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The Day of the Adoni
 The Day of the Lord is prophesied in the Bible. In fact, it is a major theme and specific phrase used by many prophets in the Bible. It is the dominant subject for the books of Joel and Zephaniah. However, if you go to your average believer today, especially one that is interested in the second coming of the Messiah, you will hear a variety of explanations for what the "Day of the Adoni" is. If you persist in questioning how it relates to the Great Tribulation, the Rapture, and the Second Coming, then you hear even more befuddling explanations. The truth is that most believers have only heard the phrase but they don't know if it is one day or a period of time. However, if you do not know what the "Day of the Lord" is, you are more than spiritually uninformed, you are in great personal danger.
The question of knowing and understanding the "Day of Adoni" is posed by the prophet Amos. His answer is striking and speaks to the lack of understanding of many and the danger posed.
Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord, for what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light; as when a man flees from a lion, and a bear meets him, or goes home, leans his hand against the wall, and a snake bites him. Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light, even gloom with no brightness in it?
AMO 5:18-20
Defining the Day of the Lord
A day of darkness and gloom is more than an expression of "Doom and Gloom." There really will be darkness and clouds. Imagine for a moment that the world is plunged into darkness with no sun, moon, or stars to be seen. Imagine the density of the clouds that have blocked the light from reaching the surface of the earth. Now listen to the prophet Zephaniah describe the day to you.
Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly; Listen,
the day of the Lord! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and battle cry, against the fortified cities and the high corner towers. And I will bring distress on men, so that they will walk like the
blind, because they have sinned against the Lord; and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord's wrath; and all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy, for He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.
ZEP 1:14-18
Before we go any further with this subject, let's correct the biggest misunderstanding about the Day of the Lord. If you are a mortal man or in the flesh on the surface of the Earth when this day comes, you will not survive. There is no hole deep enough, no closet to be hidden in, no city immune that will prevent the complete destruction of all inhabitants of the Earth. Anyone telling you otherwise, does not know what the Day of Lord is. The completeness of this destruction is specifically addressed by the same prophet Zephaniah.
"I will completely remove all things From the face of the earth," declares the Lord. "I will remove man and beast; I will remove the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and the ruins along with the wicked; and I will cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the Lord. ZEP 1:2-3
It will be on all nations. No one survives the Day of the Lord (not even animals).
Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near, for the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests. Then it will come about on the day of the Lord's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, the king's sons, and all who clothe themselves with foreign garments.
ZEP 1:7-8
It will be upon the land of Israel. Israel is not exempt from the Day of the Lord.
"And on that day," declares the Lord, "There will be the sound of a cry from the Fish Gate, A wail from the Second Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills. 'Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar, for all the people of Canaan will be silenced; all who weigh out silver will be cut off.' And it will come about at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are stagnant in spirit, who say in their hearts, 'The Lord will not do good or evil!'" ZEP 1:10-12
Interestingly enough, the Fish Gate, the Second Quarter, and the Mortar (the Merchants) are referring to a very specific place in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is geographically the center of the Muslim Quarter.
The prophet Joel speaks to the same decisive destruction of the Lord this way.
Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty. JOE 1:15
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, 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, nor will there be again after it to the years of many generations. JOE 2:1-2
Let the nations be aroused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose their brightness.
JOE 3:12-15
The valley of Jehoshaphat is the valley of Jezreel where the mountain of Meggido is. That particular mountain in Hebrew is called Harmageddo. You may be more familiar with the English version: Armageddon.
Isaiah describes the Day of the Lord this way.
For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty, and against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be abased. And the pride of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men will be abased, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. ISA 2:12,17
Wail, for the day of the Lord is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. ISA 13:6
Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger,
to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from
it. ISA 13:9
Therefore I shall make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken
from its place at the fury of the Lord of hosts in the day of His burning
anger. ISA 13:13
Ezekiel describes the Day of the Lord this way: No one survives the Day of the Lord, even if you are in a space capsule.
Son of man, prophesy and say, "Thus says the Lord God, 'Wail, Alas for the
day!' For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near; it will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations." EZE 30:2-3
Obadiah describes the Day of the Lord this way.
For the day of the Lord draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head. OBA 1:15
Malachi describes the Day of the Lord with those judged resulting in ashes.
For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the Lord of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch." And you will tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says the
Lord of hosts. MAL 4:1,3
The Apostle Peter made the same reference to the complete destruction of
the Earth.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 2 PE 3:10
The Day of the Lord is not limited to mortals with nations and cities. It is specifically upon God's enemies.
In that day the Lord will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, with His fierce and great and mighty sword, even Leviathan the twisted serpent; and He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea. ISA 27:1
And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. REV 19:19-21
There are many eschatology theories setting the sequence of events at the Second Coming of the Messiah. Some of those theories say that some mortals will survive the wrath of God and live on the surface of the Earth afterwards. Those theories are completely false. The Day of the Lord is not up for discussion about its definition. It is well defined by the Bible. It is complete destruction from the Almighty. It is a complete harvest of everyone subject to God's judgment.
Let me say it one last time: No one survives the Day of the Lord
And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. And another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Put in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe." And the angel swung his sickle to the earth, and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. REV 14:17-19
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