Consuming Fire
Preparation to Enter Into the Kingdom of God
Chapter 5
The Day of the Lord
by Diane Jurino
Consuming Fire
Preparation to Enter Into the Kingdom of God
Chapter 5 - The Day of the Lord
by Diane Jurino
Hebrews 12:25-29 "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more [shall not] we [escape], if we turn away from him that [speaketh] from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God [is] a consuming fire."
The Lord is calling out to all of mankind and shaking things up all over the earth to get our attention. He is warning us of the fiery judgment that we will all face in the very near future. We have to prepare ourselves for the great and terrible Day of the Lord. It will come on us when we least expect it, and none of us will have an opportunity to change our fate then.
We must be sanctified and purified with holy fire, so that we can meet our God face-to-face and stand in His presence. Our obedience and love for Him and others must be uncompromised. We cannot be careless in anything that we think, say and do. We have been bought with a dear price and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, expects great things from His followers.
When He returns, Christ should find us doing His work, as we have been divinely commissioned to do. We should preach the Gospel to all of the nations of the world, heal the sick of all their afflictions and cast out demons in His name. We will even raise the dead back to life once again, so that they can accompany us in entering into the everlasting Kingdom of God.
The righteous will shine with the light of Christ's glory in the days ahead, but the wicked will continue in their sin and rebellion. Each and every one of us will reap what we have sown. Some of us will receive generous blessings and rewards, while others will go to perdition. The choice is up to us; we cannot wait much longer to decide how we will spend all eternity.
Romans 2:5-8 "But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,"
There will be miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth as the Day of the Lord approaches. Our God wants to warn all of mankind that He is about to sovereignly act to rectify matters once and for all time. We must be quick to discern what is coming, and change our ways before it is too late. We cannot avoid the wrath of almighty God if we are disobedient.
We will soon face a permanent judgment for all of our works in the flesh. No one will be able to escape the Lord's scrutiny or persuade Him to lower His perfect, impeccable standards for any of us. He will take vengeance on the ungodly, and eradicate all wickedness and evil from our midst. This entire planet will be purged, cleansed and renovated with the burning fire of His indignation.
The proud and arrogant, wicked and rebellious will finally be cast down. They will no longer oppress and exploit others. There will be no more wars, violence or conflict in this world. All men will be treated with dignity and respect. Those who have been evil will fall under the mighty hand of God for all the horrible things they have done. Only the meek and humble will inherit the earth.
Nothing will remain the same. Our God will make certain that Satan and all of his minions are banished to the bottomless pit, so that they can no longer wreak havoc on God's people. He will condemn all sinners and execute a never ending punishment for them in the unquenchable lake of fire. Only the righteous will be hidden from His anger and spared to eternal life with all of its blessings.
Matthew 24:29-31 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all things. He will soon return to this world in awesome power and glory. He will destroy the ungodly and all their ungodliness in the wrath of His coming. There will be nothing left to defile our God and His people. The Kingdom of God will be perfect in every way, and cleansed of all evil that could possibly contaminate its peace and serenity.
Christ will judge all of mankind, and even angels, with fairness and justice to determine who receives eternal rewards and who receives everlasting punishment. The righteous will be vindicated and blessed, but the rebellious will be expelled from His Kingdom for all time. Satan will be cast into the abyss, and all wrongdoers will be banished to the lake of fire, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Only the faithful will be gathered into the Kingdom of God to enjoy all of its many blessings. We will have safety and security in God's holy presence, and thrive in His never ending love for us. There will be peace and prosperity, health and longevity, joy and freedom for all of eternity. The Lord will supply all of our needs, even before we ask Him. His Kingdom will be a veritable paradise for both God and man.
The Day of the Lord is Imminent
2Peter 3:7-10 "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."
We have been lulled into a false sense of security. We see darkness and evil all around us, and no retribution for those who have turned their backs on almighty God. We might be tempted to think that the Lord is indifferent to all that is going on around us. But we would be sadly mistaken. When we least expect it, He will sovereignly act to rid the entire world of its defilement and purge it with fire.
Our God will not tolerate wickedness and rebellion in any of us. We were created in very His image and likeness to spend all of eternity in His presence. He wants only the best for us. However, we have blatantly ignored Him regardless of His many overtures on our behalf. He sent us His only beloved Son, so we could be redeemed of all our unrighteousness, yet many of us have purposely rejected Him.
Unless we repent and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will perish in the critical days to come. Very soon now it will be too late to change our fate. The Lord will not offer us another opportunity to get it right. We must decide now where we will spend all eternity. The righteous will be gathered into the everlasting Kingdom of God, but the wicked will be cast into the unquenchable lake of fire.
Isaiah 2:10-12 "Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts [shall be] upon every [one that is] proud and lofty, and upon every [one that is] lifted up; and he shall be brought low:"
We have had ample warning of what is coming, and every opportunity to turn our lives around. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been preached for thousands of years in every nation of the world. The Lord has reached out to each and every one of us in His infinite love, mercy and compassion. He has promised us that if we will turn towards Him and repent of our evil ways, that He will spare us His wrath.
There will soon be no place to run and nowhere to hide. Almighty God will search out all of mankind and visit His judgment on each of us for our works in the flesh. He will not be persuaded to lower any of His perfect, impeccable standards for any of us. We will not be able to negotiate our fate or discuss and debate our destiny. We must decide for ourselves whether we will perish or thrive for all of eternity.
If we are proud and arrogant and think that we will avoid condemnation, we are sadly mistaken. The Lord will exalt the humble but bring down those who are overly confident. No one will escape His scrutiny. We will reap what we have sown - whether it be good or evil. If we have been faithful and obedient to do all the Lord asks of us, we will spend all of eternity in His loving presence in the Kingdom of God.
Isaiah 13:6-8 "Howl ye; for the day of the LORD [is] at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces [shall be as] flames."
We must spread the word and warn all of mankind of the impending judgment that is coming on the earth.
In just a short while, the Lord will make His presence known and there will be no turning back. We dare not ignore the fact that He is a strong and mighty God, capable of creation and destruction. He has been compelled to destroy men in the past and He will not hesitate to root out all of the wicked among us now.
There is a fiery tribulation that will come on all of us very soon. Men will be in fear and torment at what transpires all around them. They will see the hand of God deal with all wickedness. We can only imagine how the Lord will take vengeance on all of His enemies. His wrath will be real and manifest in never ending condemnation for the unrepentant. There will be no more ungodliness left anywhere in this world.
Only the righteous will be miraculously spared and thrive in the midst of all the turmoil. The Lord will gather His people to Himself for all of eternity in the Kingdom of God on this earth. He will vindicate us before both men and angels and restore all that has been taken from us. No one will oppress or exploit us any longer. We will see the punishment of the wicked and be comforted in the very presence of our God.
The Wrath of His Indignation
Romans 1:18-19 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed [it] unto them."
There is no excuse for deliberate disobedience; we have been shown the truth. The Lord expects us to show Him deference and respect and walk in love for Him and for one another. We must keep all of His commandments and renounce all of our sins. We have to accept His Son, Jesus Christ, as our personal Lord and Savior and be baptized to eternal life.
We must embrace our divine destinies and appropriate Christ's very own power and authority. We have to share our faith with others, as the Lord arranges our contacts, and preach the Gospel message as we have been commissioned to do. It is not the Lord's will that anyone perish for lack of knowledge. We must persuade all of mankind to repent and be saved.
If we do these things, we will be deemed righteous in God's eyes and inherit all of the blessings of the Kingdom of God. Very soon now, heaven itself will be brought to the earth realm and those who have been faithful will be gathered to the Lord for all eternity. We will have peace and prosperity, health and longevity, safety and security, joy and freedom.
The righteous will shine with the light of God's glory in the days ahead, but the wicked and rebellious will be banished from His holy presence. He cannot abide evil of any kind and He will cast those who are sinful and unrepentant into the unquenchable lake of fire. They will be in perpetual torment for all of their ungodliness and there will be no end to their pain.
Isaiah 13:9-11 "Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for [their] evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible."
The heavens will soon manifest disturbing signs and wonders for all to see. Things will become dark and dismal everywhere. There will be inescapable tests, trials and tribulation that come on all of mankind to warn us of the impending judgment. Satan will also be on the prowl to do all that he can to torment us, because he knows that his time in this world is short.
The Day of the Lord will be fearsome for all those who have disobeyed almighty God. They will run to and fro in an effort to escape the agony that is to come on them for their wickedness. The Lord is compelled to destroy all evil, so that it does not contaminate the righteous in any way. He will eradicate all wickedness off the face of the earth in one fell swoop.
No one who has been arrogant or defiant will survive the wrath of His indignation or escape His anger. Only the meek and humble, faithful and sincere, will be spared. Those who were first at one time in the world system will be last, and those who have been dominated and oppressed will be exalted. There will be no more wars and conflict, poverty and lack ever again.
Our God will make certain that those who are called by His holy name are blessed for all of eternity. There is no good thing that He will ever withhold from us. He will protect us from all harm and shower us with all the many benefits of eternal life. We will thrive in His awesome presence and show Him all the praise and gratitude, honor and glory that He rightly deserves.
Nahum 1:2-3 "God [is] jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and [is] furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth [wrath] for his enemies. The LORD [is] slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit [the wicked]: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds [are] the dust of his feet."
Our God is a jealous God. He does not want us to put anyone or anything before Him. We owe Him all of our reverential fear, deference and respect. The Lord is capable of both creation and destruction, and it is His prerogative whom He will reward and whom He will punish. He has perfect, absolute moral standards for each and every one of us that we must adhere to at all times.
We have had ample warning of what is to come. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been preached to all the nations of the world. Every man, woman and child on the face of the earth has been exposed to it. We all know that we must seek God and His ways or go to perdition. We cannot be doing our own thing any longer. If we purposely defy our Creator, He will obliterate us.
He will show Himself strong in our midst and bring never ending torment on all of His enemies. There will be no one who deliberately rebels against His statutes and escapes reprisal. He will make an example of all wrongdoers and punish them with unquenchable fire for all of eternity. The Lord will gather only the righteous to Himself and bless us as He has always desired to do.
Our God will meet all of our needs according to His riches in glory. He will change our mortal bodies into glorious, resurrection forms that never get sick and die. We will abide in His very presence and He will make certain that we are happy and prosperous. There will be no wickedness and evil to contaminate our lives ever again. We will dwell in a literal paradise on this earth.
Zephaniah 1:14-17 "The great day of the LORD [is] near, [it is] near, and hasteth greatly, [even] the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day [is] a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung."
We can barely imagine how dark and dismal things will be when the Lord finally visits His wrath on the earth. He will burn up all the chaff and preserve only that which is pleasing in His sight. He will not hesitate to tear down and pluck out all that is defiling to Him. He will cause mass destruction of all evil and wickedness, and totally obliterate it right before our very eyes.
The entire earth will be cleansed and purified on the great and terrible Day of the Lord. He will purge all worldliness out of His people and destroy all those who are committed to sin and evil. There will be no more wars, violence, or conflict in any of our human affairs. We will no longer oppress and exploit one another. There will be no moral depravity to defile us any longer.
All things will be made new once again both in heaven and on the earth, as the Lord desires. He will gather a righteous remnant unto Himself and populate His everlasting Kingdom only with those who have been continually faithful and devoted to Him. All of us will dwell in love, peace and unity as brothers and sisters. Everyone will be treated with fairness, dignity and respect.
The Lord will show no preference for any of us. We will all be His beloved sons and daughters and He will boast of us to all of creation. He will vindicate our cause before both men and angels and restore all that was stolen or lost over the years. We will have all of our needs met in abundance, even before we ask Him. There will be safety and security for all God's people forever more.
Reserved Unto Fire
Deuteronomy 4:24 "For the LORD thy God [is] a consuming fire, [even] a jealous God."
The Lord God is jealous for His creation. He formed us in His very image and likeness and we have spurned Him and ignored all of His efforts to reach out to us in love, mercy and compassion. We worship false gods of power, wealth and immorality of all sorts. We have been greedy and contentious, ungrateful and rebellious and we deserve to be punished for our iniquity.
Almighty God will not delay His judgment of the earth and all of its inhabitants much longer. The only reason that He has subdued His wrath is to allow sufficient time for the Gospel to be preached, so that more men could come to repentance. It is not His desire that anyone perish, but He will be compelled to destroy all those who are wicked and rebellious in the Day of the Lord.
Everything has to be purged and cleansed by holy fire, so that He can bring heaven itself to this world, as He has promised. His Kingdom will be built on righteousness and godliness and nothing that disturbs its peace and serenity will ever be allowed in. Men will have to be sanctified of all their sins and spiritually perfect in order to inherit eternal life and all its many benefits.
Psalm 21:8-9 "Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them."
Fire destroys, but it also purifies. The Lord has promised that He will purge and cleanse the earth with His holy fire to rid it of all contamination. He will destroy all wickedness, but also preserve His people in the process. The Day of the Lord will be frightening and damaging to those who are disobedient, but the righteous will emerge far better than ever before.
We will shine with the light of God's glory and inherit all of His many promises to us. He will gather us to Himself in the everlasting Kingdom of God that will come to this earth. We will be blessed for all of eternity in His holy presence. He will change our mortal bodies into new, glorious, resurrection forms, so that we live forever in excellent health and vitality.
The Lord will provide all of our needs from all the vast resources of the universe. It will be paradise for all of us. We will build beautiful homes for our large families and dwell together as brothers and sisters. All men will be righteous in the Kingdom. There will be no more death and destruction, no poverty and lack of any kind, no oppression and exploitation ever again.
Zephaniah 3:8 "Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination [is] to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, [even] all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy."
All the nations of the world will soon be gathered together in judgment. Those who have oppressed their people and mistreated one another will go to perdition. The kingdoms of this world have to be totally restructured to line up with godly principles of the Kingdom of God. The Lord will be forced to eradicate many of them off the face of the earth for their wickedness and rebellion.
Only those who are repentant and determined to seek God will ever enter into His holy presence. The rest of mankind will be destroyed in its iniquity. Everyone has had ample notice and sufficient warning of what is to come. The Lord will sovereignly move to protect His people from all their enemies very soon now. He will no longer tolerate things to continue as they have been on this planet.
We should be hopeful and confident for our future. Almighty God is still in control over His creation. What He says will happen, will indeed occur. There is a day coming when He will suddenly make His presence known. No evil will be able to withstand the wrath of His indignation, nor escape His eternal punishment. All of mankind will be cleansed and purged with His holy fire.
Zechariah 13:8-9 "And it shall come to pass, [that] in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off [and] die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It [is] my people: and they shall say, The LORD [is] my God."
We have nothing to fear if we have adequately prepared ourselves for the imminent Day of the Lord and the return of Jesus Christ. There will be mass destruction of the wicked, but the righteous will remain unscathed. However, the Lord will make certain that we are contrite in heart, totally sanctified of all evil and ready to enter into His holy presence before He brings heaven to the earth in His everlasting Kingdom.
No rebellion will ever be tolerated in any of us. Not even a little sin will be permitted to enter into God's holy presence. We will have to be tried with fire and renounce all wickedness if we wish to spend all of eternity in paradise. To those whom much is given, much is expected. We will be judged according to all our works in the flesh to determine whether or not they had lasting value to almighty God and His people.
If we are found righteous, loving and obedient, we will be gathered into the everlasting Kingdom of God. If we have served the Lord as we should, the Lord, Jesus Christ, will share His very own honor and glory with us. We will be appointed kings and priests and judge both men and angels. We will have the heathen and the uttermost parts of the earth for our inheritance, and rule and reign with Christ over all the nations.
The Lord will boast of us to all creation as His very own sons and daughters. He will be our God and Father, and we will be a people called by His holy name. He will meet all of our needs even before we cry out to Him. We will have all the blessings that the vast resources of the universe have to offer. Nothing will ever be withheld from us. We will have peace and prosperity, safety and security, joy and freedom.
The Earth Will be Shaken
Nahum 1:5-6 "The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him."
Almighty God will make His presence known on the earth in one way or another. We have ignored His warnings; transgressed His laws; violated His trust; and refused His loving kindness towards us. He has every right to punish mankind as He said that He would. Very soon now He will visit the earth with His wrath and take judgment on all the nations that have sinned against Him.
Natural disasters of all types will abound. There will be fires, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions of huge proportion. Parts of the planet will be permanently altered and swept away for all time. Nothing will remain the same as it was before. The entire world will be impacted by the awesome power of God. The Lord will cleanse all evil and defilement from our midst once and for all.
He will gather only the righteous and faithful to Himself. We will enter into the everlasting Kingdom of God on this earth and never lack for anything ever again. Satan and all his minions will be cast into the bottomless pit. The wicked and rebellious will be condemned to eternal punishment in the unquenchable lake of fire, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth forever more.
Isaiah 24:17-20 "Fear, and the pit, and the snare, [are] upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to pass, [that] he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again."
Our Creator has been more than patient and longsuffering. He has waited thousands of years to show Himself strong. He has no obligation to be tolerant of evil of any kind for any longer than He desires. We have had adequate warning of what is to come. Those who are righteous will continue to be so, but the rebellious will never heed His instruction.
Both men and angels will ultimately know that almighty God is still in control of this universe and every creature in it. They will finally show Him the deference and respect, the reverential fear that He deserves. However, it will be too late to change the fate for any of us. Those who have been consistently wicked and unrepentant will suffer total annihilation.
This world as we know it will never come to an abrupt, cataclysmic end, but it will undergo a dramatic transformation until it evolves into a literal paradise for all of the faithful. It will be cleansed and purified by holy fire and all iniquity will be purged from this planet. The Lord will shake things up so much, that we will barely recognize our environment.
There will be nowhere to run and no place to hide from the Lord when He sovereignly acts. The righteous will remain unscathed by His fury, but the rebellious will perish in His just anger. We will be shocked and saddened by all that transpires, but it will be inevitable. There is no way to correct the malfeasance that currently exists except by utter destruction.
Micah 1:3-4 "For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, [and] as the waters [that are] poured down a steep place."
The face of the entire earth, as we know it now, will change on the great and terrible Day of the Lord. His holy presence will dramatically alter the physical characteristics of this planet. The sheer power and glory that He brings with Him will cause earthquakes everywhere, and fire and smoke in their wake. The world and everyone in it will be changed to conform with the perfect will of almighty God Himself.
The configuration of this planet will be permanently altered, as will the hearts of all mankind. Nothing will remain the same. We are promised a new heaven and a new earth. All defilement will be purged in the wrath of Christ's coming. He will touch down on the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem and the mountain will split in two. He will judge all men to determine who is righteous and who is disobedient.
The faithful will be spared condemnation, but the wicked will be destroyed so that they can no longer wreak havoc. Satan and all of his minions will be cast into the bottomless pit. Nothing and no one that defiles God or man will ever enter into the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ will rule and reign with a rod of iron to enforce principles of righteousness and justice in the government of God on this earth.
There will be no more war and conflict in any of our human relations. Poverty and lack will be things of the past. No one will oppress or exploit another. Greed and lust for power will not even be named among us. The Lord will make certain that all men are treated with dignity and respect. He will bring peace, order and stability to His Kingdom, and ensure that we dwell together in unity as brothers and sisters.
Choose Life or Death
Joel 3:14 "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD [is] near in the valley of decision."
The Lord is getting ready to amass all of mankind for everlasting judgment. No one will escape His scrutiny or persuade Him to lower His perfect standards. We will all be held accountable for what we have done or not done to fulfill God's plan for our lives. All righteousness will be rewarded and all wickedness will be punished. It is that basic - plain and simple.
Each of us has a "life or death" decision to make. Will we repent of all our sin and believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, or will we defy almighty God and continue in our wickedness and rebellion? Our eternal fate lies in the balance. We cannot postpone making our choice, because time is running out for all of us. The Day of the Lord can come at any moment.
We have to be prepared to encounter our God face-to-face. He is loving, kind, merciful and compassionate, but He is also holy, powerful and just. Sin is sin and it requires a payback. None of us can ever hope to escape its consequences. If we are disobedient in any way, we will be held responsible for our actions. We will be judged for everything that we think, say and do.
Zephaniah 2:2-3 "Before the decree bring forth, [before] the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD'S anger come upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger."
Very soon now, it will be too late for us to change our fate. We have to decide now where we will spend all of eternity. If we repent from the heart and turn towards almighty God, we will be spared His wrath and indignation. If we are meek and humble, sincere and contrite in heart, we will be hidden in the day of His anger that is coming on the rest of mankind.
Almighty God is powerful beyond our mere human understanding, and His judgment will be permanent and complete. No one will be excluded from His scrutiny. With one fell swoop, He will broom all iniquity off the face of the earth, so that the faithful are not contaminated in any way. He will make certain that all wickedness and evil are totally vanquished.
All that remains will be pure and undefiled in God's eyes. He will have a people after His very own heart, who are able to enter into His holy presence. We must sanctify ourselves of all fleshly lusts and selfishness of the soul so we are worthy to be gathered into His Kingdom. The sacrifices we make now are nothing compared to the glory that lies in store for us.
Deuteronomy 30:19 "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:"
There are wonderful promises for righteousness that give us confidence for our future. If we are devoted to our Creator, believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, walk in love and obey all of His commandments, we will inherit eternal life and all of its many benefits. The Lord will soon gather us to Himself in the everlasting Kingdom of God, which is coming to this earth.
We will escape the tribulation that is coming on the entire world. We will not be destroyed for our iniquity, nor will we be held responsible for our transgressions. The Blood of Jesus Christ will cover us for all our sins past, present and future. We will shine with the light of God's glory and be blessed, while others are found guilty of their sins and eternally punished.
Our heavenly Father will boast of us to all creation and provide all our needs in abundance, even before we ask Him. We will have peace and prosperity, safety and security, health and longevity, joy and freedom. He will change our mortal bodies to be like Christ's very own, and we will be able to see our children and our children's children for all generations to come.
Obadiah 1:15 "For the day of the LORD [is] near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head."
We are the engineers of our own destiny. What we sow, we will indeed reap for all time. If we are diligent to do all that the Lord asks of us now, we will have eternal blessings for our righteousness and generous rewards for our obedience. We cannot be careless in our walk with God. He insists that we have a sincere faith in His Son, Jesus Christ and that we follow all of His commandments. We must, additionally, love the Lord with all our might and love others as we love ourselves.
No shortcuts to eternal life and all its many benefits are possible. We cannot compromise our moral integrity in any way. We have to be contrite of heart and be baptized in Jesus' name. We should also ask for the baptism in the Holy Spirit, so we can be strengthened in our spirit man. If we imitate the laid down life of Jesus and serve the Lord as we are destined to do, He will be extremely pleased with us. He will boast of us to all creation as His very own sons and daughters.
Our heavenly Father has prepared a glorious Kingdom for us to enjoy for all of eternity. We will be gathered into His holy presence and be lavished with all the many blessings that the vast universe has to offer us. He will change our mortal bodies into glorious, resurrection forms that never get sick and die. He will protect us from all harm and take vengeance on all our enemies. We will dwell in love, peace and unity as brothers and sisters in a veritable paradise on the earth.
No One Knows the Hour
Revelation 3:3 "Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee."
No one knows the hour or the day when the Lord will finally act and send His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to consummate our redemption in spirit, soul and body. He will come unannounced, as a thief in the night, to catch all of us unaware. We should be found holy and spotless in His eyes, totally sanctified of all our sin and worldliness and adequately prepared to meet our Redeemer face-to-face.
Christ will soon return to this earth, but He will not be a meek and mild Lamb of God this time. He has vengeance in His heart to destroy all the ungodly and their ungodliness. No more a babe in a manger, He will make His entrance as the Lord of lords and King of kings. There will be such sheer power and glory that accompany Him that it will change the configuration of the whole world.
Our Lord and Savior will be accompanied by legions of angels that will assist Him in ridding the earth of all defilement. His holy saints will also take part in His return and assist Him in judgment. Nothing will remain the same. The entire planet will be purged and cleansed with fire. Only that which is unshakeable, pure and uncontaminated, will remain to enter into His everlasting Kingdom.
Matthew 25:13 "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."
The Day of the Lord is closer than we might think; it can happen at any time. The Gospel has been preached to every man, woman and child in every nation of the world. We have all been given an equal opportunity to repent of all our sins and be saved to eternal life. We have also had adequate warning of the impending judgment that will soon take place.
Jesus Christ will judge all men, and even angels, to determine who will receive eternal blessings and who will be condemned for all time. He will banish Satan and all his minions to the abyss and cast all evildoers into the unquenchable lake of fire. No one and nothing that is contaminating will ever enter into His holy presence in the everlasting Kingdom of God.
We should expectantly look for the return of Jesus Christ, so that our salvation is complete. Our bodies and souls have to be redeemed as our spirits have been. The corruptible must put on immortality and become holy and perfect. We will receive glorious, resurrection bodies that are pure and undefiled in every way, so that we can actually dwell with our Creator.
Luke 12:40 "Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not."
The world, as we know it, cannot continue on its present, wicked and evil course or it will self-destruct and wipe out the entire human race. The Lord will not permit that to happen. He will sovereignly move to rescue the elect from utter calamity. He will send His Son, Jesus Christ, back to the earth to destroy all that is defiling to Him and to His people.
If we are righteous, loving and obedient, then we have nothing to fear in the days to come. We will be spared the Lord's wrath and indignation and be gathered to Him for all of eternity. Only the sinful and rebellious will be punished for all time. The faithful will enter into the Kingdom of God on this earth and dwell forever in a veritable paradise.
Our heavenly Father knows who His children are and He is jealous for our companionship. He will permit nothing to interfere with His relationship with us. He will boast of us to all creation as His very own sons and daughters and shower us with never ending blessings of peace and prosperity. We will never fear any evil in His awesome, loving presence.
Christ will rule and reign as a righteous King with a rod of iron. He will strictly enforce godly principles of fairness, justice and equality in His Kingdom. We will have total safety and security. He will wreak vengeance on all of our enemies and punish all those who oppressed and exploited us in any way. No harm will ever come near His people again.
The Return of Our King
Revelation 19:11-13 "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God."
Our Lord and Savior was present at the creation of the entire world, and by Him were all things made. He is the living Word of almighty God Himself, and He came once to set all of mankind free in the truth. He suffered, died and was buried so that we could receive eternal life through His sacrifice on our behalf. He will return to this earth again to set matters straight once and for all time.
Jesus Christ has earned all of our devotion, gratitude and respect. He gave His life for us, so that we could be restored to right standing with God. We have no excuse to persist in wickedness and rebellion. Our sin debt was paid in full and we have inherited all the promises for righteousness. We are new creatures in Christ and we can look forward to spending all of eternity in His presence.
Very soon now, Jesus will revisit us and complete our redemption in spirit, soul and body. He will utterly destroy all evil in the wrath of His coming and purify the whole earth with holy fire. Nothing will remain the same. All wars, violence, bloodshed and conflict will be removed far from us. There will be no more oppression and exploitation, nor poverty and lack for any of God's people.
Malachi 3:5 "And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in [his] wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger [from his right], and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts."
The Lord, Jesus Christ, will judge each and every one of us to determine who has been righteous and faithful and who has rejected Him. He will not be persuaded to lower His perfect, impeccable standards for any of us. He will reward the righteous and gather them into His Kingdom, but obliterate all those who are purposely defiant and committed to wickedness and evil.
There will be no tolerance for sin of any kind. We will soon dwell with our Creator and nothing that is corrupt can ever enter into His holy presence. Christ will rule and reign as a righteous King with a rod of iron to make certain that we have total safety and security. He will protect His people and vindicate their cause. Everything that was taken from us will be restored.
Almighty God will meet all of our needs in abundance, even before we ask Him. He will ensure that we are healthy, happy and prosperous for all eternity. He will be our God and we will be a people who are called by His name. He will boast of us to all creation as His very own sons and daughters. We will all dwell in love, and treat one another with dignity and respect.
2Thessalonians 1:7-10 "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day."
Christ will take vengeance on all of our enemies and vindicate our cause before both men and angels. He will banish Satan and all his minions to the bottomless pit and cast all wrongdoers into the eternal lake of fire. There will be nothing that ever harms or contaminates His people ever again. We will have total safety and security in His everlasting Kingdom.
The faithful will shine with the light of His glory in the days to come. He will gather us to Himself for all time and provide all of our needs in abundance. Our heaven Father will actually come and take up residence on this earth and dwell with His beloved children forever. We will thrive in God's presence and give Him all the praise and gratitude He deserves.
Life in the Kingdom of God will be idyllic, just as it was in the Garden of Eden. We will have dominion over all of creation once again. All men will be righteous and holy, and we will live together as brothers and sisters in love, peace and unity. We will build beautiful homes for our large families and enjoy our offspring for all of the many generations to come.
All men will soon know the Lord and worship Him in Spirit and in truth. We will celebrate all of His sabbaths and feast days with joy and enthusiasm. He will be the focal point of our lives, and we will be the center of His attention. He will take an active interest in all the details of our lives. There will never be a separation between God and mankind ever again.
The Kingdom of God will solve all of our problems and be the perfect culmination to the Lord's eternal redemption plan for His people. It will be a literal paradise for both God and man to enjoy forever more. Nothing will ever disturb the peace and serenity of our lives. We will commune with the Lord intimately, as Adam and Eve once did in the Garden of Eden.
Topics for Discussion
1. The Day of the Lord is Imminent
2. The Wrath of His Indignation
3. Reserved Unto Fire
4. The Earth Will be Shaken
5. Choose Life or Death
6. No One Knows the Hour
7. The Return of Our King
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