The "Day of the Lord" is shared about often in Scripture. This is a time when true followers of the Lord will be rescued, while those who did not desire to follow the Lord will be subject to suffer an outpouring of God's wrath as we read about in the Bible.  

 

I have included several verses that speak about the "Day of the Lord" since we can see clearly in these verses that this is a time of God's wrath upon unbelievers instead of believers. Since true believers are not appointed to God's wrath, they will not be a part of the Day of the Lord. For those who walk with the Lord, this is not a time to be distressed over but is a time of Blessed Hope! 

 

Verses that Describe the "Day of the Lord":

 

Here are some passages that indicate that true believers will not be left to suffer the outpouring of God’s wrath during the “Day of the Lord” period. These scriptures indicate that those who truly follow the Lord, by living in sincere obedience to His word, will not be part of the outpouring of God’s wrath during the “Day of the Lord”. These scriptures also describe this terrible time period since people have walked in evil ways and have been lukewarm/neglectful of God’s teachings:

 

1. “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36). 

(Note: This verse explains that some will be allowed to escape the terrible wrath to come.)

 

2. “And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

(Note: This verse explains that Jesus will deliver a certain group of people from God’s wrath upon the evil world.)

 

3. “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

(Note: This verse explains that God does not bring wrath upon those who sincerely follow Him in the same way God did not bring Noah and Lot through wrath.) 

 

4. “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:10).

(Note: This verse explains that God will keep a certain group of people from the hour of wrath that comes upon the whole world since they sincerely strive to walk with the Lord and keep His word.) 

 

5. “For this, we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (I Thessalonians 4:15-18)

(Note: These verses explain that a certain group will be “caught up” to be with the Lord. The dead in Christ will rise first and then the living will be “caught up”. These will be those who are not a part of the time of wrath upon this sinful world as we've read about in previous verses.)

 

6. “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” (I Corinthians 15:51-52)

(Note: These verses explain that when true believers are "caught up"/changed (instead of dying), we will be transformed into our new bodies in a tiny moment. These will be changed and receive their new resurrected glorious heavenly bodies!) 

 

7. “For you, yourselves know perfectly that the Day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.  But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”   (I Thessalonians 5:2-10)

(Note: These verses indicate that the “sons of light” will escape, while those who are not do not escape and will be left during the time of sudden destruction/wrath upon this sinful world.)

 

8.  And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the (everything was like “normal” until the) flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; (everything was like “normal”) but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so, will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:26-30)

(Note: These verses explain that life was just “business as usual” before the flood of Noah and before the day of Lot that destroyed multitudes, and that life will be like “business as usual” too when the day of the Lord’s wrath comes totally unexpectedly. We know in those early days that only a few, to include Noah and Lot, were saved from God’s wrath and also only a few will be spared from His wrath through the rapture before the “day of the Lord” as well.) 

 

9. "And in that day, declares the Lord God 'I will make the sun go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the daytime. I will turn your feasts into mourning and your songs into lamentation. I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved and I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son with its outcome like a bitter day." (Amos 8:9-10) 

(Note: These verses explain that the time of God’s wrath upon a sinful world will be a time of deep lamentations and feasts turned to mourning.)

10.  “Near is the great Day of the LORD, near and coming very quickly; listen, the Day of the LORD! In it, the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of trumpet and battle cry Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers.

I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind Because they have sinned against the LORD, and their blood will be poured out like dust And their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord's wrath; and all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, for He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth. (Zephaniah 1:14-18)

(Note: These verses again explain that the “Day of the Lord is a time full of great distress upon the world for those who have overall neglected God. None to their gold or possessions they trusted in will save them from this wrath. In previous verses we learned that sincere followers of the Lord will not receive God’s wrath.)

 

11. “Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light. Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. (Isaiah 13:9-11)

(Note: These verses explain that many people who walked in sin will be destroyed during the day of the Lord’s wrath. The world will be punished for its evil ways, neglect toward God, and arrogance. In previous verses, we learned that those who sincerely followed the Lord would be “changed/transformed” during this terrible time.)

 

12. “For that Day belongs to the Lord GOD of hosts, A day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes; And the sword will devour and be satiated And drink its fill of their blood; For there will be a slaughter for the Lord GOD of hosts, In the land of the north by the river Euphrates.” (Jeremiah 48:10)

(Note: This verse again describes that the Day of the Lord is a time of vengeance against God's foes. This verse shares about the slaughter that will occur in the land north of Israel by the Euphrates river which would be the land of Syria and/or Iraq.) 

 

13. “A sound of tumult on the mountains, like that of many people! A sound of the uproar of kingdoms, of nations, gathered together! The LORD of hosts is mustering the army for battle. They are coming from a far country, from the farthest horizons, The LORD and His instruments of indignation, to destroy the whole land. Wail, for the Day of the LORD, is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.” (Isaiah 13:4-6)

(Note: These verses again explain that the Day of the Lord will be a time of wrath for God's enemies.)  

 

14. "For the Day is near, Even the Day of the LORD is near; It will be a day of clouds, A time of doom for the nations. A sword will come upon Egypt, and anguish will be in Ethiopia; when the slain fall in Egypt, They take away her wealth, and her foundations are torn down.” (Ezekiel 30:3-4)

(Note: These verses explain that the “day of the Lord” will be a time of darkness and doom upon nations.)

 

15. "Therefore wait for Me," declares the LORD, "For the Day when I rise up as a witness Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All My burning anger; For all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal.” (Zephaniah 3:8)

(Note: These verses once again describe the anger of God at nations since they live in evil and live in neglect of the Lord.)

 

16. “Alas, you who are longing for the Day of the LORD, for what purpose will the day of the LORD be to you? It will be darkness and not light; as when a man flees from a lion and a bear meets him, Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall And a snake bites him. Will not the day of the LORD be darkness instead of light, even gloom with no brightness in it?” (Amos 5:18-20)

(Note: These verses explain that the “day of the Lord” will not be a pleasant time for those who have chosen to live in evil ways instead of choosing to follow the Lord in sincerity and truth.)

 

17. “For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty and against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be abased.” (Isaiah 2:12)

(Note: the “day of the Lord” will be a day of reckoning to bring down the proud and lofty.)

 

18. “Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, And it will come as destruction from the Almighty.” (Joel 1:15)

(Note: Over and over we read where this Day is a Day of wrath, vengeance and destruction upon the arrogant who lived in their own ways instead of God's ways.)

 

19. “Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there are a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations. A fire consumes before them and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the Garden of Eden before them but a desolate wilderness behind them, and nothing at all escapes them. Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like war horses, so they run.” (Joel 2:1-4)

(Note: These verses again describe the wrath of God coming upone those who have turned to walk in evil and have turned away from the truths of God.)

 

20. "For behold, the Day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff, and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the LORD of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” (Malachi 4:1-2)

(Note: These verses explain that those who fear God and walk in righteousness will know peace and joy! What a wondrous time of HOPE! But those who walk contrary to the Lord in arrogance and evil will experience His wrath.)

 

21. "Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise and there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:1-2)

(Note: These verses explain that the Day of the Lord will be a time of distress like no other time. However, the people who will be rescued from it will be those who have their names written in the Book of Life!)

 

22. “In the future, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8)

(Note: This verse explains that all who longed to be with the Lord more than anything else will be awarded a crown!)

 

23. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. "For this reason, you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” (Matthew 24:43-44)

(Note: These verses explain that the “day of the Lord” will come unexpectedly and that we must be ready! All who are not ready and are instead living for the cares of the world and/or walking in darkness will not be prepared. They will face the “sudden destruction” (Day of the Lord's wrath) which will come upon the whole world.)

 

24. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10)

(Note: This verse again describes that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly like a thief. There will also be intense heat in which the works of the earth will be burned up.)

 

25. “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-8)

(Note: These verses explain that true followers of Christ will not be surprised when the “day of the Lord” arrives since they are looking for Jesus and waiting patiently to be changed in the twinkling fo an eye to be with the Lord forevermore!)  

 

26. “Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame, before the decree takes effect-- The day passes like the chaff-- Before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you. Seek the LORD, All you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the Lord's anger.” (Zephaniah 2:1-3)

(Note: These verses explain that God wants everyone to repent and seek humility and righteousness. If we do, we might be hidden and rescued from the day of the Lord’s anger upon an evil world.) 

 

27. “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the Day of the Lord, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” (2 Peter 3:11-12)

(Note: These verses explain that there is no need to focus our hearts on the things of this world like trying to gain all sorts of material wealth, and seeking pleasures galore since everything is just going to get destroyed anyway! People spend endless hours watching sports, and endless hours fixing up their homes which will soon be destroyed, and yet they won’t take the time to read and obey the eternal words of God in the Bible! The world has been completely foolish! However, those who are wise will not obsess about things of this world that will soon be destroyed but instead, they will focus on being ready to meet the Lord! They will strive for holy conduct and godly living. They will look for the “day of the Lord” since that is when they will be changed and will be with their glorious Lord Jesus Christ!)

 

28, “Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” (Mark 13:29)

(Note: This verse explains that there are so many signs in the Bible explaining about when the “day of the Lord” would be arriving. The wise will look for these signs and know the Lord is near and be prepared for it. The people who were not prepared were not looking for the Lord’s return and did not know the signs to look for. They were too busy with pleasures/things of the world and were completely unaware about the coming “day of the Lord.”)

 

29. “And I will grant wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and glorious Day of the Lord shall come.” (Acts 2:19-20)

(Note: Most of the verses about the “day of the Lord” are in the Old Testament. However, here is a verse from the New Testament which explain about the “day of the Lord” and it describes this time period with the same type of language as the Old Testament.)

 

30. "I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.” (Joel 2:30-31)

(Note: We can see how this verse from Joel in the Old Testament aligns exactly with the verse found in the Book of Acts from the New Testament describing the Day of the Lord.)

 

31. "For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will." (Mark 13:9)

(Note: "Those days" will be full of tribulation for the arrogant and evil, but for those who followed the Lord we know it will be a time of joy as we learned in Malachi 4:1-2 and elsewhere.)

 

32. “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment." (2 Peter 2:9)

(Note: This verse explains that the Lord rescues the godly from times of punishment/wrath such as He will during the "Day of the Lord", but those who lived in neglect of the Lord will have to face judgment.) 

 

33. "For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations as you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head." (Obadiah 1:15-16)

(Note: This verse explains that the “day of the Lord” is a time when people get what they deserve. If they spent their lives neglecting God and living as they wished instead, then the Lord will also neglect them from being rescued. They had plenty of opportunities to read the Bible and know what God expects from them but they had “more important things to do” than to seek the Lord. Therefore their dealings will be returned on their own heads.)

 

34. “Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand!
It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
Therefore all hands will be limp
Every man’s heart will melt,
And they will be afraid.
Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them;
They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth;
They will be amazed at one another;
Their faces will be like flames.

Behold, the day of the Lord comes,
Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger,
To lay the land desolate;
And He will destroy its sinners from it.” (Isaiah 13:6-9)

(Note: These verses give some explicit details about how horrific the “day of the Lord” will be. People will hopefully realize that they should have lived their lives truly focusing on the Lord instead of living as they pleased and then they could have escaped this horrible time period.)

 

35. “Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe Come, tread, for the winepress is full; the vats overflow, for their wickedness, is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” (Joel 3:13-14)

(Note: These verses seem to give some HOPE that a great multitude could learn some lessons from having to endure the day of the Lord’s wrath! They seem to learn that they were not walking right with the Lord and that they now need to decide to turn fully to the Lord Jesus Christ!) 

 

36. “For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of the water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” (2 Peter 3:5-7)

(Note: These verses share that the earth was once destroyed by water in Noah’s day, and that it is now being reserved to be destroyed by fire during the “day of the Lord’s Judgment”. This destruction always occurs when men refuse to heed the wisdom of the Lord and live in the ways that they choose instead.)

 

37. (Who the Day of the Lord shall not be upon) -  “Seek the LORD, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the Lord's anger.” (Zephaniah 2:3)

(Note: This verse explains about who the “day of the Lord” shall not be upon.) 

 

38. “Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13)

(Note: The blessed hope is the transformative time when the Lord's followers will be changed in an instant. These transformed followers of the Lord will go forth as the Lord leads them which could include helping to lead others back to the truth which saves. We can know for sure however, that they will be with the Lord Jesus forevermore!) 

 

I hope that this list of Scripture has helped to make it clear that the "Day or the Lord's wrath"  is not a time of tumult for true followers of the Lord but instead will be a great time of hope. The Day of the Lord will bring great suffering upon the proud who refused to love the Lord in Spirit and truth. Yet even for those who have chosen to walk contrary to God there may still be great hope if they recognize their wrong paths and turn back to following the Lord! So keep hoping in the Lord and His wondrous mercy!

 

For other articles about these end-times please see the following:

Jesus' SOON Return!

The Bottomless Pit

2 Witnesses - Pt. 1

2 Witnesses - Pt. 2

Signs-Lord's Return!