in the biblical canon, the earliest, direct use of the phrase is in isaiah 2: "for the day of the of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low" (). another early use of the phrase is in amos 5:18-20. wright suggests that the phrase was already a standard one, and amos' hearers would take it to mean "the day when yahweh would intervene to put israel at the head of the nations, irrespective of israel's faithfulness to him." yet amos declares "woe to you who long for the day of the ! why do you long for the day of the ? that day will be darkness, not light" ( niv). because israel had sinned, god would come in judgement on them. thus, the day of the lord is about god chastening his people, whether it be through the babylonian invasion of jerusalem or a locust plague described in joel . yet holds a promise that on the day of the lord, "everyone who calls on the name of the will be saved."