Study – Grow – Know

Meaning of “Day of the Lord,” Part 5

April 9, 2015 at 8:35 AM 1 comment

Side note: Many may have already heard about a new discovery regarding the gospel of Mark. The discovery is actually due to an Egyptian mummy mask, where a fragment of the gospel of Mark manuscript was found to be part of a death mask used to cover the face of the deceased.

“According to the Blaze, one of the masks yielded a fragment of the gospel of Mark from 80 A.D. – the earliest known fragment of that book of the Bible and putting it quite close to the life of Christ. This also goes a long way to disproving the claim that the gospels were literary inventions that took place centuries after the life of Jesus.”

What does this mean? It means that, unlike what “higher critics” and atheists have pushed for decades – that the gospel of Mark was actually written centuries after Jesus lived and died – the truth appears to be that the gospel of Mark was written much earlier, during the first century, the same century that Jesus lived.

As archaeologists continue to unearth new discoveries, we will undoubtedly learn more information that tends to back up and give credence to God’s Word, as opposed to casting doubt.

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In our previous article on the meaning of the “day of the Lord,” we dealt with a number of passages from Scripture that reference the “day of the Lord.” We spent some time in Obadiah since the book is only one chapter in length. As we noted, there are some interesting things happening in that book and the very last portion of Obadiah indicates that the promises to restore Judah to the Land is as yet, an unfulfilled promise. Though it has not been fulfilled yet, we can count on it being fulfilled.

In Part 2 of this series, we listed several occurrences in the Old Testament in which references are seemingly made to the “day of the Lord.” At the very least, we know that these Scriptural references point to a time of coming judgment when God will right all wrongs and all the Land promised to Abraham for Israel will be fully rendered in fulfillment. At the same time, there also appears to be a sense of near fulfillment where God’s judgment is going to rain down on nations sooner than later. In fact, we saw this with Obadiah. It is very clear there that prophecies against Edom were fulfilled in many ways in the past. However, toward the end of Obadiah 1:15-21, we read the following in verse 15a:

“For the day of the Lord draws near on all the nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you.”

Notice the text says that the “day of the Lord draws near on ALL nations.” This obviously looks forward to the time when God will judge the entire earth, which will occur when Jesus returns and He judges all nations (Sheep and the Goats, Matthew 25:31-46). The text points to the future.

Let’s look at a few more Scriptural references that deal with “day of the Lord.”

• The Tribulation – Deuteronomy 4:30
• The Indignation – Isaiah 26:20; Daniel 11:36

Deuteronomy 4:30 states, ““When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice.”

The entire chapter of Deuteronomy 4 is well worth reading because it provides the context of the above quote. In verses 1 through 14, Moses emphasizes how important it is to obey the Lord God. It is not option or shouldn’t be. Obedience to God is something that should come naturally. Unfortunately, even for our first parents – who truly understood what it meant to actually possess unadulterated free will – obedience was impossible in the long run. Eventually, they chose unwisely and followed the temptations of the Tempter rather than the truth of God and His Word.

Every human being after them lives with a corrupted free will that does not allow us naturally to obey God. It is only through the redemptive process in Jesus that we learn we are free to choose and can then make the right choices to obey Him. This is done through faith and in His strength. Aside from Adam and Eve, only Jesus enjoyed absolute free will. He was able not to sin and at the same time, completely unable to sin. He was and remains the God-Man, having two natures that perfectly mesh.

Obedience is important to God and should be to us as well. It should have been to the Israelites too, but they too often, rebelled against God and His plans and purposes. It is not as if the people of Israel had not been given God’s laws and precepts. They knew them. They had them written down. They understood what they were to do, but failed too often. This is why they were also often removed from the Land. But God’s promises never leave Israel alone completely.

In verses 15 – 31, the Israelites are reminded that they should avoid idolatry at all costs. It will destroy them as a people and force God to use a neighboring nation to admonish and judge them. This also happened repeatedly throughout Israel’s history into modern times.

In verses 32 to the end, the Israelites are reminded that God alone is God. There is no one else to turn. No one who can stand in His Presence. No one. Because of this, not only is it a waste of time to try to find someone/something who can replace God, but attempting to do so will ultimately bring God’s judgment.

Notice though in Deuteronomy 4:30, God – through Moses – tells the Israelites that they will be in distress because of all the calamities that come upon them as a nation due to their lack of obedience to God, there is the promise that God made to Abraham. Specifically, the text states that “in the latter days…” the nation will return to the Lord. Not only that, but they will then actually listen to Him! What is this referring to here? It is referring to an aspect of the “day of the Lord,” after Jesus returns when Israel will call upon Him whom they have slain. God will open their hearts and eyes and the final remnant will embrace the truth they see. They will mourn and wail for how they have mistreated Jesus because now they see clearly what He accomplished for them as a nation. They will be granted salvation and that final remnant will enjoy the Lord and will listen to His voice. The word “listen” implies obedience. They will turn and obey.

Isaiah 26:20 says, “Come, my people, enter into your rooms And close your doors behind you; Hide for a little while Until indignation runs its course.”

This passage speaks to the fact that during the second portion of the coming Tribulation, God will actually hide and protect the final remnant of Israel from Satan (working through the Antichrist). God will protect them. He will feed them. He will heal their wounds and tend their needs. This is clearly delineated in Revelation 12 where we see a very brief overview of Israel’s history. In Revelation 12:6, we read, “Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.”

This verse immediately follows the verse about Jesus having already been born, lived, and died (v. 5).

Revelation 12:13-17 highlights the yet future situation when Satan attempts to go after Israel as they flee into the desert, but his efforts are ruined so he turns his attention to Israel’s “other children,” which is referring to Christians. While some believe this has to do with Israel’s escape from Egypt, it really cannot mean that because while the Red Sea parted allowing Israel to move through on dry land and then destroying the Egyptians, there were no “other children” at this point for Satan to attack. Note also that according to Revelation 12, the Messiah had already been born, lived, died, rose again, and ascended to heaven (Revelation 12:5).

Clearly, the narrative of Revelation 12 provides a complete overview of Israel’s history from start to finish. The finished part is still in front of.

Daniel 11:36 notes, “Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done.”

This part of Daniel has no literal fulfillment in all of history yet. Even many liberal scholars believe that this is unfulfilled prophecy. While it might be argued that Antiochus Epiphanes may have fulfilled some of what is described in this section of Daniel (11:36-39), he did not fulfill all of them. Paul also speaks of future events when the “man of sin” will sit in the Jewish temple that will be built during the Tribulation (2 Thessalonians 2). While some allegorize that portion of Scripture to mean the physical body of the Christian, it really does not have any follow through. Paul, like Jesus, referred to a future event that was very reminiscent of the act performed by Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 BC where he physically went into the existing Jewish temple and defiled it. Jesus emphasized this in His Olivet Discourse to underscore the fact that the coming “man of sin” (Antichrist, a physical human being) will do the same thing that was done in 168 BC. Of course, this means that another Jewish temple will be built in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount. How that will happen is anyone’s guess, but it most likely tied into the confirmation of the covenant that Antichrist brokers with Israel’s leaders (Daniel 9:27). This is the exact event that starts the Tribulation.

Notice also that the phrase “the indignation” is used in Daniel 11:36. Taken together with other portions of Scripture noted above, this is believed to be pointing to an as yet unfulfilled portion of prophecy related to the Tribulation. During that time, the Antichrist – again, a physical man supernaturally and spiritually endowed with all of Satan’s powers – will rule the world. In effect then, Satan himself will be ruling the world in his attempt to fulfill the five “I will” promises he made in Isaiah 14.

We’ll be back with more next time!

Entry filed under: christianity, israel, Judaism, Religious - Christian - End Times, Religious - Christian - Prophecy, Religious - Christian - Theology, salvation.