From Correction to Consolation: The Development of Apocalyptic Eschatology in the Bible

This paper explores references to the day of the Lord throughout various books of the Bible, tracking this motif’s history as a means to show the overlooked complexity of its apocalyptic and eschatological connotations. The prophetic books of Amos, First Isaiah, Zephaniah, Ezekiel, and Daniel shed light on how biblical apocalyptic eschatology relating to the day of the Lord evolved until the Common Era. Aspects of warfare, the faithful remnant, cosmological signs, and hope for restoration are connecting threads between these books, and examining these motifs will inform how these authors have added onto the picture of the eschaton. What begins as a national call for the correction of injustice in the book of Amos morphs into an eschatological vision riddled with esoteric knowledge of the past, present, and future in the book of Daniel. The book of Daniel marks a major turning point in prophetic tone, form, and content as the author centralizes ultimate justice at the eschaton and sidelines earthly justice. Revelation, 2 Esdras, and other apocalypses developed after the Common Era build on themes that Daniel develops, such as an altered vision of the Lord, the concept of righteous suffering, and affirmation of salvation. As the day of the Lord becomes increasingly eschatological, the prophetic content becomes less focused on correcting behavior and more focused on consoling and encouraging the Israelites or early Christians.