What is the day of the Lord?
Scripture speaks again and again of a coming "day" that belongs to the Lord rather than to man — a day announced by the prophets, repeated by the apostles, and always tied to sudden, world-wide judgment. The questions it raises are simple: when does it begin, how long does it last, and what does it mean for those who trust Christ?
Not a single date, but a period
Commentators are careful to say the phrase does not describe twenty-four hours.
F. B. Hole"The day of the Lord" is not a day of twenty-four hours, but an interval of time like "the day of salvation." It is a period in the cycle of "times and seasons" marked by the absolute supremacy and authority of the Lord. It starts with His public manifestation in the clouds of heaven — His appearing with His saints.
The character of that day: judgment
Its meaning is fixed by the prophets, who use the phrase from Isaiah onward. It is the moment God stops letting the world run itself.
William KellyBut "the day of the Lord," as such, is invariably the day of the Lord's dealing in judgment with man as such on the earth… If you search from Isaiah to Malachi, you will find that the day of Jehovah is that moment of divine intervention when man is no longer allowed to pursue his own path, when the Lord God will deal with the world's system in all its parts, when the idols of the nations all perish together with their misled worshippers. But — the Lord Himself shall be exalted in that day, and His people shall be brought into their true place… This will be the time of displayed divine government.
The close of "man's day"
The present age is given a name of its own, drawn from Paul's phrase in 1 Corinthians 4:3. Set beside it, the Lord's day is a reversal.
W. W. Fereday"Man's Day" (1 Cor. 4:3, margin) is that long period of human pride and self-will which started when sin entered the world, and which will be ended by divine judgment at the revelation of Jesus Christ. During Man's Day God is nothing, and man is everything. The Day of the Lord will reverse the conditions. Isaiah 2:10-22 is the first passage of Scripture that specifically mentions that Day; and it graphically describes the complete overthrow of all that man has boasted in, so that Jehovah alone may be exalted.
How far it stretches
Peter places the burning of the heavens and earth inside this same day, which tells us how wide a span it covers.
F. B. HoleThat "day" will include a thousand years, as other Scriptures show. It will start with His coming and not close until the passing away of the earth and its surrounding heavens, dissolved by fire. This will not take place until the end of His thousand years' reign is reached… The "day of the Lord" and the "day of God" are like two circles touching each other and just overlapping at the point where the heavens and earth are destroyed.
Not the same as His coming for His own
Many treat "the coming of the Lord" and "the day of the Lord" as one event. Writers here press the difference, and note that the two are connected without being identical.
William KellyWe see on its face what a mighty difference there is between "the coming of the Lord" and "the day of the Lord," as the apostle describes them. At His coming for us, all saints until then departed, and we the living who remain, are caught up to meet Him in the air. "The day of the Lord" comes later. His presence is to our everlasting joy, our great triumph over death, whereas the day is His unsparing judgment of the living wicked.
Who the day falls on
Paul's own change of pronoun settles who is in view when destruction falls.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe words "they" and "you" make it still clearer that the day of the Lord is for the world. He does not say "When you shall say, Peace and safety" but when "they shall say." The apostle excludes the believer completely from that day when sudden destruction falls, for he says, "But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day."
While it is still the day of grace
The present hour has a different character altogether, and that is where the urgency lies.
W. T. P. WolstonNo brightness! The day of the Gospel is all brightness and light. Thank God we are in the day of the Gospel… It is all brightness, and gladness, and peace, when you are brought to know the heavenly Saviour. This is the day of grace. But the day of the Lord — these scriptures surely will convince any serious person — will be an awful day for the ungodly.
Summary
- Man's day — the present age of human pride and self-will, where "God is nothing, and man is everything."
- God's day — the reversal: the Lord deals in judgment with the world's system, and He alone is exalted.
- Its length — not twenty-four hours, but a period starting with His public appearing and running to the dissolving of the heavens by fire.
- Its target — Paul says "they," not "you"; those who are children of light cannot be surprised by it like a thief.
- Your day — this is still the day of grace, all brightness; the warning is given before the other day arrives.