Day of the Lord is near

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.

The Day is Near

“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.”

Joe 1:15
Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes

Joel 2:1
Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,

Psa 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 7:3
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.

James 5:9
Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

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

I wonder if our commitment to God would be different if we looked at God’s wrath rather than His love. Think about what is in store for those who have not heard, or have neglected/rejected, or who are just playing christianity. If we believe in His love because of what is told to us about it in scripture then we also have to believe in His coming wrath. If we believe in His coming wrath and what will happen to those who don’t believe wouldn’t our heart ache to reach them? How would we reach out to them? God’s word says “how can they believe unless they hear, and how can they hear unless someone tells them.” How can we reach out to someone if the word of God is not in our heart? How can we talk of God and the great things He has done, is doing, and will do if we do not spend time in His word? How can we be led by God in our conversations and be a light unto a dark world if we do not spend time in His word? How do we tell others of what God is doing in our lives if we are not spending time in His word? How do we know His promises of blessing, judgement, and wrath if we do not spend time in His word? How do we hear that quiet small voice pleading to lead us if we do not spend time in His word? Scripture says that His word is sharper than a double edged sword and can divide between our thoughts and intends. If we say our hearts desire is to live to humbly serve and honor God -How can this happen if we are not in His word? EXACTLY we can not at all expect any of this understanding, knowledge, heart directing and leading if we do not spend time in His word. Try spending just two days this week reading His word for 5 minutes and write down what God is telling your heart for 5 minutes. I pray His Holy Spirit will open our heart and mind to an ever increasing and wonderfully deep understanding of His grace, mercy and love.

Walk in my ways!

“Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!”

“if they were wise, they would understand this; they would discern their latter end!”

Joe 1:14
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.

Nehemiah 9:2-3
And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the LORD their God.

Ezekiel 18:31-32
Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!

Deuteronomy 5:29
Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

Luke 19:41
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes

Deuteronomy 32:29
if they were wise, they would understand this; they would discern their latter end!

Psalms 81:13
Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!

Isaiah 48:18
Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;

Ezekiel 33:11
Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

Once again I have referred to a part of the sermon from Jonathan Edwards written in 1741: “the sun does not willingly shine upon you to give you light to serve sin and Satan; the earth does not willingly yield her increase to satisfy your lusts; nor is it willingly a stage for your wickedness to be acted upon; the air does not willingly serve you for breath to maintain the flame of life in your vitals, while you spend your life in the service of God’s enemies. God’s creatures are good, and were made for men to serve God with, and do not willingly subserve to any other purpose, and groan when they are abused to purposes so directly contrary to their nature and end. And the world would spew you out, were it not for the sovereign hand of him who hath subjected it in hope

The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose. It is true, that judgment against your evil works has not been executed hitherto; the floods of God’s vengeance have been withheld; but your guilt in the mean time is constantly increasing, and you are every day treasuring up more wrath; the waters are constantly rising, and waxing more and more mighty; and there is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, that holds the waters back, that are unwilling to be stopped, and press hard to go forward. If God should only withdraw his hand from the flood-gate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God, would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and would come upon you with omnipotent power; and if your strength were ten thousand times greater than it is, yea, ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in hell, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it.”