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Our approach will be topical Bible Study where we examine all the scriptures on a particular topic and harmonize them all. You can find our study book here: It is Volume 1 of Studies on the Scriptures; or an abbreviated version of it here: God’s Grand Plan of the Ages. You can prepare by answering the questions below:
We will pick up on page 90 with the heading, “God’s due time.” Start with question 31, “When in God’s plan do the Scriptures place this Day of the Lord?”
VOLUME 1, STUDY 15, THE DAY OF JEHOVAH
DELIVERANCE FROM THE TROUBLE
Read Exo 5:4-23; 12:30-33; Rev 16:17-20
30) When God delivered Israel from Egypt he plagued Egypt with ten severe plagues, to weaken them into releasing Israel. What parallel does this experience have in releasing the human family from the bondage of sin of Satan’s empire?
God destroys the social and religious institutions of Satan’s empire by a series of 7 last plagues. These plagues on the earth have several different effects as they destroy Satan’s empire.
1.) Trouble comes to all of the world’s institutions.
2.) The selfishness that controls all people will be much of the problem, causing everyone to want more and more, at the sacrifice of others.
3.) The confidence in God based on faith will be required for the peace of mind and heart in God’s people.
4.) The great earthquake (revolution of the elements of society who want power and don’t have it) will be so severe it will destroy every government (mountains disappear).
Read Rev 11:15-19; John 18:34-37; Psa 2:6-9; Dan 7:13,14; 12:1-4
31) When in God’s plan do the Scriptures place this Day of the Lord?
The Scriptures show that the trouble is brought on as the early phase of Christ’s Millennial reign. He then has the authority and power to destroy Satan’s kingdom. And he does destroy his (Satan’s) empire by the increase of knowledge.
32) Why has it been wise for God to keep from man the comforts and leisure time associated with the increase of knowledge?
The vice and corruption that idleness produces would have degraded the human race much sooner if the labor saving machines and tools had been available sooner.
33) What advantage for the Kingdom will result from the increase of knowledge and the resulting labor saving devices?
The implements to provide the necessary physical requirements for the risen human family are available and thus indicate the early stages of the Times of Restitution.
RELATIONSHIP OF THE SAINTS TO THE TROUBLE (338:342)
Some of God’s faithful people will live into the troubled times of the Day of the Lord. The Lord assures them that He has work for them to do during that time. He also assures them that He will be their Guide and Protector during that time.
Read Psa 91; Isa 33:2-14; 15-24; Psa 46:1-11; 1 Tim 6:6-12
34) What should be the feeling of the saints toward God during this Time of Trouble, the Day of Jehovah?
They must first of all rest in confidence in God. He has assured them that their spiritual welfare is His concern, and He will protect it. Any physical needs they have He has assured them He will supply. The saints will also thrill to the signs and evidences of Christ’s Kingdom’s establishment. And they will grow in faith as they see the prophecies fulfilled.
Read Isa 61:1-6; 42:1-4
35) What should the saints do in the trouble of the time?
They should concentrate their efforts on knowing God and serving Him in promoting the Gospel Message of God’s love and His Kingdom and explain the difficulties in the earth in the process of establishing the Kingdom. So they (the saints) will not be a part of the strife, not share in the efforts of man to gain his rights because they have set the work of serving God in His spiritual interests first. There is a full job in doing that, leaving no time for the earthly phase of the Kingdom.
Read Luke 3:14; Heb 13:5; Philippians 4:11; Isa 52:7-15; Isa 26:9
36) How will the Kingdom message be a blessing during the Time of Trouble?
It will be a blessing due to the stability and quiet confidence controlling the lives of the believers. It will also be a lesson in the message they tell, helping the people to have confidence in God and the hope of His Kingdom.
37) Therefore, what three guidelines should we use for our conduct during this time?
1.) Contentment (because of the confidence and faith we have in God’s promises).
2.) Constant searching of the Lord’s Word (for a better understanding of God’s times and purposes).
3.) Preaching the Kingdom (by word and action).
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COMPLETED QUESTIONS
DEFINITION AND DESCRIPTION (307-308: 1)
Read Daniel 12:1-4; Matthew 24:21, 22; Joel 2:1,2, 9-16, 30-32; 3:1-17; Isaiah 13:1-13; Psalm 2:1-8; Daniel 7:9-14, 22, 27; 2:44
1) What is the “Day of the LORD”?
The Day of the Lord, or Day of the Lord Jehovah, is the time in earth’s events when Jehovah God gradually restrains Satan, destroys his empire, and sets up the Kingdom of Christ with Jesus as King. God’s wrath, or judgments against social injustice, will result in His destroying man’s systems.
2) What will be the conditions in the earth during the Day of Jehovah?
A time of trouble and distress worse than ever before, or ever again.
3) Why is the period of time called “The Day of Jehovah”?
It is the period of time when God’s judgments against man’s government and religious, social, economic, etc. systems condemn their evil, resulting in Him destroying them.
4) What is Jesus’ role in this Day of Jehovah?
He stands up (as Michael) and executes God’s Judgments, destroying the evil established in man’s societies in preparation for the time when he will act as the Prince of Peace. Thus as King of God’s Kingdom, Jesus will at first act more as God’s general, and then, when evil is subdued, he will act more as the Prince of Peace.
Read Isaiah 61:2; 63:1-4; Psalm 110:5; Romans 1:28
5) What is the purpose of the Day of Jehovah, Day of Wrath, Day of Vengeance?
The purpose is one of justice. The evil that has built up in man’s society must be punished and destroyed for justice to be met. So God has said that the period of time just before the blessing of the human family in the resurrection will be the time when justice is satisfied and evil in society is punished and destroyed.
REASON FOR AND THE CAUSE OF THE TROUBLE (308:2–312:3)
Read John 6:8-11; Acts 24:25; Psalm 34:13,14; Zeph 2:1-3; Matt 22:37-39
6) What attitudes in mankind have produced the injustices of man’s societies?
Mankind in general has neglected God’s counsel, and he has followed his own ambitions, spurred on by selfishness. Had mankind learned from God, he could have avoided much of his errors, and thus avoided much of God’s judgments against his (man’s) sins.
Read Psa 2:1-9; Isaiah 11:3-5
7) How will man’s evil be destroyed and how will he learn righteousness?
Jesus’ reign will be so powerful it is compared to a rod of iron hitting a potter’s vessel (a clay pot). It will destroy everything that discourages man from learning righteousness in his heart.
Read Gen 3:16,17
8) When and how did selfishness begin in the human family?
Adam introduced selfishness when he sinned because he thought more of what he wanted than what God wanted. All of Adam’s children have inherited this tendency resulting in their gradual tendency away from God and His generous provisions for man.
9) How has history recorded the achievements of man?
Success came to the stronger, wealthier class, and thus developed the kings and nobility in each society. Education was a means of keeping the wealthy in power and the poor under control. Thus education, power and wealth bred its own kind to advance the selfish ambitions of the ruling class.
Read Daniel 12:1-4
10) How have the poor tried to correct social injustices once these poor gained an education?
The increase of knowledge has helped the poor contest the power of the ruling class. But with their efforts to correct the sins of the previous rulers, they themselves have succumbed to selfishness and often established governments as cruel as or more so than the previous system.
Read Prov 23:11-13; Matt 19:16-26
11 ) What attitude promotes the wealthy to protect their wealth?
Selfishness.
12) What will selfishness do to the poor?
Promote them towards Communism and anarchy as a means of overpowering the wealthy ruling class.
Question number 13, which reads “How do the Scriptures show us that Old Testament verses have both a literal fulfillment and a prophetic spiritual application?”
SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES AND SYMBOLS (313:1—324:2)
Read Jer 51:7-13; Rev 17:1-6; 18:1-24; Jer 25:9-12; Dan 5:17-31
13) How do the Scriptures show us that Old Testament verses have both a literal fulfillment and a prophetic spiritual application?
Old Testament Scriptures had a literal fulfillment as they referred to Israel’s captivity by Babylon and then Babylon’s own destruction by the Medes. The New Testament refers to Babylon’s destruction at the end of the age (Gospel Age). In this Scripture, Babylon refers to the false religious system which represented itself as Christian when refusing to uphold God’s standards. Revelations’ description of false religious systems occurs when God’s wrath (judgment) is against her and destroys her. Thus the symbolic description applies to the Day of Jehovah.
Read James 5:1-5; Eze 7:10-19
14) How does James describe the Day of the Lord Jehovah?
James describes this day as one when God has heard the cries of the people who have been treated unjustly and when God exposes the injustices in order to punish the injustice by destroying the unjust system.
15) How do we see James 5:1-5 being fulfilled today?
The wars, (WW1 & WW2), the great depression, the rise of labor unions and revolutionary groups of every variety to demand the rights for the deprived from the powerful are evidences today (since 1875) of James’ prophecy being fulfilled.
Read Cor 10:6,11; Heb 3:11; Matt 23:34-36
16) How did God’s treatment of natural Israel become a lesson for our day?
God said His treatment of Israel was typical both in blessing and punishment because of His grace and their failure to appreciate it. So their final national destruction that occurred some 40 years after Jesus’ own death was also a picture of God’s destruction of the nominal Christian society, with its injustices born of selfishness.
Read Zeph 1:7-9; 14-18; Rev 19:17; Zeph 3:8,9; Eccl 1:4; Isaiah 45:17-19; Psalm 104:5
17) How does Zephaniah describe the Lord’s great day?
It is a day when those who have gained wealth at the expense of others will be plundered by the “have nots” (the people who suffered loss so the wealthy could have their possessions). And the violence and destruction used by the “have nots” will be punished by God’s justice also. But the carnage resulting from the violence will be so great it will destroy the wealth of the powerful.
18) How does Zeph 3:8,9 show that the fire is a symbol of the destruction of earth’s social order and should not be understood to be a literal fire?
The fire is not real because it burns up society (the social arrangements in the earth) while the people remain to learn righteousness after the destruction.
There are several symbols we must remember when reading the prophesies of the Day of Jehovah. These symbolize a condition or object rather than label something literally. (318:1)
Earth represents society (generally civil society)
Mountains = kingdoms, governments
Heavens = spiritual control, (religious organizations)
Seas = restless, turbulent, dissatisfied peoples
Fire = destructions
Brimstone = intensity of the destruction represented by fire
Read 2 Pet 3:6,7, 10-13; (318:2)
19) Using the significance of the symbols used in Scripture, as noted above, what is the Apostle Peter’s description of the Lord’s Day that ends in Satan’s empire?
Satan’s empire is destroyed by the governments and the religious organizations being removed through severe trouble. Part of the trouble comes from the restless part of society. All of the trouble together is too severe for established governments and religions, and they are thus destroyed.
20) How does the Apostle Peter’s description show us that the apostles are prophets also? (319:1)
The Apostle Peter’s description of the end of the Second Dispensation, in the Day of the Lord, identifies him as a prophet also.
Read Mal 4:1; 3:1-3
21) What symbol does Malachi use to represent destruction in the Day of the Lord?
Fire.
22) What does the fire destroy?
The trouble of this day destroys all persistent enemies of God. The pride which leads men to sin will be destroyed by the punishments that destroy pride. Those who persist in evil, even after the fire that should destroy pride, will be destroyed then, too.
Read 1 Cor 3:12-15; Hebrews 6:4-8; 10:26-31
23) How does this Scripture help us to understand the destruction of the Day of the Lord?
It shows that those who have been building on Jesus will be tried with purifying destruction. If they have built their characters from the precious promises of God (gold = Divine hopes; silver = Truth; precious stones = specially precious Divine gifts), then their character will prevail through the trials. If they have built their character from the creeds and traditions of men (the wood, hay and stubble) then the trials of the Lord’s Day would expose their weakness of character and show them unfaithful in the use of the Lord’s gifts.
Those who willfully reject the Lord, after coming to a full knowledge of Him, will be destroyed permanently.
Read Heb 12:26-29; Mal 4:2; Matt 13:43
24) How does the Apostle represent the trouble of the Lord’s Day?
By a storm that sweeps away everything that is not the Truth. The errors of every kind will be exposed and thus discredited by the revealing of truth on every subject. It will be a special test on the disciples of Jesus who fail to base their belief in the Scriptures.
Read Psa 50:2-6; 97:1-6; 46:1-10; 110:2-6
25) How does David describe the Lord’s Day in these Psalms?
He shows that the destructive force against evil will be so strong that it would be like an intense storm, earthquake, intense heat, etc. He also shows that both religious (heavens) and earthly governments and social organizations (earth) will be subject to this purifying trouble. Those not built on God’s directions and according to His purposes of Righteousness will be destroyed.
Read Rev 11:15-18; 19:11-16; 20:1-3; Joel 2:1-18; Isa 13:1-11
26) How do these Scriptures in Revelation describe the Lord’s Day?
They show that at Jesus’ second presence he will take his power as King in God’s Kingdom, and as King he will destroy every evil thing so that he can later lift up the human family in a righteous, purified earth. His rule as King will be so strong and powerful that it is likened to a rule of a rod of iron with the power to destroy everything God’s standards of Righteousness show to be evil.
We see that the earth is symbolic here, rather than literal, because after it has been destroyed, then the people are restored to live on the literal earth. Therefore the reference to the destroyed earth must be to the organizations and governments of an orderly society—the symbolic earth. The similar descriptions in Joel and Isaiah emphasize the destruction as being so complete that the very lifeblood of the evil organizations will be squeezed out like a winepress that overflows its wine fat (juice).
From the prophetic description of the Day of the Lord we can see that God will produce a great struggle in every part of the society. The struggle will try every part of society, to expose its fiber (internal controlling influence). If the organization is founded on injustice and selfishness it will be destroyed. Only purity will survive.
We now turn our attention to the conditions in the various parts of society and we examine them for their quality. We also examine the current social order to see how the prophesies will (are being) be fulfilled.
CURRENT TRENDS AND THEIR RESULTS (325—335)
We see two major divisions in society: 1.) The wealthy and the powerful controlling the organizations that operate governments and other institutions. These would be fulfillments of the symbol of “earth” in the Bible’s prophesies. The second division is 2.) the poor, restless in their desire to control and gain for themselves the wealth they see others have. Both sides of the conflict are motivated by selfishness. The wealthy control the money supply. The poorer are the laboring class. The laborers have formed unions to protect themselves against the power of capital, and to gain their desired share of profits from their labor. The continuing effort of labor to control and capital to resist control will cause problem after problem which will cause hardship and loss of wealth. This continuing process will weaken the strength of governments and capital to the point that the final clash will produce a totally destroyed society. The last phase of the struggle will be anarchy in which no one respects anyone else’s interest or rights, including any of which are protected by the laws of governments.
Read Eze 11:19; 36:25, 36; Jeremiah 31:29-34; Zeph 3:8,9; 2:3; Psa 46:8-10
27) What is the Lord’s plan for society after the final phase of the Day of the Lord when the social organizations are destroyed?
He will show men how to live unselfishly, humbly, trying to uphold the righteousness in their own lives which God through Jesus shows them is His standard.
28) What will be the proper attitude for God’s people to have in this time of trouble? (334)
Humility, with a strong desire (and discipline) to hold to the standards of Righteousness. As a result of this confidence in God’s standards and methods, these will have the heartfelt peace attendant to His people.
Read Zeph 2:2; 1 Thess 5:2,3; 2 Peter 3:10, 13 (334-335)
29) How do these Scriptures describe the sequences of trouble in the Day of the Lord?
They describe the progress of the trouble as sudden from the view of centuries of normal events, but gradual in terms of the progress of a series of events rather than just one, unexpected quick event.
The progress of this Day of the Lord is compared to the birth process, gradual, progressively more severe and more rapid with shorter periods of easement. The birth of the new society will mean the full displacement of the previous society by the complete collapse of anarchy.
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