a period or space of time with-reference to quantity "Seasons" refers to an appointed time with the attention on its characteristics They are used together in a special way with the meaning of "the end times" Within the "times and seasons" there is a chronological order of events found often in scripture There is a predetermined period-of time before the time of the return of Christ Between the first and second coming of Christ certain foreordained events will take place In-order for those events to take place in their time and season, God must be in control God is in control of the "times and the seasons" according to, Dan 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: God determines when in history events will take place and will change things so that they will God has a set time for certain events to take place and then other events will follow So, according-to scripture there are things that we are to know about the "times and the seasons" Which requires reading and studying the Bible, and comparing scripture with scripture Study and compare all scripture related to one truth until we realize there is no contradiction The truth of any subject will be presented the same in all scripture, O.T. and N.T. There are many scriptures in the O.T. and the N.T. concerning the "times and the seasons" Which Christians need to learn and study, Satan and the demons know something about the future, Mat 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? There is coming a time when Satan and the demons will be judged and punished At the time of the Day of the Lord Christ will judge Satan and all evil forces Their judgment will ultimately be the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10) When will the Day of the Lord begin? Can we know when it will begin? Consider what Paul said to the Thessalonians, "you have no need that I write unto you" Paul's point is that he does not need to write any more about "the times and the seasons" Paul had already instructed them concerning the time and events of Jesus' return They knew the truth of the rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) They also knew the truth of the "Day of the Lord" which Paul now speaks of (1 Thess. 5:1-11) As Christians we can know more about the Day of the Lord because it has been written Paul presents to us the truth of the "Day of the Lord," which God wants us to know 1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. "For" introduces the reason it was not necessary to tell them again of the times and seasons They already knew enough about the return of Jesus to know how to live their daily life They knew accurately that they could not accurately set a date for the return of Jesus They knew that they would not be able to mark a date on the calendar for Jesus' return They knew that the return of Jesus is certain and most meaningful To "know perfectly" means to "know accurately," to know "exactly" They were well informed and in the "know" concerning the subject of the "Day of the Lord" So, what is the Day of the Lord and what is going to happen within that time-period? The "day" is an extended period-of time beginning with the return of Christ to the earth It is an extended period-of time involving many different events and will be worldwide in nature The Day of the Lord is exactly what it says, it is "The Lord's Day" The Lord will allow sinful man to have "his day," sin will have its day before the Lord's Day Satan will have his day which is now and will continue through the future day of tribulation Satan's man, the future Antichrist will have his day, which is the day of the Great Tribulation The Day of the Lord will follow man's day of sin, Satan's day, and the day of the Antichrist The Day of the Lord is the theme of the book of Joel, it is the message that Joel proclaims, Joe 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. Pay close attention to Joel's description, it is "the day," it is "the Day of the Lord" It is "at hand," it is in place according-to the "times and the seasons," on God's schedule Joel describes it as "a destruction from the Almighty," and he assures us, "it shall come" Satan, sinful man, or the Antichrist will not prevent or escape the Day of the Lord Paul said, it "so cometh as a thief in the night," unexpected and denied by the world Paul presents the certainty of the Day of the Lord, it's on its way, it will surely come It will come when it is least expected by those who deny that it will come The world will be living without giving any attention to God, except to mock and persecute, 2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 2Pe 3:4 And saying, 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. "Scoffers" are those who do not take the return of Christ to the earth seriously, they deny it Mocking the Second Coming of Christ, and making fun of those who believe that Jesus is coming They ridicule the thought of judgment falling upon the world as-a result of their sin and rebellion They deny the fact of the Almighty God pouring out His wrath upon Satan and his followers Scoffers and mockers are here today, spreading their mockery of Christ and His return The world is now prepared for the coming of the Antichrist, Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. The time will be the "Abomination of Desolation" (Matthew 24:15) Which will be the beginning of the "Great Tribulation" (Matthew 24:21) Paul tells us that the sinful world will not be prepared for the coming of the Day of the Lord, 1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. Christians are prepared, 1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 1Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Read and study 1 Thessalonians 5, be sure you identify the contrast between the saved and lost It is important that we identify the contrast between "they," "them," and "you," "we, us" "They" and "them" refer to those who are lost, "they" are those who are unsaved "Sudden destruction" will come upon them, meaning unforeseen and unexpected Destruction will come upon them, which does not mean annihilation, but a loss of well-being Their destruction will be the loss of all that they have valued in life All that they have committed their life to, will be gone forever, an utter and hopeless ruin "They shall not escape," the statement is very strong, no, not at all, in no wise will they escape "They" are not prepared, so there is absolutely no escape, there is no hope of escape There will be those who are prepared, you, we, and us refers to the "brethren," the saved In verse 3 we have those who are unprepared, in verses 4 and 5 we have those who are prepared Those who are prepared for the coming of Antichrist, coming of Christ, and the Day of the Lord Paul is going to tell us about the Christians who are "alive and remain" when Jesus returns Paul gives us our instructions, 1Th 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. "Be sober" (1 Thess. 5:6) which refers to a Spirit controlled life (Ephesians 5:18) Be in full control of your senses, 1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. We are not to be intoxicated with the world or sin, we are to live a Spirit controlled life Peter's instructions are the same, 1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; Peter is saying, "Be in control," never be intoxicated by the ways of the world, by Satan or sin Be spiritually calm, cool, and collected, never lose control of your spiritual life Don't let your mind be overcome by Satan or sin, always be level-headed Even when and especially when the trials come, do not let the outside circumstances control you You must have control of yourself in all circumstances of life, even in a time of persecution "Hope" in Christ will bring us through anything and everything, even "to the end" Even to the "revelation of Jesus Christ," the one-coming of Christ will be with many events Back to Paul's instruction until that time, "put on the breastplate of faith," which is familiar, Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; Why, Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. "Put on" is a command, it is a Christian responsibility, get ready for the battle with Satan A battle so intense that it requires "the whole armor of God," God provides it all It is the armor that only God can provide and the only armor that will work against Satan "Wiles" refers to the many methods of Satan, referring to his schemes, tricks, and strategies The greatest of which will be through the future Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2) Paul said, put on the "helmet," which is "the hope of salvation" (1 Thess. 5:8; Ephesians 6:17) Our mind must be protected from Satan's attack upon the mind Satan will attack the mind, Satan wants to control what you think That is why the Word of God is so important to our daily life Christian hope is the return of Jesus Christ who will deliver us from the coming wrath of God The hope of salvation is our deliverance from the Day of the Lord We must remain faithful until the time of the rapture, even though we face Satan's persecution That is why the Word of God is so important to us today and for the future 1 Thessalonians 5 is loaded with Biblical truth related to God's work in us and for us We learn who we are and why we are who we are, we learn of our present and future state Christians are to live daily through the faith, love, and hope of our salvation Which reveals the difference between the unbeliever and the believer's life today Paul is now going to present to us the difference in the future between the lost and the saved The lost have no hope, but the saved have the "hope of salvation" The lost world will face God's wrath in the future and the saved will "obtain salvation" 1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Because we are who we are, as Christians, God has not appointed us to wrath There are many future appointments that this world is going to face There is one future appointment known as the "wrath of God" Paul is not talking about the future eternal wrath of Hell for those who are lost But the wrath that will be poured out upon the world at the time of Christ return The day of God's wrath will come, but it will not come upon the Christian In-order to understand what the Bible is telling the Christian we must understand "wrath" Christians are never promised to be delivered from tribulation or persecution The Greek word translated "tribulation" means, suffering, affliction, and anguish It also has the meaning of distress or persecution and identifies with the work of Satan The Greek word translated "wrath" has the meaning of anger, rage, fury, or wrath Which is often used in-reference to God's indignation against wrongdoing, sin, and evil In Matthew 24, Jesus does not use the word wrath when referring to the tribulation He uses the word that means suffering, affliction, anguish, tribulation, or persecution The first use of the word "wrath" in the book of Revelation is at the time of the 6th seal, Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: Look at each time the Greek word translated "wrath" in verse 16 is found in Revelation His wrath (6:17; 16:19) Thy wrath (11:18) wrath of God, His indignation (14:10) Wrath of Almighty God (19:15) There is another Greek word translated wrath, it is used of Satan in, Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. The "great wrath" of Satan will be the "Great Tribulation," Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Satan will have his day of wrath which is the time of the "Great Tribulation" Christians are not exempt from the time of Satan's wrath, we are delivered from God's wrath Satan's wrath is also a time of anger and indignation, the same Greek word speaks of God's wrath Wrath of God (14:10,19; 15:1,7; 16:1) Fierceness of His wrath (16:19; 19:15) The tribulation period and the great tribulation are not identified as the wrath of God DESCRIPTION OF THE DAY OF THE LORD? First-of all, you must know that the Day of the Lord is not God's judgment upon the saved The Day of the Lord is not the wrath of God falling upon the Christian or the Church, 1Th 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 5:9) Our deliverance is known as the rapture and will immediately occur at the time of Christ return At which time the church will be delivered (Lk 21:25-28; Mt 24:30-31; Rev 6:14; 1 Th 4:16-17) The removal of the church from the earth will take place before the Day of the Lord begins The Day of the Lord will not begin until after the True Church is raptured The Day of the Lord does not begin when the 70th Week begins, (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24) The Day of the Lord does not begin when the Great Tribulation begins (Matthew 24:15; 21) The Day of the Lord will begin at the end of the Tribulation, which is the 6th seal (Rev 6:12-17) The 6th seal is the cosmic disturbance announcing the coming of the Day of the Lord (6:12-13) The raptured church is identified in Rev. 7, a great multitude from every nation The Day of the Lord will begin with the opening of the seventh seal (Rev 8:1) The trumpet and bowl judgments describe the pouring out of God's wrath upon the earth The Great Tribulation is the time of Satan's persecution upon God's people through the Antichrist There are times that the term Day of the Lord refers to a historical fulfilled account O.T. prophets often speak of the Lord's judgment that occurred in their day Referring to a day of God's judgment upon Judah or Israel Many of which are a double fulfillment prophecy, a near and far fulfillment Judgment that occurred in their own time which also points to the future Day of the Lord The Day of the Lord is often referred to as "that day," and often has a double reference Which is known as a near/far prophecy, describing a near event that also identifies a future event The near being a present time of God's judgment, which is a type of God's future judgment The near was also a picture or type of God's future judgment within the Day of the Lord The future judgment will take place within the events occurring at the time of the return of Christ There are many verses referring to the future judgment of God upon the ungodly world O.T. Prophets spoke often of the future Day of the Lord, we need to study their words Pay attention to their description and you will know why it is called the Day of the Lord Read Isaiah 2:12-22, you can identify the purposes of the Day of the Lord: The Lord will be exalted in that day (Isaiah 2:11, 17) It will be a day of reckoning for sinful man (Isaiah 2:11-12) A day of judgment for sinful man, humble the proud, self-exalting, God rebelling (Isa. 2:12-17) Stamp out idolatry (Isaiah 2:18-21) God will arise to shake terribly the earth (Isaiah 2:19,21) To identify the foolishness of man and the truth of God (Isaiah 2: 22) There are many Old Testament scriptures describing the Day of the Lord for us Joel is considered-to be "the prophet of the Day of the Lord," it is the theme of Joel, Joe 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. "Alas for the day" warns of the dreadful day that will come from the hand of the "LORD" (Amos 5:16-18) It will come as destruction from the Almighty" (Joel 1:15; Isaiah 13:6) Read Zephaniah 1:14-18, "And I will bring;" "the fire of his jealousy: for He shall make" Compare it with, Joe 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; Another warning of the coming of the Day of the Lord, Joel describes it, Joe 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. (Amos 5:18, 20; Zephaniah 1:15) God's warning of the coming Day of the Lord will be the Cosmic Disturbance, Joe 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. (Acts 2:20) The great and terrible Day of the Lord is the day that is to be feared by the ungodly world God will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity (Isa 13:11; 24:21; 26:21) A day cruel, with fury and a fierce burning anger (Isaiah 13:9; Zephaniah 2:2-3; 3:8) A time of divine wrath and fierce anger (Isaiah 13:13; Ezekiel 7:19; Zephaniah 1:15,18) A time when God's indignation and fury will be directed against the nations (Isa 34:1-2; Ezekiel 30:3; Joel 2:1; 3:2; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:14-2:3; Zechariah 14:2-3) A time when God's vengeance will be revealed (Isaiah 34:8; 35:4) A day of vengeance that belongs to the Lord God of Hosts, Jer 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. A day that is unique, Zec 14:7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. A time of fire from the Lord (Joel 2:3,5,30; Zephaniah 1:18; 3:8) CONCLUSION The tribulation, great tribulation, and the Day of the Lord are not the same time-period They are not presented as having the same purpose Satan's purpose and God's purpose are not the same To fulfill Satan's purpose the church must be present during the Great Tribulation To fulfill God's purpose the church must be raptured before the Day of the Lord begins The Word of God plainly teaches that God's wrath will not fall until the church is removed