Page 48 - Heavenly Signs II by Mel Gable

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And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.
12 I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold
And mankind than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
And the earth will be shaken from its place
At the fury of the LORD of hosts
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In the day of His burning anger.”
Day of the Lord

The “Day of the Lord” is a term referred to repeatedly in both the Old and New Testaments. It is one of the more
important terms in understanding a discussion of prophetic statements. Therefore, its usage in the Bible needs to
be examined carefully. It is used by eight Prophets in the Old Testament times. There are three New Testament
writers which are Luke, Peter and Paul who used the term the “Day of the Lord” in scripture passages. These
passages are included in the following books: Acts 2:19-20, 2 Peter 3:9-10 and 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 and 2
Thessalonians 2:1-2. In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10, the Apostle Paul declares “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of
the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” In verse 4, Paul gives us greater insight: “But you, brethren, are not in darkness,
that the day would overtake you like a thief;” Paul also tells us in verse 9 that “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for
obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Let us look at Walvoord’s Bible commentary and what he states
about the Day of Wrath and the Great Tribulation.

The Order of Events in Revelation

Does Revelation deal with the entire seven years anticipated in Daniel 9:27 or only with the last three
and one-half years, often referred to as “the Great Tribulation” or “a time of great distress”? (Jer. 30:7;
Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21) Because the Great Tribulation is specifically mentioned in Revelation 7:14 and the same period is called
“the great day of their wrath” (6:17), there seems to be clear identification of Daniel 9:27 with the events of Revelation. Most
expositors assume that the events beginning in Revelation 6 cover the whole seven-year period. The Book of Revelation, however, never
uses a seven-year figure but frequently refers to three and one-half years or 42 months (11:2; 13:5). Certainly at least by the fourth
seal (Rev. 6:7-8), the events described anticipate a time of unprecedented trouble.

What is the relationship of the events of Revelation to Christ’s sermon on the end times? (Matt. 24-25) As
J. Dwight Pentecost points out (Things to Come, pp. 280-82), the order of events in Revelation and the order of events in Matthew
are strikingly similar: (a) war (Matt. 24:6-7; Rev. 6:3-4), (b) famine (Matt. 24:7; Rev. 6:5-6), (c) death (Matt. 24:7-9; Rev. 6:7-
8), (d) martyrdom (Matt. 24:9-10, 16-22; Rev. 6:9-11), (e) the sun and the moon darkened with stars falling (Matt. 24:29; Rev.
6:12-14), (f) divine judgment (Matt. 24:32-25:26; Rev. 6:15-17). It should be obvious that the events of Revelation have their
background in previous prophecies, which aids in interpreting John’s symbolic revelation.
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The Prophet Zephaniah foretold the “Day of the Lord” when he called Judah to repentance and warned of
impending judgment during the days of captivity in Babylon.

Zephaniah 1:14-18, 2:1-2 “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,

73 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Is 13:6–13). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

74 Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary: An exposition of the scriptures
(Re 5:13–14). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.