First Major event: God’s Throne in Heaven will be unveiled for all men to see on the day of the Lord
The day of the Lord will occur at the time of the seventh trumpet. At the seventh trumpet, the veil of the Temple of God in Heaven will be opened that all men might see for themselves the throne of God. Jesus promised his enemies that they would see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the power of God and coming on the clouds of Heaven. The calamities that are said to occur at the time the seventh bowl of wrath (Lightening, noises, thunder, a great earthquake, and great hail) are also said to occur at the time of the seventh trumpet; the time when a loud voice will also come out of the temple in Heaven. God will speak to men from on High on that day and they will hear his voice (Isa 52:6). In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel (Isa 14:7). Because all men will see this, the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich, every free man and slave will hide themselves from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb (described as occurring after the sixth seal is opened) (Isa 2:19).
Second Major event: The Second coming of Christ will occur on the Day of the Lord.
The sign of the Son of man will appear in Heaven and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory (Mt 24:29-30, Mrk 13:24-26, Lk 21:25). The Lord Jesus will be revealed from Heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels (II Thess 1:7). As lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be in His day (Mt 24:26-27, Lk 17:20). Christ’s feet will stand on the Mount of Olives on that Day (Zech 14:4). The lights will diminish and there will be no light on that day, but at evening time it shall happen that it will be light (Zech 14:7). More will be said about the return of Jesus Christ in a later post.
Third Major event: The Resurrection of the Dead will occur on the Day of the Lord
The Apostle Paul tells us that everyone in Christ shall be made alive at his coming (I Cor 15:22-23). When the Lord himself descends from Heaven with a shout, the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, the Dead will rise first (I Thess 4:14-17). The Trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible (I Cor 15:51-55). Many who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt (Dan 12:2). In that day, the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness (Isa 29:18). The Resurrection of the dead will also occur on the day of the Lord so that every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him (Rev 1:7). How else can those who have long been dead see the return of Christ? Job describes that when his redeemer stands on the earth, that in his own flesh He would see God (Job 19:25-27). More will be discussed regarding the resurrection in a separate post.
Fourth Major event: The Rapture of the Church will occur on the Day of the Lord
The Rapture of the Church that immediately follows the Resurrection of the Dead will also occur on the day of the Lord. When Christ returns, He will stand as a banner to the people and the gentiles shall seek Him (Isa 11:10). In that day the Lord shall set his Hand a second time to recover the remnant of his People who are left (Isa 11:11). The great trumpet shall be blown and they will come, who are about to perish and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem (Isa 27:13). The Lord will thresh in that day and you will be gathered one by one, children of Israel (Isa 27:12). Revelation promises that the mystery of God will be accomplished just as He declared to his servants the prophets at the sounding of the seventh trumpet. What is this mystery? The Apostle Paul describes how not all men will sleep but all will be changed in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet as a mystery ( I Cor 15:50). More will be discussed about the timing of the rapture in a separate post.
Fifth Major event: The Refiner’s fire will occur on the day of the Lord.
It’s important to realize that the day of the Lord will also be a day of woe for everyone. Scripture tells us that at Christ’s return, all the tribes of the earth will actually mourn because of him. The light of Israel will be a fire and a flame who will refine his people and purge them of all their sins on this single day (Isa 10:17). He will cleanse them from all their iniquities on that day (Ezek 36:33). For those who linger in their sins, God will light a fire under them in a very literal sense. Every hand will be limp, man’s heart will melt, and they will be afraid. Each will be amazed at one another when their faces will be like flames (Isa 13:6-8). The Lord God of Hosts calls for weeping and mourning on that day (Isa 22:12). God will refine his people like gold or silver is refined (Mal 2:17-3:3). The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down and the Lord alone will be exalted on that day (Isa 2:11). Men will cast away their idols in that day (Isa 2:20). Man will never again depend on anything but the Lord (Isa 10:20). Though He was angry with them, his Anger will be turned away and He will comfort us (Isa 12:1-2). His people will trust and not be afraid, for God will be their salvation (Isa 12:1-2). More will be said about the refiner’s fire in a separate post.
Sixth Major event: The Battle of Armageddon and God’s wrath will be unleashed on the day of the Lord.
The day of the Lord is also when the Lion of Judah will set out to destroy all those who are wicked. Because the wicked have killed many of His chosen people and refused to repent, He will destroy many. Their abominations will incite the living God to render the earth desolate. The sheer magnitude of the genocide will be great on that day. He will gather all nations to battle against Jerusalem in the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon (Rev 16:14-16). God will punish the world for it’s evil and eradicate most of mankind moving the heavens and the earth out of her place on that day (Isa 13:11). He shall fill the world with dead bodies and execute the heads of many countries (Ps 110:5-6). Men will hide in caves and holes in the ground from the terror of the Lord (Isa 2:19). He shall turn the streams into burning pitch and brimstone never to be quenched (Isa 34:8-10). For these reasons, the Day of the Lord will be called a day of clouds and day of woe (Ezek 30:2-3). Even God Himself takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. The God of Justice will simply do what needs to be done to set things right. The great flood, Sodom and Gomorrah are all historical precedents showing how God has done this before; He will do it again if people choose not to repent. People carry many misconceptions about meeting their maker. More will be said about God’s wrath and the battle of Armageddon in separate posts.
Seventh Major event: The Kingdom of God will be established on the day of the Lord.
On the day God cleanses his people of all their iniquities, He will enable them to dwell in cities and the ruins will be rebuilt (Ezek 36:33). In the time of Jacob’s trouble, He shall be saved out of it (Jer 30:7-9). The Sun and Moon shall be disgraced because the Lord of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem (Isa 24:21-23). Christ will be King over all the earth in that day (Zech 14:9). Every creature in Heaven, on the earth, and under the earth will ultimately bow and confess Jesus Christ as Lord. The earth shall be made to give birth to this nation in one day (Isa 66:8-9). On this day the Lord will give his people rest from their sorrow, fear, and hard bondage (Isa 14:3). The Day of the Lord will spell the end of the current age for mankind and the dawn of a new millennial age for believers. More will be said about the Millenial kingdom in a future post.
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