Hey, I just found this thread!
You brought up this idea recently on a different thread; and yes, I agree; "the Day of the Lord" is an interesting conceptualization as we look at how 2000 years of history has passed since the resurrection.
There are a lot of passages in the OT about "the Day of the Lord"; as well as some interesting language I've found considering the darkening of the sun, moon and stars. (I'm going to try and not get too far into the weeds here.)
Isaiah 13:10 - the stars will not give their light, and the sun and moon are darkened.
Joel 3:15 - same thing; the sun and moon darkened, stars don't shine.
Amos 8:9 - will cause the sun "to go down" at noon and will darken the earth in a clear day. (compare Matthew 27:45 - noting the crucifixion could not have happened on a solar eclipse because it was a full moon. Chinese astronomers actually recorded this event as an "unusual eclipse".)
There are more references in the gospels too; which I'll get to in a minute.
Now Revelation 8:12 and Revelation 9:2 explain
why the sun was darkened.
Revelation 8:12 is "the 4th angel" sounds and 1/3 of the "day and night" is darkened because 1/3 of the sun is smitten and 1/3 of the moon and 1/3 of the stars. Just prior to this the 3rd angel sounding sends and angel called "Wormwood" to the earth. Wormwood, I believe is a reference to Satan being cast out of heaven. And I think I've found in the gospels where this happened!
Luke 10:18 - Jesus makes a reference to seeing Satan cast out of heaven. This happened just before the 70 were sent out by Jesus. (Luke 10:1) The 70 are sent out after the death of John the Baptist. (Luke 9:7-9) The 70 were sent out after the 12 had come back and sandwiched between the return of the 12 and the sending of the 70 is the (first?) feeding of the 5000.
Jesus baptism and Day of Atonement:
I'd come to a conclusion prior to this that the death of John the Baptist commences the 70 weeks of Daniel 9. The end of the 70 weeks concludes on Pentecost. Pentecost is called "the consummation in Daniel 9 - think Holy Spirit poured out now "cleaves to" and indwells believers. (70 weeks is a little less than 1.5 years.) John was the prophet who came "in the Spirit of Elijah" The forerunner of the announcement of the Messiah. That announcement commenced with the baptism of Christ. Which was 3.5 years between baptism and crucifixion.
I've come to the conclusion, that it appears Jesus was baptized on the Day of Atonement in 29 AD. That would have been fall of the year. I believe it was the Day of Atonement because on the commencement of the Feast of Trumpets; which "kicked off" this season of feast days; was that the people were to be called together to hear the voice of God. The proclamation of the voice of God happened at Christ's baptism. "This is my son whom I'm well pleased. Hear (listen to) him."
Now back up to John's appearing in the wilderness. (Here's were it gets interesting!) Luke 3:1 identifies John's appearance on the commencement of the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar. That would have been roughly the beginning of August of 29 AD. Which was just about precisely the beginning of the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar.
Now some very interesting astronomic and geological phenomena happened at exactly that same time.
1. There was an earthquake in Turkey that affected Jerusalem. It damaged the temple and the Court of the Sanhedrin. One of the consequences of that quake, was that one of the doors to the temple got stuck open. So, facing the temple from the Mt. of Olives, one would have been able to actually see into the temple. And seeing through the stuck open door, one would be able to see the veil that covered the holy of holies.
(Hang onto that thought, because it's an important detail when we get to the crucifixion!)
2. There was a "solar eclipse" that happened the same time this quake did. Both of these events were recorded by the Romans. They are in the Roman historical record. In commemoration of these events related to Tiberius's 15th year; the Romans minted a coin in 30 AD. On the face of this coin was a profile of Tiberius "in eclipse" with the sun in the back. Now interestingly, on the other side of this coin was the temple in Jerusalem!
In correlation with these two events, comes John preaching in the wilderness "Prepare the way of the Lord".
Now jump over to Hebrews 5:5. Here is the pronouncement (from God) of the "high priest" "This is my son...." (A high priest after the order of Melchisedec.)
After scratching my head enough.... and doing comparisons of OT feast days; I have another hypothesis. This is that the 40 days in the wilderness was part of the entire trial that concluded with Jesus's baptism. The Father announces He's well pleased with the Son/son who's "past the temptation". Which seems to me would make the most sense that the Father would make the proclamation of being pleased with the Son/son upon conclusion of the 40 day trial.
I know this isn't the sequence that's generally believed to have happened; because different passages make mention of "after" the baptism Jesus is driven into the wilderness. But comparing Matthew and Luke, which use the word "led" and Mark which says "driven". They are actually 3 different Greek words with different tenses that have ambiguous meanings in regards to the sequence of the events within that 40 day periodd. (One's "passive", one's "present", the other is "imperfect". Of which I don't know enough about verb tenses to know if we can parse out event sequences from verb tense information? But it makes the most sense to me that the Father would make the proclamation (the Son/son had passed the test) after the 40 day trial was complete.
Practically speaking though, we know John is arrested shortly after Jesus's baptism. (One of the reasons I assume the Spirit "drives" Jesus into the wilderness = because they are coming for John.) Which also, after 40 days of not eating; and Scripture describing Jesus as "hungered"; Jesus wasn't in real good shape physically at that moment. "Hungered" means he'd nearly starved to death.
Which also in the over all context talks about "angels" taking care of Jesus. Now were these "non-carbon based entities" Scripture refers to as "angels"; or were these human "messengers". The word "angel" in Hebrew (which the Greek is transliterated from the Hebrew) is an ambiguous term too. Sometimes "angel" is referring to what we traditionally think of as "angels" but other times the word "angolos" is translated "messenger" and is clearly referring to a human messenger. "David sent a messenger to....." In language like that, clearly "angolos" is a human messenger.
Other possibilities I've heard too is that Jesus was born on the feast of trumpets. Which is possible too. Could there be some "now and then" fulfillments in the context of "the incarnation" to "the death"? I suppose that's possible? I don't know. Does prophecy lend itself to "multiple fulfillments? (I don't know the answer to that either.)
So is "Wormwood" kicked out of heaven the commencement of John's preaching / Jesus's 40 day trial? Revelation records a "darkening" and historically we do have an "eclipse".
Yet that passage where Jesus mentions the casting out of Satan is in the sequence of the death of John, not the commencement of John's preaching. So, hypothesizing that the "casting out" was one of those two events. And though I'm leaning more toward the death of John, we don't have an "eclipse" recorded associated with that.
Also though we know we have astronomical phenomena associated with Jesus's birth. Thus the Herods know that when the cosmos starts doing "weird" things; something's up. Which would make sense to ... let's go arrest John in correlation with this earthquake / "eclipse".
The next passage (Revelation 9:2) we can firmly track to the day of the crucifixion. Revelation 9:11 names the angel with the chain that tosses Satan into the bottomless pit as "Abaddon". The name means "angel of destruction". I'm contemplating (although not sure) this appears to have correlation to the "angel of the Lord" in Exodus connected to passover. Although the "angel of death" at Passover is clearly stated as being God himself.
So "Abaddon" (angel of destruction) casts Satan into the bottomless pit and puts a seal on him. Revelation 9:2 states that opening the pit causes the sun and moon to be darkened. Interesting; compare specifically Amos 8:9. Now is Isaiah 13:10 and Joel 3:15 the "darkening at the crucifixion event" or is one "Wormwood" and the other the bottomless pit; or are they both the bottomless pit event? Compare Luke 23:45. That's clearly the crucifixion.
Now compare Matthew 24:29 and Mark 13:24. Here's where it gets interesting again:
Matthew 24 and Mark 13 have very similar language; but look really carefully because it's not exactly the same.
Much of Matthew 24 I think can be linked to the crucifixion. I've come to the conclusion that what dispensationalists call "the great tribulation" was actually part of the atonement. "Unless those days are cut short; no flesh will be saved." When was salvation secured? It was secured by the point Jesus died that Friday afternoon. And like I'd said on another thread; I think the commencement of the "Day of the Lord" started with the atonement and will culminate with Judgement Day at the end of time.
That "now / then" seems to be reflected between Matthew 24 and Mark 13. Matthew 24 is addressing the atonement aspect of "the Day of the Lord" when Mark 13 is addressing the Judgement Day aspect of "the Day of the Lord". For example look really closely at Matthew 24:29 "Immediately after...... " And Mark 13:24 just says "...In those days, after that tribulation....." Mark 13:24 doesn't say "immediately". Now is Mark 13:24 making a "backwards glance" reference back to Matthew 24:29; (that darkening of the sun and moon) Or will there be a precursor darkening of the sun and moon before.... enter Revelation 6:12!
Revelation 6:12 the sun isn't just "darkened" it's "black as sackcloth of hair". And the moon is "as blood". Now astronomically speaking; how is the moon "as blood" meaning color....?? when the sun is "black as sackcloth of hair"? I'm interpreting "sun black as sackcloth of hair" meaning, as a star it has been extinguished. How the moon would be "as blood" I don't know. Unless the moon is literally on fire or melting? I suppose both are possible? "As blood" may not be a reference to the color but the state of its dematerialization. This "event" (or outcome) I think is the very last thing that happens before the coming of Christ in glory appears in the heavens. The "heavens rollup like a scroll" the cosmos is destroyed by "the brightness of his coming" and it is Judgement Day.
I think the destruction of the cosmos is initiated by the entrance of the presence of God (Christ) in His glory because a corrupt cosmos can not stand in the presence of God's glory without that glory destroying it on account of it being corrupt. But is there a "time gap" (may only be a literal hour) before the "darkened sun" is extinguished becoming "black as sackcloth of hair". I have no idea how "close together' these events will run. Other passages in both the OT and NT talk about men trying to hide in the earth; pleading for the rocks to fall on them and hide them from the wrath of the lamb.
Now in among all these are also earthquakes. There was an earthquake in relation to John the Baptist's appearance in the wilderness. (If the Scripture records that as a fulfillment of prophecy somewhere; Besides Revelation 8:12 - I don't know where it is.) There were multiple earthquakes associated with both the death and resurrection of Christ.
Which, back to the veil of the temple: The crucifixion most likely took place on the Mt. of Olives; somewhere in the vicinity of the red heifer alter. I conclude this because Luke 23:47 talks about the centurion witnessing these things. And the only way the centurion would have seen the veil being torn is if he was facing the temple. Assuming the men crucified were facing east and not west; seeing how it says the centurion stood "against" Jesus. Assuming Jesus's back was to the temple and the centurion was facing Jesus. In the vicinity of the red heifer alter, he would have been able to see into the temple and watch the veil be torn. Now I'm sure that the soldiers were a bit distracted by the earthquake and the fact that the mount they were standing on was sliding into the valley! But it does say they witnessed these events.
So there's my ..... trying not to get too far out into the weeds; of the results of my digging through the Bible.
I think we are both "over the target" though. There certainly appears to me to be a "then / now" application to prophecy.
Now what that translates into concerning events going on around us today? That's a good question? I don't know if we've been given enough detail to figure out those puzzle pieces?