The First Position established that John the Baptist was in fact Elijah who was prophesied by Malachi to come before the Day of the Lord. The Second Position showed that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as proclaimed by the prophet Joel was to take place after the Day of the Lord. With these two facts in hand, we conclude that the Day of the Lord had to have taken place some time after John the Baptist but before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as described in Acts 2. Now, we turn our attention to identifying the actual time of the Day of the Lord.

At this point, you may be having quite a difficult time with the idea that the Day of the Lord has already taken place, even in light of the factual evidence presented so far. That is understandable since the generally accepted doctrine of the Day of the Lord has long been almost universally, but not unanimously, presented as an event that has not occurred in the 2,000 years since the death of Christ. Instead, it is believed that this momentous event which was so widely talked about in the Old Covenant is to take place some time in the near or distant future. It is widely believed that the Day of the Lord is a phenomenon linked directly to the doctrines of the Rapture and the second coming of Christ. But that theory cannot be reconciled with the clear instruction of the Bible presented in the first and second positions. Have we discovered a contradiction in the Bible? The answer is, “No!” There are no contradictions in the truth. Could it be that the Day of the Lord is to happen more than once? Not according to Joel who said:

“There has never been anything like it [the Day of the Lord], nor will there be again after it.” (Joel 2:2)

It appears as though the Day of the Lord is a one-time event.

Let me say at this time: The past timing of the Day of the Lord I am proposing neither confirms nor denies the doctrines of the Rapture or the second coming of Christ. Rather, the claim being made is simply that the Day of the Lord is not associated with, or related to, those doctrines as commonly portrayed.

We return to Peter’s sermon in the second chapter of Acts. He finishes quoting from Joel in verses 20 and 21 of chapter two.

20 ‘The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the lord shall come.

21 ‘And it shall be [meaning in the future, i.e., after the Day of the Lord] that everyone who calls on the name of the lord shall be saved.’ (Acts 2:20-21)

Verse 20 tells us two things that were to take place before the Day of the Lord:

1. That the sun would be darkened.
2. That the moon would be turned into blood.

It is interesting to note that these two events took place at the time of Christ’s crucifixion. The darkening of the sun at the time of Christ’s crucifixion is confirmed in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke:

Now from the sixth hour [noon] darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour [3:00 PM] . (Matthew 27:45)

When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. (Mark 15:33)

44 And it was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour,

45 the sun being obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. (Luke 23:44-45)

We learn from the gospel of Matthew that an earthquake occurred following the death of Jesus on the cross.

51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.

54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:51, 54)

Thus, the sun was darkened. But what about the moon turning to blood? In ancient times, the phrase ‘moon turning into blood’ referred to the moon becoming blood red during an eclipse which would explain both the sun being darkened and the moon turning to blood.

It is interesting to note that scientific investigation (not Biblical evidence) has determined that the date of Jesus’ crucifixion was April 3, AD 33. This is apparently the only date that satisfies the following criteria:

1. It was a day during the reign of Pontius Pilate.
2. It was also a Friday.
3. It was also a day of an eclipse of the sun.

Apparently, the moon did turn to blood on the afternoon Jesus was crucified and breathed his last. In fact, the dust raised by the earthquake would have intensified the reddening of the moon. Isn’t it interesting how science repeatedly confirms Bible prophecy?

We will now return to the Biblical evidence. As for verse 21 of Acts chapter two, it was the death and resurrection of Jesus that made it possible for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord to be saved and receive eternal life. This is exactly what Peter tells the crowd in the following three verses.

22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know –

23 this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

24 “And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death [thus, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord is saved from death to eternal life], since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.” (Acts 2:22-24)

In fact, the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah, is the main topic of Peter’s sermon which he concludes with the following:

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him [Jesus] both Lord and Christ [Messiah] – this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36)

When Peter, James and John were privileged to be shown the transfigured Jesus, they believed they were seeing the Messiah who had been prophesied to come and establish God’s kingdom on earth. Seeing Jesus standing with Elijah and Moses confirmed to the disciples that He was the one spoken of by the prophets and by Moses when he said, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” (Deuteronomy 18:15) You may recall that God spoke to the disciples during the transfiguration and said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5) The next verse reads: “When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified.” (Matthew 17:6)

Why were they terrified? They knew that the prophets had spoken of the Messiah to come, but their prophetic proclamations also associated the coming of the Messiah with the Day of the Lord. These two events are linked as we have already seen from the dialogue between the disciples (Peter, James and John) and Jesus immediately following the Transfiguration. When the disciples asked Jesus about the coming of Elijah, they were aware from Malachi’s prophecy that Elijah was to come before the Day of the Lord. Therefore, the disciples were asking Jesus about the coming of Elijah, but at the same time about the Day of the Lord, and Jesus did not correct them. Returning to Peter’s sermon, we now see that Peter declared to the multitude of Jews that:

1. Jesus was the Messiah.
2. Jesus was crucified.
3. God resurrected Jesus.
4. Jesus was alive.
5. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which, according to Joel, was to take place after the Day of the Lord, was in fact taking place before their eyes.

The crowd was made up of devout Jews. They knew the Scriptures. When Peter told them that Joel’s prophecy of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was happening as they were looking on, they understood that the Day of the Lord had already taken place. They also knew that judgment was included with the Day of the Lord. They would also have been wondering how they could escape the wrath of God that was coming upon them. Therefore, their reaction makes perfect sense:

Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37)

The expression ‘pierced to the heart’ in the Greek is katanussó (kat-an-oos’-so). It means to prick, pierce or stab. Katanussó also conveys the following idea: to pain the mind sharply or agitate it vehemently, and it is used especially of the emotion of sorrow. These Jews were smitten (or stabbed) in their hearts with poignant sorrow. And believing that the Day of the Lord had come upon them, and Jesus, the Messiah, who is the Righteous Judge (see 2 Timothy 4:8), was seated on His throne for judgment, they asked the most reasonable question anyone could ask, “Brethren, what shall we do?” In other words, they were asking how they could be saved from the wrath of God’s righteous judgment.

The physical evidence those in the crowd were seeing and hearing was so awesome many couldn’t help but believe that Jesus was in fact the foretold Messiah, and that He had been raised from the dead. Peter responds to their desperate question with the solution that is as correct now as it was then when he spoke these now famous words:

“Repent [return to the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul], and let each of you be baptized in the name of [a covenant expression indicating to be in a blood covenant relationship with] Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

The Biblical account of the crowd’s response to Peter’s declaration tells us that 3,000 devout Jews repented and were added to the body of Christ that day. They were convinced the Day of the Lord had come, as well as the judgment of God associated with it. They repented and were saved from God’s wrath.

Much more then, having now been justified by His [Jesus’] blood  [the blood of the New Covenant], we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. (Romans 5:9)

At the time Jesus was dying, the sun was darkened for three hours, from noon to three o’clock. It wasn’t clouds, but an eclipse that caused this. Not only would the eclipse cause the sun to become darkened, but it would cause the moon to turn reddish in color. These two events were to occur before the Day of the Lord (See Joel 2:31 and Acts 2:20), not simultaneous with it. Therefore, the day of Christ’s crucifixion cannot be the time of the Day of the Lord.

The only event remaining that falls between John the Baptist and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which is also of great enough significance to be the Day of the Lord is Christ’s resurrection. The day of Christ’s resurrection, which occurred three days after His death, is the day of the Day of the Lord. This is the reason the resurrection is emphasized by New Covenant writers as evidenced by the following verses.

• • The disciples, as they waited in the Upper Room, believed they were witnesses of Christ’s resurrection.

“Beginning with the baptism of John, until the day that He was taken up from us – one of these should become a witness with us of His resurrection.” (Acts 1:22)

• • Jesus is described in Revelation as the firstborn from the dead, i.e., resurrected.

And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead [He was resurrected], and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood. (Revelation 1:5)

• • Jesus referred to himself as ‘the resurrection.’

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.” (John 11:25)

• • Following the day of Pentecost, the apostles speak of being witnesses to Christ’s resurrection.

30 “But God raised Him from the dead;

31 and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people.

32 “And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers,

33 that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘Thou art my son; today I have begotten Thee.’ (Acts 13:30-33)

• • Paul makes the following declarations about the power of the resurrection of Christ in his letter to the Romans.

1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures,

3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,

4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 1:1-4)

• • Peter tells us we are saved through the resurrection of Jesus.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)

And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you – not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 3:21)

Do we celebrate that Jesus was born of a virgin? Yes! Are we to remember His death? Without a doubt! But His miraculous birth, His sinless life, His performing of miracles and His substitutionary death would all have been to no avail if God had not raised Him from the dead. Paul seems to concur.

1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,

2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures ,

5 and that He appeared [as proof he had been raised] to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;

7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;

8 and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church [the called out ones, the body of Christ] of God.

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach [all the apostles preached the same message] and so you believed.

12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

[Note that to preach Christ is to preach that He was resurrected.]

13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised;

14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.

16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;

17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. (1 Corinthians 15:1-18)

God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was fulfilled in the resurrection (Acts 13:32-33 above). Christ’s resurrection was clearly the object of His birth, life and crucifixion. There would be no New Covenant without the resurrection. The day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is, therefore, the day of the Day of the Lord. And as declared by Peter, the time period following the Day of the Lord is the time of the Day of the Lord which Peter established as the Last Days.

THIRD CONCLUSION

The time of the day of the Day of the Lord is established as the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The time period of the Day of the Lord is called the Last Days. The entire world has been living in the Last Days under God’s justice system called the Righteous Judgment of God from the day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit until the present time. The Last Days will continue as long as God desires.

The Day of the Lord is described in many ways by Biblical scholars. Some tie it directly to the Rapture while others link it to Christ’s second coming. Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology describes the Day of the Lord, God or Christ as:

[The] expression, often in the context of future events, which refers to the time when God will intervene decisively for judgment and/or salvation. Variously formulated as the “day of the Lord” (Amos 5:18), the “day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 1:8; cf. 2 Cor 1:14), the “day of God” (2 Peter 3:12; Rev 16:14), or “the last day(s),” the expression highlights the unmistakable appearance of God. God will make visible his rule of righteousness by calling for an accounting by the nations as well as individuals, dispensing punishment for some and ushering in salvation for others.

Not everyone is likely to agree with the above description, but I believe most people would have at least some agreement with Baker’s description of the Day of the Lord. Whether you agree or not, however, the verses presented in the above quote provide little aid toward understanding the Day of the Lord or its timing. I suspect a lack of understanding of this subject is a shortcoming that spreads through most, if not all, of the Church. The verses are presented below so you can read them and decide for yourself.

Alas, you who are longing for the day of the LORD, for what purpose will the day of the LORD be to you? It will be darkness and not light. (Amos 5:18)

Who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:8)

Just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus. (2 Corinthians 1:14)

Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! (2 Peter 3:12)

For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. (Revelation 16:14)

My goal in this and the articles to follow is to show that while the above definition of the Day of the Lord may seem to make sense, it is not entirely accurate and in many ways completely false. So let me present what I believe to be a more accurate definition of the Day of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord is an actual Day as well as a Time Period. Hence, the Day of the Lord is an extended event which was brought about to fulfill God’s purpose to have a people He can call His own according to the words of Jeremiah: ‘I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.’ (Jeremiah 24:7) God’s purpose was achieved when His blood covenant with Abraham was completely fulfilled by the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. The day of Christ’s resurrection was the Day of the Day of the Lord. The Time Period of the Day of the Lord is the period of time following the Day of the Day of the Lord . It extends up to the present time and will continue for as long as God desires. It is the Time Period when God’s judgment of all mankind is carried out through His system of justice called the Righteous Judgment of God. This Time Period is called The Last Days. This is the time in which we are currently living.

The phrase, ‘Day of the Lord,’ appears in the New American Standard version of the Bible twenty-one times, sixteen in the Old Covenant and five in the New Covenant. The Day of the Lord is known by many names in the Bible. Following is a non-exhaustive list of other phrases that refer to the Day of the Lord: Day of Trouble; Day of Wrath; Day of Visitation; Day of Disaster; Day of Wrath and Indignation; Day of Darkness; Day of Clouds and Thick Darkness; The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord or simply That Day.

Following are a few examples of references to the Day of the Lord found in the Old Covenant:

14 Near is the great day of the LORD,
Near and coming very quickly;
Listen, the day of the LORD!
In it the warrior cries out bitterly.
15 A day of wrath is that day,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of destruction and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness. (Zephaniah 1:14-15)

Seek the LORD,
All you humble of the earth
Who have carried out His ordinances;
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Perhaps you will be hidden
In the day of the LORD’S anger. (Zephaniah 2:3)

2 Lift up a standard on the bare hill,
Raise your voice to them,
Wave the hand that they may enter the doors of the nobles.
3 I have commanded My consecrated ones,
I have even called My mighty warriors,
My proudly exulting ones,
To execute My anger. [These are the spiritual warriors who execute the curses of the Righteous Judgment of God, i.e., His Instruments of Indignation, see verse 5.]
4 A sound of tumult on the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A sound of the uproar of kingdoms,
Of nations gathered together!
The LORD of hosts is mustering the army for battle.
5 They are coming from a far country,
From the farthest horizons,
The LORD and His instruments of indignation,
To destroy the whole land.
6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near!
It will come as destruction from the Almighty. (Isaiah 13:2-6)

The Day of the Lord is also referred to as the Day of Salvation in Isaiah 49:8 and 2 Corinthians 6:2.

Thus says the LORD,
“In a favorable time I have answered You,
And in a day of salvation I have helped You;
And I will keep You and give You for a covenant of the people,
To restore the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages.” (Isaiah 49:8)

For He says,
“AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU,
AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.”
Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION.” (2Corinthians 6:2)

Thus we see the two sides or aspects of the Day of the Lord, judgment and salvation, or according to covenant language, curses and blessings. Both aspects of the Day of the Lord are clearly seen in the book of Joel.

15 Alas for the day!
For the day of the LORD is near,
And it will come as destruction from the Almighty. (Joel 1:15)

1 Blow a trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
For the day of the LORD is coming;
Surely it is near,
2 A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.
As the dawn is spread over the mountains,
So there is a great and mighty people;
[These are the spiritual warriors who carry out the curses of God’s system of justice.]
There has never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again after it
To the years of many generations.
3 A fire consumes before them
And behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them
But a desolate wilderness behind them,
And nothing at all escapes them. (Joel 2:1-3)

11 The LORD utters His voice before His army;
Surely His camp is very great,
For strong is he who carries out His word.
The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome,
And who can endure it? (Joel 2:11)

[Who can endure, that is escape, the judgment of the Day of the Lord? The answer follows in the very next verse.]

12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“Return to Me with all your heart, [In New Covenant language, “REPENT.”]
And with fasting, weeping and mourning;
13 And rend your heart and not your garments.”
Now return to the LORD your God,
For He is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness [God’s covenant love]
And relenting of evil. (Joel 2:12-13)

[To return to the Lord with all your heart is to repent. Therefore, those who have repented are the ones who are surviving God’s wrath and judgment of the Day of the Lord. Next we see the salvation side of the Day of the Lord.]

18 Then the LORD will be zealous for His land
And will have pity on His people. [All those who have repented.]
19 The LORD will answer and say to His people,
“Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil,
And you will be satisfied in full with them;
And I will never again make you a reproach among the nations.
20 “But I will remove the northern army far from you, [the spiritual army that administers God’s wrath and indignation]
And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land,
And its vanguard into the eastern sea,
And its rear guard into the western sea.
And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up,
For it [God’s army] has done great things.” (Joel 2:18-20)

25 “Then I will make up to you for the years
That the swarming locust has eaten,
The creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
[And the blessings continue.]
26 “You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied
And praise the name of the LORD your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
Then My people will never be put to shame.
27 “Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, [Israel is a prophetic reference to the body of Christ today.]
And that I am the LORD your God,
And there is no other;
And My people will never be put to shame. (Joel 2:25-27)

16 The LORD roars from Zion
And utters His voice from Jerusalem,
And the heavens and the earth tremble.
But the LORD is a refuge for His people
And a stronghold to the sons of Israel.
17 Then you will know that I am the LORD your God,
Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain.
So Jerusalem will be holy,
And strangers [God’s Army of wrath and indignation] will pass through it no more.
18 And in that day
The mountains will drip with sweet wine,
And the hills will flow with milk,
And all the brooks of Judah will flow with water;
And a spring will go out from the house of the LORD
To water the valley of Shittim. (Joel 3:16-18)

The book of Joel also describes the Last Days, the time following the Day of the Day of the Lord, when God’s righteous judgment rules all of humankind.

1 “For behold, in those days and at that time,
When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather all the nations [all the people of the world]
And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat [“The Lord has judged”].
Then I will enter into judgment with them there
On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations;
And they have divided up My land. (Joel 3:1-2)

9 Proclaim this among the nations [all the people of the world]:
Prepare a war; rouse the mighty men [the Lord is ready to do battle with those who choose to oppose Him]!
Let all the soldiers [those who want to fight against God] draw near, let them come up!
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
And your pruning hooks into spears;
[let all who want to fight God arm themselves]
Let the weak say, “I am a mighty man.”
11 Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations,
And gather yourselves there.
Bring down, O LORD, Your mighty ones.
12 Let the nations be aroused
And come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat,
For there I will sit to judge
All the surrounding nations. (Joel 3:9-12)

[God has declared war against all the people who think they are strong enough to win in a battle with Him.]

13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.
[This is not a harvest of the righteous but the wicked.]
Come, tread, for the wine press is full;
The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
[We are now living in the valley of decision, and everyone has an opportunity to choose which way they will go — God’s way or Satan’s.]
For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. (Joel 3:13-14)

[Next is the curse of the covenant for those who choose to oppose God.]

19 Egypt [a picture of the world, i.e., all the people] will become a waste,
And Edom [descendants of Esau who sold his inheritance for a bowl of stew] will become a desolate wilderness,
Because of the violence done to the sons of Judah,
In whose land they have shed innocent blood.
[But God’s people, the body of Christ, will be blessed with eternal life.]
20 But Judah [the people of God] will be inhabited forever
And Jerusalem for all generations.
21 And I will avenge their blood which I have not avenged,
For the LORD dwells in Zion. (Joel 3:19-21)

It is my recommendation that you pause now, get your favorite version of the Bible (either print or digital) and take the time to read the entire book of Joel. It is not a long book so it won’t take long to read it. Afterwards, don’t forget to come back and complete this article.

The Day of the Lord is clearly a day that God told us about through His prophets. Next we will move on to show that the Day of the Lord is a day that has already taken place rather than one that will happen at an unknown time in the future. We will do this by presenting three Scripturally-based arguments in the form positions. These positions are:

1. The Coming of Elijah
2. The Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit
3. The Time Of The Day Of The Lord

Please join me on this exciting Biblical study of the Day of the Lord as we go through the first position, The Coming of Elijah, in the next article.

The Bible Training Center section of this site begins with fundamentals for sound Biblical understanding which is followed by a comprehensive study of Biblical Blood Covenant. The covenant study concludes with three articles on the Righteous Judgment of God and its role in God’s eternal covenant.

God has always dealt righteously with His people as well as all others. He doesn’t deal righteously with those who follow Him and unrighteously with those who do not. Further, God always operates according to covenant directives. Therefore, He self-limits Himself to exercising His judgment over people with whom He has gained authority to do so. The children of Abraham were God’s people by covenant. God’s covenant with Abraham would be developed in stages until it was finally fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. With each stage of development, the covenant was expanded and the people deepened their commitment to the covenant. At the same time, God’s authority to judge His people was strengthened. The covenant development process continued until the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ was great enough to permit the extension of God’s legal covenant jurisdiction to the whole world. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on all mankind, God’s legal authority was complete and His system of justice, the Righteous Judgment of God, was enacted to judge both the good and evil deeds of all people.

The timing of the enactment of the Righteous Judgment of God is a controversial Bible topic. This is certainly true of my position that the Righteous Judgment of God is God’s system of judgment that was initiated shortly after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that it is the justice system that rules over all of mankind to this day and will rule forever.

Paul defines the Righteous Judgment of God for us in his letter to believers in Rome.

5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in [the present, not for, the future] the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
6 who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:
7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;
8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation [this is wrath that leads to destruction].
9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil [does not obey God’s commandments], of the Jew first and also of the Greek,
10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good [obeys God’s commandments], to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
11 For there is no partiality with God. (Romans 2:5-11)

Paul’s instruction to believers in Rome, and to us as well, is that the Righteous Judgment of God is a system of justice where every person receives a judgment according to their deeds whether evil or good. To those whose deeds are evil, i.e., are not in keeping God’s commandments, their reward is wrath and indignation, i.e., eternal death. Conversely, to those who persevere in doing good, i.e., by keeping the commandments, their reward is glory, honor, immortality and eternal life.

The Righteous Judgment of God, however, does not complete the covenant narrative. There is yet another component that is necessary for the Righteous Judgment of God to be in place and to stand. This is an event that must have taken place in order for God to exercise His righteous judgment on all of mankind. That event took place when Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected thereby completing (fulfilling) the Abrahamic covenant, the eternal blood covenant God made with Abraham and through him all the nations of the world. Therefore, I believe that the day of Christ’s resurrection is the event called the Day of the Lord.

The Righteous Judgment of God was activated following the Day of the Lord. The Righteous Judgment of God and the Day of the Lord cannot exist independently. They are bound together and completely intertwined. It is correct to say that the Day of the Lord leads to and enables the Righteous Judgment of God.

In the following series of articles, we are going to explore the inherent features and the timing of the Day of the Lord. If an alternative view of the Righteous Judgment of God such as the one I have previously presented is controversial, then the same is true for the Day of the Lord only more so.

My position is that the Day of the Lord is an event that is not associated with either the Rapture or the Second Coming of Christ. I am, of course, clearly aware that this viewpoint stands at odds with accepted theology, and yet I cannot ignore what I believe the Bible clearly teaches. But before I present a Scriptural proof of the veracity of my belief, let me say that the theological position of placing the Day of the Lord as a yet future event can be called into serious question. It is incredible that we are asked to believe that Jesus has been keeping a record of our sins and will do so until we die. This is hard to accept because the goal of Jesus dying on the cross for us sinners was that we would turn away from sin and live lives dedicated to following His commandments. However, knowing the nature of mankind, as we all do, disobedience that is not addressed at the time of the rebellious act has little or no effect on correcting behavior. Even small children know that if disobeying their parents does not result in discipline, they will continue their undesirable behavior and more also. Yet, we are asked to believe that God, who declares Himself to be our Father, would not know the nature of us who He created, and rather than provide punishment or discipline at the time of our actions, He would keep a record of our rights and wrongs for our entire life in the hope that we would change our rebellious behavior before we die. I can’t believe that for a minute. He created us and He knows us better than we know ourselves. Rather, it makes infinitely more sense, at least to me, that He would create a system of justice where each person is rewarded for their behavior at the time an act is committed, either good or evil. This is what the Bible teaches.

9 “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
10 but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face.” (Deuteronomy 7:9-10)

He says He will repay those whose acts are evil to their faces. I take that to mean at the time of the act. I believe the same is true for those who love Him and keep His commandments. He goes on to speak of the blessings and curses of the covenant i.e., the Righteous Judgment of God.

11 “Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them.
12 “Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you His covenant and His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers.
13 “He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you.” (Deuteronomy 7:11-13)

Note that the blessings detailed above are things that will take place while the person is alive. For instance, it would make no sense to bless the fruit of someone’s womb after they are dead. After detailing the many wonderful blessings for those who keep His commandments, he describes the curses for those who do not keep them.

11 “Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today;
12 otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them,
13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies,
[The above blessings happened while they were alive.]
14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
17 “Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’
19 “It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish.” (Deuteronomy 8:11-14, 17, 19)

For those who keep His commandments, there are wonderful blessings, and there are severe curses for those who do not keep His commandments. That is God’s righteous judgment. And God’s instruction to the people of the nation of Israel was that He would repay those who do not keep His commandments with the curses of the covenant, but He would reward those who keep His commandments with the blessings of the covenant.

Although God is the creator of all things and can do whatever He wants, when He wants and where He wants, He chooses to confine His interaction with His created beings, us, to be in accordance with the dictates of the His eternal covenant. So we can say that the instructions above were to the nation of Israel and that His self-imposed jurisdiction did not extend beyond Israel at that time. The perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which was sufficient to cover the sin of all mankind, meant that the covenant, including the blessings and curses of the Righteous Judgment of God, could be expanded to the entire human race. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit opened the door for God’s jurisdiction to be expanded to all people, not just the Israelites.This expansion of God’s justice according to His covenant was enacted on the day of Pentecost when God poured out His Spirit on all flesh (human beings) as stated in Joel and Acts, not just the 120 men and women in the upper room.

“It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind.” (Joel 2:28)
‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says, ‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND’ (Acts 2:17)

The King James translation reads ‘all flesh’ instead of ‘all mankind’ in both verses.

The Day of the Lord and the Righteous Judgment of God are bound together so that one does not stand without the other. With what has been presented in this article as a backdrop, the next article will look at the Biblical evidence for the Day of the Lord.

Many churches claim to be ‘New Testament’ or ‘First Century’ churches. However, if their structure and practices are honestly and impartially examined, their claim is easily seen as a falsehood. Whether they make such a claim planning to deceive or from ignorance is not clear and quite frankly irrelevant. Their error is obvious and should be called out for any who are interested.

I have been writing about the body of Christ and claiming that the Church is not the body of Christ as it confidently proclaims. This fact became apparent to me recently when I was watching a video of a sermon delivered in January of 2019 by a pastor of a local non-denominational church.

The first part of his sermon was about the congregation need becoming purpose-driven in the year ahead to be receive and follow God’s revelation for them. The second part of the sermon was about church membership. He said that membership in the church was on the basis of ‘covenant partnership’. Thus, everyone who is a member is a covenant partner. From this he concluded that all members are therefore ministers. And in his mind, a minister is one who serves in the church. Hence, each partner is expected to serve the church with their gifts. While the church’s statement of beliefs claims they believed in the exercise of the gifts of the Spirit as described in 1 Corinthians 12, these were not the gifts he was referencing. Rather, he was thinking of such things as singing by those with a good voice or those who have a great smile to serve as greeters.

Then he began describing the structure of the church. He said that first of all there is a Board of Directors made up of the himself, his wife and his father. The purpose of the Board of Directors, he explained, was to meet the government’s requirement for a church to have a board of directors with at least three people. The Board of Directors was necessary, he continued, in order to maintain the church’s 501C3 status (the U.S. government tax exempt status for religious corporations). The board members, he explained, were not merely figureheads because he said, “They were not the only decision makers.” There were others who helped with decision making.

He explained that there is an Accountability Council. This council is made up of people outside the church, both saved and unsaved, who had expertise in areas where the church needs guidance. This includes such things as advice on “the church, property or any of that kind of stuff.” Next he said there is also an Advisory Council which includes pastors and ministers who are not members of the church. The function of this group is to provide the direction of the church. Then the pastor stated that the members of Advisory Council are the church’s shepherds, which apparently meant the ‘covenant partners’ (members) are the sheep. He clarified the roles of shepherds and sheep when he said, “Sheep don’t govern shepherds. The sheep don’t determine where to go. That’s what the shepherd does. So sheep are not to govern the church.”

The question is: What do things such as Boards Of Directors, Advisory Councils and Accountability Councils have to do with the body of Christ or the New Testament? My answer is, “Absolutely nothing!” Rather, it is precisely the idea that the sheep are to govern the body of Christ?

What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one  [all members not just the elders] has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. (1 Corinthians 14:26)

The telltale sign that a preacher’s words are not to be listened to is when they begin making statements that cannot be supported with scripture and verse. The United States government, or any country’s government, has no place in the body of Christ. And there is no Scriptural evidence that boards of directors, advisory councils, accountability councils or councils of any type are to be included in the body of Christ. Therefore they don’t belong in the body of Christ. There are to be elders, to be sure. As Paul instructed Titus:

For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you. (Titus 1:5)

Titus was left behind in Crete to do what remained to be done. That is, appoint elders, not a board of directors or an advisory council that included those who were not born again. Someone who is not a true believer cannot have any part in the body of Christ, let alone being one of the decision makers, who this pastor said were the church’s shepherds. Paul continues to instruct Titus concerning the character of the elders he would select.

6 If any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion.
7 For the overseer [elder] must be above reproach as God’s steward [this is not an unsaved person], not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,
8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled,
9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict [this is a mature believer]. (Titus 1:6-9)

Why the insistence of such a high standard of character? Paul explains:

10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, [these are those who say they are believers but teach the false doctrine that gentiles must come under the Law and be circumcised before they can be saved]
11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. (Titus 1:10-11)

Jesus is the head of His body. He is the decision maker. And yes, every congregation that is part of the body of Christ will have leaders. But they are not to be lifted up and set apart as are the leaders of the Church. And they do not lift themselves up as being the shepherd of the sheep. The leaders of the body of Christ are not lords over God’s heritage. They have been given responsibilities to perform for the edification and the building up of the body to the fulness of Christ. Though leaders, they are co-sharers in the body as Paul wrote to the Galatians:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

Ephesians 4:11 teaches:

11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature  which belongs to the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

The word ‘as’ in verse 11 does not appear in the Greek manuscript. It was added by the translators. Including ‘as’ lends credence to the idea that apostle, prophet,evangelist, pastor and teacher are titles for positions. However, remove the word ‘as’ and the meaning changes. Apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher are no longer positions but responsibilities, or roles, assigned by Jesus to certain members of His flock for the building up of the body. Others in the body are given gifts by the Holy Spirit also for edifying the body. These responsibilities and the gifts are the primary instruments the Lord uses to build up His body. And there are no rankings. Everyone is an equal member of the flock.

The body of Christ does have a shepherd. It is none other than Jesus Christ, as He said of Himself:

11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
14 “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,
15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.” (John 10:11, 14-15)

As for covenant partnerships, the body of Christ is certainly a community of believers united and held together in the power of each believer’s blood covenant with Jesus Christ. Therefore, all of the members are one (united) with all of the others. They serve one another. They give to one another. And they love one another with a love so great they would lay down their life for a brother or sister. Artificial, man-made boards and councils have no place in the covenant community of the body of Christ.

A friend who recently stopped attending church services wrote to me saying that she did not understand the sadness she sometimes felt. She longed for fellowship even though fellowship with church members was not fulfilling. She wrote: “What is the sadness I feel over not going to church even though I feel empty inside after attending? I miss, hope and long for fellowship with the saints, but at the same time I realize I don’t believe or live the same as most church goers.”

Grieving Over The Flesh

My friend was grieving over the loss of the flesh. This form of grief is normal for believers. When a believer tuns away form the terribly strong temptations of the flesh, it is like experiencing the death of a loved one. In fact, the passions and lusts of the flesh and their corresponding fleshly behavior are actually loved ones. Prior to becoming born again, we loved the flesh more than Truth. We followed the desires of the flesh even to our own detriment. Paul wrote, at the leading of the Holy Spirit, that denying the flesh was an act of death:

12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh —

13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body [the flesh], you will live.

14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8:12-14)

Putting the flesh to death is not a choice for believers. Rather we are obligated to do so because the consequence of living in obedience to the desires of the flesh is our own spiritual death. Our natural state is one of bondage to the flesh. Living in a fleshly manner is all we know. Acting in concert with the passions and desires of the flesh is as familiar to us as walking. Therefore, we are reluctant to turn away from that which is so very normal. However, continuing to live a fleshly life is to choose to walk in opposition to God’s commandments. And that is a walk in the domain of spiritual death, the death Adam and Eve experienced because of their decision to disobey God’s instruction. Remember Paul’s words: “For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die.” (Romans 8:13) So the choice is either to continue living in a state of spiritual death, or to put the evil desires of the flesh to death by denying their power over you and live in eternal truth. The choice is ours and ours alone.

The Blessings Of Obedience

All of the desires of the flesh are lies and are contrary to God’s word, the Truth. When we place our flesh on the cross, the altar where Truth (Jesus Christ) was sacrificed, we become united with Jesus in the eternal blood covenant, and you become one of The Blessed.

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! (Psalm 1:1)

Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him [by entering His covenant]! (Psalm 2:12)

“Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, For blessed are they who keep my ways.” (Proverbs 8:32)
There are great rewards for those who are blessed.

11 “Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them.

12 “Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you His covenant and His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers.

13 “He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you.

14 “You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle.

15 “The LORD will remove from you all sickness; and He will not put on you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have known, but He will lay them on all who hate you.” (Deuteronomy 7:11-15)

Read the more complete list of blessings in Deuteronomy 28 where you’ll see that every part of your life is blessed.
The blessings continue in the New Covenant.

1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.” (Matthew 5:1-11)

Search the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and you will find it is those who make and keep the covenant who are blessed. Those who reject and transgress the covenant are the ones who receive the covenant’s cruses.

The characteristics listed above are characteristics of our Lord, Jesus Christ. They are also characteristics of the members of the body of Christ. And don’t be confused, these characteristics are not worked up or learned. Rather, they flow effortlessly out of everyone who has sacrificed his or her flesh on the cross, and who joyously proclaim along with the apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

The way to be a believer who is a recipient of God’s boundless blessings is simple and clearly stated in the Bible. All one must do is repent, that is, crucify yourself with Christ. The next step is one of continual dying to the flesh which is called the walk of sanctification. That’s it! While what to do is simple to describe, the doing of it is not easy. In fact, it is the most difficult of all undertakings. It is difficult by God’s design. In this way, God will be certain only the over-comers will enter into heaven. And though the gates to the Holy City will never be closed, those who have not kept the eternal covenant will never enter.

25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed;

26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;

27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:25-27)

Fleshly Church Doctrines

We’ll now return to the idea of not attending church services being an act of crucifying the flesh. All Church doctrine contains truth mixed with Biblical error. These doctrines originate in the imaginations of men and women who strive to establish their own way rather than God’s. These doctrines usually take the form of man-made Rules, Regulations, Rituals and Traditions. Jesus sharply rebuked the Pharisees for their man-made doctrines.

1 Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,

2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

3 And He answered and said to them, “And why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

4 “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, LET HIM BE PUT TO DEATH.’

5 “But you say, ‘Whoever shall say to his father or mother, “Anything of mine you might have been helped by has been given to God,”

6 he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And thus you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” (Matthew 15:1-6)

The doctrines of men are counter to God’s commandments, therefore all sorts of sinful behavior is acceptable among church members. Activities such as gossiping, slandering, enviousness, jealousies, lying, outbreaks of anger, sexual misconduct, bitterness towards a brother or sister, seeking revenge and many more such behaviors can be observed in whatever church you may attend. Make no mistake, activities such as these are not in keeping with the commandments of Jesus Christ who said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)

False doctrines appeal to the flesh of those who desire to walk in the flesh. They also convince people they are keeping God’s commandments by their religious practices. Thus, their religion blinds them to the truth and satisfies the flesh. Therefore, leaving the Church and its fleshly practices is actually an act of sacrificing the flesh. And let me again say that sacrificing, or crucifying, the flesh is to be a continual practice in the life of a believer in Jesus Christ. Walking in this manner is a walk of sanctification, and sanctification results in eternal life.

19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness [by walking according to the flesh], so now present your members as slaves to righteousness [by sacrificing the flesh], resulting in sanctification.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. [You were not required to keep the commandments or to sacrifice the flesh.]

21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things [walking according to the flesh] is death.

22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God [by the means of entering the blood covenant with Jesus Christ], you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. (Romans 6:19-)

Each time you crucify a portion of your flesh you experience a loss, therefore you can expect to grieve. Grieving a loss of your flesh feels no different than losing a loved one. Cutting yourself off from the Church and its practices that were so satisfying to your flesh, differs little, if at all, from the great loss of a parent or child. Therefore, expect to grieve.

It would seem that one would be crazy to reject the eternal life God is offering, yet multitudes have and will continue to do so. Such is the power of the flesh. How extremely joyful we should be who by God’s grace have thrown off the old self and put on the new.