The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 24:1-3,
"See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he
will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants— it will be the same
for priest as for people, for the master as for his servant, for the
mistress as for her servant, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as
for lender, for debtor as for creditor. The earth will be completely
laid waste and totally plundered. The Lord has spoken this word."
Here is a sobering prophecy: the earth is going to be devastated by
the Lord, utterly devastated. The finality of the Lord's action is
sealed with these words: "The Lord has spoken this word." It will
happen, period! The only question remains is: when?
Some refuse to accept this, but no matter... it is coming in full
certainty. In the face of the caricatures of whacky people carrying
sandwich signs, "The end is near!", the sophisticates of our day have
been prophesied by Peter, "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.' But they deliberately forget that
long ago by God's word the heavens came into being and the earth was
formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of
that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present
heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of
judgment and destruction of the ungodly." 2 Peter 3:4-7.
The reason for the devastation of the earth is provided in verses 5
and 6 of Isaiah 24, "The earth is defiled by its people; they have
disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting
covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear
their guilt. Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up, and very few
are left."
Peter brings the same news from the Lord, "The day of the Lord will
come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the
elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done
in it will be laid bare." 2 Peter 3:10. Also, in verse 12 we read,
"That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and
the elements will melt in the heat."
Peter goes on to ask a very practical question, "Since everything will
be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?" Verse
11. He provides his own answer in verses 14, "So then, dear friends,
since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found
spotless, blameless and at peace with him."
The solution for this is stated very simply in Romans 10:9-10, "If you
declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with
your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your
mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."
Simple, straightforward and true. This world has a shelf life, and
when we hit that date, the world is going to be destroyed. The
destruction is going to come upon everyone at the time, and the only
refuge is to embrace Jesus Christ in faith.
Do so today and insure your place in God's kingdom, a place at his table!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send
me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just
respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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