The Great Day of the Lord
By Marvin Herrick Brown
THE word "day" in the Bible as generally used is applied to the period of twenty-four hours. This is its primary meaning and use. Sometimes, however, it refers to a long period of time. To illustrate: In 2 Cor. 6:2, reference is made to the "day of salvation," or the Gospel day, during which grace and pardon are ministered to the sons of men, it covers all probationary time, from the time of Adam's fall till the close of the Gospel day. It is man's day, his opportunity, during which he may seek and find the Lord. Hence we are exhorted to "seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near." Isa. 55:6. This is also proved by the fact that a time will come when mercy's call is no longer heard, and no offer of salvation is made (Amos 8:11, 12), and the destiny of all is decided (Rev. 22:11). "The day of the Lord" is God's day of reckoning with mankind, the day of rewards and punishments, the day of retribution, "the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion." Isa. 34:8. In other words, it is the day, or time, when God calls man to account for his conduct in this life, for his acceptance or rejection of the offers of mercy during the day of salvation, his day of privilege and opportunity. This clearly shows the character of "the great day of the Lord." To the righteous, those who accept the "great salvation," "that day" will be a day of deliverance, of gladness, and rejoicing. Isa. 25:8, 9; 26:1, 2; 2 Thess. 1:7, 10; 2 Tim. 4:7, 8. But to those who "neglect so great salvation" (Heb. 2:3), there will be no escape from the "righteous judgment" of God. 2 Thess. 1:5-10; Rom. 2:4-10. In view of the solemnity and momentous character of "that day," God says, "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." Joel 2:1. God warns the people to "flee from the wrath to come," to find in Christ a shelter from the storm, for "the day of the Lord is great and very terrible: and who can abide it?" Verse 11. It will not be a day of light, and spiritual blessing, and opportunity, to those who reject the last call of mercy. On the contrary, it will be "a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness." Verse 2. "All faces shall gather blackness." Verse 6. A Day of Bitter Disappointment.
Some are looking forward to a brighter and better day for earth's toiling, unburdened, sorrowing millions, when the way of life will be made plainer and easier, when temptation's power will be broken, and the multitudes will accept the offer of salvation, and join in singing redemption's song. But the Saviour expressly warns us against being deceived by false prophets and false teachers. Matt. 24:3-5, 24-27; 7:15-21. He declares that the "many" travel the broad way which leads to destruction (verse 13), and "few" find the narrow way which leads to life (verse 14). The Scriptures nowhere bring to view a change during probationary time, when the narrow way becomes so broad that all, or nearly all, find it, and walk in it, and the broad way becomes so narrow that few, if any, walk in it. Jesus never intimated any such change. On the contrary He says, "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." Verses 22, 23. The Lord addresses words of warning to those who entertain this false view of a future probation, and cherish a vain hope of a better opportunity and more favorable conditions than now obtain. He seeks to arouse them from their delusion, and warn them of the bitter disappointment which they will experience if they cling to such a hope. Thus He says: "Wo unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?" Amos 5:18-20. Instead of being a day of grace or salvation, the great day of the Lord will be a time of destruction. God's word says, "Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come." Joel 1:15. In Zeph. 2:2, 3, it is called "the day of the Lord's anger." It is declared that "the mighty man shall cry there bitterly." Zeph. 1:14. "That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness." Verse 15. "And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord. . . . Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath." Verses 17, 18. The experience of the wicked in "that day" is graphically described also in Isaiah 2: "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low." Verses 11, 12. "And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty,5when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth." Verse 19. This scene is also vividly portrayed in Rev. 6:15-17. "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" Only those will be able to stand in that "evil day," who heed the instruction given in Eph. 6:10-16, and thus become the loyal subjects of the coming King. May we be "wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." [The next article in this series is upon an interesting and vital topic, "The Close of Probation."]