Study of the “Day of the Lord” in the Scriptures Pt 12: Conclusion
More Material for the Day of the Lord – The Order of Events:
The Day of the LORD (Jehovah) is the period of time when God openly intervenes in the affairs of this world because sin has ripened to the extent that God must step in – in judgment and blessing. It will begin after the translation of the Church to heaven and will terminate with the cleansing of the heavens and earth to prepare for the new heavens and earth. All this is to be understood from the amalgamation of scriptures referring to the Day of the LORD or “in that day, even “At that time.”
[1]. The Rapture of the Church is just preceding the beginning of the Day of the LORD (1 Thess 4 v 13-17). God’s wrath cannot come while the Church is still on earth, for the Church has no part in that wrath because Christ is our Deliverer from the wrath to come.
The Rapture signals the start of God’s direct intervention in this world’s affairs. The whole view and progression of church history in these 2,000 years is prophetically shown in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, and we are in the last period, Laodicea.
[2]. The Church is raptured to heaven, and then chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation take place in heaven for all the redeemed. Just how long this is after the Rapture is uncertain. Do we need to have the Judgment Seat of Christ for rewards completed before the Revelation scene? I tend to think not (maybe) but would welcome any views on this. I see events moving quite quickly. The Church worships there in heaven, and Christ is the Lamb in the midst. A scroll sealed with 7 seals is revealed, and only the Lamb is worthy to break those seals.
[3]. Those 7 seals are events and judgments upon this world and begin with the new world leader being revealed (some call him Antichrist) as coming on a white horse (bloodless takeover; supposed man of peace). His 10 kingdoms will be within the geographical boundaries of the old Roman Empire. That is the start of the Day of the LORD.
Following this will be wars and rumours of wars, and death and famine and diseases (God has given us a small glimpse of what a disease/pestilence is like with this Chinese virus). Just right now in the world are minefields about to explode – racial, ethnic, religious, political tensions. China wants to make war. Civil unrest is everywhere. I fear for the way the USA is going.
It is easy to see these problems exploding suddenly in wars and rumours of wars (but after the Rapture). When the 6th seal is broken, there is a great earthquake, the sun and moon and stars are affected, something like stars fall from the sky, and the whole earth is affected (Rev 6 v 12-14). The people on earth know that the wrath of God is upon them (Rev 6 v 16). Meanwhile, in heaven, the Church is being prepared for the marriage supper of the Lamb. (Maybe the rewards being worked through when in heaven are the trophies the Bride brings to her Groom at the Marriage Supper.)
[4]. The Lord seals 144,000 Jews for the preaching of “the Gospel of the Kingdom” in the Tribulation (men with the power and drive of Paul, the one born before his time = of a premature birth – God will save/anoint these 144,000 just like He did with Paul, without the human agency. This is done in Revelation chapter 7. The world leader makes a peace treaty with Israel for 7 years, but he will break this halfway through.
[5]. The 7th seal opens up seven trumpet judgments in Revelation chapters 8 and 9, and it is here that even more serious judgments begin. They are horrific. All these are in the first 3.5 years.
[6]. Chapter 11 starts the second half of the Tribulation called by some the Great Tribulation or the time of Jacob’s trouble. This is when God’s two witnesses of Revelation appear, men who are powerful, prophets of judgment – Elijah and Enoch. (They have never died a physical death. Moses died, so he is disqualified – you don’t die twice in the physical body, and Moses was never a preacher of judgment as were Enoch and Elijah.) This whole Tribulation period of 7 years is the fulfillment of Daniel’s 70th week (Dan 9 v 27.) The latter half is when things get even more intense (Matt 24 v 21, Rev 7 v 14.).
It is halfway through the 7 years when the world leader and Antichrist (the false prophet) [they are described in Revelation chapter 13] break the covenant with Israel, and for 3- and one-half years, the Jewish saints are persecuted and killed, but the Lord divinely protects many – that is found in Revelation 12.
Antichrist orders an image of the world leader to be erected in the Jerusalem temple and gives to it miraculous powers, and people have to receive the mark of the beast, or they cannot buy food. (The covid vaccination mandate in some of Australia, where if one is not vaccinated, you can’t enter premises or workplaces or shops is a hint of that!)
It is not the mark of the beast, only a hint of what will come. A bit after that, Satan tries to destroy all the Jewish tribulation believers, but Michael the Archangel protects them in Revelation chapter 12.
[7]. In the second half of the Tribulation, the judgments are even worse than the first half. And near the end, there are 7 bowl judgments when bowls of God’s wrath are poured out – see Revelation chapter 16. They are intense. The two witnesses continue their ministry and judgments against the world, and right at the end of the Tribulation, they are killed and are resurrected (the story is in Revelation chapter 11). Mystery Babylon is on earth in two forms; one – a religious force controlled by the Antichrist/False Prophet; and the other is commercial Babylon.
Right at the end of the Tribulation, both of them fall and are destroyed by God (chapters 17 and 18 of Revelation).
Meanwhile, the Bride of Christ is in heaven, almost prepared for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
[8]. We now come to chapter 19, one of the most momentous chapters in all the Bible. The Church is prepared, and the Marriage Supper occurs between Christ and His Bride.
That is right on the eve of His coming back to earth at the Second Coming, and that is the great battle of Armageddon.
Christ and His heavenly hosts and the Bride come to destroy the armies of the world leader (revived Roman Empire – probably western Europe mainly), and the Northern powers (Gog/Magog, Iran, Ethiopia, etc.) and the Kings of the east.
The Jews in Israel and Jerusalem, in particular, are saved from certain destruction (Zechariah 12 and 14). The Lord gathers up the world leader and Antichrist and throws them alive into the lake of fire. This destruction of the beast and the false prophet and their armies, which is the “great and terrible” aspect of the Day, is in Rev 19 v 11-21 and Ezekiel passages.
All that has been covered in this total article on THE DAY OF THE LORD in all 12 Parts.
[9]. The Lord’s feet stand on Mt Olivet, which splits in half (there is much in Zechariah we need to look at). He is established in Jerusalem as the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings, the King of the Jews. Then will happen several things.
(a). The believing Jews are gathered from all over the world into Israel (refer to my articles posted on the “The Restoration of Israel” – they are on RR).
(b). Israel gains its whole territory promised to it.
(c). The surviving nations are judged and separated into sheep and goat nations, with the sheep nations inheriting the Millennium Kingdom. The judgment of individual Gentiles/nations will be according to their treatment of the Jews (Zech 14 v 1-9. Matt 25 v 31-46). The return of the LORD will be in glory to establish the millennial kingdom (Matt 24 v 29-30).
[10]. The millennial reign of Christ on earth from Rev 20 v 7-10 is for 1,000 years right after He returns, and mentioned a couple of times by Isaiah – Isa 2 v 1-4; 11 v 1-9, and others. The Church – the Bride – reigns with her Lord. Right at the start of this reign, Satan is chained and sealed in the abyss for 1,000 years – see Revelation 20 v 1-3.
[11]. At the end of the 1,000 years (Satan is released), there is a Satanic revolt when Satan gathers all the malcontents born during the Millennium and tries to overthrow God, but they are quickly demolished. Figuratively they are called Gog and Magog in chapter 20 of Revelation. Satan is eternally judged – Rev 20 v 7-10.
[12]. Straight after that, the great white throne judgment happens for all the unsaved of all the ages of the world’s history. All those unsaved who have died are resurrected and judged.
This resurrection (the second) is the final judgment of the wicked. Rev 20 v 7-10. That judgment is according to deeds recorded in the books that get opened. I believe the great white throne verdicts will be proportional.
[13]. Then there is the destruction (more of cleansing, refining, I think) of the present earth and heavens by fire, preparatory for the future “Day of God” (2 Peter 3 v 10-12; Revelation 21 v 1). We don’t know what the new heavens and new earth will be like. All we could say is, “Magnificent!”
[14]. The final two chapters of Revelation concern the New Jerusalem descending from heaven, its dimensions being 2,400 km x 2,400 km x 2,400 km. Imagine being 2,400 km high and looking out! I believe this to be the home of the Bride, but the redeemed eternal nations have access to it. We are now in the eternal state where everlasting life now has its fulfillment. All things have been wrapped up. Sin has been dealt with and concluded.
TIMELINE:
ADAM TO ABRAHAM – about 2,000 years
ABRAHAM TO CHRIST – about 2,000 years
THE CHRISTIAN ERA (and until the end of the Tribulation) – about 2,000 years
THE MILLENNIUM – 1,000 years
That makes it 7,000 years from the creation of man until the eternal state.
This is like the Lord’s week, for a day with the Lord is as 1,000 years. 7 is the perfect number. I did that in more detail in a past post on RR.
END OF PART 12. This Study is now ended. I trust it has been of value to you.