In part one of this teaching we began to look at the meaning of the Lord's Day. We saw that some groups equate the Lord's Day with our Sunday. However, we saw from every occurrence we looked at, that the day we call Sunday is always referred to as the first day of the week and never the Lord's Day.
We still need to consider the phrase the Lord's Day.
Before I go any further, let me say that the Lord's Day is not talking about one single day, but rather a period of time. There are records in the scripture where a day means a specific time.
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Here in Acts 2:1 the Word of God is talking about a certain day. In Revelation 1:10, the Lord's Day is the figure of speech known as Synecdoche.
Encarta. World English Dictionary writes of a synecdoche: "a figure of speech in which the word for part of something is used to mean the whole (e.g. 'sail' for 'boat,' or vice versa.' Bullinger writes: "a part used to represent the whole."
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 1We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain. 2(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the day of salvation.)
Here we see that the usage of the word day is not referring to one day or a certain day, but rather a period in time to date in this context already over 2000 years.
So we can see from the context that the Lord's Day is talking about a period of time and not a single day. When I get into the depth of this teaching, I will show you that the Lord's Day will have a beginning and an end that will span a certain period of time.
You will recall that I taught you that God can and does call the same person, place or thing by different names in the scriptures. However, when he does, he will make that very apparent in scripture.
Luke 2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:).
Here we see the city of David is also called Bethlehem.
John 11:16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
Here, Thomas is also referred to as Didymus.
Acts 13:9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
Here Saul is also called Paul.
Now, having said that, you will recall that I taught you that the phrase the Lord's Day only occurs once in scripture. However, remember what I taught you how God uses different names and phrases to describe the same person, place, or thing in his Word.
The term Day of the Lord does occur several times in the scriptures. Now the Hebrew expression Yom Jehovah, or Day of the Lord, occurs in the Hebrew bible 16 times.
Isaiah 13:6-9 6Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 7Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: 8And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. 9Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
Here we see the first occurrence of Yom Jehovah. In the strict sense, it is associated with the judgment and wrath of God on sinful mankind and the earth. We do have an earlier occurrence of the phrase the 'day of the Lord,' however there is a preposition before the word Jehovah; nonetheless, the same truth is evident.
Isaiah 2:11-12 11The 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. 12For 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:
Now, there are other places in our English Bible translations where we have that phrase 'the day of the Lord,' however, some other Hebrew word is between Yom and Jehovah.
Joel 1:15-20 15Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as destruction from the Almighty shall it come. 16Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 17The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. 18How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. 19O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. 20The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.Joel 2:1-11 1Blow 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; 2day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 3A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. 4The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. 5Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. 6Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. 7They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: 8Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. 9They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. 10The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: 11And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executed his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?Joel 2:30-31 30And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.Joel 3:14-16 14Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 16The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.Amos 5:18-20 18Woe 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. 19As 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. 20Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?Zephaniah 1:14-18 14The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15That 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, 16A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 17And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 18Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
So, from these Old Testament accounts, the phrase 'the Day of the Lord,' is associated with destruction form the Almighty (Joel 1:15).
To be continued …ÿ
Note: All scripture is from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. NIV indicates The New International Version, NKJV indicates the New King James Version, ASV means the American Standard Version, BBE means the Bible in Basic English, DBY means the Darby translation, NAU means the American Standard Version, 1995 Edition, and NAB means the New American Bible translation. For more information, go to the Works Cited page.