A Day Is Coming

“Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!”
(Isaiah 13:6, ESV)

We see the phrase, “the day of the Lord,” frequently in the Scriptures. Many see this as pointing to one specific day when the Lord will return victoriously to bring judgment on the unbelieving. However, in the Scriptures, this phrase has many uses. It is often speaking of an individual event. It may refer to a time-period for a larger event, such as the second coming of the Lord through the final judgment. Essentially in the context of eschatology, the phrase refers to something that God plans to do in the future as it relates to the time of writing. It also deals with the Lord’s deliverance of His people and the judgment of the oppressors.

In this passage, Isaiah is prophesying against Babylon. Here Isaiah indicated that the Lord would bring judgment upon Babylon. However, this prophecy has much broader and future implication. The prophecy also indicates a time of judgment that would involve the whole world for its wickedness. In verses 9 through 11 we read the following.

“Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.” (Isaiah 13:9–11, ESV)

The prophesy indicates that the Lord will make the land desolate and destroy sinners from it (v9), that He will darken the sun, moon and stars (v10), that He will punish the world for its evil, and end the pomp of the arrogant (v11).

Thus, this prophecy of Isaiah sees both a fulfillment in one era and a fulfilment in a future era. It looks to the judgement of Babylon in the immediate context of the conflict and turmoil of the land as it involved the people of God. Yet it also looks to a future judgment on the whole “world for its evil. We can see this when we look at the parallels seen in Jesus’ words recorded in Matthew chapters 24 and 25, the Olivet Discourse.

The point is this. As we look at our world, we see a chaotic and morally degrading sight. Evil seems to be invading everything at an exponential rate. Moral values are on the decline from biblical norms. Division seems to characterize the world. Wars and rumors of wars permeate the globe. The world seems on a path to destruction. However, these a merely signs of a great event to come. A day is coming when the Lord’s judgement will come. He will eradicate evil and establish a kingdom on earth. There is a future for us who believe. The Lord will return and destroy the enemies of righteousness and establish a kingdom in which we shall reign with Him. We look forward to that day, one of righteousness, justice, and peace. For this we pray, “Come Lord Jesus.”