The First Position established that John the Baptist was in fact Elijah who was to come before the Day of the Lord as prophesied by Malachi. The Second Position revealed that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was to take place after the Day of the Lord as proclaimed by the prophet Joel. With these two facts in hand, we have concluded that the Day of the Lord had to have taken place some time after John the Baptist but before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as described in Acts 2.

At this point, you may be having quite a difficult time with the idea that the Day of the Lord has already taken place, even in light of the factual evidence presented so far. That is understandable since the generally accepted doctrine of the Day of the Lord has long been almost universally, but not necessarily unanimously, presented as an event that has not occurred in the 2,000 years since the death of Christ. In fact, it is now believed that this momentous event which was so widely talked about in the Old Covenant is to take place some time in either the near or distant future. That’s a pretty nebulous time frame. The time frame being proposed in this study is much tighter and provides a much greater opportunity for discovering the actual time of the Day of the Lord.

Since I am claiming that the Day of the Lord took place some time between John the Baptist and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the consensus today is that it hasn’t yet taken place, could it be that the Day of the Lord is to happen more than once? Not according to Joel who said:

1 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,

2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, so there is a great and mighty people; there has  never been anything like it [the day of the Lord], or will there be again after it to the years of many generations.  (Joel 2:1-2)

Joel’s prophetic, holy Spirit inspired, word makes clear that the Day of the Lord is a one-time event.

In addition to the popular belief that the Day of the Lord hasn’t yet occurred, it is also widely believed that this momentous event is a phenomenon linked directly to the doctrines of the Rapture and the second coming of Christ. But that theory cannot be reconciled with the facts clearly revealed directly from the text of the Bible and presented in the first and second positions. Has a contradiction in the Bible been discovered? The answer is, “No!” There are no contradictions in the truth.

What can or should be said about the rapture and the second coming of Christ at this time? Two things: First, neither of those doctrines is the subject of this study, and second, neither the rapture nor the second coming doctrines are necessarily tied to the Day of the Lord. When the Day of the Lord is understood as being an integral part of the fulfilled eternal covenant it becomes clear that the Day of the Lord is not tied to either the rapture or the second coming. Therefore, the past timing of the Day of the Lord which I am proposing neither confirms nor denies the doctrines of the Rapture or the second coming of Christ. The claim being made in this presentation is simply that the Day of the Lord is not associated with, or related to, the doctrines of the rapture or the second coming as commonly believed.

So let us now turn our attention to identifying the actual time of the Day of the Lord. With that as a goal, it is worthwhile for us to look at more of Peter’s quote from the words of the prophet, Joel.

15 “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day;

16 but this [the sound of the rushing wind, the disciples speaking in tongues, and possibly fire resting on the disciples]  is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘that I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

18 even on my bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit and they shall prophesy.

19 ‘And I will grant wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke.

20 the sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come.

21 ‘And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'” (Acts 2:15-21)

Three verses are of particular interest for our study. In verse 16 Peter declares that what the people are witnessing and experiencing is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel even though Joel makes no mention of the things that are happening. This was discussed in more detail in the previous lesson. Then in verse 17 Peter says that God is pouring forth of His Spirit in the ‘last days’ rather than using ‘after this’ as Joel does. This was also discussed in the previous lesson.

We see in verse 20 two specific events things that were to take place ‘before’ the Day of the Lord. They are…

• • • The sun would be darkened.
    • The moon would be turned into blood.

The New Covenant Bible record does not contain confirmation of the moon being turned to blood, but the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke do confirm that darkness fell upon the land from noon until three o’clock during the time of Christ’s crucifixion:

Now from the sixth hour [noon] darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour [3:00 PM] . (Matthew 27:45)

When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. (Mark 15:33)

44 And it was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour,

45 the sun being obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. (Luke 23:44-45)

Another event also took place which was not included in Joel’s prophecy. We learn from the gospel of Matthew that an earthquake occurred following the death of Jesus on the cross.

51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.

54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:51, 54)

 As for verse 21 of Acts chapter two, it was the death and resurrection of Jesus that made it possible for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord to be saved and receive eternal life. But what does ‘calling on the name of the Lord’ mean?  Eric Lyons of Apologetics Press explained it as follows:

When an individual takes the time to study how the expression “calling on God” is used throughout Scripture, the only reasonable conclusion to draw is that, just as similar phrases sometimes have a deeper meaning in modern America, the expression “calling on God” often had a deeper meaning in Bible times. Take, for instance, Paul’s statement recorded in Acts 25:11: “I appeal unto Caesar.” The word “appeal” (epikaloumai) is the same word translated “call” (or “calling”) in Acts 2:21, 22:16, and Romans 10:13. But, Paul was not simply saying, “I’m calling on Caesar to save me.” As James Bales noted:

Paul, in appealing to Caesar, was claiming the right of a Roman citizen to have his case judged by Caesar. He was asking that his case be transferred to Caesar’s court and that Caesar hear and pass judgment on his case. In so doing, he indicated that he was resting his case on Caesar’s judgment. In order for this to be done Paul had to submit to whatever was necessary in order for his case to be brought before Caesar. He had to submit to the Roman soldiers who conveyed him to Rome. He had to submit to whatever formalities or procedure Caesar demanded of those who came before him. All of this was involved in his appeal to Caesar (1960, pp. 81-82, emp. added).

Paul’s “calling” to Caesar involved his submission to him. “That, in a nutshell,” wrote T. Pierce Brown, “is what ‘calling on the Lord’ involves”—obedience (1976, p. 5). It is not a mere verbal recognition of God, or a verbal petition to Him. Those whom Paul (before his conversion to Christ) sought to bind in Damascus—Christians who were described as people “who call on Your [Jehovah’s] name”—were not people who only prayed to God, but those who were serving the Lord, and who, by their obedience, were submitting themselves to His authority (cf. Matthew 28:18). Interestingly, Zephaniah 3:9 links one’s “calling” with his “service”: “For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one accord” (emp. added). When a person submits to the will of God, he accurately can be described as “calling on the Lord.” Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 (among other passages) do not contradict Matthew 7:21, because to “call on the Lord” entails more than just pleading for salvation; it involves submitting to God’s will. According to Colossians 3:17, every single act a Christian performs (in word or deed) should be carried out by Christ’s authority. For a non-Christian receiving salvation, this is no different. In order to obtain salvation, a person must submit to the Lord’s authority. This is what the passages in Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 are teaching; it is up to us to go elsewhere in the New Testament to learn how to call upon the name of the Lord.

After Peter quoted the prophecy of Joel and told those in Jerusalem on Pentecost that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21), he told them how to go about “calling on the name of the Lord.” The people in the audience in Acts 2 did not understand Peter’s quotation of Joel to mean that an alien sinner must pray to God for salvation. [Their question in Acts 2:37 (“Men and brethren, what shall we do?”) indicates such.] Furthermore, when Peter responded to their question and told them what to do to be saved, he did not say, “I’ve already told you what to do. You can be saved by petitioning God for salvation through prayer. Just call on His name.” On the contrary, Peter had to explain to them what it meant to “call on the name of the Lord.” Instead of repeating this statement when the crowd sought further guidance from the apostles, Peter commanded them, saying, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (2:38). (Emphasis Added)

“Calling On The Name Of The Lord,” Eric Lyons, M. Min., Apologetics Press, apologeticspress.org.

Note the author’s use of the the ideas of submission to the Lord and obedience. I have said in numerous places in the preceding lessons on covenant that repentance is the giving of your entire spiritual being to the Lord. It is, in effect, the giving of your very life. When Lyons speaks of submission to the Lord and to His authority, he is actually speaking of repentance. And it has also been shown in previous covenant lessons that repentance is the way to enter into the blood covenant Jesus fulfilled by His death on the cross. Once you have entered this covenant, the one thing that is required above all else is obedience to God’s Law. Therefore, what the author is saying in the above paragraphs is that to call upon the name of the Lord is to repent and thereby enter into covenant with Jesus Christ and submit in obedience to God’s Law.

 Peter follows the quote from Joel to speak of Christ’s resurrection:

22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know –

23 this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

24 “And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death [thus, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord is saved from death to eternal life], since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.” (Acts 2:22-24)

In fact, the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah, is the central point of Peter’s sermon:

29 “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 

30 “And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne,

31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh duffer decay.

32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. (Acts 2:29-32)

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him [Jesus] both Lord and Christ [Messiah] – this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36)

When Peter, James and John were privileged to be shown the transfigured Jesus, they believed they were seeing the Messiah who had been prophesied to come and establish God’s kingdom on earth. Seeing Jesus standing with Elijah and Moses confirmed to the disciples that He was the one spoken of by the prophets and by Moses when he said, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” (Deuteronomy 18:15) You may recall that God spoke to the disciples during the transfiguration and said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5) The next verse reads: “When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified.” (Matthew 17:6)

Why were they terrified? They knew that the prophets had spoken of the Messiah to come, but their prophetic proclamations also associated the coming of the Messiah with the Day of the Lord. That these two events are linked was shown in the earlier lesson, 12.3 – The Coming Of Elijah. That the coming of the Messiah and the Day of the Lord are linked was shown in the dialogue between the three disciples (Peter, James and John) and Jesus immediately following the Transfiguration. When the disciples asked Jesus about the coming of Elijah, they were aware from Malachi’s prophecy that Elijah was to come before the Day of the Lord. Therefore, the disciples were asking Jesus about the coming of Elijah, but at the same time about the Day of the Lord, and Jesus did not correct them.

We also see the following declarations to the multitude of Jews that:

• • • Jesus was the Messiah.
    • Jesus was crucified.
    • God resurrected Jesus.
    • Jesus was alive.

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which, according to Joel, was to take place after the Day of the Lord, was in fact taking place before their eyes.

The crowd was made up of devout Jews. They knew the Scriptures. When Peter told them that Joel’s prophecy of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was happening as they were looking on, they understood that the Day of the Lord had already taken place. They also knew that judgment was included with the Day of the Lord. They would also have been wondering how they could escape the wrath of God that was coming. Therefore, their reaction makes perfect sense:

Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do [to be spared from God’s wrath]?” (Acts 2:37)

The expression ‘pierced to the heart’ in the Greek is katanussó (kat-an-oos’-so). It means to prick, pierce or stab. Katanussó also conveys the following idea: to pain the mind sharply or agitate it vehemently, and it is used especially of the emotion of sorrow. These Jews were smitten (or stabbed) in their hearts with poignant sorrow. And believing that the Day of the Lord had come upon them, and Jesus, the Messiah, who is the Righteous Judge (see 2 Timothy 4:8), was seated on His throne for judgment, they asked the most reasonable question anyone could ask, “Brethren, what shall we do?” In other words, they were asking how they could be saved from the wrath of God’s righteous judgment.

The physical evidence those in the crowd were seeing and hearing was so awesome many couldn’t help but believe that Jesus was in fact the foretold Messiah, and that He had been raised from the dead. Peter responds to their desperate question with the solution that is as correct now as it was then when he spoke these now famous words:

“Repent [return to the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul], and let each of you be baptized in the name of [a covenant expression indicating to be in a blood covenant relationship with] Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

The Biblical account of the crowd’s response to Peter’s declaration tells us that 3,000 devout Jews repented and were added to the body of Christ that day. They were convinced the Day of the Lord had come, as well as the judgment of God associated with it. They repented and were saved from God’s wrath.

Much more then, having now been justified by His [Jesus’] blood  [the blood of the New Covenant], we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. (Romans 5:9)

The only event remaining that falls between John the Baptist and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which is also of great enough significance to be the Day of the Lord is Christ’s resurrection. Therefore,

The day of Christ’s resurrection, which occurred three days after His death, is the day of the Day of the Lord.

The importance of Christ’s resurrection cannot be overstated. The writers of the New Covenant emphasized the resurrection as evidenced by the following verses.

1 As they [Peter and John] were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, 

2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. (Acts 4:1-2) 

And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33)

And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him [Paul]. Some were saying, “What would  this idle babbler wish to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,” — because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. (Acts 17:18)

22 “So, having obtained help from God, I [Paul] stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; 

23 that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” (Acts 26:22-23)

3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 

4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death [repentance], so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 

5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection. (Romans 6:3-5)

 12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 

14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. (1 Corinthians 15:12-14)

For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. (1Corinthians 15:21)

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body. (1Corinthians 15:42)

10 That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 

11  in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who  according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)

Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you —  not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God [call on the name of the Lord, repent] for a good conscience — through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 3:21)

The disciples, as they waited in the Upper Room, believed they were witnesses of Christ’s resurrection.

“Beginning with the baptism of John, until the day that He was taken up from us – one of these should become a witness with us of His resurrection.” (Acts 1:22)

Jesus is described in Revelation as the firstborn from the dead, i.e., resurrected.

And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead [He was resurrected], and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood. (Revelation 1:5)

Jesus referred to himself as ‘the resurrection.’

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.” (John 11:25)

Following the day of Pentecost, the apostles speak of being witnesses to Christ’s resurrection.

30 “But God raised Him [Jesus] from the dead;

31 and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people.

32 “And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers,

33 that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘Thou art my son; today I have begotten Thee.’ (Acts 13:30-33)

Paul makes the following declarations about the power of the resurrection of Christ in his letter to the Romans.

1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures,

3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,

4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 1:1-4)

Peter tells us we are saved through the resurrection of Jesus.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)

Do we celebrate that Jesus was born of a virgin? Yes! Are we to remember His death? Without a doubt! But His miraculous birth, His sinless life, His performing of miracles and His substitutionary death would all have been to no avail if God had not raised Him from the dead. Paul seems to concur.

1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,

2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

5 and that He appeared [as proof he had been raised] to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;

7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;

8 and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church [the called out ones, the body of Christ] of God.

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach [all the apostles preached the same message] and so you believed.

12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

[Note that to preach Christ is to preach that He was resurrected.]

13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised;

14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.

16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;

17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. (1 Corinthians 15:1-18)

By means of a sinless life and His substitutionary death on a cross, Jesus completed the covenant-making requirements and God’s covenant with Abraham was fulfilled. But it is His resurrection that makes our salvation possible. Consider that without His resurrection no one would he able to enter the covenant with Him since He is dead. It is necessary that a living person be available to be in covenant with. This is why Christ’s resurrection is the critical event in regards to our salvation. Further, there wouldn’t be a New Covenant if Christ had not been resurrected. The day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is, therefore, the ‘day’ of the Day of the Lord. And as declared by Peter, the time period following the Day of the Lord is the ‘time’ of the Day of the Lord which Peter established as the Last Days.