Joel 2:30-32
November 8th, 2006 by Stephen
“And I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
“And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered; for on Mount Zion there will be those who escape, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.”
Joel 2:30-32
The prophecy of Joel now turns to the last days and we read of things repeated by Isaiah, Daniel and John. Wonders will be seen on earth and in the sky and there will be great distress. The day of the Lord will be a bewildering and frightening time for those who do not love Him.
But in the midst of the prophecy of coming judgement, of the final wrath of God and the great and terrible day, we see the grace of God once again. In those bewildering times, when all the world will be in utter chaos, we have this simple promise “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Even at the last minute of the eleventh hour God will still save men and women through his abounding grace and mercy, such is his love for us. In the midst of his final wrath he will not forget his elect.
But tell me, do you have a burden for the lost? Do you weep for those people who will know nothing but fear on that day? Maybe you think that the days are far off and there is much time yet, but for millions of people every day those great and terrible days are here already.
Millions of people die every day, consigned to a lost eternity, and why?
Does God smile with grim satisfaction when he sees evil men being condemned for all eternity?
Of course not. God has held out his hand to everyone who would only believe in him, and yet not everyone has believed. God weeps for every man who dies without knowing him, and yet they still die. Why?
It is down to you and me. We are God’s chosen vessels on Earth, and our churches are His chosen means of grace. Why do we not weep with God over empty churches? Why are we still not burdened with the overwhelming need of the hour - the need for revival?
Revival should not be a buzzword, but a burden. Where is our burden?
The day of the Lord could be a great and wonderful day, but for billions of people it will be horrific in its intensity, and dreadful in its extent. People living in fear will die in fear, and why? because the people of God, the elect of God, were so content with their “I’m alright” selfish attitudes and comfortable lifestyles that they could not spare the time to turn to their God in prayer and plead for the souls of the lost.
