There are many books of the Bible, both in the Older and New Testament, which describe the day of the Lord, so let’s start our examination as good Bereans do.

In Isaiah chapter 2, the day of the Lord is referred to 3 times. First, verse 12: “For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low.”

Then in the last part of verse 17: “And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.”

And lastly, in verse 20, we read: “In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold.”

References to the day of the Lord are written in many other books of the Older Testament as well. In addition to that, a few books of the New Testament point to the coming judgments from God in that day.

First of all, anybody with an ounce of wisdom does not want to face the day of the Lord. That particular day, without question, will be a horrific time for those who so foolishly refused to repent and accept what Jesus the Lamb of God did on the cross for them and the world. “For God so loved the world.”

I don’t believe any of us would want that for our worst enemy, not even just a little bit. As a matter of fact, those are the very people we are to be consistently and continually praying for. We are to be that light and speak the truth to them of what it means to be without God’s amazing saving grace. Whatever we can do to get the lost nearer to Jesus is the goal. God’s heart, as ours should be, doesn’t wish for anyone to be left behind. Amen?

Let’s go ahead and look at two other scriptures, one from the Older Testament and one from New, also relating to the day of the Lord.

First, Zephaniah 1:14-16: “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. A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.”

Now, 2nd Peter 3:10: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”

We believers anxiously await the Rapture. This miraculous event, which can happen at any moment, seems to us as a delay, or long in coming.

In contrast to that, the unbelievers of this world will be in total shock at the Lord’s 2nd coming. It will not just seem sudden; it will be all of a sudden. That suddenness will be Jesus coming like a thief in the night.

Those verses from Zephaniah 1 and 2nd Peter 3 are very clear. We believers do not want to be here during this end-times’ event. And thank you, Father, we won’t be.

This will be a time for those who foolishly and continually chose not to know Jesus as the Son of God, however…they will know Him at the Great White Throne Judgment where they will be righteously judged for their sins and will be found guilty. Their punishment…an eternity to be spent in the Lake of Fire. As it’s often been said: their choice, not God’s.

Jesus already took on the sins of the world at the cross, including theirs.

Jesus already took on the guilt of the world at the cross, including theirs.

Jesus already took on the shame of the world at the cross, including theirs.

In knowing this and being aware of what God provided, it is quite sad that His saving and amazing grace will have been foolishly and ignorantly rejected. When that final judgment at the Great White Throne is handed down, the sadness we have now for the lost doesn’t compare to the reality of what’s to come for the lost. Not even close. So, what do we believers do?

We are to keep witnessing, to go out into the world and make disciples no matter how uncomfortable it may be for them and us. The Great Commission is a command from our Lord. It’s not the Great Suggestion.

Let our motivation for the unbeliever come from what we do know. The Lake of Fire is not a place where bad, misbehaving people go to party. More than a few of us have heard, “Well, at least I’ll be with my friends.” Uh…no.

The Lake of Fire is a place of complete loneliness. A place of utter darkness. A place where there will be gnashing of teeth. A place that will be worse than any dungeon ever devised. A place they foolishly chose. And…it will be for eternity.

That being said, here’s an encouraging verse for those of us who do believe and those who will hopefully and prayerfully come to believe what Jesus did on the cross to save them from the wrath of God before the window of opportunity to accept God’s free gift of salvation is shut tight. Here’s Romans 5:9.

“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by Jesus’ blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God.”

Bless You All

Mark Susswein/msusswein@comcast.net

Genesis 3:8-10 “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

Sin in our lives, when realized, tends to bring about feelings of shame, conviction, and guilt. Our first inclination is to cover it up and hide. It causes rifts in relationships and oftentimes damage to the point of estrangement. Pride, unforgiveness, anger, bitterness, unfaithfulness, dishonesty, and selfishness are just the ‘tip of the iceberg of sins’ that wreak havoc in our lives.

God, as a Compassionate Father who lovingly created our first parents in that magnificent garden all those years ago, would literally come to them in the cool of the day just to visit with them! Can you imagine how Abba Father God must have felt when, all of a sudden, his first children were acting like strangers and suddenly hiding from Him? Where once they had this ‘harmonious fellowship’ with Him, but now they were abruptly afraid of Him!

Romans 7:23 “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”

Such is the case with parents of prodigals all over the world. The pain of estrangement is often a ‘cruel cross’ for one to bear. When there are lies and slander involved, it becomes an ‘utterly lonely endeavor’ as well. It is especially hard to watch from the sidelines the ‘horrible choices’ our children make while at the same time knowing there is not much you can do physically to ‘stop or change it.’

Take the intimate relationship of a husband and a wife, which is a picture of Christ and the Church, and shatter all the ‘trust and friendship’ within it, and there you have the ‘primary goal’ of Satan! The Enemy hates what God Loves which is His Creation, His Children, His Church, and the God-Ordained Traditional Family Structure!

Satan’s ultimate goal is to lure us away from God through Sin to destroy our relationship with God and inevitably annihilate us! Decimating human relationships by pitting us against each other through lies, agendas, wars, fighting, and estrangement is one of his many strategies in tearing us all down!

James 4:1 “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?”

Estrangement: the fact of no longer being on friendly terms or part of a social group; the fact of no longer living with one’s spouse; separation.

From Gotquesstions.org: “What does the Bible say about estrangement?”

Answer: Estrangement is an alienation of affection. To be estranged is to have lost the former affection and fellowship once shared with another. Warring spouses become estranged when they cannot work out their differences. Rebellious children become estranged from their parents when they refuse to be guided or disciplined. When Adam and Eve sinned, they became estranged from God (Genesis 3). People have been estranged from Him ever since, and God has been pursuing reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19). Estrangement from God and His call for reconciliation are the major themes of the Bible.

Because God is holy and perfect, He cannot tolerate our sin (Ezra 9:15; Romans 6:23), and our rebellion against His commands creates estrangement from Him (Isaiah 53:6). We cannot come into His presence, expect our prayers to be heard, or walk in fellowship with God when we are covered in sin (Proverbs 28:9; Psalm 66:18; John 9:31). The result of this estrangement from God is that we walk in darkness (1 John 1:5–6; 2:11; John 12:35). Being estranged from God, we have no hope of eternal life or forgiveness of sin (John 3:19–20). Our estranged minds are full of selfishness and evil without the illuminating power of God’s righteousness to correct them (Romans 1:18–22).

Estrangement from God ends when we humble ourselves and repent (Acts 2:38; 3:19). Estrangement from other people can often be ended the same way. Pride is often the great culprit that keeps estranged relationships locked in a cold war. When one person chooses to end the standoff, confess the part he or she played in the estrangement, and ask forgiveness, the relationship can often be restored. God promises to forgive and restore anyone who comes to Him in the name of His Son, Jesus (Romans 10:12–13; John 14:6; Psalm 80:19; John 3:16–18). The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ puts an end to the estrangement from God for all who come to Him in faith (John 1:12). – Source

Ephesians 4:18 “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”

If you do not want to be Estranged or a ‘Stranger to God through Sin’ anymore, then come to Abba Father God in True Repentance and Faith today. He is waiting with Loving, Open Arms. Know this also that time is running out, so do not delay! We are not promised another day.

Until next time… Maranatha!

(JESUS = THE WAY, THE TRUTH, & THE LIFE!)

Jesus Will Come!