Over the past several days I’ve evaluated several arguments concerning the length of the Day of the Lord. I provided evidence that the Day of the Lord is likely going to begin following the opening of the sixth seal and is likely going to end after the pouring of the final seven plagues referenced in Revelation 15 and Revelation 16. In addition, I’ve shown why it is unlikely that the Day of the Lord is going to last for seven years, why it is unlikely going to last for one thousand years, and discussed what the Bible likely means when it says the Day of the Lord shall come as a “thief in the night”. Today I evaluate whether the Day of the Lord can be a single day, a year, or perhaps both.
Is the Day of the Lord One Year?
Isaiah 34 is one of the most descriptive chapters in the Bible about the wide-scale slaughter of the nations during the Day of the Lord. The first seven verses of the chapter describe a world similar to the one described in Revelation 6:13-14 following the opening of the sixth seal: Verse 8 is the first time in the chapter where the Day of the Lord is mentioned. The verse provides a very interesting detail regarding the Day of the Lord: it is “the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion”.[1]
- Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
- Rev 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
- Isa 34:1 Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.
- Isa 34:2 For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.
- Isa 34:3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
- Isa 34:4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.
- Isa 34:5 For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.
- Isa 34:6 The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.
- Isa 34:7 And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.
- Isa 34:8 For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.
Verse 8 implies that the Lord will spend a year repaying his enemies for Zion’s sake. The repayment in this context is not good for those who will receive the repayment. For instance, the Lord mentions that Tyre, Zidon, and “all the coast of Palestine” will be treated as harshly as they treated those in Judah:
- Joe 3:4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;
- Joe 3:5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:
- Joe 3:6 The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.
- Joe 3:7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:
- Joe 3:8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it.
Similarly, the song of Moses, a song that will be sung during the End Times (Revelation 15:3) includes a passage where the Lord mentions that He will “render vengeance” to his enemies and “will reward them” (recompense) those that hate him.
- Deu 32:36 For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.
- Deu 32:37 And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted,
- Deu 32:38 Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your protection.
- Deu 32:39 See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
- Deu 32:40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.
- Deu 32:41 If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.
- Deu 32:42 I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.
- Deu 32:43 Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.
Moreover, Isaiah 59:17-18 further links the time when the Lord will enact His vengeance (the Day of the Lord’s vengeance) with the time when He recompences His enemies:
- Isa 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.
- Isa 59:18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.
This detail about the Day of the Lord being “the year of the recompences for the controversy of Zion” stands out from a chapter like Zephaniah 1 which mentions the Day of the Lord as “a day” numerous times.
- Zep 1:14 The 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.
- Zep 1:15 That 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,
- Zep 1:16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
Is the Day of the Lord a 24 Hour Day?
I do not believe the Day of the Lord is a 24 hour period of time as I’ve described why the Day of the Lord appears to begin following the opening of the sixth seal and appears to end with the pouring of the last of the seven plagues (the seventh vial/bowl judgment in Revelation 16).
- The fifth trumpet is a five-month event that takes place after the opening of the sixth seal and before the pouring of the seventh vial/bowl judgment (Revelation 9:10). This alone seems to refute the notion that the Day of the Lord is limited to a 24 hour period of time.
However, it seems odd for the Bible to label the time of God’s wrath as the “Day of the Lord’ when it does not appear to be “one day” long.
Harmonizing the Details
The concept of time is sometimes different in Bible prophecy. For instance, the Bible describes a future time period as “one week” (the seventieth week of Daniel):
- Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
There’s not a lot of debate about how long the seventieth week of Daniel lasts because most people assume it is seven “prophetic years” long (2520 Days: 360 days in a prophetic year x 7 Years…see the appendix of this blog post for a complete explanation of how these numbers were derived). Given that the seventieth week of Daniel is seven prophetic years long, if we took the prophetic week and divided by the number of days in a week (seven) we would find that a “prophetic day” associated with the seventieth week of Daniel is one year long (360 days).
The concept of a prophetic day in relation to a prophetic week perhaps best harmonizes Isaiah 34:8 with the “day” part of the term “Day of the Lord”. The “Day of the Lord” is a special prophetic day which lasts one year long; in the same manner that a prophetic week is seven years long. Thus, the Day of the Lord is “one day” long, but it’s not an ordinary 24 hour long day.
- There is biblical precedent for a day to represent a year in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:4-6.
At this moment I agree with those who believe the Day of the Lord is going to last for one year. Isaiah 34:8’s statement that the Day of the Lord is “the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion” is difficult to account for unless one views the Day of the Lord as a one year time period. However, this is a preliminary finding so it’s subject to change if someone is able to disprove it or if I find a way to disprove it. Feel free to disprove it if you can.
In the next blog post concerning the Day of the Lord I’ll probably provide more clarification about the one year Day of the Lord theory and may discuss the implications associated with the Day of the Lord potentially lasting for one year.
Notes/Appendix
[1] Some people also cite Isaiah 61:1-3 and Isaiah 63:1-4 as verses which suggest the Day of the Lord is one year long. I’m not so sure the one year time period mentioned in these verses are intended to describe the length of the Day of the Lord. The language used in Isaiah 61:1-3 and Isaiah 63:1-4 suggest that the “year” referenced in these verses is a Jubilee Year rather than a year of vengeance like Isaiah 34:8 references. However, I believe the beginning of the Jubilee Year will take place during the Day of the Lord. For more, click this link
The Length of the 70th Week of Daniel and Prophetic Years
Gabriel told Daniel that 70 weeks have been given to the people of Israel and the city of Jerusalem to end their disobedience, atone for their sins, and to be saved.
- Dan 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
- Dan 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
- Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Most Christians who study Bible prophecy agree that the first 69 weeks of this prophecy was fulfilled over a several-hundred year period with a call to rebuild Jerusalem in the 20th year of Artaxerxes Longimanus’s reign (Nehemiah Ch. 2:1-5) and the death and ascension of Christ. Therefore, Gabriel did not mean 70 literal weeks where each week is 7 days in length. The Hebrew translation of the word “week” in Daniel is shâbûa‛, which actually means “seven”. Therefore we can also refer to Daniel’s prophecy as “the 70 sevens”. The length of a prophetic week can be determined by analyzing the structure of the 70th week of Daniel. Daniel’s 70th week is divided into two halves. In the first half Antichrist will make and keep a covenant with Israel, but will break it halfway through the seven.
- Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The 2nd half of the week is a period of severe persecution. This period of time will last for “time, times, and a half”. The Hebrew word for “time” is “mô‛êd”, which also can mean “a year”. Nearly every commentator who analyzes Daniel’s 70 week prophecy agrees that “time, times, and a half” means 3 ½ years. Therefore, a prophetic week is a seven year period.
- Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
In Revelation 12:14 we learn that 3 ½ prophetic years is the equivalent of 1260 days. If we divide 1260 days by 3 ½ years we will find that a prophetic year is 360 days long.
- Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
- Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Similarly, 3 ½ years is also defined as 42 months since seven years is the equivalent to 84 months. Therefore a prophetic month is 30 days long since 1260 days divided by 42 months equals 30 days/month.
- Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
- Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Given this information, we can confirm that the 70th Week of Daniel will be 2520 days long three different ways.
- 30 Days (in a Prophetic Month) x 42 Prophetic Months (in Half a Prophetic Week) x 2 Halves = 2520 Days
- 7 Prophetic Years (in a Prophetic Week) x 360 Days (in a Prophetic Year) = 2520 Days
- 1260 Days in “Time, Times, and Half” x 2 Halves = 2520 Days.
For more about the 70 Weeks of Daniel you can access my research study where I provide a completely new explanation of the prophecy by clicking this link.
