The Day of The Lord - The Event That Starts The End of The World - By Beginning and End -
"..let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; "
This is the first article in the Beginning and End Rapture Series.
The timing of the Rapture, the end times supernatural removal of all Christians on Earth to meet Jesus in the clouds, is a hotly debated subject in Christianity. The Beginning and End Rapture Series will examine the Rapture, what it is and when it takes place in the Biblical prophetic timeline. But in addition to knowing when in the Bible the Rapture occurs, it is equally, if not important to know why. Why is there a need for a Rapture? What is God's purpose in doing this? The Day of The Lord is one of those reasons that the Rapture must take place.
In the majority of rapture discussion the terms "7-Year Tribulation" and "The Tribulation" are often used to describe the final end times period detailed in the Book of Revelation that precedes Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ. This article will assert that the Bible actually uses a different term much more frequently to describe the commencement of this final series of judgments: The Day of The Lord. The Day of The Lord and Daniel's 70th Week (As detailed in Daniel Chapter 9, is final 7 years of the world which commence with a covenant between Israel and the Antichrist) are the proper, Biblical title for the period in which God will supernaturally judge the world and unleash the judgments described in the book of Revelation's trumpets and bowl judgments (Jesus later describes this entire time as "Great Tribulation" which is also an appropriate term).
In addition, the Bible outlines clear signs that must be fulfilled in order for this period to begin and a series of events that will take place once it has started. By removing preconceived notions about the end times and just looking to Scripture, this article may be able to shed some new light on commonly held beliefs about the end times. Please note that the approach of Beginning and End is 2-fold: (1) Letting the Bible define itself by comparing scripture against scripture and not using human-made theories on prophecy - "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual." 1 Corinthians 2:13; and (2) knowing that God expects us to search the Scriptures. Many prophetic concepts are not easily grasped and we are to study the Bible with time and care to learn what God's plan for the world. And the answers are all in scripture: "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." -Amos 3:7. So for this study there will be no reference to charts, timelines or other commonly cited information used in Rapture articles unless based directly on Bible scripture.
Much more important than just "being right" about the rapture is understanding that there are lives and souls at stake. The Bible stresses that the unbelieving world (and even some professing Christians) will be completely caught off guard by this event. It is this website's prayer and hope that readers are ready, watchful and looking to The Lord and not lost in the sinful world when these things come to pass.
What is The Day of The Lord?
Isaiah 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: 8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. 9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. 11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
The "Day of The Lord" is the Biblical, Old Testament term used to refer to start of the end of age judgments of the book of Revelation which God will pour out on the world starting with a massive global earthquake. This is a time when God will actively intervene in the affairs of humanity with devastating impact. These judgments will be experienced by the entire world population at a time when society has been lulled into a false sense of security. The world will think it has achieved "peace and safety" and then sudden destruction from God will come. The Day of The Lord will also overlap (as will be shown) overlap with the 70th week of Daniel, the prophesied final 7 years on Earth before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. But as the Scriptures above clearly detail, God will at this time, in anger, send catastrophic judgments that will cause every man's heart to "melt" in fear. Many verses in the Old Testament give the same confirmation:
Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
Zephaniah 1:7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. 8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.
Amos 5: 18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. 19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. 20 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
1 Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 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.
Isaiah 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:
Joel 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; 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.
Notice the passage above from Joel describes an army whose destruction is so horrific that there has never been anything like it, nor will there be in the future. This coincides with how Jesus described the end times to His disciples: " 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." (Matthew 24).
This verse is often cited for why many people refer to the end times as "The Tribulation" or the "7 Year Tribulation." However, Jesus is using the term "great tribulation" to describe what is Biblically, the Day of The Lord and all the judgments that follow. In fact the term "7-year tribulation" is never even in the Bible. One of the goals of this article is to emphasize how the Bible specifically describes things as opposed to how Christian authors and pastors have decided to in recent years. The "Day of The Lord" is a very clearly detailed event that will in essence, kick off the final judgments of the world before the Second Coming of The Lord Jesus Christ.
Could This Take Place at The First Seal of Revelation Chapter 6?
Revelation Chapter 6 details a scene the Apostle John witnesses in Heaven where God The Father gives Jesus a sealed book that only He, as Messiah, is worthy of opening. The book (which would most likely resemble a scroll) contains seven seals and with the opening of each seal of the book, various events take place. The Traditional Pre-tribulation Rapture model places the start of the Day of The Lord at the opening of the first Seal of Revelation Chapter 6. However, this does not really line up with Scripture. Bible scholar Peter Goodgame, author of the end-time prophetic book, 'Redmoon Rising' explains this point succinctly:
Proponents of the predominant Pre-Trib view (Fruchtenbaum, Walvoord) place the start of the Day of the Lord at the opening of the first Seal, which they teach also marks the beginning of the 70th Week covenant of Daniel 9:27. We know that the 70th Week begins with a seven-year peace covenant, while the Day of the Lord begins with sudden destruction. How can these seemingly different events, beginning in radically different ways, begin at the same time? Where is the "sudden destruction" in the first Seal of Revelation?
There is really nothing in the Bible that explicitly connects the first Seal with the beginning of the Day of the Lord. This connection was made by early Pre-Trib scholars because of their focus on the 'seven-year tribulation.' Once it was decided that the first Seal represents both the Antichrist and the beginning of the 70th Week covenant these scholars were "painted into a corner," so to speak, and forced to conclude that the first Seal must also mark the beginning of the Day of the Lord. In the next section we will break away from this questionable emphasis on the first Seal and examine the Scriptures from a fresh perspective. In the end it will become clear that the Day of the Lord does not begin with a diplomatic or bureaucratic event such as the signing of the 70th Week covenant, but with the sudden and destructive outpouring of the wrath of God upon the entire world!
So now that it is clear that The Lord is going to pour out judgments onto the Earth in the end times in a form of massive destruction, the question to now examine is why is God going to do this? Why would The Lord at that point choose to make such a drastic intervention and bring destruction upon the Earth? Fortunately, the Bible explains.
The Purpose of The Day of The Lord
In studying the Bible and events past and present, it is very important to understand why The Lord is doing a certain thing. Most Christians agree that the events listed in Revelation will happen in the future but there is rarely much discussion about why they are going to happen. Once again, by studying Old Testament scripture regarding the Day of The Lord, it becomes quite apparent there are several purposes to the Day of the Lord:
1. To Protect Israel
Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
Isaiah 34:8 For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.
Joel 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;
The verses above show a very specific purpose: God is protecting His Holy Nation of Israel at the time of the Day of The Lord. "Zion" or "Mt. Zion" is another term for Jerusalem and the Day of The lord is a time when God will rise up and "roar" from His Holy City. Despite the spiritual state of Israel today, the people of Israel have always been elect by God for special purposes. And despite the current political situation, the land of Israel is God's Holy Land. In fact most of the end times events of Revelation are centered on Israel. It is where Jesus Christ will return at His Second coming (Revelation 19). It is where the Antichrist will set himself up in the temple to proclaim himself God (1 Thessalonians 2). It is where the two witnesses sent by God during the final years of the world will preach from (Revelation 11). It is where the 144,000 end times witnesses of God will be from (Revelation 7). It is where Armageddon will take place (Revelation 19). And t is where Jesus will establish His Millenial Kingdom on the throne of David (Revelation 20).
So again, when studying Bible prophecy, the purposes of God should not be overlooked - one of the main themes of the end times is God reconciling, saving and restoring Israel and His Holy City of Jerusalem. And the Day of The Lord is the start of this. So what causes God to mount this massive defense of the faithful remnant in Israel on the Day of The Lord? It will be the attack of the Gog-Magog army:
Ezekiel 38:18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. 19For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
Notice that once Gog invades Israel, The Lord now rises to action in "fury". Just as the verses above about the Day of The Lord state, God is angry and is going to intervene directly into world events. And His response is to shake the entire Earth with destructive force, another distinct characteristic of the Day of The Lord. The Gog-Magog alliance's attack on Israel will provoke The Lord to such anger and vengeance to be unleashed on the entire planet. Again, in the Ezekiel 38 passage above see that God says that "all men that are upon the face of the earth" will shake from the effects of God's response. This is the attack that causes God to rise up and defend Israel in the Day of The Lord. Also note that after the Gog-Magog attack is stopped by God, the time of burning up the weapons of the defeated Gog Magog Army takes 7 years (Ezekiel 39:9), coinciding with how much time would be left from the Day of The Lord until the Second Coming. (We will address the Gog-Magog war in a subsequent article but for more information on why Gog will occur before Armageddon please see Doug Berner's article "Gog and the Antichrist Revisited" which can be found here).
2. To Punish The Heathen Nations And Those Who have Rejected God
Isaiah 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt... 11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Ezekiel 30: 3 For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.
Isaiah 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
Obadiah 1:15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. 16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.
Isaiah 2: 12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low.... 17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish
The time of sinners who have lived "high on the hog" will be coming to an end. As the world's rich and powerful become more and more ungodly, leading the world into greater wickedness and rebellion against God, the time for Divine Judgment arrives with the Day of The Lord. God's wrath will be poured against the world to punish it for wickedness, bloodshed, sin and to end the prideful rebellion of those who exalt themselves in society. Even today, many Bible skeptics raise the question: "if God exists, why are all these bad things happening in the world?" Well God does indeed exist but His patience with humanity is a gift - because it is providing us time to believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins so we can go to Heaven: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." But at the Day of The Lord, God is going to respond and intervene by punishing the unbelieving world for all of its sin.
Those who were living in powerful positions with immense wealth will also specifically have no resources to save themselves at this time:
Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
Gold, silver, offshore bank accounts and all manner of wealth will be no help at this time. Believing in Jesus Christ as your Savior will be the only true protection in this time of great and terrible judgments. As we enter the year 2012, the media coverage and discussion regarding the Mayan Calendar, Nostradamus, December 21, 2012 and the Mayan Doomsday has already gotten people to start thinking about their survival and the potential "end of the world." It is interesting to note that as more stories emerge of wealthy people buying "Apocalypse bunkers" to hide in and protect themselves in the event of a global catastrophe, the Bible even describes the wealthy hiding themselves in the mountains and caves: "17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish. 19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth." (Isaiah 2).
Bible prophecy is coming to life before our eyes as it appears the wealthy people of the world, in fear of "Doomsday" are indeed preparing to go into the rocks an caves.
The Timing of the Day of The Lord
So now that the purposes of the Day of The Lord has been established, it is time to examine where the Day of The Lord fits in with the Book of Revelation chronology. Again, the Bible makes this quite clear. There are several characteristics of the Day of The Lord that make it quite easy to locate its confirming fulfillment in Revelation.
1. Earthquake
Isaiah 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:... 19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. 20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; 21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Isaiah 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt.. 13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
Isaiah 24:19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
These verses indicate that the Day of The Lord will be marked by an earthquake so devastating the all the people in the world will experience it. This is a global event that will surpass any earthquake ever experienced in human history. God is literally rising up to shake the entire planet and put the world on notice.
2. The Heavens are shaken
Additionally, the heavens will be shaken as well:
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. 18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. 19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. 21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. (Isaiah 24)
. In verse 17, The Lord is specifically addressing this passage of warning and woe to the "inhabitants of the earth." The distinction is being made because the wicked angels are going to be cast down to Earth. In this passage the "high ones that are on high" are a reference to the "heavenly host" (as confirmed by the Septuagint) or the angels of Heaven God will shake the heavens as well to punish the rebellious angels along with the wicked unbelieving people of the Earth at the Day of The Lord. Notice The Lord in verse 18 states that the "windows from on high are open" again signifying things falling from Heaven to Earth. And this opening is coupled with the shaking of the Earth.
This "dual shaking" is also confirmed in the book of Hebrews Chapter 11:25 "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." The rebellious angels, who have left their first estate to intermingle with humans, will be removed from Heaven permanently at this point and cast to the Earth. When the Heavens are shaken, the evil, rebel angels and Satan will be cast to the Earth. This is very important because there are several earthquakes detailed in the Book of Revelation. However, the 6th seal has the only earthquake where both the Earth and the Heavens are shaken, sending the stars of Heaven to the Earth. Once again, the 6th Seal of Revelation uniquely qualifies as the start of the Day of The Lord.
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: 8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. ...13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. (Isaiah 13)
This shaking of the Heavens and the arrival of the fallen Heavenly Host will be so stunning that the people of the Earth will be gripped with terror and fear. So much so that their hearts are described as "melting." The passage also uses the languages of "pangs and sorrows" which indicates the Day of The Lord and end time judgment. Jesus confirms the same in Luke 21: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." Again, Jesus references men being so scared their hearts will fail them when they see what is coming to the Earth. Why? Because the "powers" of heaven shall be shaken. Ephesians 6:12 informs us that "powers" are a reference to angelic beings and they are our enemy: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
3. The Sun Turns Black and the Moon Turns to Blood
Joel 2:30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come. 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Acts 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
Probably the most distinct indicator of the start of the Day of The Lord is the prophecy from the Book of Joel that the sun will turn dark and the moon will turn blood red. These two signs occur before the Day of The Lord begins. The Apostle Peter, speaking on the Day of Pentecost affirmed that prophecy. And this black sun/ red moon wonder only occurs once in the entire Bible. And that is in Revelation Chapter 6 at the 6th Seal:
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 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: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
The 6th Seal of Revelation is the clear start of the Day of The Lord and the beginning of the final Judgments of God. All of the signs and characteristics of the Day of The Lord are present. The sun turns black and the moon turns blood red. The "stars of Heaven" (again a reference to angels) are shaken and fall to Earth. And there is an earthquake that is so powerful that every mountain and island in the world is moved out of its place. These are all the Old Testament signs being stated clearly.
We even see the fulfillment of Isaiah chapter 2, where the wealthy and powerful people of the world are running into caves and holes in the mountains to try and escape!
Isaiah 2:20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; 21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Revelation 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 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: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
The powerful people are running into caves and bunkers in the mountains and underground. The description from Isaiah 2 matches with Revelation 6. The people of the world are even forced to admit that the "great day" of the Lord's wrath has arrived and they are powerless to stop it. This is precisely what the Old Testament is saying is going to happen. At the opening of the 6th Seal the Day of The Lord has begun and God's wrath is being poured out onto the world. This is the event that starts the final years of the world. This is why it is so important to study Old Testament scripture to understand Bible prophecy. By comparing "spiritual things" we can receive the confirmation from the Bible itself.
But What About the First 5 Seals of Revelation 6?
Isaiah 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: 8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth
Many Bible-believing, dedicated Christians place the beginning of God's judgments of the world at the first seal of Revelation. However when studying Scripture, the events of the Day of The Lord do not coincide with the opening of the first seal. In Matthew 24, Jesus describes the first four seals in the same order as they are presented in Revelation 6 (false christs, wars, famine, pestilence and death). But Jesus finishes by stating that: "All these are the beginning of sorrows." "Sorrows" is another term for "birth pangs" or the pains a woman experiences right before giving birth to a child. As we see in the passage from Isaiah 13 above the Day of The Lord will bring on the full "birth pangs and sorrows." The Apostle Paul confirms the same when describing the Day of The Lord: 1 Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 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. Again, the true birth pangs, sorrows and travails come at the Day of The Lord.
The idea that the first seals are NOT a part of the Day of The Lord is further confirmed in Mark 13, which is a parallel passage to Matthew 24: 4Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? 5And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: 6For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 7And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. Here Jesus clearly lists the events of the first 2 seals of Revelation 6 (false Christs, wars and rumors of wars) and says "the end shall not be yet." In other words, these events will take place before the end times truly begins, which is the Day of The Lord at the 6th seal.
Going further into Matthew chapter 24, Jesus describes the Day of The Lord with the same signs we see from the Old Testament and Revelation Chapter 6. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."
The phrase "after the tribulation of those days" is highly debated because many, many people who study Bible prophecy have the phrase "the tribulation" or "the 7 year tribulation" in their minds because it has become a commonly used term for the end times. However, once again please note that the phrase "the tribulation", as a proper noun, is never used in the Old Testament to describe the end times judgment and it is not used as a title. Jesus is merely describing the times that precede the Day of The Lord as "tribulation." Part of the reason for the confusion is the writing style of the Apostle Matthew, as it jumps around chronologically (which will be addressed in another article). But Jesus confirms the same signs: a dark sun, the moon no longer giving light and the "stars of heaven" falling along with the "powers" being shaken. Again, the powers like principalities, are a reference to angelic beings (Ephesians 6:12). The rebel angels are also going to be punished and shaken out of their place at the 6th Seal as well.
Conclusion
By studying Old Testament prophecy, the Day of The Lord, the appropriate name for the start of the end times judgments of God, commences after the opening of the 6th Seal of Revelation Chapter 6. The purpose of this "Day" is for God defend Israel against an attack by the Gog-Magog coalition and to pour out His wrath on the unbelieving world for our thousands of years of sin. The entire Earth will experience the devastating earthquake sent by God and the know that His wrath has come. What this means for humanity is that "Judgment Day" is coming. The sins that we in society commit every day are all being accounted by God and as we slip further and further into outright rebellion against The Lord, "that day" gets closer. This is why having a right relationship with God, which comes through belief in Jesus Christ as your Savior and for the forgiveness of your sins, is so critical. God tells us that: "But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.." As much sin as there in the world, God's mercy and willingness to forgive us is even greater. And for those who seek Jesus Christ for forgiveness of their sins and believe in Him as the Son of God, they will not experience the Day of The Lord are the judgments that follow.
Jesus confirmed the same in Matthew 24 when He states at that time the "sign of the Son of Man" would appear in Heaven. What is this sign? It is linked to the Rapture of the church, who will not experience this outpouring of God's wrath but will escape and be protected. The purpose of the Rapture is to provide an escape for God's believers before all of these horrific judgments begin. Christians can be confident that they will not experience God's wrath ("9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" - 1 Thessalonians 5:9), as we will show in the next article in this series on the Rapture.
"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." - Jesus Christ, Luke 21:36.
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