The First Position established that John the Baptist was in fact Elijah who was prophesied by Malachi to come before the Day of the Lord. The Second Position showed that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as proclaimed by the prophet Joel was to take place after the Day of the Lord. With these two facts in hand, we conclude 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. Now, we turn our attention to identifying the actual time of the Day of the Lord.

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 unanimously, presented as an event that has not occurred in the 2,000 years since the death of Christ. Instead, it is believed that this momentous event which was so widely talked about in the Old Covenant is to take place some time in the near or distant future. It is widely believed that the Day of the Lord 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 clear instruction of the Bible presented in the first and second positions. Have we discovered a contradiction in the Bible? The answer is, “No!” There are no contradictions in the truth. Could it be that the Day of the Lord is to happen more than once? Not according to Joel who said:

“There has never been anything like it [the Day of the Lord], nor will there be again after it.” (Joel 2:2)

It appears as though the Day of the Lord is a one-time event.

Let me say at this time: The past timing of the Day of the Lord I am proposing neither confirms nor denies the doctrines of the Rapture or the second coming of Christ. Rather, the claim being made is simply that the Day of the Lord is not associated with, or related to, those doctrines as commonly portrayed.

We return to Peter’s sermon in the second chapter of Acts. He finishes quoting from Joel in verses 20 and 21 of chapter two.

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 [meaning in the future, i.e., after the Day of the Lord] that everyone who calls on the name of the lord shall be saved.’ (Acts 2:20-21)

Verse 20 tells us two things that were to take place before the Day of the Lord:

1. That the sun would be darkened.
2. That the moon would be turned into blood.

It is interesting to note that these two events took place at the time of Christ’s crucifixion. The darkening of the sun at the time of Christ’s crucifixion is confirmed in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke:

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)

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)

Thus, the sun was darkened. But what about the moon turning to blood? In ancient times, the phrase ‘moon turning into blood’ referred to the moon becoming blood red during an eclipse which would explain both the sun being darkened and the moon turning to blood.

It is interesting to note that scientific investigation (not Biblical evidence) has determined that the date of Jesus’ crucifixion was April 3, AD 33. This is apparently the only date that satisfies the following criteria:

1. It was a day during the reign of Pontius Pilate.
2. It was also a Friday.
3. It was also a day of an eclipse of the sun.

Apparently, the moon did turn to blood on the afternoon Jesus was crucified and breathed his last. In fact, the dust raised by the earthquake would have intensified the reddening of the moon. Isn’t it interesting how science repeatedly confirms Bible prophecy?

We will now return to the Biblical evidence. 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. This is exactly what Peter tells the crowd in the following three verses.

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 main topic of Peter’s sermon which he concludes with the following:

“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. These two events are linked as we have already seen from the dialogue between the 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. Returning to Peter’s sermon, we now see that Peter declared to the multitude of Jews that:

1. Jesus was the Messiah.
2. Jesus was crucified.
3. God resurrected Jesus.
4. Jesus was alive.
5. 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 upon them. 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?” (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)

At the time Jesus was dying, the sun was darkened for three hours, from noon to three o’clock. It wasn’t clouds, but an eclipse that caused this. Not only would the eclipse cause the sun to become darkened, but it would cause the moon to turn reddish in color. These two events were to occur before the Day of the Lord (See Joel 2:31 and Acts 2:20), not simultaneous with it. Therefore, the day of Christ’s crucifixion cannot be the time of the Day of the Lord.

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. The day of Christ’s resurrection, which occurred three days after His death, is the day of the Day of the Lord. This is the reason the resurrection is emphasized by New Covenant writers as evidenced by the following verses.

• • 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 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)

And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you – not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 3:21)

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)

God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was fulfilled in the resurrection (Acts 13:32-33 above). Christ’s resurrection was clearly the object of His birth, life and crucifixion. There would be no New Covenant without the resurrection. 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.