Christian Mission Outreach

As I read about the Day of the LORD in Joel 2 and Acts 2, I remembered how the Lord has magnified its coming and His vengeance many times over the last 45 years; so I would remind people to repent and prepare the way of the Lord - and Jesus is the Way. There is still a great Day of the LORD coming, but there have also been many days of the LORD, some of them lesser in intensity and scope. They are always terrible for the rebellious, but merciful for those who love and obey God.

“‘Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as destruction from the Almighty.’” (Joel 1:15)

The flood at the time of Noah and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in the time of Lot, Abraham’s nephew, were days of God’s wrath being poured out on the unrepentant, rebellious people of the land. But in both cases God preserved a remnant. Jesus said that His coming would be as in those days. God is love, slow to anger and full of mercy; but He is also just and that means that there are times when He has a just anger at sin. But He always sends His word to warn the people so they can repent and believe the good news. He has changed His plans in the past, like when He poured out mercy instead of judgment when Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah. And God can do that today if people repent.

When Jesus came 2000 years ago, it was not to judge the people, but to save them, giving eternal life to those who believe in Him. However He is both Saviour and Judge. Jesus said that as the Father can raise the dead and give them life, He can too. “‘The Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father… Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.’” (John 5:21-24) A day will come when “‘all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.’” (John 5:28-29)

So the eternal life of the believing righteous is assured and judgment at the Great White Throne is not their portion. However they will give an accounting to Jesus one day. And they might find Holy Spirit convincing them of the necessity of a preliminary judgment in which Jesus will give them course corrections to help them to live their life in a way that is more pleasing to God. That happened to me many years ago to my surprise and Scripture supported it.

“Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.

And the LORD, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple,

Even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. . .

But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?

[He comes with His refiner’s fire to purge His people that they may make right offerings to God.] … I will come near you for judgment.” (Mal. 3:1-5)

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you… For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now

‘If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?’

Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.” (1 Pet. 4:12-19)

After the Lord flooded the entire earth in Noah’s time, since the sin level was so high, He promised Noah that He would never pour out a world-wide flood again, but localized floods have come. There have been many things happening in our time which are out of the ordinary: especially 911 in New York, vast fires that take weeks to extinguish, massive earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados and sunamis. Does that mean that everyone in an area is rebelliously sinful when calamities come? No! There are times when the just and unjust experience calamity, but the just receive mercy. It is like how both the house built on rock and the one built on sand experienced the rain, floods and high wind. But the house built on rock weathered the storm. Both heard the word of God. But the wise will both hear and do them. Jesus said, “‘everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like the foolish man who built his house on the sand… and it fell. And great was the fall.’” (Matt. 7:26-27) Yet God is so good and so merciful that He often extends mercy even to His enemies.

There are many times when disasters strike and those who deliberately stay close to the Lord, their “refuge,” (Ps. 91) find that God is with them. They may be far away from the disaster site at the time, or a fire may stop at their place or go around it. It is like when God had to send 10 plagues on Egypt because Pharaoh would not do what He commanded. God’s Hebrew people experienced the first 3 plagues, but beginning with the fourth plague – of flies, God set apart His people in Goshen and they did not experience the flies or the rest of the plagues. “‘No swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land. I will make a difference between My people and your people.’” (Ex. 8:22-23)

God’s people experiencing the first 3 plagues reminds me that today His people, Jew and Gentile, might experience some calamities, but they might be spared some others. The trial should prove they have faith. When either judgment or persecution come, whether light or heavy, believers have Jesus’ promise that we need not fear because “‘I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” (Matt. 28:20)

In the final Day of the Lord, God’s wrath will be stronger. John heard heaven saying, “Alleluiah! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” (Rev. 19:1-2) Sometimes today people experience golf ball size hail falling, but Babylon will receive “great hail from heaven … each hailstone about the weight of a talent [about 55 pounds.]” (Rev. 16:21)

“Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice.

Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD's anger.” (Zeph. 2:3)

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” (2 Pet. 3:10)