The Day of the Lord Pt. 4

Now that we have gone over all the scriptures, we need to make a list of signs that we can study so that we can be familiar with them and recognize them when we come across them. The following is a summary of the signs from Day of the Lord scriptures.

Heavenly signs and environmental destruction that precede or are a part of the Day of the Lord.

There are wonders in the heavens.
The sun is darkened.
The moon turns to blood and is darkened.
The stars are darkened and fall, stars dissolved.
The sky is rolled back like a scroll.
The heavens tremble and pass away with a roar.
There are clouds.
There is darkness and gloom.
There is blood, fire, and smoke.
The earth shakes and trembles (earthquakes)
The earth is moved out of its orbit.
The land is desolated (laid waste).
The streams are turned to pitch, rivers dry up.
The ground is turned to burning asphalt.
A burning fire devours the land.
The earth is burned up.
The elements are destroyed by heat

The sinner’s reaction to the events of the Day of the Lord and his punishment upon them.

Man’s rebellion precedes all events.
The arrogant are humbled.
Men flee to the caves and hide in the rocks and holes.
People faint and their hearts will melt (with fear).
Men will throw away their idols of silver and gold.
Mankind will be in terror, pain, and anguish.
Sinners will be destroyed.
Feasts turned to mourning, songs to lamentations.
Wicked are trampled.
Children killed before their parents eyes.
Men kill indiscriminately.
Incredible slaughter of mankind.
Men will tremble (with fear).
Mankind will be taken by surprise at this sudden and unexpected destruction.
There will be a sudden end to all people.
Men’s blood will be poured out and their flesh rotted.
Heads become bald.
Famine of God’s word.
People seek God’s word and can’t find it.
As the wicked has done to God’s people, it comes back on them.
They will gather themselves against Jerusalem.
Two thirds of Israel will die.
The nations will ransack Jerusalem killing and raping and taking prisoners.
Will be destroyed in horrible flesh melting way when coming against Jerusalem.

The believer’s actions and reward.

The righteous are released and rise with healing (resurrection/rapture)
They are kept to the end by Christ.
They are pure and blameless before Christ.
Their spirit is saved.
They finish the course they have to run.
God’s work in them is complete.
They are not taken by surprise, are expecting it.
Are hidden in the Day of the Lord.
The remnant will find deliverance in Zion.
They are gathered up to Christ.
They look forward to a new heaven and a new earth.
Will have prophecies, dreams, and visions.
The feeble will become strong.
The Jews will mourn for not having realized Christ was their Messiah.
One third of Israel will be brought through the trial to be purged. They will accept Christ.
The remnant will flee through the valley created by Christ when the Mount of Olives splits.

God’s attitude and deeds in that day.

Wrath, cruelty and anger towards the unbelieving world
Silence before him before that day.
He will punish the world
He will pour out His spirit.
He will send Elijah before that day to warn people
He saves the righteous.
He is exalted.
He blows a trumpet.
He removes the restrainer to allow antichrist to reign.
Sends a delusion to those who refuse to believe the truth (even Christians today refuse to
believe truth and have substituted doctrines to scratch their itching ears)
His voice thunders.
He destroys the nations.
Is a day of battle.
Will have a sacrifice to which He bids guests.
Stirs the Medes (Iran?) up to destroy man in judgment.
Slaughters those in Bozrah and Idumea.
Is a day of His vengeance, a year of vengeance.
Makes man scarce (few left).
Consumes everything from the land.
Sends a famine.
Brings the nations into the valley for judgment.
Throws the wicked into his winepress.
He will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling and burdensome stone.
All that seek to have Jerusalem He will cut to pieces.
God will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
He will pour out his spirit of grace and supplication.
He will get rid of the idols, false prophets and unclean spirits.
Will send a pestilence on the nations battling Jerusalem that will melt their flesh off.


Antichrist’s deeds preceding the Day of the Lord

He is unrestrained
He is revealed.
He desecrates the temple and stops the sacrifices.
He sets himself up as god.
He displays counterfeit signs and wonders.
He deceives those who are perishing.

Babylon’s and the nations’ punishment

Babylon, the greatest of all kingdoms is overthrown.
Babylon will never be inhabited by humans again.
Babylon will be inhabited by wild animals and demons.
Edom’s streams and land will become pitch.
Edom will lie waste and not be inhabited.
Edom will be overgrown with thorns and brambles.
Moab & Ammon will be like Sodom and Gomorrah.
Moab & Ammon will be perpetually desolate.
Moab’s & Ammon’s spoils will be given to God’s people
Ethiopia will be slain and Assyria be destroyed.
Animals will dwell in the cities.
The city that dwells carelessly and thinks she is better than everyone else and impervious to anyone will be destroyed and hissed at.

A threatening army

A huge group of powerful persons will arise.
Fire goes before and follows after them.
They leave the land desolate.
Their appearance is similar to horses.
They leap from mountains.
They are dressed in battle array.
They run and don’t break ranks.
They are unable to be hurt.
They can go anywhere they want - in the streets, in houses.
They cause people to quake in fear.

This is just a portion of what will actually be going on before and during the Day of the Lord. We will see many of these signs again in the gospels and Revelation when we get there. God has given them to us so many times to ensure that we won’t miss them when they come up, not only in the scriptures we have yet to study, but He wants to be sure we don’t miss them in real life. He wants to make sure that when we see these signs we understand that it refers to the Day of the Lord, as many people do not seem to realize that these signs were given so that we would be able to discern the times (and timeline of events). That was what the Thessalonians had missed. They hadn’t seen the signs and should have known that they weren’t in the Day of the Lord, which is why Paul was a little frustrated with them. He probably felt that they hadn’t been listening to him.

God was trying to make it simple for us to understand, but some people love to complicate matters and spiritualize things to the point that they become meaningless, or they simply ignore the obvious looking for “deeper” meanings or “proof” for a theory that they want to believe, regardless of what the scriptures say. Both Christ and John refer to some of these signs quite specifically, and it was expected that those listening (in the early church) would know exactly about what they were referring, as they would have studied the O.T. scriptures and been familiar with all that we have just covered, and more. Unfortunately many people today think the O.T. is irrelevant and don’t study it to understand the references when they are given in the N.T. This is how they get off into bizarre and erroneous conclusions.