What is the Day of the Lord?

Genesis 2:4-6

4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

It was the first 1000 years on earth. Including the first six 24 hour days of creation. The 7th Day was the Day of Adonai/the Lord.

Moses was told by God in the 4th Commandment to Remember this Day.

It was only John who used the phrase in Revelation 1. Those earliest church fathers such as Justin Martyr that knew his teachings repeated the phrase and called it Sunday as was traditionally kept. And ever since then the Lord's Day is Sunday. The Jewish 7th day is the Sabbath. Some Christians, like the Amish, mix the two erroneously and call Sunday, the Sabbath.

There is another theory that the Lord's Day is actually the day of the Lord, meaning the judgment. That actually would fit as the Book of Revelation contains prophecies of everything leading up to the destruction of the wicked and the creation of a new heaven and new earth.

The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord:
A literal one day event, that will change the world and lead up to the glorious Return of Jesus:

Isaiah 13:9 The Day of the Lord is coming, a cruel Day of wrath and fierce anger, to reduce the earth to desolation and to destroy all the wicked there.

1 Samuel 2:10 Those who oppose the Lord will be terrified, when He strikes from the heavens.

2 Samuel 22:8-16 The earth shakes from the Lord’s burning anger. He comes, with fiery arrows.

Psalms 11:6 He will rain fiery coals onto the wicked, scorching winds will strike them.

Psalms 18:13 The Lord thunders from the heavens amid a hail of glowing coals.

Psalm 21:9 The anger of the Lord will engulf His enemies in a fiery furnace, it will consume them.

Psalms 79:5-6 Pour out Your wrath on godless nations. Your fury will blaze like fire.

Psalms 97:2-5 Cloud enfolds Him, fire goes ahead and consumes His enemies.

Psalm 144:5-6 Part the heavens and come down, make smoke and send Your arrows far and wide.

Isaiah 2:12&21 The Lord has a Day of doom for the ungodly. He will arise and strike with terror.

Isaiah 4:4b The Lord will cleanse Jerusalem, with His judgement burning like fire.

Isaiah 9:18-19 Wicked people will burn, the land scorched and the people fuel for the fire.

Isaiah 10:17 The Light of Israel will become a fire, in one Day it will burn up His enemies.

Isaiah 13:6 Wail, for the Day of the Lord is at hand, devastation from the Almighty.

Isaiah 21:1 A Day of storms, sweeping through the wilderness, from a land of terror.

Isaiah 22:5 For the Lord has ordained a Day of tumult, a Day of woe and disaster in the world.

Isaiah 24:1 Beware, the Lord is about to strip the earth and scatter its inhabitants.

Isaiah 26:21 The Lord is coming from His dwelling place to punish peoples for their sins.

Isaiah 28:21-22 The Lord will arise and storm with rage, destruction is decreed upon the earth.

Isaiah 30:26a The sun will shine with seven times its normal strength on that Day.

Isaiah 34:2-4 The Lord’s anger is against all the nations, they are given over to slaughter. The sky will be rolled up like a scroll and their host [satellites] will fall like ripe figs.

Isaiah 42:13-15 The Lord will go forth like a warrior, He will lay waste to the earth.

Isaiah 51:6...the sky will be dispersed like smoke and the people will die like flies.

Isaiah 54:16 It was I who created the destroyer- with coals of fire, to deal out havoc.

Isaiah 63:4-6 I resolved on a Day of vengeance, I shattered nations in My fury.

Isaiah 64:1-2 When You tear apart the heavens, fire blazes and water boils.

Isaiah 66:15 The Lord will judge with fire, testing all mankind and many will be slain by Him.

Jeremiah 4:7 The Destroyer of nations has risen from His lair, cities will be waste and empty.

Jeremiah 9:21-22 Death has come to our towns, corpses lie like dung in the streets.

Jeremiah 12:14 I shall uproot the evil neighbors from My peoples Land, Judah too I will uproot.

Jeremiah 25:30-31 The Lord roars from on high, heard everywhere – the godless peoples will die.

Jeremiah 30:23 See what a scorching wind goes out, it whirls around the heads of the wicked.

Ezekiel 20:47 I am about to light a fire, it’s fiery flame will not be put out.

Ezekiel 21:3 & 28 I shall draw My sword of judgement and kill the righteous and wicked alike from the Negev northward. A sword drawn for slaughter, flashing like lightning.

Ezekiel 22:20As metal is melted in the crucible, so I shall gather you in My anger and refine you

Ezekiel 30:3-8 A Day is near, the Day of the Lord, a Day of doom and reckoning for the nations.

Hosea 8:14 Israel and Judah have forgotten their Maker, I shall send fire to burn their cities.

Hosea 9:7 The Day of punishment and wrath has come. Because of your guilt no one can see it.

Hosea 10:14 The tumult of disaster will rise against peoples, fortresses will be overthrown.

Joel 1:15 The Day is near, it comes – a mighty destruction from the Lord.

Joel 2:11 The Lord thunders as he leads the host. Great and terrible is the Day, who can endure it?

Amos 1:1-15 I shall send fire on Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom and Ammon.

Amos 2:1-16 I shall send fire on Moab and Judah. Of Israel- their bravest warriors will flee.

Amos 5:17 There will be wailing in every vineyard, for I shall pass through your midst.

Amos 8:2-3 On that Day, I shall judge Israel, so many corpses laying everywhere.

Amos 8:8-9 On that Day, the sun will darken at noon and the earth will quake like ocean waves.

Obadiah 15 The Day of the Lord is at hand for all the peoples, their deeds will recoil on them.

Micah 1:3-4 Even now, the Lord is leaving His dwelling place, He comes down with fire.

Micah 4:11-12 Now, many nations are massed against Zion, they are gathered for the threshing.

Micah 5:10-11 On that Day, I will destroy your military and devastate your cities.

Nahum 1:1-3 The Lord is a God of vengeance, He will not let the guilty escape punishment.

Habakkuk 3:13-14 You go out to save Your people, You shatter the wicked, they are swept away.

Zephaniah 1:3 I shall destroy humans and animals, I shall bring the godless to their knees.

Zephaniah 2:2 Seek the Lord, seek righteousness, it may be you will be sheltered on that Day.

Zephaniah 3:8 Wait for the Day, when I stand up and accuse the nations and pour out My burning anger upon the whole world.

Haggai 2:6 & 22 In a little while, I shall shake the heavens and the earth, I will break the power of the heathen realms.

Zechariah 9:14 The Lord will appear over them, His arrows will flash, with trumpet and storms.

Malachi 4:1 The Day comes, burning like a furnace, all the godless will be as stubble, set ablaze.

Luke 21 :25-26 Signs will appear in the sky. People will stand helpless in fear of what is coming.

Hebrews 10:27 For the godless, there is only the terrifying expectation of judgement, of a fierce fire that will consume the Lord’s enemies.

2 Peter 3:10 The Day of the Lord will come unexpectedly. On that Day, the heavens will disappear with a great rushing sound, the elements dissolved in flames and the earth with all that is in it will be brought to judgement.

Revelation 6:12-14 The Lamb broke the sixth seal. There was a violent earthquake, the sun turned black, the stars [satellites] fell to the earth like ripe figs, the sky rolled up like a scroll and every mountain and island was dislodged from its place.

Ref: Revised English Bible, some verses abridged.


These 72 Bible verses are most of those which describe the Lord’s Day of vengeance and wrath. They are quite different and separate from what happens at the Day of the Sovereign Lord, Revelation 16:4, that is at the Return of Jesus. It is obvious that this terrible Day is before the Return, as ‘He will arise, He comes down, dense cloud enfolds Him’, etc. Psalms 11:4-6, Psalms 18:7-12 It is not and cannot be a manmade event, such as a nuclear exchange, that would not cause all the effects described and would leave radiation pollution in the Land.

This Day is the means whereby the Lord judges the nations, not individuals, as at the Great White Throne, much later and it is mainly those nations and entities that commence an attack upon the State of Israel. It is the fulfilment of Psalms 83 and Micah 4:11-12.

All of the Land promised to the Patriarchs will be cleansed and depopulated, excepting for a protected remnant of Jews in Jerusalem. Isaiah 4:5, Isaiah 37:31-32, Daniel 12:1

This event will allow the second Exodus to take place – all those whom the Lord will call – His people, those righteous ones who love and obey Him: every born again Christian, will travel to the new country of Beulah, to live there in peace, security and great prosperity.
Ezekiel 36, Jeremiah 30, Isaiah 35, Romans 9:24-26

‘Many’ of them will agree to a seven year peace treaty with the World leader, but he will break it by coming to Jerusalem and enthroning himself in the Temple. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

Half of the Christians, those who did not agree to the treaty, will be taken to a place of safety for 3½ years – the duration of the Great Tribulation. Then the Lord Jesus Returns and gathers them up, 1 Thess 4;17, Matthew 24:31, to reign for 1000 years.