Isn't the day of the Lord good news?

Question

Amos 5:18

Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, and not light.

What's with the woe? Don't we all desire the second coming of Jesus?

Answer 1

The day of the Lord is essentially "Judgment day". So the context as to whether it is a good or bad day depends entirely on your standing with the Lord. It essentially involves him judging evil and removing it — in order that Goodness can flourish. So usually wrath and blessing are poured out simultaneously: wrath on those who have done evil, blessings on those who have done God's will. (Though sometimes one more than the other depending on who is being judged.)

When we go to scripture there are numerous occurrences of the day of the Lord. The first of these is in the book of Exodus with the first Passover event. This was a great day for Israel who were blessed being freed from slavery and coming out of Egypt with great possessions — but absolutely horrible for Egypt as 10 plagues poured out on them which included the deaths of the male children followed by the army being swallowed in the Red sea.

There are many scriptures that speak to its duel nature and the negative judgment on those who do evil. For example:

Isaiah 2:12 "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"

Jeremiah 46:10 But that day belongs to the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies. It is a day of reckoning when he will pay back his adversaries. His sword will devour them until its appetite is satisfied. It will drink its fill from their blood!

Isaiah 13:6 Wail, for the Lord’s day of judgment is near; it comes with all the destructive power of the Sovereign One. 9 Look, the Lord’s day of judgment is coming; it is a day of cruelty and savage, raging anger, destroying the earth and annihilating its sinners.

In the context of Jesus and the apostles — there was an imminent major judgment period and "day of the Lord" about to come on Israel when Jesus came. This is why he weeps for the city of Jerusalem when he rides in on Palm Sunday — because most of the people had not heeded his message of repentance.

As a result, as he predicted in Matthew 24 in 70 AD there was a "Day of the Lord" when very negative judgment was handed out on Israel/Jerusalem. This was the Roman Siege of Jerusalem that began 3 days before Passover. Most of Israel had descended on the capital for the Passover celebration - the city was surrounded by the Roman army and eventually breached, the temple burnt to the ground (Matt 24:2) and most of the Jewish population killed and the remnant taken captive. This event which followed Jesus essentially put to an end Israel as a sovereign state for approximately 1900 years.

Luke 19:42

As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.

Answer 2

Isn't the day of the Lord good news?

Amos 5:18 Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, and not light.

What's with the woe? Don't we all desire the Second Coming of Jesus?

The "Day of the Lord" is not the same thing as the "Second Coming".

The "Second Coming" is not for "judgment", but for "salvation" as Heb 9:28 indicates.

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall He "appear the second time" without sin unto salvation.

As much as we like to feel secure in traditions if they are in opposition to the bible they are misguided traditional concepts.

Simply because the "restoration" in Acts 3:21 is not widely understood, is not reason enough to discount the proximity of the "Ascension" and "Return" of Jesus in Acts.

Repentance "restores" a persons relationship with God.

Jesus went to Heaven in Acts 1:9 and returns two chapters later Acts 3:20.

Acts 9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Two chapters later Acts 3:20 says Jesus returns to those who look for Him -

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Jesus appears only to those who look for Him. This concept negates a physical Second Coming and validates the spiritual concept. This is also validated through a comparison of Acts 2:38 and 3:19-20. Since Peter says that both Jesus and the Holy Spirit come upon individual repentence, the comparison shows that Jesus comes the Second time through the agency of the Holy Spirit.

Ac 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Below are the applicable Strong's Concordance references for the word "restore".

Mt 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore (Strong's 600) all things.

Ac 1:6 ¶ When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore (Strong's 600) again the kingdom to Israel?

Ac 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution (Strong's 605) of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Acts 3:19-21 illustrates the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the individual person, when they repent from unbelief.

The Day of The Lord is most clearly understood as a time of evaluation, as it applies to Christians.

Although not refered to as the "Day of the Lord", the result of a positive evaluation can be seen in Matt 25:13, 21 and 23.

Matt 25:13 ¶Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Mt 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

The Kingdom of God is Righteous (The ability to do what is right) Joy and peace, Rm 14:17. Being granted advancement in those qualities (In this case "Joy") can therefore be referred to as entering the Kingdom of God to a greater degree.

Ro 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Answer 3

Let's see the context, Amos 5:

18Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!
Why would you have the day of the LORD?
It is darkness, and not light,
19as if a man fled from a lion,
and a bear met him,
or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,
and a serpent bit him.
20Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light,
and gloom with no brightness in it?

The day of the LORD was bad news for the unrighteous. Isaiah elaborated in Isa 2:

12 "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:

Pulpit explains how the Jews misunderstand the concept of the day of the Lord:

The prophet enforces the threat by denouncing woe on those that trust to their covenant relation to God, expecting the day when he would punish the heathen for their sakes, and thinking that external, heartless worship was acceptable to him. Verse 18. -

The Jews incorrectly thought that God would be on their side regardless of their spiritual condition.

Isn't the day of the Lord good news? Don't we all desire the second coming of Jesus?

It is good news to those who trust in the Lord. It is bad news to those who are self-righteous. Amos warned the self-righteous Jews. The same warning applies today to those who self-righteously think that God is on their side.

Answer 4

Whether Jesus' return "in the clouds of heaven" (Matt 24:30, 31, Rev 1:7, etc) is a good or bad event depend on whether one wants to be with Jesus or not (1 Thess 1:10, Matt 25:31-46)

The Righteous want to be with Jesus

Isa 25:9 - And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

Titus 2:13 - as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Thess 1:10 - on the day He comes to be glorified in His saints and regarded with wonder by all who have believed, including you who have believed our testimony.

The Wicked cannot stand in the presence of God (Ps 5:4 - For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; no evil can dwell with You.)

Rev 6:15-17 - Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid 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 face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”

Rev 1:7 - Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.

2 Thess 1 - 5 All this is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment. And so you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels 8 in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might,

Answer 5

We must be resistant to having a self-centred view of all this. The Day of the Lord, the return of Jesus the Saviour, is a fantastic day for all creation!

God's plan has been bubbling along since the garden and now it has reached the last chapter or two, finally the climactic ending is very near. Matt 28 lays out the important process that leads to salvation.

For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many people. 6And you will be hearing of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains. v5

• they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you
• you will be hated by all nations because of My name
• many will fall away, and they will betray one another
• false prophets will rise up and mislead many people
• the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved
• And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky
• GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other

Why does Jesus speak of birth pains, birth pangs - 'a sudden sharp pain or painful emotion'.

This is the lead up to a birth! A new life and a wonderful and amazing miracle is happening - the miracle of life!

God is interested in the next life, true spirit life, not much fussed with this present age that the devil has been running for thousands of years - under God's sovereign control. Jesus has already beaten the devil as the second Adam/human that resisted temptation and trusted God until death.

God is Saviour, Jesus is the one who He has saved with and through. Finally, the Day of Jesus return, sees this plan of salvation start to become the central focus.

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2And he took hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; Rev 20:1

The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed v5

God doesn't want any to miss out on salvation 2Pet 3:9. Oh, man has made up some rather interesting and distracting tales of another ending to God's creation. But God has not planned to see most of them go to hell! (whatever that is) or suffer for eternity in flames of torment!!

Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, and not light.

There are many passages that speak of the dread, the woe, the anguish, suffering and death. These are not pleasant experiences, but they are a part of the salvation plan God has provided.

The ruler of this world is fighting to win us over to death. God has provided a way for all to have true life. When these two realms clash, there will be consequences. All men will have to choose - they will have to abandon the treasures of this world for the kingdom treasures. We are not speaking of only physical things but deep spiritual and mental treasures of the world that we have been storing up. It will hurt to give them away as if they were nothing!

We are called to live by faith - not sight. The world operates on sight. The kingdom operates on faith. Two diametrically opposed systems.

The Day of the Lord will bring strife and trouble - such as never seen before - but it will be the beginning of new life - for all who choose God over the devil - and ALL will get their choice.

Answer 6

Not only Day of God and the Lord's Second Parousia - the two being the same - but even the arrival of Messiah, merely politically understood, made a stir of dread and awe in Herod's heart and in hearts of all Jerusalem inhabitants (Matthew 2:1-12). Why so? As John Chrysostom explains, because Herod feared that his unjust rule was to end and he punished by the righteous Messiah for his iniquities and baths of blood; and similarly the majority of Jerusalemians loved more Herod's unjust rule, that did not interfere with their own licentiousness and lewdness, than to suffer the just rule and law-abiding state of the Messiah, that would be a torment for their sinful whims and habits. Thus, not only Herod, but those Jerusalemians, the vast majority, was supportive of killing of the new-born Messiah. If one thinks that modern humans are any better than Jerusalemians of the first century AD, I envy the blissful optimism of this bloke.