Scripture - The Day of the Lord – Countdown to the Kingdom

For near is the day of the LORD in the valley of decision. Sun and moon are darkened, and the stars withhold their brightness. The LORD roars from Zion, and from Jerusalem raises his voice; the heavens and the earth quake, but the LORD is a refuge to His people, a stronghold to the children of Israel. (Saturday’s First Mass reading)

It is the most exciting, dramatic and pivotal day in all of human history… and it is near. It appears in both the Old and New Testament; the Early Church Fathers taught about it; and even modern private revelation addresses it.

The more noteworthy of the prophecies bearing upon “latter times” seem to have one common end, to announce great calamities impending over mankind, the triumph of the Church, and the renovation of the world. —Catholic Encyclopedia, Prophecy, www.newadvent.org

The Day of the Lord approaches. All must be prepared. Ready yourselves in body, mind, and soul. Purify yourselves. —St. Raphael to Barbara Rose Centilli, February 16th, 1998;

Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. —Jesus to St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul, Diary, n. 848

In Scripture, the “day of the Lord” is a day of judgment^[1]cf. The Day of Justice but also vindication.^[2]cf. The Vindication of Wisdom There is also a natural, but false assumption, that the Day of the Lord is a twenty-four hour day at the very end of time. On the contrary, St. John speaks of it symbolically as a “thousand-year” period (Rev 20:1-7) following the death of the Antichrist and then before a final, but apparently brief attempted assault on the “camp of the saints” at the end of human history (Rev 20:7-10). The Early Church Fathers explained:

Behold, the Day of the Lord shall be a thousand years. —Letter of Barnabas, The Fathers of the Church, Ch. 15

The analogy of this extended period of triumph is to that of a solar day:

…this day of ours, which is bounded by the rising and the setting of the sun, is a representation of that great day to which the circuit of a thousand years affixes its limits. —Lactantius, Fathers of the Church: The Divine Institutes, Book VII, Chapter 14, Catholic Encyclopedia; www.newadvent.org

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. (2 Peter 3:8)

In fact, the Church Fathers compared human history to the creation of the universe in “six days” and how God rested on the “seventh day.” Thus, they taught, the Church will also experience a “sabbath rest” before the end of the world.

And God rested on the seventh day from all his works… So then, there remains a sabbath rest for the people of God; for whoever enters God’s rest also ceases from his labors as God did from his. (Heb 4:4, 9-10)

Again, this rest comes after the death of the Antichrist (known as the “lawless one” or “beast”) but before the end of the world.

…when His Son will come and destroy the time of the lawless one and judge the godless, and change the sun and the moon and the stars—then He shall indeed rest on the seventh day… after giving rest to all things, I will make the beginning of the eighth day, that is, the beginning of another world. —Letter of Barnabas (70-79 A.D.), written by a second century Apostolic Father

Hear again the words of St. Paul:

We ask you, brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a “spirit,” or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand. Let no one deceive you in any way. For unless the apostasy comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one doomed to perdition… (2 Thess 1-3)

The late 19th-century writer Fr. Charles Arminjon wrote a spiritual classic on eschatology — the last things. His book was highly praised by St. Thérèse de Lisieux. Summarizing the mind of the Church Fathers, he dismisses the prevalent “eschatology of despair” that we frequently hear today, that everything is just going to get worse until God cries “uncle!” and destroys it all. On the contrary, argues Fr. Charles…

Is it really credible that the day when all people will be united in this long-sought harmony will be the one when the heavens shall pass away with great violence — that the period when the Church Militant enters her fullness will coincide with that of the final catastrophe? Would Christ cause the Church to be born again, in all her glory and all the splendor of her beauty, only to dry up forthwith the springs of her youth and her inexhaustible fecundity?… The most authoritative view, and the one that appears to be most in harmony with Holy Scripture, is that, after the fall of the Antichrist, the Catholic Church will once again enter upon a period of prosperity and triumph. —The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life, Fr. Charles Arminjon (1824-1885), p. 57-58; Sophia Institute Press

Summarizing an entire century of popes who prophesied this coming day of unity and peace in the world^[3]cf. The Popes, and the Dawning Era where Jesus will be Lord of all and the Sacraments will be established from coast to coast, is the late St. John Paul II:

I would like to renew to you the appeal I made to all the young people… accept the commitment to be morning watchmen at the dawn of the new millennium. This is a primary commitment, which keeps its validity and urgency as we begin this century with unfortunate dark clouds of violence and fear gathering on the horizon. Today, more than ever, we need people who live holy lives, watchmen who proclaim to the world a new dawn of hope, brotherhood and peace. —POPE ST. JOHN PAUL II, “Message of John Paul II to the Guannelli Youth Movement”, April 20th, 2002; vatican.va

This victorious Day is not pie in the sky, but as you’ve just read, thoroughly established in Sacred Tradition. To be certain, however, it is preceded by a period of darkness, apostasy and tribulation “such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Matt 24:21). The Lord’s hand will be forced to act in justice, which itself is mercy.

Alas, the day! for near is the day of the LORD, and it comes as ruin from the Almighty. Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all who dwell in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; Yes, it is near, a day of darkness and of gloom, a day of clouds and somberness! Like dawn spreading over the mountains, a people numerous and mighty! Their like has not been from of old, nor will it be after them, even to the years of distant generations. (last Friday’s First Mass reading)

In fact, the disintegration of human affairs, the collapse into chaos, will be so swift, so serious, that the Lord will issue a “warning” that the Day of the Lord is upon a humanity that is self-destructing.^[4]cf. the Timeline As we read in the prophet Joel from above: “For near is the day of the LORD in the valley of decision.” What decision?

He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice... —Jesus to St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul, Diary of St. Faustina, n. 1146

According to several seers around the world, at the threshold of this Day of the Lord, a “warning” or “illumination of conscience” will be given to shake people’s consciences and provide them a choice: follow the Gospel of Jesus into an Era of Peace, or the anti-gospel of the Antichrist into an the Age of Aquarius.^[5]cf. The Coming Counterfeit. Of course, the Antichrist will be killed by the breath of Christ and his false kingdom will collapse. “St. Thomas and St. John Chrysostom explain the words quem Dominus Jesus destruet illustratione adventus sui (“whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the brightness of His coming”) in the sense that Christ will strike the Antichrist by dazzling him with a brightness that will be like an omen and sign of His Second Coming…”; The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life, Fr. Charles Arminjon (1824-1885), p. 56-57; Sophia Institute Press

The consciences of this beloved people must be violently shaken so that they may “put their house in order”… A great moment is approaching, a great day of light… it is the hour of decision for mankind. —Servant of God Maria Esperanza, Antichrist and the End Times, Fr. Joseph Iannuzzi, P. 37

To overcome the tremendous effects of generations of sin, I must send the power to break through and transform the world. But this surge of power will be uncomfortable, even painful for some. This will cause the contrast between darkness and light to become even greater. —Barbara Rose Centilli, from the four volumes Seeing With the Eyes of the Soul, November 15th, 1996; as quoted in The Miracle of the Illumination of Conscience by Dr. Thomas W. Petrisko, p. 53

In the sixth chapter of Revelation, St. John seems to describe this very event, echoing the symbolism of the prophet Joel:

…there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth… Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand before it?” (Rev 6:15-17)

It sounds very much like what the American seer, Jennifer, saw in a vision of this global Warning:

The sky is dark and it seems as though it is night but my heart tells me it is sometime in the afternoon. I see the sky opening up and I can hear long, drawn-out claps of thunder. When I look up I see Jesus bleeding on the cross and people are falling to their knees. Jesus then tells me, “They will see their soul as I see it.” I can see the wounds so clearly on Jesus and Jesus then says, “They will see each wound they have added to My Most Sacred Heart.” To the left I see the Blessed Mother weeping and then Jesus speaks to me again and says, “Prepare, prepare now for the time is soon approaching. My child, pray for the many souls who will perish because of their selfish and sinful ways.” As I look up I see the drops of blood falling from Jesus and hitting the earth. I see millions of people from nations from all lands. Many seemed confused as they were looking up toward the sky. Jesus says, “They are in search of light for it should not be a time of darkness, yet it is the darkness of sin that covers this earth and the only light will be that of which I come with, for mankind does not realize the awakening that is about to be bestowed upon him. This will be the greatest purification since the beginning of creation.“ —see www.wordsfromjesus.com , September 12, 2003; cf. Jennifer – Vision of the Warning

It is the beginning of the Day of the Lord…

Again, in the biblical Timeline, there will be a complete collapse of society and persecution of the Church that leads to this “shock” of a world descending into the abyss:

I saw the whole Church, the wars which the religious must go through and which they must receive from others, and wars among societies. There seemed to be a general uproar. It also seemed that the Holy Father would make use of very few religious people, both for bringing the state of the Church, the priests and others to good order, and for the society in this state of turmoils. Now, while I was seeing this, blessed Jesus told me: “Do you think that the triumph of the Church is far?” And I: ‘Yes indeed – who can put order in so many things that are messed up?’ And He: “On the contrary, I tell you that it is near. It takes a clash, but a strong one, and therefore I will permit everything together, among religious and secular, so as to shorten the time. And in the midst of this clash, all of big chaos, there will be a good and orderly clash, but in such a state of mortification, that men will see themselves as lost. However, I will give them so much grace and light that they may recognize what is evil and embrace the truth…” —Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta, August 15th, 1904

In messages followed by St. John Paul II and thousands of priests and bishops throughout the world, and which bear the Imprimatur, Our Lady said to the late Fr. Stefano Gobbi:

Every person will see himself in the burning fire of divine truth. It will be like a judgment in miniature. And then Jesus Christ will bring His glorious reign in the world. —To the Priests, Our Lady’s Beloved Sons, May 22nd, 1988

No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. (Today’s Second Mass reading)

The term “the Warning” came from the alleged apparitions at Garabandal, Spain. Seer, Conchita Gonzalez, was asked when these events would come.

When Communism comes again everything will happen. —Garabandal – Der Zeigefinger Gottes (Garabandal – The Finger of God), Albrecht Weber, n. 2

Those of you who have read and researched about the “Great Reset” and “Fourth Industrial Revolution” being touted as necessary now due to “COVID-19” and “climate change” understand that this godless re-emergence of Communism is now underway.^[6]cf. The Great Reset, Isaiah’s Prophecy of Global Communism, and When Communism Returns And clearly, we hear in Heaven’s messages on Countdown to the Kingdom that we need to prepare for major labor pains that are imminent. We should not be frightened, but alert; prepared but not surprised. As Our Lady said in a recent message to Pedro Regis, “I have not come in jest.” We truly need to say “no” to sin, to compromise, and wholeheartedly begin to love the Lord as we ought.

As St. Paul wrote:

For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are saying, “Peace and security,” then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober. (1 Thess 5:2-6)

Christ’s promise to the faithful remnant? You will be vindicated on the Day of the Lord.

Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. (Today’s Gospel [alternate])

For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch. Nations shall behold your vindication, and all kings your glory; you shall be called by a new name pronounced by the mouth of the LORD… To the victor I shall give some of the hidden manna; I shall also give a white amulet upon which is inscribed a new name, which no one knows except the one who receives it. (Isaiah 62:1-2; Rev 2:17)

After purification through trial and suffering, the dawn of a new era is about to break. —POPE ST. JOHN PAUL II, General Audience, September 10, 2003

Summary

In summary, the Day of the Lord, according to the Church Fathers, looks something like this:

Twilight (Vigil)

The growing period of darkness and apostasy when the light of truth goes out in the world.

Midnight

The darkest part of the night when twilight is embodied in the Antichrist, who is also an instrument to purify the world: the judgment, in part, of the living.

Dawn

The brightness of the dawn scatters the darkness, putting an end to the infernal darkness of Antichrist’s brief reign.

Midday

The reign of justice and peace to the ends of the earth. It is the full realization of the “Triumph of the Immaculate Heart”, and the fullness of the Eucharistic reign of Jesus throughout the world.

Twilight

The release of Satan from the abyss, and the last rebellion, but fire falls from heaven to crush it and cast the devil forever into Hell.

Jesus returns in glory to end all wickedness, judge the living and the dead, and establish the everlasting and eternal “eighth day” under a physical “new heavens and a new earth.”

At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness… The Church… will receive her perfection only in the glory of heaven. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1042

The seventh day completes the first creation. The eighth day begins the new creation. Thus, the work of creation culminates in the greater work of redemption. The first creation finds its meaning and its summit in the new creation in Christ, the splendor of which surpasses that of the first creation. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2191; 2174; 349

—Mark Mallett is the author of The Final Confrontation and The Now Word, and a cofounder of Countdown to the Kingdom

Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1	cf. The Day of Justice
↑2	cf. The Vindication of Wisdom
↑3	cf. The Popes, and the Dawning Era
↑4	cf. the Timeline
↑5	cf. The Coming Counterfeit. Of course, the Antichrist will be killed by the breath of Christ and his false kingdom will collapse. “St. Thomas and St. John Chrysostom explain the words quem Dominus Jesus destruet illustratione adventus sui (“whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the brightness of His coming”) in the sense that Christ will strike the Antichrist by dazzling him with a brightness that will be like an omen and sign of His Second Coming…”; The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life, Fr. Charles Arminjon (1824-1885), p. 56-57; Sophia Institute Press
↑6	cf. The Great Reset, Isaiah’s Prophecy of Global Communism, and When Communism Returns

Scripture – The Day of the Lord

Summary

Related Reading

Footnotes

Footnotes