Almighty – Page 2 – Praying Pint

18.i. “His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Revelation 21:22-23     And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.  And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Hebrews 12:12-13   Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,  and make straight paths for your feet,

Lamentations 3:17-23    my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is;  so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD.”  Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!  My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.  But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:  The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;  they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

1 Thessalonians 5:9   For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.” Believe in God; believe also in Me”. It is not as though He is telling them they won’t have trouble if they believe, but rather that when they are surrounded by troubles they are to cast these cares, worries, fears out of their hearts and place their faith in Him. This is not your home. “In My Father’s house are many rooms.” This is not your final resting place. Your home is with Me and My Father in heaven and I’m preparing a place for you. Do you ever wonder how much time we have lost during our lives with worries, fears, and various cares that are caused in this world? We have to admit that too often we keep our focus on troubles we face in this world rather than on our home eternally in heaven with Jesus Christ.

“Lift up your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees”, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Though the battle in this world seems to rage on, we are victorious in Jesus Christ. Our God is in control and knows that our time on this earth is but for a moment when compared to eternity. Whatever we are facing, God is in control. Whatever trouble comes at us, God is in control. Whatever heart stabbing, brain-numbing, and soul-wrenching thunderous blow come our way, God is in Control.

Don’t let your hearts be troubled!!!!!

13.c. “I am very angry with the nations that feel secure.”

Zachariah 1:14 Then the angel who was speaking to me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, and I am very angry with the nations that feel secure.

Isaiah 47:7-9     You said, “I shall be mistress forever,” so that you did not lay these things to heart or remember their end.  Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children”:  These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments.

Amos 6:1    “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,

Revelation 18:7-8    As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’  For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

Living at rest, secure, and in luxury has a way of leading people down paths of neglect and complacency. It has a way of blinding us from things of God, the need for God, and mindful of how to live for Jesus Christ. Jesus is worthy of how we live, think, and act all of the time. It is hard sometimes because we get comfortable with life when things are at ease. We seem to gravitate toward thinking that our security is in the ease and luxury of life. No matter how many times we are reminded in God’s word that life will have no meaning, no satisfaction, to peace, no joy, or no lasting purpose apart from Jesus Christ and humbly serving, honoring, following, praising, worshiping, obeying, and trusting Him. God has demonstrated over and over again He will not sit silent. He will not sit idle. He will call everyone into account. Be mindful of what your life was like prior to February 2020. The economy was strong, unemployment was low, and people were busy buying and selling. There was not much to worry about other than the political mudslinging. However, there were other things in the wind as well. More and more educators, government officials, and media editors were becoming bolder and bolder in their denial and defiance of things of God. Sitting idly by, not speaking up, and living as though this has no effect on a society that was founded on Christian principles is not God-honoring. You have to wonder how far society has to fall away and turn away from God before He will intervene. He is all-powerful and will call into account people and nations who defy and deny Jesus Christ. Look around, do you think all of this fear, hatred, and confusion, just happens on its own? No, it does not. God is in control and is at the root of all of this, calling all of mankind to humbly repent and turn back to Him.

13.b. ‘The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’”

Zechariah 1:1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo: “The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever? But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors? “Then they repented and said, ‘The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’”

Jeremiah 11:6-8    And the LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Hear the words of this covenant and do them.  For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, Obey my voice.  Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.”

Jeremiah 13:9-10    This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing.

Jeremiah 26:5     and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened,

Jeremiah 36:23-24   As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot.  Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid,

Jeremiah 44:16    “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you.

Job 21:14-15    They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’

Psalms 73:8-9    They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.  They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.

There are to responses that can be given to warnings from God. One is; Turning away from the way you are living and turning toward and following after God. The second is; not listening, not hearing, refusing to hear, not being afraid, or fearing God. There are those that are active in their defiance and denial of God. They actively oppose, resist, subvert, and openly disregard God. Then there are people who are passive in their walk with God. They are inactive, nonparticipating, uninvolved, and dormant. In this passive state, they walk around indifferent, unmoved, unresponsive, and unconcerned. Passivity in our walk with God is very dangerous. It will come into our lives unseen and slowly rob us of the joy, peace, and rest that can only be found in and through an active walk with Jesus Christ. Do you ever wonder what warnings God might give to draw the unbeliever and the passive toward Himself? Could He cause a worldwide pandemic? Could He cause confusion and fear? Could He cause division and hatred? What will take to hear the warnings and call of return to Him?

13.a. “God put such a thing as this into the heart of men who hunger and thirst”

Haggai 1:13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.

2 Chronicles 36:22     Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

Ezra 1:5     Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem.

Ezra 7:27    Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king,

We do well to know and believe that God can and does stir the hearts of man. He will stir them to accomplish His plans and purposes. This stirring comes to a heart that is willing. We see many times where God sent prophets to stir the hearts of His children and they stiffened their necks and hearts against it. Their reward was more hardening and deafness to the things of God. When there is no appetite for the things of God, spiritual food will not be consumed. When there is no hunger and thirst for spiritual food the bread of life and living water will not be sought. Though there is not an appetite for spiritual food there obviously is appetite for something. We will choose to fill the voids in our life with something satisfying. We will search after and chase after and seek after something in this world that will satisfy the appetite of our soul. We will jump from one thing to another and find our searching, apart from things of God, will not satisfy our souls hunger. Oh that God would stir the hearts of us to hunger and seek after Him. Oh that God would open our eyes to things of this world that we have allowed to corrupt our hunger and thirst for Him.

12.z. Haggai

Haggai 1:1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest: This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’” Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.” Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord.

In the difficult years of the return from exile God spoke to His people through the prophet Haggai. Haggai is also mentioned twice in the Book of Ezra, the priest who oversaw the work of rebuilding the temple. We learn that the prophecy began in September, 520 B.C.This makes Haggai the first among the post-exilic Minor Prophets. Of the 12 Minor Prophets, the first 9 spoke before Judah was carried away captive, exiled to Babylon. The last 3 Minor Prophets (Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi) each spoke to those who returned from the 70-year exile. “Gone was the glory of the former kingdom and temple. Gone was the great population. All that was left was the rubble of Jerusalem, the remnant of the people, and the task of restoration.” In 538 B.C. Cyrus King of Persia allowed the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem after 70 years in captivity. Two years later (536 B.C.) construction on the temple began, led by Zerubbabel. The work stopped after two years (534 B.C.). After 14 years of neglect, work on the temple resumed in 520 B.C. and was finished four years later in 516 B.C. (Enduring Word)

12.t. “And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”

Zephaniah 2:10 This is what they will get in return for their pride, for insulting and mocking the people of the Lord Almighty. The Lord will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the earth. Distant nations will bow down to him, all of them in their own lands.

Isaiah 16:6     We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.

Daniel 4:37    Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Daniel 5:20-23     But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.

Obadiah 1:3    The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”

1 Peter 5:5    Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Isaiah 37:23    “‘Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel!

This shall they have for their pride,…. This calamity shall come upon their land, for their pride, which often goes before a fall; and has frequently been the cause of the ruin of kingdoms and states, and of particular persons; and indeed seems to have been the first sin of the apostate angels, and of fallen man. Because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of hosts; they looked with disdain upon them, as greatly below them; and spoke contemptibly of them, of their nation, and religion; and “made” themselves “great”, and set up themselves “above” them, opened their mouths wide, and gave their tongues great liberties in blaspheming and reviling them: what was done to them is taken by the Lord as done to himself; (Gill’s Exposition)

A little pride is enough to drag a person into the pit of arrogance and self-reliance and self-worth. Humility is replaced by that which glorifies self rather than God. Pride is deep rooted in our sinful nature. It will battle for control of our thoughts and actions. It will make unrighteous statements that bring no glory or honor to Jesus Christ. How do we recognize pride in ourselves? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could see it cleary when we look into the mirror? We would be able to address it the minute it appears. But that is not the case. We can’t see it in the mirror. Others might see it in us in how we talk but for sure we will not. The only way to clearly see pride in our lives is through the Word of God, desiring Him to show us, having a willing heart to receive His Word, and humbly seeking the Holy Spirit to be active in our lives. There is no other way for pride to be exposed so we can repent and turn away from it. Ask God to show any prideful ways in your heart and be willing to confess and turn away from them.

12.o. “Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!”

Zephaniah 1:7 Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.

Romans 3:19    Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

Psalms 46:10     “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Isaiah 2:12     For the LORD of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low;

Ezekiel 7:7    Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come; the day is near, a day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting on the mountains.

2 Peter 3:10-12    But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.  Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,  waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!

Isaiah 13:6    Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!

“Stop your mouth at the presence of the Lord God,…. When he comes, and appears in the way of his judgments, do not dispute the point with him, or pretend to offer reasons against his sovereign purpose or in order to argue the justice of them; stand in awe and reverence of him, who is the Lord God omniscient and omnipotent, holy, just, and true; humble yourselves under his mighty hand; be still, and know that he is God, and let not one resentful word come out of your mouth. “for the day of the Lord is at hand; the time of his vengeance on the Jewish nation for their sins, which he had fixed in his mind, and had given notice of by his prophets: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice: his people the Jews, who were to fall a victim to his vengeance, and a sacrifice to his justice, to atone in some measure for the injury done to it by their sins.” (Gill’s Exposition of the entire bible)

I have to admit I have thoughts of what God ought to do to people who are lying, violent, looting, and propagating hate. These thoughts are rooted in sin and have no place in my heart. I am not God, nor do I have a drop of water in the ocean of His vast all-knowing understanding, knowledge, wisdom, and power. Yet I still think in judgmental ways. It is as if I am saying; (”If I was God, I would….”) This is where I need to hear and apply “Be Silent” Be silent, stop the judgmental thoughts, and rejoice in whatever the Lord our God is doing. I can wait and rest in knowing and believing His ways are just, His plans are true, His steadfast love never changes, and whatever He does is right and holy.

12.a. “They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment,”

Habakkuk 1:12 Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?

Psalms 90  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Revelation 1:8   “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Lamentations 5:19   But you, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations.

Isaiah 40:28     Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

1 Timothy 1:17    To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 1:10-12     And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;  they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment,

Isaiah 57:15    For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Almighty, Everlasting, Holy One, Rock, Righteous, Alpha and Omega, Creator, Unsearchable, Immortal, Invisible, and Unchangeable, is our God!!!!!!!!! It is hard to touch the edge of understanding of how great God is. The Mighty One who reigns in eternity is the same one who dwells with those who are repentant. “The One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Our God reached out to His creation in love through Jesus Christ, to redeem those who come to Him in a contrite spirit. It was not as though He needed to do this. He is God and could have destroyed His creation and started over but He chose to send a redeemer into this world to rescue those who would respond to His offer of redemption through Jesus Christ. Adam and Eve chose to defy God’s warning. They chose to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. I do not know how this all worked but at this point sin and our sinful nature took birth. Every birth from this moment forward has a sinful nature. This same sinful nature that drove Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden is the same sinful nature that drives us to willingly continue to separate ourselves from God. This sinful nature wants us and entices us to look at what this world has to offer more than the Word of God and His promises. This sinful nature wants us to water down the Good News of Jesus Christ to the point where it has no effect on the way we live. It wants us to water down the Good News of Jesus Christ so that the need for forgiveness, repentance, reliance, obedience, and humbly serving the King of Kings is not required. This should not be. Things of this world will never fully satisfy, but will surely disappoint. Things of this world will never give us lasting peace, but will surely rob us of rest for our souls. Things of this world will never give us lasting hope but will fill us with confusion and fear. Things of this world will not save our souls from eternal punishment and torment in hell but will fill us with a worldly wisdom that there is no punishment, torment, or hell. The grace, mercy, and love of God reached out to save us from our sinful nature. The Creator demonstrated this grace, mercy, and love by sending His only Son and placed our sins on Him as the only perfect, once and for all sacrifice. This perfect redemption came at a very high cost and yet, Jesus Christ paid the price willing for our redemption and forgiveness of sin. Our daily lives ought to be lived out in humble thankfulness and gratitude, full of worship, obedience, and reliance. Be mindful of your sinful nature and what this world is offering, they both lie. Turn your hearts, minds, and souls to the Almighty, Everlasting, Holy One, Rock, Righteous, Alpha and Omega, Creator, Unsearchable, Immortal, Invisible, and Unchangeable, God!! In this turning to God and away from self you will find purpose, meaning, peace, and rest. Eternity awaits us all. To some it will be eternity Heaven and others it will be an eternity in Hell. The choice is all yours and be assured that this choice has eternal consequences.

9.l. “Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.

Joel 3:1 “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.

Zephaniah 3:8     “Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.

Revelation 16:14     For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.

Isaiah 66:16     For by fire will the LORD enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the LORD shall be many.

Ezekiel 38:22    With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur.

Obadiah 1:15   For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.

There are many more verses that speaks about the time of restoration for Judah, Jerusalem, Israel. This time comes after a time of severe trials against them. We understand this to be during the great tribulation period. This time will surely come and what has been spoken and recorded will happen. There are two periods of this time no sane person would want any part of. The “Tribulation Period” and the “Day of the Lord”. This time will be like no other time. All those who come to the saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ during this time will be persecuted continuously and many of them will die because of it. All of those who flat out deny Jesus Christ, will not listen to the witnesses Christ has placed on earth during this time, deny the existence of God, take the Mark of the Beast, and will choose to do battle with God rather than repent and turn away from their wickedness. If you don’t think the return of Jesus Christ is imminent they the signs of the times must be escaping you. The eyes to our hearts, minds, and souls should be ever looking and anticipating His return. Behold He is coming in the clouds and will take His bride home.

9.d. “The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast”

Joel 1:15 Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! Because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes. Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? The seed shrivels under the clods; the storehouses are desolate; the granaries are torn down because the grain has dried up. How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep suffer.

Psalms 37:13     but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.

Isaiah 13:6-9     Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!  Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt.  They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.  Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.

Ezekiel 7:2-12   “And you, O son of man, thus says the Lord GOD to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.  Now the end is upon you, and I will send my anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations.  And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity, but I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the LORD.  “Thus says the Lord GOD: Disaster after disaster! Behold, it comes.  An end has come; the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes.

Zephaniah 1:14-18    The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there.

Revelation 6:17    for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

The “Day of the Lord” is in contrast to man’s day or Satan’s day. His “Day” is coming. We see glimpses of what He is able to do and what it will be like throughout scripture. We see some of His judgments executed here in Joel. The locust, drought, and fire, but the “Day of the Lord” coming will not be like anything ever seen before. This day will begin right after the rapture of the believers. This day will come like a thief in the night, unexpected. It will come upon the whole earth and is given a great deal of detail in Revelation. We see prophets throughout scripture warning of this “Day”. And yet, people go about living as though it is not coming. How long has it been since you have heard someone say “that man / woman is a “God Fearing” person? Doesn’t is seem like that “God Fearing” is gone? Living in a soft prosperous culture has a way of getting people to take their eyes off God and more on self and what the world has to offer. The time of salvation is now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not when convenient. Nos is the day of salvation but a time is fast approaching when the “the Day of the Lord” will come. Believers expectantly look for this day for they will be ushered into His presence forever and ever more. When God is not given thought, sin is not given thought, redemption and salvation is not given thought, repentance is not given thought, honoring Jesus Christ is not thought, reliance is not thought, obedience is not thought…… Each day we must deny self and intentionally choose to humbly serve, honor, glorify, follow, obey, and trust Jesus Christ with all our heart, mind, and soul, and strength. The “Day of the Lord” is coming soon and with it the rapture of believers and wrath, anger, and judgment on those who have rejected His call to repentance and belief in and through Jesus Christ.