Judgement Day is Coming

“Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest.”

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”

“But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”

“This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.”

“so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment,”

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.

Malachi 3:2    But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.

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,

Joel 2:31   The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

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.

Isaiah 51:6     Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.

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.

Matthew 25:41    “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Revelation 20:11   Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

2 Peter 2:9    then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

Such great scripture today to keep in mind the urgency to proclaim salvation through Christ to the lost.  The day of judgement is coming, a time when there will no longer be any time to change your heart and mind to believe in and humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God.  This day will come when people least expect and much like those who’s lives are cut short by death.  Always thinking there is another day, another time to fully commit and trust God.  Let each of us be willing to be used by God and shine the light of His grace, mercy and love.

You were not willing

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

Psalms 46:1   God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,  though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Psalms 62:7  On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

Psalms 91:1  He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”  For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.  You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,  nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.  You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.  Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge—

Psalms 142:5   I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

Proverbs 14:26    In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

Proverbs 18:10   The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

Hebrews 6:18    so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

Deuteronomy 4:7   For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?

2 Samuel 22:17  “He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.  He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.  They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.  He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

It is easy to say that God is my strength, refuge, rock, and ever present in time of trouble but do we believe it with all of our heart, soul and mind?  In the heat of the terror, trial, issue, burden do we confidently say “God is my rock, my fortress, my strength, ever present, faithful, unchangeable, Almighty strong confidence?”  In Luke Jesus tells of gathering people into a place of comfort under the wings of God and those to whom this was intended it was rejected for they were not willing to accept it.  In Psalms it is just the opposite where David says “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.  You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.  Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge”.  There is a difference in the lives of those who humbly server, honor, follow, and obey God.  They are willing because they have stayed in His word, they choose to keep their focus on Him, they trust in, cling to, and rely on Him and His promises.  They seek to be lead by God.  Their ears are open to hear the quiet voice of His leading.  They fill their mind with His word.  Spend time in His word, think about it, and ask God to give you wisdom and understanding.  He wants your whole heart, mind, and soul everyday, every minute.  Choose to give it to Him.

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.

Daily Choice

“I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.”

Hosea 10:3
For now they will say:
“We have no king,
for we do not fear the Lord;
and a king—what could he do for us?”
They utter mere words;
with empty oaths they make covenants;
so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds
in the furrows of the field.
The inhabitants of Samaria tremble
for the calf of Beth-aven.
Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests—
those who rejoiced over it and over its glory—
for it has departed from them.
The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria
as tribute to the great king.
Ephraim shall be put to shame,
and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol.

1 Samuel 12:12
And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king. And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you. If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king. Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes.

Gideon 8:23
Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.”

What does it mean the Lord will rule over you?  In Samuel there seems to be a choice we make – “If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well.”  The choice to fear Him, serve Him, obey Him, and to follow Him each of us will make every second of the day.  Hosea says those who choose to do what is right in their own eyes will have judgements that spring up like poisonous weeds on those who make choices with words rather than their heart.  Some will die in this choice and others will see what they have done and will be ashamed. In James it is stated something like this – “you say you have faith, but I say your works should demonstrate this faith for faith without works is meaningless.”  Is it easy to determine what choice has been made – or what  is the desire of your heart?  Is God and His word written on your heart – this would mean time spent in it.  Do you meditate on His word with the sun comes up and when it goes down – this would mean time spent in His word.  Do you desire knowledge and understanding of God and to grow in it – this would mean time spent in His word.  There is so much from this world and our culture that would lead us down a path that sees no need for God and seems to validate our choices.  David said “God’s word is a light unto his path.” Everyday we make a choice to live for and serve God or live for and serve self.  Some may think this is a  “one time” choice but it much more than that.  It is a continuous “life long” “daily” conscious choice,  lived out every second every single day.