“The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2) – so proclaims our first reading. I have to admit “like a thief in the night” is a disturbing simile. But the point is not the comparison to the Lord and a thief – but it is indeed meant to tell us that the “day of the Lord” will come with no warning and when you least expect it.
But what is it that this way comes? What do you think of when you hear “the day of the Lord”? I think that the image and sounds of the evangelical hellfire and brimstone preacher have conditioned us to see it as the “great and terrible day” of the Lord when punishment will be meted out, evil doers will reap the harvest of their ways, and a great firestorm of spiritual cleansing will sweep across the world. It is apocalyptic, end-of-the-world language.
The prophets of the Old Testament (Amos, Isaiah, Joel, Zephaniah, Malachi, etc.) spoke of the “day of the Lord” as a time when God breaks into our world in a powerful way, setting things right—sometimes by punishing nations that had grown proud and cruel, sometimes by calling Israel back when it had forgotten God. They describe it with images of earthquakes, darkness, and fire—not because God wants to scare us, but because His coming is never something we can control. It shakes us awake. While it frequently signals judgment, it also can imply restoration and salvation for the faithful remnant (Joel 2:28–32, Zephaniah 3:14–20).
In the New Testament, the “Day of the Lord” is closely tied to Jesus’ return. St. Paul tells us it will come suddenly, like a thief in the night. St. Peter says the heavens will be shaken, but also that there will be “new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells.” For those who reject God’s love, this day is judgment. It is a warning, but for those who trust in Christ, it is the day promised fulfilled, a day of joy and deliverance, when every wrong is made right. It is a day when Christ will establish His kingdom fully.
The Kingdom’s coming is a work-in-progress. In a sense, the Day began with Christ’s death and resurrection (God’s great intervention to save humanity), but its full consummation is still in the future (the Second Coming).
First of all, it gives us hope. The world can seem filled with injustice, suffering, and violence. The Day of the Lord tells us these things will not last forever. God will have the final word. And in the meantime, we are reminded to stay awake spiritually to live each day as though this were the day when you met Christ.
Finally, it calls us to live as today was a day for restoration. What is on your list of things that need to be restored? Wrongs that need to be righted? Things you’ve failed to do? Maybe you need to be restored so that you can access the grace that is always available to you? Restored so that you more easily live in love, honesty, and mercy? Made new so that you can lay aside grudges, pride, and especially indifference.
The “Day of the Lord” is both a warning and a promise. A warning that we cannot take God lightly—and a promise that, in Christ, God will bring the means to find peace and joy in a world that some days seem terribly apocalyptic.
Today is that Day. The only question is whether you choose to participate in the warning or the promise.
Image credit: The Great Day of His Wrath | John Martin, 1851 | Tate Museum, London | PD-US