The Day of the Lord is near

In today’s passage, the day of the Lord is described in a vivid, pictorial manner. Already in verse 7 it was declared, “Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near.” In verse 14, the nearness of the day of the Lord is emphasized even more. Notice that words with the same meaning, “is near, “near,” and “coming very quickly,” are repeated three times. It is a day when cries of anguish are raised, a day when even warriors tremble and cry out in fear. It describes how the day of the Lord is filled with terror. Except for the first, the expressions are in parallel form. (1) It is “a day of anger.” (2) It is “a day of trouble and distress,” because enemies will invade. (3) It is “a day of destruction and desolation,” because the nation will be destroyed by the enemy’s invasion. (4) It is “a day of darkness and gloom.” (5) Furthermore, it is “a day of clouds and thick darkness,” because God’s judgment will come. (6) It is “a day of trumpet and battle cry,” because the enemy will attack. (7) It is “a day when fortified cities and high corner towers are attacked.”

The day of God’s judgement

The purpose of the day of the Lord (the Great Tribulation) is to sweep away sin and sinners from the earth. (1) “They will walk like those who are blind” (v 17). This is the result of God’s judgment (ref. Deut. 28:28-29). (2) Sinners will be reduced to a dreadful state (their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung). (3) “Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s anger” (v 18a). Whether idols or wealth, none of these will be able to save them on that day. (4) “For He will make a complete end, indeed a horrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth” (v18b). This is the purpose of the day of the Lord (the Great Tribulation). Revelation 6:15-17 records the cry that will arise during the Great Tribulation: “Then the kings of the earth and the eminent people, and the commanders and the wealthy and the strong, and every slave and free person hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the sight of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’” This corresponds to the prophecy of the day of the Lord in Zephaniah. Acknowledging that the Great Tribulation will come becomes a motivation for evangelism. Those who are in Christ have been delivered from the wrath of God (the Great Tribulation). Let us give thanks for that and proclaim the gospel of Christ.