The day of the Lord would bring a complete reversal of the created order. The world would seem to fall back into chaos, as if creation itself were being undone.
The prophet Jeremiah used similar images when he described the devastation of Judah as the Babylonian armies drew near (Jeremiah 4:23). Other prophets also used this language to describe God’s judgment, speaking of the sun, moon, and stars growing dark or disappearing (Isaiah 13:10; 34:4; 50:3; Ezekiel 32:7–8; Joel 2:10, 31; Micah 3:6).