“For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed, perished, being flooded by water.
“But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men,” (2 Peter 3:5-7).
The Bible describes two global judgments on our world: the watery flood of Noah’s day and the final fiery judgment of the heavens and the earth described in the book of Revelation.
1.) WHAT IS THE DAY OF THE LORD? The Day of the Lord is the upcoming judgment of God that will be a judgment of fire upon this world as opposed to the judgment of water that has already taken place in history.
The arrival of the Day of the Lord will be both recognized and announced by the people of earth. At the breaking of Seal 6, the lights of the sun, moon, and stars grow dark. This is followed by the visible coming of Christ on the clouds of heaven. His appearing throws the people of earth into a panic as they realize suddenly that Divine wrath has come. “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand,” (Revelation 6:16-17).
Following this is the breaking of Seal 7. There is a sudden hush in heaven lasting for half an hour. Zephaniah 1:7 gives the significance of this silence: “Be silent in the presence of the Lord God; For the Day of the Lord is at hand. For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited His guests.”
It is at the breaking of Seal 7 that God’s trumpet judgments begin. These seven successive fiery judgments are vividly summarized in the book of Joel:
“For fire has devoured the open pastures, and a flame has burned all the trees of the field,” (Joel 1:19).
With the blowing of the final trumpet judgment, “the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ,” (Revelation 11:15). The power of Antichrist is broken. He and his forces flee Judea, retreating northward to the final standoff in the valley of Har Megiddo (Armageddon). As they retreat, a quick series of 7 bowl judgments relentlessly pursue them. “Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth,” (Revelation 16:1).
The Day of the Lord’s judgments are contained in both the trumpets & bowls of Revelation, and are administered by Jesus’ angels. The fiery nature of these judgments are particularly evident during the trumpet judgments. Events culminate at Armageddon, where Jesus easily dispatches Satan, Antichrist, and the False Prophet to their doom. Following this is the launching of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.
2.) WHAT EVENTS MUST PRECEDE THE DAY OF THE LORD? There are certain things that MUST take place before God’s judgment can fall. The Bible plainly lists these: the apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:3); the revealing of the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3); the coming of Elijah (Malachi 4:5); the cosmic signs of the sun, moon, & stars (Joel 2:31); and an unprecedented silence in heaven (Zephaniah 1:7). God’s wrath will not come until after the great tribulation of Antichrist has been launched!
3.) DUE TO THE PRECEDING EVENTS, BELIEVERS WILL RECOGNIZE THAT THE DAY OF THE LORD APPROACHES. In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10 Paul indicates that believers— although not knowing the exact day— will not be caught offguard by the Day of the Lord:
“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
“For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
“But, you brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
4.) GOD’S ELECT ARE NOT APPOINTED TO UNDERGO THE COMING WRATH OF GOD! 1 Thessalonians 1:10 tells us that we are to “wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
5.) WHEN IS THE DAY OF OUR ESCAPE? Jesus told us. It will be like Noah and like Lot, both of whom escaped the wrath of God (the watery flood and the fiery brimstone of Sodom & Gomorrah) “on the day” that the judgments began. Both men and their families were only removed from danger immediately prior to God’s judgment falling. In a similar fashion, believers will be removed “on the day” Jesus returns on the clouds of heaven at Seal 6. Jesus Himself spoke of this removal:
“And He will send His angles with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other,” (Matthew 24:31).
“And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven,” (Mark 13:27).
“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, LOOK UP AND LIFT UP YOUR HEADS, BECAUSE YOUR REDEMPTION DRAWS NEAR,” (Luke 21:27-28).
It is this collection of the elect from heaven and earth that Paul also spoke about in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them IN THE CLOUDS to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” Paul then finished by speaking of the Day of the Lord. But, he hastens to assure the beloved of the hope of rescue: “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
6.) A WARNING NOT TO BE DECEIVED. The persecution & tribulation of the coming Antichrist is completely opposite to the Day of the Lord’s wrath. One is a sinful world at its zenith, with believers suffering at their hands. The other is the judgment of a wrathful Lord upon that same wicked world.
The Bible promises that we will suffer persecution & tribulation in this present world. But just as clearly, it tells us that we are not appointed unto the wrath of God. Like Noah & Lot, the day of our rescue is the day God’s wrath begins!
Due to the church’s paying more heed to a pretribulation rapture theory than Scripture, she is set up to be blindsided at the very least…and deceived at the very worst. Blindsiding will come when she suddenly finds herself within the final 7 years of this age, facing down the fury of Antichrist. And deception may come if she decides to go along with the world rather than endure persecution.
Beloved, prepare!
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