CALAMITY

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand” (Joel 2:1 NKJV).

The “day of the Lord” of which our verse speaks is very important because in prophesy, it had a near (for Israel) and a far (for our day) fulfillment. In focusing on the far fulfillment, we want to note the alarm, attitude, and announcement about that day.

Alarm – “Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain.” Here is a warning; here is great concern. Blowing the trumpet and sounding an alarm is the language of importance. It is like the sounding of a siren. When a siren sounds, we pay attention. This is the kind of attention we are to give to the “day of the Lord.” Unfortunately, most folks give little or no concern to the “day of the Lord.” They are too busy with money making, pleasure seeking, and other matters to take time to think or prepare for the “day of the Lord.” However, when God gives this kind of an alarm, we had better stop and take notice, or we will suffer the consequences for eternity.

Attitude – “Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble.” The “day of the Lord” involves great judgment. It will be such a calamity, it ought to cause folk to tremble just to think about it. The prophet Joel goes on in vv. 2-3 to describe that day as “A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness…fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns.”

Announcement – “The day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand.” The announcement is that the “day of the Lord” is near. It is not a long way off; judgment time is just around the corner. This announcement is especially appropriate for our day; judgment time is near at hand for our world. Held in the grip of great wickedness, times are moving quickly towards the culmination of God’s Divine plan. It is not time to postpone getting right with God. The message is too urgent. Do not delay, or delay will mean damnation.

(Adapted from Butler's Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Because of the cross, God can be both just towards sin and yet mercifully justifying to sinners!”

Timothy Keller (1950 - )

American Christian Pastor, Author, Theologian, and Christian Apologist

Word Study

Enlisted

In 2 Tim. 2:4 we read, “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier!” (NKJV).

Enlisted is the Greek word stratologéō (στρατολογέω = strat-ol-og-eh'-o). It is made up of two words: “stratos” which means warfare, and “lego” which means to choose. Thus, the word means to select as a warrior or choose to be a soldier. In classic Greek stratologéō describes the act of enlisting for military service. Stratologéō is not found in the Septuagint. In the New Testament, stratologéō also carries the idea of choosing to be a soldier. The primary concern of every believer should be to please their Lord in every area of their life. And so, as a “good soldier” the believer in the Lord Jesus must give himself fully to his calling, allowing no outside pursuits to interfere with his duties as a soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you” (2 Kings 25:24 KJV).

Did You Know…

According to 2 Kings 2:8, Elijah rolled up his coat and struck the waters of the Jordan River so that he and Elisha could cross on dry land.

Bible Quiz

According to the Book of Revelation how could one gain entrance into the New Jerusalem?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: According to the Book of Hebrews, in whose order did the Lord Jesus become a high priest? Melchizedek (Heb. 6:20).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“AUTHOR OF ETERNAL SALVATION”

"And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him!” (Heb. 5:9 NKJV).

1. Meaning – AUTHOR OF ETERNAL SALVATION speaks of the Lord Jesus as the source, cause, or originator of our salvation.

2. Insights – Because the Lord Jesus is the sinless, eternal Son of God, and because He offered a perfect sacrifice, He is the “Author of eternal salvation.” No Old Testament priest could offer eternal salvation to anyone, but that is exactly what we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. This salvation is eternal because it was achieved by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, which was thorough, effective, permanently valid, and never to be repeated or superseded.

Did You Know – Christian History

Anthony Mary Claret was born December 23, 1807, in Barcelona, Spain. He was a Spanish Catholic archbishop and missionary.

Claret was born into a family of Spanish weavers. A passion for Christ’s work possessed him at a young age. Nonetheless, his father required him to labor in the mills, so he cheerfully obeyed, believing that when God was ready for him to become a priest, he would arrange the details. In his spare time, he prepared for his vocation, learning Latin. He most wanted to become a Carthusian monk but was dissuaded since his health would not allow the rigorous lifestyle of the order. Again, Claret took this as the advice of God.

For ten years he evangelized in Spain, preaching and holding retreats. His zeal attracted other priests and led him to found a religious order, the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, commonly known as the Claretians. In 1850 Claret was appointed an archbishop to Cuba. He traveled half the island on foot or mule three times, visiting every parish. He spent a large part of his own money to create a ranch for poor children who otherwise had to beg or resort to crime. They could stay and be educated and work an hour a day to maintain the ranch. He taught agriculture to the poor and urged them to diversify their crops so they wouldn’t be under the domination of the sugar growers.

Claret also established credit unions so the poor could control their own economic destinies. He smashed racial barriers by uniting thousands of inter-racial couples in marriage who would otherwise have lived outside of marriage. This infuriated a lot of people especially since slavery was still in existence, and the corrupt laws expressly forbade marriage between the races. One man whose mistress had changed her lifestyle, attacked and seriously injured Claret. Two homes which offered him shelter, were burnt to the ground in retaliation. Yet, Claret’s intervention on their behalf saved the arsonist from the death penalty.

In 1857 Claret became the spiritual guide to Isabelle II and returned to Spain. However, he was exiled along with the queen in the revolution of 1868. On October 24, 1870, Claret slipped into a well-earned eternal rest, having bettered the education of Cuba, preached 10,000 sermons and written 200 books or pamphlets.

A Little Humor

With a questioning look, David’s mother says to him, “How many times have I told you not to play in the house with that sling? Go practice your harp. We pay good money for those lessons!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“God’s wrath comes by measure; His mercy without measure!”