14.i. “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”

Malachi 4:1  “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

Ezekiel 7:10    “Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has come; the rod has blossomed; pride has budded.

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,

Zephaniah 1:14    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.

2 Peter 3:7    But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Psalms 21:9-10    You will make them as a blazing oven when you appear. The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them.

Matthew 3:12    His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Nahum 1:5-6    The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it.  Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.

Isaiah 5:24    Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

To deny Jesus Christ will end with eternal consequences as declared in the culmination of these scriptures.  To deny there is one true living God might make the believer of such thoughts feel secure in their decision but it does not eliminate the consequences.  To deny God certainly means there is no need for Jesus Christ and will end in judgment and fire.  To deny Jesus Christ means there is no need for forgiveness, redemption, or salvation and will end in judgment and fire.  To defy God is to willfully disregard the price that was paid for your sin by Jesus Christ and to live a life that is self-centered, self-reliant, and very full of pride.  To deny God is to deny He is the creator of all there is and all there is to be.  To deny God is to call Him a liar and His Holy Word a book of lies.  In these scriptures are clear declared warnings for denying and defying God.

However, will there is still breath in your lungs there is time to repent, seek forgiveness, and trust in Jesus Christ.  We like to quote John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  To continue on with verses 17-19 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

How we live, how we think, how we act, and how we speak is a direct reflection of our commitment, or the lack of, to Jesus Christ.  How can we read these scriptures today and not stand in awe, worship, thankfulness, and humbleness for the light of the Gospel opening up our heart, mind, and soul to saving grace knowledge and wisdom found in and through Jesus Christ?

11.f. “To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God”

Micah 7:8  Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication. Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will look upon her; now she will be trampled down like the mire of the streets.

Isaiah 60:19-20    The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.  Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.

Psalms 97:11    Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.

Psalms 112:4     Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

Psalms 27:1   The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Malachi 4:2   But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

John 8:12    Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Acts 26:18    to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Revelation 21:23    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.

Talk about faith and power through Jesus Christ – “when I fall, I shall rise, when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me”!!  How many times have you been in darkness?  Not the light associated with light and dark but darkness in your soul.  I am sure you can relate to this type of darkness when your heartaches, your mind can’t seem to get out of the rut of some rejecting or negative thought, and no matter how hard your try the light of resolve for the darkness seems out of reach.  Days seem to drag on and you hope tomorrow is better somehow.  this is how it goes when we are looking from within our own self-reliance to overcome the darkness that is robbing light from our days.  Maybe we could learn to trust Jesus Christ more.  Maybe we could rely on Him more.  Maybe we could call out to Him more.  Maybe we could believe in Him more.  Maybe we could claim His promises more.  I am confident that if we did we too could say, “when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.”