The Day of the Lord’s Wrath

I remember hearing a conversation years ago:

     “The early Christians believed Christ was returning in their lifetime, but that was 2000 years ago. How can we think that He’ll return in our life?” said the younger man.

     “That’s true,” responded the older of the two, “And scripture tells us that no man knows the day nor the hour of His return. But we DO know His return is closer today than it was yesterday.”

That conversation impacted my way of seeing things. The simple truth is that He will return, and it doesn’t matter how long we’ve waited. The day of His return is looked forward to by believers, but there’s a side of it that we need to consider: a day of wrath is also associated with His return. It’s a day when there is no longer hope for those who have refused to yield to His authority. 
Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice… (Proverbs 24:17)
Revelations 8 describes the intense solemnity when the seventh and last seal is opened; heaven is completely silent for an half hour. My interpretation is that this is a time for grieving, a time of sorrow because God, Who knows all, has determined it’s time to destroy His work because what remains has no restorative value. None.

My take-away from this is that we should rejoice in this present day, because there is still hope. There is hope that this darkness around us has not become so black as to shut down God’s plan for restoring the lost ones. There is hope that we can reach those around us with a supernatural love that is reflected from the love our heavenly Father has for us. We should rejoice that despite any degree of pain, oppression or discomfort, the Enemy has not been allowed to destroy us, God’s emissaries to the world. And we rejoice that His power is supreme and He will return.

Although His return is sure, we need to make best use of all that He has given us, ready for both His immediate return and prepared for a long stay in this world. We are like Israel while exiled to Babylon, confident of both His promised redemption and resourceful in using what He’s provided in this present day.
“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29:5-7)
And while we are here, we are to make every effort to do the best with what we have, no matter how small or large. We should build wealth so as to use our greater influence to reach out and minister to others… keeping the perspective that we are in this world yet not of it… knowing that all we have belongs first to God, to be used for His purposes. 
Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. (Proverbs 11:4)
We need to keep the right perspective on the wealth God brings us. It is no shield from the day of disaster. It offers no security and brings no real happiness. I sometimes wonder just how different this world would be if believers prayed before spending money on anything, especially comfort items? I don’t do this all the time, but I should… we all should. We should consider how to use what we have as a resource for the Kingdom rather than a rightful privilege of our hard work.
Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:3-4)
But to be sure, Christ is returning and there is a day of wrath. That day is sooner now than ever before, and I when hear people scoffing about His return, I am even more convinced of the wickedness of this present day. But we should not be praying for God’s wrath on the wicked. Rather, we should be praying for grace, for renewal, and for revival. Because there is hope that God can still bring restoration.

copyright ©2013 Mitchell Malloy (http://mitchellmalloyblogspot.com/)

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