Journal: Interdisciplinary Journal on Biblical Authority
Volume: IJOBA 02:4 (Fall 2021)
Article: The Day Of The Lord—One Day Like No Other: An Exposition Of Zechariah 14:6–7
Author: Gregory D. Thorn

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The Day Of The Lord—One Day Like No Other: An Exposition Of Zechariah 14:6–7

Gregory D. Thorn

Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church
Brewster, Washington

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Abstract

This day of the Lord is a significant biblical subject, particularly in the Minor Prophets. However, it is a subject that needs renewed scholarly attention from dispensationalists. In recent decades dispensationalists have typically regarded the day of the Lord as an all-encompassing, eschatological umbrella. Insufficient attention has been given to the vital physical details that Scripture provides. Among day of the Lord passages, Zechariah 14:6–7 stands out for its vivid depiction of that day. Particularly important is Zechariah’s description of the day of the Lord using the Hebrew words, יוֹם־אֶחָד.

The biblical phrase “day of the Lord” describes the Lord’s future intervention into world affairs and those of his chosen people, the Jews. There is perhaps no more preeminent day of the Lord passage than Zechariah 14:6–7. Of particular interest is Zechariah’s identification of the day of the Lord as “one day.” A portion of this study will include an examination of the Hebrew phrase Yom Echad. It will be demonstrated that Yom Echad means “one day” because (a) throughout the Hebrew Bible, Yom, when combined with the numeral, Echad, makes less sense if rendered a “unique day” instead of “one day”; (b) The events described in Zechariah 14:6–7 are consistent with the Hebrew phrase Yom Echad throughout the Old Testament yet speak of a new type of day; (c) The physical properties of darkness and light contained in these verses would ordinarily pertain to an earthly day as understood by the Hebrew mind, the Hebrew culture, and the Hebrew experience—“there was evening and morning, one day;” and (d) The immediate context of Zechariah 14:6–7

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is a swift and decisive earthly battle. The clarified picture of the day of the Lord that emerges, influenced by Zechariah 14:6–7, is that it should not be interpreted as a vast span that includes the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the Millennium. Rather, the parameters of the day of the Lord are more limited. The day of the Lord extends from the terminus of the seven-year Tribulation period through the millennial reign of Jesus Christ on the earth.

This proposed definition of the day of the Lord as ext...